Inspired Travels With Patti

RV Maintenance Tips That Could Save Your Summer Trips

• Patti Hunt • Season 2 • Episode 38

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0:00 | 31:14

What happens when your RV breaks down in the middle of summer heat? In this episode of Inspired Travels with Patti, I sit down with RV tech expert Jonathan Selin to talk about the most common RV maintenance mistakes that leave travelers stranded on the side of the road. Jonathan shares practical advice for preventing costly breakdowns, extending the life of your RV, staying cool during hot weather travel, and finding trustworthy RV technicians when things go wrong.

Jonathan also shares how he and his family transitioned from traditional “sticks and bricks” living into the RV lifestyle and how that journey eventually led him into the world of RV repair and maintenance. This episode is packed with practical RV ownership tips that can save travelers time, stress, and money.

Whether you’re a full-time RVer, weekend camper, or preparing for your next road trip, this conversation offers valuable advice to help you avoid major RV headaches and travel with more confidence.

Key Topics Covered

  • The most common RV breakdowns that travelers can prevent
  • Summer RV travel tips for staying cool and avoiding AC problems
  • How to find an RV technician you can trust
  • How small maintenance habits can prevent major emergencies

Guest Jonathan Selin 

  • Phone: 763-706-7469 
  • Email: selinrvmarine@gmail.com

Thank you for listening to Inspired Travels With Patti, I would love to hear from you, please leave me a comment or question here on the podcast page or on my social media channels:
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Avoid Roadside Breakdowns

SPEAKER_00

Nothing ruins a trip faster than your RV breaking down when it's 95 degrees out. But don't worry, today we're going to talk about ways to prevent some of the breakdowns. John, what's the most common trip ruining problem that could have been avoided?

SPEAKER_01

I would say probably the most common one is going to be tires and suspension, finding you on the side of the road, the exact opposite of what you're planning.

SPEAKER_00

Okay, and today I have an RV tip expert, and we are going to talk about RV maintenance that will save you from being on the side of the road and save you money, the best ways to stay cool this summer, and how to find a great RV tech when you need one. And that to me is through adventure, unique experiences, and exploring new places.

Meet John The RV Tech

SPEAKER_00

Now I met John, his wife Erin, and their kids while I was in a campground and sort of felt stranded. John and his family helped me out in one of the most difficult situations I had been in. And I just want to say how grateful I am for him and his family. And I think that's what the RV community is about is finding people that are truly amazing people. John is an RV tech. And for me, finding somebody that you know, love, and trust is the absolute most important thing when you have somebody coming in and working on your RV. I want to welcome you, Jonathan Celine to Inspire Travels with Patty.

SPEAKER_01

Thanks for having me on. I really appreciate it.

SPEAKER_00

I appreciate you taking the time. I know you are super busy. So I appreciate you taking the time and giving my listeners maintenance tips that could save them time, money, and a lot of major issues. So, John, why don't you tell people about your RV tech experience?

From Full Time RVer To Certifided Technician

SPEAKER_01

So it all started some odd years ago now. I think we're talking at four and a half. Um we were just like, you know what? This regular day-to-day sticks and bricks life is not working the way we want it to. We we need to, we need to somehow make our dream life and our everyday life kind of mesh together. Now that was a totally different plan. There was like we had traveling the world, we had sailboats, we had, you know, all sorts of stuff. Um and but in the process, we were like, we gotta make that transition from sticks and bricks to somewhere. So RV was natural. So we were like, this is working, this is pretty good. Um now I didn't go immediately into the RV tech thing. Uh we were feeling it out. I've always had a background of being mechanically inclined and working on everything I have, not necessarily because I that was my profession, um, but mainly because I wanted to survive and make my cars work and I and I couldn't afford to have someone come and work on it early on in our marriage and stuff. It would do just us getting by and making it work. So that all culminated into here I am RVing around and getting acquainted with all of the ups and downs of RVing and applying my own skill from remodeling to automotive stuff to sort out how to work with these machines. Um, albeit I think they could have made them a little better to start with, but that's a conversation for another time. Yeah, yeah, that's maybe a whole nother topic. Yeah. Um but then so then for the last four and a half years, it's been a process of being familiar with my own RV, all the way from toilets to suspension to frames. I've had to repair my own frame a couple of times now, um, on and on and on, the laundry list um from top to bottom. And um, so then I had a change in my career path, uh being in managing sales, essentially. And I was that job was no longer working. And so I was like, you know what? I'm gonna be, I'm gonna go for the tech thing because I already do it and I'm already have the aptitude for it. So I went and got certified, got it done, and this year officially I have half my business rolling out of out of Florida right now.

