Taking Delivery of Your New RV

You've finally taken the plunge and purchased a new RV or perhaps you are upgrading. At this point emotions are running high and all you really want to do is hit the road. But after completing your walk-through and signing the paperwork at the dealership, the next step should be to conduct a thorough test run to check out of all the systems and make sure everything is in proper working order. This may include taking your new RV for a short weekend trip to really check out all of its capabilities. Before you relax and envision life on the open road, give yourself ample time to check over and understand all the great features on your new RV. Many RVers will discover a hidden light switch, outlet or an access port only after months of suffering in darkness.

While the service writer may have already addressed some of the minor issues. Schedule a follow-up visit before you leave the dealership, even if it's only to ask more questions or obtain in-depth answers.

NIGHT ONE
The first night in your new RV visit a full-service campground that has water, sewer, cable and electrical hookups. A good RV park will have a crew available to guide you into your site and help you get setup. Should you need assistance just ask.

Some items commonly left behind on first-time RV getaways include a sufficiently long sewer hose, pressure regulator for the city water hookup, leveling boards for the motorhome or chock blocks for the trailer. You can pick up all of these supplies and a two-way radio (to assist you with parking) at any camping supply store.

ELECTRICAL
Inspect and test the park's power before you hook up. If the outlet at the pedestal looks like toast, do you really want to plug in there? It's a good idea to use a multi-meter to test the polarity and voltage prior to plugging in. Common problems experienced include reverse polarity and low voltage ' both can cause nasty damage to your new RV.

To test the shore power, run the microwave and the air conditioner. Give your appliances a good workout; if they're faulty they'll most likely fail sooner rather than later. Also run the furnace to ensure that all of the vents blow. When in doubt, check the instructions. Many warranty fixes are due to operator error.

WATER
Use a pressure regulator in line with your water hookup, as some city water pressures will blow out your plumbing. Even though the regulator or hose may have screens, flush any spiders or bugs out of the bib and hose before hooking up. You'll also have less air to get out of your water lines.

Once you've turned the city water on, making sure that the water pump is off, check all the faucets inside to get the air out. This will also help confirm that they don't leak under pressure.

Fill your black water tank right up in to the toilet bowl. How is the seal around the base of the toilet? If water leaks out, fumes will too.

SEWER
Hookup the sewer hose to be sure you've got enough length without having to stretch.

Waste water systems are especially puzzling to new RVers, so pay attention. The black water tank receives all its input from the toilet, including solids and toilet paper. When semi-solids hit the flat bottom of a dry tank, they solidify. Be sure to add enough water to the black water tank beforehand to avoid any problems.

Don't just hook up the sewer hose and leave the black water tank valve open. You need to build a reserve of liquids to flush out the solids. Also let the gray water fill, this is what you'll use for the first rinse following the black water flush. After dumping and closing the valves, add enough freshwater back into the black water tank to cover the bottom.

DRY CAMPING
Unless you never intend to spend a night without shore power, head to a more remote campsite for your second part of the test. Here you can test all of the self-contained systems and the generator.

Get a feel for how quickly the batteries drain and how quickly you go through water. Note the freezer tempeture, with the refrigerator powered by propane as compared to shore power. Can you keep ice cream frozen?

Finally, once you have worked all the kinks out of your new RV, setting up will become a lot easier. It's imperative for new owners to truly understand their RV so they can enjoy it to the fullest and avoid simple problems down the road.

Now that you've thoroughly tested and understand your new RV the only major test left is to check out the couch.