The refrigerator is the only device in your recreational vehicle (RV) that can keep your steak edible and beer cold, no matter where you’re headed. It would certainly be a shame to let those prime steak cuts go bad when the fridge goes kaput while you’re on the road. Bill Gehr, writer for MotorHome Magazine, recommends having the RV fridge checked at least once a year.
If you own an RV, chances are it’s equipped with a gas/electric refrigerator. With the summer travel season on the horizon, now is the time to give your refrigerator a little TLC.
Absorption refrigerators produce cold from heat, so it’s imperative that all systems work together and function properly in order to maintain a desired temperature to prevent food from spoiling prematurely.
RV refrigerators have different maintenance requirements than home refrigerators. House models simply sit, whereas motorhome refrigerators must endure a strenuous existence of regular jostling, periods without consistent cooling and out-of-level situations. In addition, environmental factors such as high ambient temperatures combined with dust, dirt and rust truly challenge the operation of any absorption-type refrigerator throughout its service life. These combined stress points and other mechanical considerations make it important to service RV refrigerators annually.
Unlike the ones at home, RV refrigerators rely on the vehicle’s gas supply. This works when you’re camping in the great outdoors where electricity is typically unavailable. The fridge’s generator is responsible for converting heat from the gas to cold air by way of a water-ammonia mixture which functions as the main coolant.
Aside from professional Riverside County RV repair and maintenance, you can extend the service life of your RV fridge with a few storage tips. For instance, it is best not to overload your fridge so you don’t impede its ability to keep all of that food and drink cold and fresh. In this case, you may want to carry a cooler for the extra stuff, such as bottled drinks.
If you smell ammonia (which resembles the pungent odor of urine), turn off the fridge immediately and refrain from using it. Remove the contents from the fridge and transfer them to another container or cooler. As soon as you return home, schedule a service appointment with a Riverside mobile RV repair center like Chadwick RV Doctor for a thorough assessment of the damage.

Vacations have become fewer and farther in between for a lot of families across the country. With the cost of air travel and hotel accommodations continuing to soar at peak travel seasons, it has become less and less practical for many families to go on grand vacations out of the country or even just out of state. Consequently, a Fox34 News article dated June 22, 2013 points out that a growing number of consumers are opting to purchase motorhomes as a less costly alternative.
According to the Recreational Vehicle Industry Association, in February 2013, RV manufacturers shipped more than 26,000 units, an increase of six percent from the same month of 2012. This was the best February total since 2008.
Meanwhile, thanks to reliable San Diego RV repair  services from companies like Chadwick – RV Doctor, RV owners can worry less about encountering mechanical breakdowns while staying at any RV park in this part of Southern California. One can, therefore, fully appreciate the beauty of the great outdoors and occasionally call on mobile RV repair experts for assistance as necessary. Meanwhile, a certain consumer from Lubbock, Texas agrees that owning an RV is a truly rewarding investment that has brought joy to his whole family.
Wesley Stribling considers his RV money well spent. He’s had it for seven years, and said he and his family get as much use out of it as possible.
“We use it to go up the mountains in Colorado and camp and fish, and that’s our yearly vacation,” Stribling said. “We get to spend good, quality time. Family time. I’ve got two kids, and we take their bikes. They can ride their bikes anywhere they want to. We get to cook our own meals, and don’t have to go out and eat. So, that’s part of the advantage we see in it.”
Thanks to mobile RV repair in Oceanside, San Diego County’s third-largest city, vacationers can make the most out of their time away from home. While the whole family is out fishing or enjoying the marvelous Southern California coastline, fully equipped RV repair specialists like Chadwick – RV Doctor can drop by and carry out the necessary repairs all within one day. With such services within reach, consumers who are still on the fence about purchasing their own recreational vehicles can cast their fears aside and look forward to hassle-free vacations with their loved ones.