SPEAKER_00

Talk about the certification. I think that is important. So, what was the certification you've received?

SPEAKER_01

So initially, all I went for because I had another, that's a whole nother story. I had another tech actually who is in medical need. Um, he was going through a lot of, I don't want to get into everything that he has. I don't know, but he wants to share, but he had severe medical needs, but he still needed to make money. Um, and so what I was coming in to do right on the heels of not having my previous job anymore was coming in to essentially work alongside him, shadow him, which I think was probably the best gift he could have given me. Um, but also to come in and help him so he could actually get an income. And we shared, we shared that income for that period a short period of time. Um now the certification part of it. I did initially the shortest version of the certification um out of one of the pretty well-known schools in Texas.

SPEAKER_00

You could bench to the name if you want.

SPEAKER_01

So the NRVTA is what who I went through in Texas. Um, I think it's the little red school house and all that fun stuff. Um, and I just I was going for as fast as I could because I mean his medical needs are immediate. And so I it was a one-week certification. So essentially it's going over everything. Um not necessarily in incredible depth, but it's going through all of it, all the things you need to know so that you're not um you're not getting stuck not knowing what your systems are and what the dangers of those systems are.

SPEAKER_00

So I'm gonna, I'm gonna just emphasize first of all, full-time RVer for four and a half years. You've been working on your RV, your cars, you've been working on cars previous to even RVing. You've helped people like me to fix things, diagnose things, figure out. You then, you know, partnered with a gentleman who you had hands-on experience with somebody that had decades of you know working on RV. So, what an incredible opportunity, and you're certified. So, I just want people to know all that. And there's something else I want to add here. We have a lot of mutual friends, and my our mutual friends have been talking about you, and I have heard amazing things about you being able to diagnose RVs that other techs weren't able. Um, there have been a lot of people that you know have used your service and know, love, and trust you like I do. So I just want people to understand your background. And that's part of this conversation of what to look for in a tech. But before we go down that road, people are wondering what kind of maintenance do I need to do? And I know from being on the road myself full-time for over three years with a 2002 RV that had lots of different things going on. Um, maintenance is so incredibly important. And I know that there are people, including me, that thought, well, I don't want to spend hundreds of dollars to do this maintenance thing because I just don't want to put that money out. We tend to wait until something breaks to fix it.

Tire Safety And Suspension

SPEAKER_00

We started by talking about tires. Tires not only are important, and I'm not I'm telling this to my audience, but this could be a life-threatening issue, not to be dramatic here, but it can be. So you mentioned tires in the beginning. Let's talk about tire maintenance to start, and then I'm gonna let you talk about maintenance because you're the expert. So let's start with tires.

SPEAKER_01

All right, I'll try to keep it relatively brief because there's so much to cover.

SPEAKER_00

Right.

SPEAKER_01

Um, what I find usually is that people are either they're not paying attention to their tires at all, or they're not paying attention to tire pressure, all the classic stuff. It's really literally all the stuff that everyone's ever screamed about, it's just people skip it. Um, because they only use it when they move, and so that's not used that much in their mind. Um, tire age, all that stuff. But that will be tires are the quickest way to the side of the road or you know, an overturned situation. So um, as far as I get the motion, that's the reason why I answered that way. The most catastrophic situation is if you are finding yourself in traffic or off the side of traffic, or you know, entirely totaled rig because of a simple thing of tires. So it is a it is kind of an expensive item sometimes, and but it is a hundred percent worth it. Everything else can get to the site if the wheels are on. Um, so that's kind of the thought process there. The I mean it's everything. I guess I don't know what all depth you want to go into on this one, but it's gonna be everything from how old is it, what is the pressure, um, how is it wearing, you know, is it already toast and you need to get another one a while ago. Um, all those questions, you want to keep those in top shape. Um, the only other thing beyond that one is that is a pet peeve of mine is suspension. Um, I have had experience after experience on my own RV trying to deal with standard suspension. I mean, literally every time I moved, I was either welding something or replacing something. I mean, not even joking. It was go for two hours and something's wrong because I I have to go under there and look. And it's like, oh, that's broke now. Um, so making sure you're on top of that and that it it actually matches what it is that you're carrying, especially full-time. We're always on the edge of maximum. So you need to have suspension that matches that. So those are the two things. Keeping the wheels on the bus is the biggest thing. And after that, you get into the other more maintenance items that just makes your RVing or camping experience more pleasant.

