We initially froze when we sat down to write these “Top RV Safety Tips.” “We’re not experts – what do we have to say on the topic?” we thought. Then we realized – our lack of knowledge is the perfect guide for safety tips. Not to toot our own horn, but we’ve been on the road for about three years now, and we’ve made some awful mistakes and oversights in that time. We’ve made the mistakes, so you don’t have to. So here it is – our roadmap of safety-don’ts you might want to avoid on your trip.
Number One: Not Changing Your Tires Often Enough
You will likely need to replace your RV tires before you realize it. Because of the nature of RVing, they will probably not rack up the miles before they rack up the years. Don’t just assume that because the tread looks good and you’ve only driven 15,000 miles on them, your six-year-old tires are good to go. Even with low mileage and good tread, RV tires will need to be changed by around five years past their manufacture date.
When we set out on our initial trip in the RV, our tires were already seven years old. We thought they looked good to go and drove all the way to Alabama from Colorado before a kind older gentleman was looking over our rig and called us out. We drove back to Colorado before getting new tires, and luckily nothing happened. The memory makes us cringe just thinking about what could have been.
I know some people are rolling their eyes at this, likely because they want to avoid paying for new tires that look “fine.” Just go ahead and look at the damage a blown-out tire can do to an RV or trailer – I’ll wait. Now go get new tires.
Number Two: Not Monitoring Your Propane
While we haven’t had any issues with our propane set up to date, we got an earful of warnings about it when we were renovating the RV from Christa’s grandpa. He used to work for Xcel Energy, dealing with emergency gas shut-offs. We take the energy we get for granted and often don’t think about the safety aspects.
The first thing you should do is have a properly installed propane detector in your RV. You should also keep a portable detector in your tool kit if you have reason to suspect a leak or just need to do a routine check. After that – always make sure to check that your stove and oven aren’t left running and that you have proper ventilation when cooking. Having the right tools on hand and making sure you know the dangers is the best thing to set yourself up for success.
As an added side note, turn off any propane-powered appliances (like your fridge) when you are getting your propane tank filled or if you are at a gas station in general.
Number Three: Ignoring Electrical Issues
It’s easy to take electricity for granted because you might feel like you have already been dealing with it all your life, but living in an RV or trailer is going to present a few differences you might not understand.
Just like when dealing with propane, it is essential to have the right tools on hand – a surge protector for your rig, an NCVT (Non-contact voltage tester), and an outlet tester are the most basic things you should start with. Make sure that you check your electric pedestal with an NCVT and an outlet tester before plugging in. Many surge protectors come with an outlet tester included, so plug that in first and look at the reading before you hook your rig up as well. This might feel like overkill, but RV hot skin is real, and it’s real dangerous. If you plug your rig into a pedestal with a wiring issue, your entire rig can become electrified, and you will be at risk of receiving a serious shock.
While these tools will come in handy to prevent you from plugging into something potentially dangerous or deadly, you might also experience electrical troubles from within your rig. We had an issue with our inverter faulting for seemingly no reason for years, and Adam found a workaround to get it going when it would shut off by just unplugging it and plugging it back in. Eventually, we started experiencing other issues, causing Adam to dig around and find a melted wire from a small fire in our breaker box. We decided it was time to call a professional, and he was able to troubleshoot the issue. Our inverter had a ground short, and a previous owner had redone some wiring with small gauge wire that wasn’t sufficient for the load it was set to carry. In our electrician’s words, it was “a burn down your house” sort of problem.
The moral of the story is that while you should educate yourself on these topics, don’t get too cocky and start finding workarounds for things you don’t fully understand. Know when you have reached an issue above your paygrade and call a professional.
A side tip here is to find an electrician who deals specifically with RVs – they will be more familiar with your setup and comfortable tackling the issues you are having.
Number Four: Not Taking Precautions When Driving
This should be a no-brainer to most – driving, in general, is dangerous, and driving a heavy and long rig will present its own set of dangers and difficulties. So for this section, we will focus primarily on our advice for those just getting started.
Start out driving on routes you are familiar with and comfortable with. Driving when you know there won’t be heavy traffic, steep grades, or construction will always be best when you are just learning. Also, make sure that you aren’t planning too long of trips when you haven’t gotten a few miles under your belt. The first few times driving our rig, we were sore from tensing our muscles and gripping the steering wheel. Unfortunately, one thing you can never seem to avoid with driving an RV is crazy drivers. Driving a big rig brings out the worst in people – they don’t want to be behind you or next to you. People will drive sporadically, making everything drastically more dangerous to get away from you and then abruptly cut you off. Do your best to anticipate it, and most of all, don’t let it get you angry – that is just a recipe for disaster. Let people make mistakes and do your best to control what you can.
Some of the best things you can do to set yourself up for success are avoiding rush hour and having a second set of eyes navigating you whenever possible. Speaking of navigation – get an RV-specific GPS app of some kind. We use Co-Pilot, and it has never led us astray. These apps help recommend the best routes for rigs to help avoid steep grades and tight turns. In addition to that, you can customize your app to your RV’s dimensions so that it won’t take you on routes with low bridges or cables. Anytime we have ever gotten into a bad situation on the road, it was because we directly went against Co-Pilot’s advice for a route that looked quicker. Don’t get in a hurry – it will never work out in your favor.
Number Five: Not Monitoring the Weather
Making sure you are accounting for bad weather when living in an RV is crucial for maintaining the value of your rig and your safety while on the road. It sounds straightforward, but it can often be overlooked for that exact reason. Before you plan a stop, it’s essential to know the weather for that location for the time of year you plan to visit. Tornados, hurricanes, and thunderstorms can be dangerous for anyone, but living in a mobile home will make you especially vulnerable, not to mention you will likely be somewhere you aren’t very familiar with.
The only way to be safe when it comes to inclement weather is to prep yourself for success on the front end. Get a weather app that will update you based on your current location. After our recent stay in the northmost point of Tennessee on the border of Kentucky, we found ourselves blissfully unaware of incoming tornados just an hour away. Luckily, we had a friend in town who called us and asked us to shelter with her while they passed. We were lucky, and the nearest tornado to us touched down about 10 miles or so away, but that easily could have been much worse. The whole incident inspired us to download the “My Radar” app, which now gives us notifications when bad weather is coming.
While knowing when a storm is coming can be helpful, make sure you set yourself up for success before it is even on the horizon. Always have an action plan of where you will go if there is a tornado or some other form of hazardous weather in your area. The odds are that your RV isn’t the safest place to be. Don’t wait until the last minute when you are stressed out to make a plan – and always have a backup.
There you have it – our Top 5 safety tips to keep you safe while on the road. What did we leave out? Let us know in the comments and check out our vlog on YouTube for a more in-depth discussion on the topic.