The fire that blazed on the afternoon of May 27, 2013 in the Los Padres National Forest near Santa Barbara ravaged 2.8 square miles of dry oak, pine, and chaparral. More than 550 firefighters and a dozen aircraft struggled to get the upper hand on the fast-moving conflagration, which prompted as many as 6,000 campers to evacuate the forest area on the Memorial Day holiday.
Consider yourself lucky if you weren’t there at that instance. Then again, what if you were? Do you think your RV would have held up to the chaos of evacuating out of the place in the nick of time? Would it have held together behind a long line of RVs and other fleeing vehicles in the midst of anarchic  traffic? Such situations highlight how important visits to your local Los Angeles RV repair  shop could be.
When the fire began, witnesses reported seeing a giant smoke cloud rising over the mountains and blanketing Santa Barbara. Michael Devlin, a Santa Barbara local, recounts that “The sky was completely red, and you could just see red sunlight coming through. It’s pretty scary.”
Since your RV represents a significant investment on your part, you need to maintain it to ensure that it serves its intended purpose at optimal effectiveness. RV maintenance goes a long way in keeping your vehicle running smoothly. The good thing about quality Los Angeles County RV repair  experts like Chadwick  RV Doctor is that you don’t have to drive your vehicle to the garage; as their staff are willing to come to you. You simply make a call, and their mechanics could be onsite to get the job done. So in case of emergency or just plain old regular maintenance work, have their number ready with you at all times.
Aside from regular maintenance, here are a few other tips to keep you, your RV, and those around you safe: Know the prescribed inflation pressure for your tires, and monitor each one periodically. Know your vehicle’s weight limits and stay within those limits. Check all the vehicle fluids (engine oil, brake fluid, power steering fluid, transmission fluid, radiator coolant, window washer solution, etc.) and make sure they’re topped off. Above all else, be sure to drive at safe speeds.
By Wednesday, May 29, the Santa Barbara County Sheriff department reported that the fire was 90% contained. Winds held steady at 14 mph, and although humidity was still at 39 percent and temperatures were in the high 70s, firefighters were nevertheless able to make good headway. By Friday, however, the evacuated campers were still not permitted back into the fire zone to retrieve their belongings.
Although no one wishes for such events to happen, it pays to be prepared for them. Having your RV inspected and maintained regularly will ensure that on those long camping trips when the unexpected happens and you need to move on fast, you know you can rely on your RV to bear you safely through wherever you need to go.

A Santa Cruz Sentinel special report dated September 26, 2013 recounts the tragedy that befell an RV and a home in Santa Cruz. The blaze consumed a camper and a nearby home, subsequently displacing one woman from her home yet injuring no one. The cause of the inferno is still under investigation.

A fire on the 100 block of Fourth Avenue burned an RV and the back of a home Thursday afternoon.

No one was injured but the blaze destroyed a Mercedes camper van and several rooms of the home. At least one woman who lives there was displaced.

Neighbors spotted the fire about 4:50 p.m., said Santa Cruz Fire Battalion Chief Rob Young. Neighbors saw smoke coming from the back of the camper van and called 911.

Firefighters arrived and found the van and the white, single-story house near it engulfed in flames. The response was upgraded to include more engines, and firefighters knocked down the blaze about 5:30 p.m., authorities said.
Californians sure love their RVs, so the loss of one can be a depressing matter for any owner who treats their RVs as prized possessions. Even more depressing is the possibility that the fire could have started from faulty equipment from within the camper. Folks should therefore check all appliances within their RVs, and must not hesitate to call for professional RV repair in Orange County, CA  as necessary.
RVs, like the homes they emulate, require constant maintenance for safety purposes. Devices like burners, furnaces, and ovens (among others) need to be kept clean and in good working order. Any oversight can easily result in a tragedy, such as the aforementioned fire, which is why RV owners should act with urgency the moment they notice any possible device malfunction.
It can be quite disconcerting when your RV suddenly develops leaks, electrical troubles, and whatnot in the middle of nowhere. Luckily for RV enthusiasts in southern California, reputable companies like Chadwick – RV Doctor offer the kind of mobile RV repair in Anaheim , San Diego, and LA County that enables prompt servicing and same-day parts replacement. In any case, it is certainly advisable for all RV users to keep a list of reliable service providers at all times.

Are you worried about routine preventive service on your water heating system? Assuming you have a standard propane water heater (not an Aqua-Hot or Hydra-Hot or other on-demand system) Here’s what you’ll need to know;

All standard water heaters (ie. with tanks) will perform better if they are annually drained and flushed. This removes calcium and lime and improves the water quality and the heating efficiency. For your annual maintenance please follow these instructions:

CAUTION: If your water heater has an optional 120 volt electric heating element, NEVER allow this element to become energized (ie. Turned On) when the tank is empty, as the element will burn up in 15 seconds or less.