SPEAKER_00

And and before we go on to those, getting back to the tires, we are deeming that pretty much the most important thing. Monitoring it, you said for full-time people, like we were, I was full-time, you are full-time, really focusing on that. But I'm gonna say somebody who's renting or borrowing an RV should still check out those tires, right?

SPEAKER_01

Yes, right.

SPEAKER_00

And then there are tire pressure monitoring systems. We're not gonna get into that. People could check on that. This is a monitoring system that will show tire pressure and temperature so you know if a problem is starting. And I'm like you said, we're not going into huge depth with any one maintenance item because this is to give people an overview, an idea of what to look for so that they could then do the research on the specifics. You know, what specific tire for your coach, how many years it should be on, the pressure, the temperature, all of that is very specific. So today's idea is to just touch on these maintenance type things so that people are aware and then could do the individual research, the frame, another important thing to absolutely pay attention to. So, what is another important maintenance item that everyone should be doing on their RV?

SPEAKER_01

Now, do you want to go into every system or are we just going for our summer and maintenance items?

SPEAKER_00

Let's talk about summer maintenance items because after speaking with you, it sounds like there is so much to this. So, for today, let's do our summer maintenance items to look at because otherwise we're gonna overwhelm people. We don't want to do that. So, let's talk about summer maintenance type things.

Summer Prep Roof And AC

SPEAKER_01

So, as far as summer maintenance items, um, there's some things that you need to be prepped for before you hit it. First of all, um, one of the things is what is the condition of your roof? Um, that needs to be already addressed even before you get to your actual roll about this time. You need to have it either ready or scheduled. Um because you're heading into your summer months when it's gonna be taking the largest toll on the roof as far as solar, solar damage. Um, so what you're looking for in a ro in the roof systems is what is going to be reflecting a lot of that. So heat, keeping that off the top of your roof. It surprisingly it does have a huge effect on it. Um, I would say that's probably one of your one of your critical ones. Um, but the ones you need to have done beforehand. Um another item is obviously making sure your ACs are clean. These, this is like it happens all the time, constantly, and it keeps me busy. Um, is you gotta make sure those are clean, you gotta make sure those drain. People don't think about draining when they think about ACs. Um, you gotta make sure they drain and they don't drain into your camper. Um that kind of stuff is critical to making sure that things stay both dry and cool as you go into the summer

Humidity Control And Exterior Care

SPEAKER_01

months. Um one aspect having to do with ACs that people don't necessarily think about and somehow the the the physic the uh the logic of how this that works is is kind of missed a little bit is humidity. People miss the concept of of how humid the interior of their camper is. Now, this may not apply if you're in Arizona, you probably are trying to make it more humid in your camper, but my my point is that um in most places as summer comes on, the moisture in the air goes up. And the issue is is your AC is not just trying to cool stuff, it's also trying to dry stuff. And if it's having to do both, it's doing neither one as well as it could. So um what I highly recommend is get some kind of dehumidifier involved. And then it comes down to a balance, it's a different balance than maybe what you're used to in your camper with no dehumidifier because it produces heat, and then you're having to rebalance your temperature to get your humidity right too. But it takes away the job from the AC unit, so then it's not having to do that as well as keep everything cool. So that is one that a lot of people miss, and it actually extends the life of your RV as far as like interior finishings. Um, you're talking about fit and finish, but also more critically, like how mold might try to grow, or how moisture builds up in your walls or your ceiling or your floor. A lot of those things people don't think about until they've already been down the road for a while. So that one has been a really, really strong item on my list of uh issues I come across is humidity inside the camper. Now one other item that um a lot of people aren't necessarily thinking about is the really shiny camper on the corner that looks like they're just bragging because it's just so shiny. Um and it's not all faded, it's not all sad looking. It's not just a fashion statement, it's not just um oh, look at me, I can afford to wax this. Um it is actually really critical because obviously you have your roof on top, you have the two sides that are hitting, getting the same kind of sun. So the if those sides of your camper aren't reflecting cellar heat as well, they will absorb that heat, and then that gets transferred into the interior of your camper. But more importantly, going with all the other maintenance items, is it will actually start to deteriorate your exterior, and then that's when you get your fading, and then it starts to really do some damage. So it's not only a fashion statement, it's not just I'm fancy, look at me. It is I'm keeping the heat off and I'm maintaining my vehicle for the long run, is what it comes down to. So those are those two last ones specifically are ones that people just don't consider.

SPEAKER_00

And things like protecting your tires, like putting the tire cover on, because again, the heat, I learned this sort of the hard way. The heat will deteriorate the tires. Now, luckily, they were older tires that needed to be replaced. But yeah, taking that few minutes every time you stop and putting those tire covers on. Okay. So we're talking a lot about preparing for the summer. Obviously, the AC. I believe there are people that'll probably stay like in the Florida or lower states because they don't want to travel, maybe because of the gas prices. I talked to just as many that are getting out of, you know, out of town because it's way too hot. So these are some great ways to stay cool. What I'm understanding is maintenance is a lot bigger than I realized. And so we're gonna focus on the summer and then probably need to have you back on to talk about more maintenance tips.

When Do I DIY Or Call An Expert

SPEAKER_00

How do I know? A big question that I think about how do I know whether to make something a DIY, do it yourself, or call an expert?

SPEAKER_01

That is going to be a case by case in a lot of situations because I don't know the skill level of everybody out there. Um well, I can say in general, most people are going to be minor me, minorly mechanically inclined, or can go and figure out some of this information on their own. Um, however, there's a cross-section of people who can't. They just don't get it, or they can't because they just physically can't. So um that would be the most clear line for me is that if you know that you're just gonna mess it up, or you know you're just gonna hurt yourself, um, you're gonna want to call somebody. Now that's you want to call someone you trust, like you were covering before. You got to call somebody that you know isn't gonna just, you know, take your money and run or damage something in the process. So um now, when you want to get into slightly more specific, how you know, when do you call that expert versus a not, is really it's gonna come down to your comfort level with with your skill and your abilities. If if you can read if you can source everything and you can research everything and you have that time and energy, go for it. More power to you. Um, and I can say that as a tech, I am not upset when people are trying to do stuff on their own. Um, there's already too much work I have to keep up with. And if people get educated along the way and learn how to work on their stuff, that's that's super valuable. So for me as a DIY guy, that is I really value that. So if people go for it, do it. However, there are things that will get seriously destroyed if you just think you can and you definitely shouldn't. Um, there's elements like, for instance, I will say if you're getting underneath your camper and trying to hold up your camper, um, and you just think you might know how it works, be extremely cautious. That is danger zone. Uh, people have. Gotten seriously injured doing that. Um, you have to know what you're doing there. Um and it comes to your electrical systems. Don't just dive in there if you have no clue what you're doing. That is a great way to get if not shocked, fried. So be very careful. You could burn down your camper if you're not careful. So really seriously, know what you're doing, not guess what you're doing. Um there are as well longer term issues with if you get into your water system. Um, because if you create a leak, now you're talking about damage to your camper that is often people consider more cancerous to your ki to the camper, and they're like, oh, we got wet once. I don't if you're trying to sell it, they're not interested. And if you want to get it repaired later, specifically on your floors, um, it's not desirable for any tech and doesn't most techs won't touch that. They don't wanna. Um so I mean, there's a lot of things like that. I mean, it's gonna come case by case, but if you're most I would say the largest point on that is if you're definitely if you don't feel comfortable with it and you don't have the skill for it, you need someone in there to do it.

SPEAKER_00

Right. And it's you talking about going up on the roof. There are people that definitely shouldn't be going up on the roof. And again, I know people are trying to save money. We all are, we all hesitate to call that tech out because it's gonna cost money to bring him out. You know, now you have to find somebody you can trust. But getting up on a roof and falling off, way bigger issue. So knowing what you're capable, from what I'm hearing you say, what you're capable of DIYing, and when you need to call the tech, because in the long run, it's gonna save you time, effort, money, um, and like you said, could do major permanent damage to your RV. So deciding DIY, you're right, it's individual.

Finding A Trusted RV Tech

SPEAKER_00

Um, let's let me emphasize when we're looking for an RV tech. I think having training is great. That's awesome. You went to um R V T A. I always forget the letter.

SPEAKER_01

N R V T A.