1. Turn off the water supply to your RV. Turn off the water pump if it’s on. Turn off all switches for the water heater and disconnect the power cord between the RV and the city electricity supply. Find a faucet where you can easily unscrew the aerator, and remove the aerator. Turn that faucet on, (hot and cold) until the water stops flowing.
2. Go outside and open the hatch cover for the water heater, and remove the drain plug which is located near the bottom of the water heater. Atwood water heaters utilize a heavy white plastic ½” plug, while water heaters made by Suburban Manufacturing utilize a long metal anode rod. (more on that later)
3. With the drain plug (or anode rod) removed, let all the water drain out of the hot water tank. The water will “burp” out of the drain plug hole. Don’t lift the lever on the brass Pressure/temperature Relief valve (to let air into the tank) as it may leak afterwards.
4. After draining the tank, attach a water heater flush tool (available in the Parts section of my website) to your white supply hose and force water into the hot water tank by inserting this tool into the drain plug hole. Use a stroking & rotating action to direct water to all surfaces of the tank, especially the bottom. You may notice a “sandbar” or calcium on the bottom of the tank. Keep flushing and draining the tank until all the calcium is gone. It’s going to make a mess on the ground but it’s not a health hazard
5. If the drain plug was a heavy white plastic ½” plug, buy a new Atwood drain plug from your RV store, (or on this website) and insert it. It is Atwood part number 91857. Plugs obtained from sources other than Atwood will likely not be water tight and will fail prematurely due to the heat of the water.
6. If the drain plug was actually a metal anode rod with a threaded end, you must check to see if it is mostly eaten away. Swap it out if it is seventy five percent gone or more. The anode rod is installed to protect the steel walls of the tank from being rusted by the water. A new anode is 8-1/2” long and ¾” in thick, and can be purchased at all RV shops or at the RV parts section of this website. The Suburban part number is 232768. When installing the anode, use Teflon tape or paste.
7. Turn off the hot + cold faucets inside the rig and turn on the water supply or water pump.
8. You’ll hear the water heater tank start filling up, and you might hear a strange “singing” sound from the water heater. This is air being forced past the one-way valve at the output of the water heater. It will stop singing when the air is all expelled. Go to the faucet where you removed the aerator and turn on the hot side, and notice water and bursts of air coming out of that open faucet. The water being expelled may look cloudy from floating calcium & lime debris, which would have plugged up the aerator.
9. When the air pockets have stopped coming out of this open faucet, and the water is clear of calcium, turn off the faucet and reinstall the aerator. Test the faucet with the aerator installed. The water should have normal flow and appearance.
10. Check for leaks around the new drain plug (or anode) and tighten if needed. Turn on the propane side of the water heater and confirm that it ignites. If there is no electric heating element, leave the propane side on until the propane burner shuts itself off, and then make a final leak inspection. Turn off the propane side and turn on the electric side if equipped. You can’t hear or see the electric side operating, but the water will be hot in about 30-40 minutes with the propane side off. Congratulations, you’re done!

There’s nothing worse than staying in your RV when a problem develops. Because you can’t easily can’t get your rig to a service center. We understand and sympathize.  That’s why you should keep your Doctor’s number handy.  Not your medical doctor, your RV Doctor!

Howard Chadwick provides mobile RV repair in Riverside, and he’s known as the RV Doctor.  His company will diagnose your ailment, prescribe the appropriate course of action, and monitor the patient until the repairs are complete ?  Typically repairs are wrapped up within 60 minutes of arriving on site.

When you need mobile RV repair in Riverside we won’t show up in an ambulance with red lights flashing, but we will arrive on time in a fully loaded 1 ton super long cargo van, loaded with test equipment, tools, spare parts and a large technical library.  Our goal is to arrive on time, and complete the repair within 1 hour using parts we have on-hand. Sadly, we’d need to arrive with a tractor-trailer to house every part for every year/make/model of RV, so that’s not gonna happen.  But we do carry more parts than any of our competitors and often have parts that the RV repair shops would not have. 92% of our calls are completed in 1 trip and almost always within 1 hour of our start time.

We are not the only company that provides mobile RV repair in Riverside County , but we’re definitely the best. Our service staff are;

• certified as Master RV Technicians
• covered with a $1,000,000 liability policy
• fully current on their continuing education requirements (i.e. Continual technical training)
• available 7 days a week
• usually available within 3-4 hours or sooner.
• provide a 90 day written guaranty on all work
• arrive in a fully stocked service van
• have a toll free phone # for your convenience
• and guaranty to fix your problem or the call is free!  (see website for details)

Any unemployed, uninsured, untrained wrench turner can call himself a RV Technician.  That is why it’s so important to use a company that meets all the above criteria.  The RV Doctor does!  Call any RV park where we provide service and they will give us an enthusiastic recommendation.  Our reputation  is built upon a consistent track record of “under promising and over delivering”.  We get the job done and make you feel good about your decision to use us.

We charge less than the service shops and provide a much higher quality of repair. We accept extended service contracts and work with all the manufacturer’s warranty programs.  We rescue vacations, and restore RV’s to better-than-factory condition. If your RV is sick, you need the Doctor.  The RV Doctor.  Call us now for a quick cure for your RV ailment.  Our toll free # is 1-866-783-6286.  Nurses are standing by!