SPEAKER_00

N R V T A. And I'll put a link in the show notes. Um, all these letters get confusing. N R V T A is R V in it.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah. N R V T A. Right. That makes sense. Um, but it is one of the top schools in the country, and it is referred to as the the red roof, little red schoolhouse. Um, and I know the guys who run that. So that is a great option for people who do want to get out there and either do their own DIY, their own work. So people go for training just to be able to do their own and also to be able to go out and be an RV tech for other people. So we talked about needing the needing the training. Um, I'm gonna add the fact that you personally had the experience with somebody that mentored you. I think that's great. But obviously, listening to friends, people who have used your service, the reviews you get are super important. So I'm telling people what to look for in an RV tech that I, you know, see in you. And that's why I decided to have you on this show.

SPEAKER_01

I appreciate it very much.

SPEAKER_00

You are welcome. And you are located right now in Florida, correct?

SPEAKER_01

Correct, and mostly West Orlando and for the most part, and the larger circle around.

SPEAKER_00

What's the name of the company and how can people reach out to you?

SPEAKER_01

The name is Celine R V and Marine, and they can reach out my number, 763-706-7469. Otherwise, you can just email me at Celine S-E-L-I-N R V Marine at gmail.com, and you can reach me either way.

SPEAKER_00

So I'm gonna put your information in the show notes because people who are there in Florida that are soon gonna be worrying about the AC, making sure they want to look at that AC now and make sure that everything is clean and running properly before we get into the major heat. You're already having some of that.

SPEAKER_01

Oh, yeah.

SPEAKER_00

Um, so I am gonna put your information in the show notes for people and people could reach out to you and see if it's a good fit. That's always what you want to do. Talk to the person, talk to the tech person, see if it's a good fit. As I said when we started this, it sounds like we need to take more of a dive into maintenance. Hopefully, this will help people start their summer months, no matter where in the country they are. Um, do you have any last thoughts before we wrap up?

Final Warnings And Wrap Up

SPEAKER_01

One that cropped up was if you have something that is a nuisance or an issue or has changed, don't ignore it. I find most people um that have been staying in the RV for a long period of time or even a relatively short, they will tolerate a lot. And it's usually tolerating something that is breaking or has failed. And don't just write it off and be like, uh, it's just an RV. No, you in a lot of cases you need to be on top of that and take note of it. Um, and on the topic of staying cool as well, I'm gonna add one more thing, which is similar, is if you have things with your AC specifically that are changing or doing something different, noise, uh different type of you're getting dripping going on, you're getting um different, it behaves different. Um, pay attention to that because I have had AC fan motors trying to start campers on fire. So pay attention to the smell, pay attention to what you hear, pay attention to weird vibrations and funny fluids, pay attention to all of it because it's it's telling you a story of where it's at, and you need to pay attention to that.

SPEAKER_00

That is great advice. And I think because I've done it myself, you're afraid that something major could be wrong. It's gonna cost me a lot of money. Maybe I don't feel like I have the money for that. We've a lot of us have been there, so I want to make it okay, but by ignoring it, you're making it worse. It's gonna cost more money in the long run. So call a tech, call somebody and say this is what I'm experiencing. And maybe it's just some simple, quick fix. The other side of it, like you said, you know, creating a fire is a bigger problem than anybody wants to have. So thank you for mentioning that. It's true with anything, whether you're in a house or an RV. Pay attention to these things. I want to thank you, Jonathan, so much for being on Inspired Travels with Patty Podcast. I know you're busy and I greatly appreciate you taking the time out to be on and share so much amazing information that's really going to help people. I hope people really take what you said to heart and get on that maintenance before we really get full into the summer months. I know I'm gonna have to have you back on because there's a lot more maintenance tips. I know you could share with my audience. Um, thank you so much for being on.

SPEAKER_01

You're welcome. I'm just trying to get people down the road more pleasantly than before.

SPEAKER_00

That sounds awesome. That is an awesome goal. So, for my listeners, thank you so much for listening. We talked about how to reach out to Jonathan. All of his information will be in the show notes. Do not hesitate to reach out. If you're not sure you have a question, reach out to him. That's what they are there for. He and his wife work together, and that is what they are there for. For those of you who were inspired or this episode really helped you, your support is so important. And you can follow, you can hit that subscribe button. It is very helpful. If you have been listening on the podcast, you could also watch this episode on YouTube, and we'll see if Jonathan has some pictures to share with us that we will put up on YouTube. And I hope for my audience that this episode of Inspired Travels with Patty inspired you to get out and get down the road, as Jonathan said, because living fully starts with one simple step.