COMMON RV SETUP MISTAKES TO AVOID | Things Every RV Owner Should Know

In today's episode we cover a bunch of common RV mistakes that we've seen during our 18 months on the road and ways we've learned to avoid them. Learn about everything from how to look over a new campsite to safe ways to level and secure your RV. We also go over a lot of the equipment we use for hooking up to campground water, sewer, and electric hookups and share a few tips on how to establish a routine for setting up camp safely.

Whether you're brand new to owning an RV or have been camping for years, you're sure to learn something useful!

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[rexroad]

I lived in my RV for 20 years, moving the RV every 1-3 weeks. I used a 20-1 diluted Clorox in a spray bottle on the water faucets at each site. I have seen people wash their sewer hose by putting the sewer hose end over the faucet. I stopped using gloves after a year when dealing with sewer. I assume my hands are dirty and wash them with soap and water. I will even walk to the campground restroom to wash my hands after installing or removing the sewer. Then return to setup or finish the process of leaving. I never use hand sanitizer -- it may kill the bacteria and organisms on my hands that protect me. I just use soap and water. I use a written checklist for setup and another for tear-down. I go through each step by doing it or imaging doing it and visually checking. Nothing is skipped. I learned mostly from my own mistakes and occasionally the mistakes of others. 20 years gave me a chance to make all the mistakes at least once.

[woodandwheelz]

My dad kept a small clipboard with a laminated card on it, the size of the clipboard, with a checklist and clothes pins. As he completed each task he put the clothes pin on the item (i.e. when he connected the power, he put the clothes pin on the power post box). If he didn't do the task, like no water hook up, he left the pin on the clipboard. When the camping was done he would go over his check list and as he completed the take down/disconnect process, he would put the pins back onto the clipboard. He also had certain things that he merely checked them off with a grease pencil like putting the stabilizers down/up. This worked great for him and was great for me when I was starting out. Now, as mentioned in the video, I have a routine to follow, but I have never forgotten my dad's check list and it runs through my head. Great video and great advice. Thank you.

[phanto]

Bit of addition if i may, been full time in my 5th wheel for almost 10 years. dont go for perfectly level, have the end of the rig that your tanks feed out slightly (1/2" or so) lower than the other end, helps with drainage immensely.

[connie]

THANK YOU. I'm a woman on her own with my first travel trailer, and I'm starting with zero understanding of what to do and not to do. Your video was very helpful to me!

[tlford]

I do have a small suggestion on dumping both black and grey water tanks. I will dump my black tank first and rinse the tank. Then I dump my grey water which contains bath and dish soaps in the water. While I’m not saying it cleans perfectly but does a pretty good on cleaning out the sewer hose. Just my thoughts. Great video!

[adappergiraffe]

I want to add one thing that I learned from an "RV mechanic" that I know: put down the stabilizing jacks AFTER slides are out. He stated that doing it before is the biggest reason that the slides mess up and the number two reason that the stabilizer jacks bend.
The slides, once out, change the center of gravity for the trailers and add leveraged weight on to the side slide of the trailer, causing the stabilizers to bend. He also pointed out that most people who do it the wrong way notice that their trailer still shakes when they walk around inside, he pointed out that by doing slides first, then stabilize, you will have less shake. Great vid though!

[phillipchristensen]

Excellent video! I think the top reason lots of folks fail at setup (too far from utility, forget to chock the wheels, etc.) is that they get in too big of a hurry because they think everyone I watching them and judging them. Take your time and don't sweat someone thinking you're taking too long or don't know what you're doing. Proper, safe set up is far more important than being the hot shot.

[bulldozer]

I'm not a guy but hence I'm living in an RV full time I need all the information you can always share. Thanks

[arbonneladyTN]

Great info! We have been RV’ing for 21+ years now and we all can learn something new from each other!
This year (hubby retired) we are going to hit most all states. Thanks to you, I learned here that some states require the hose raisers. We also did not know about the power surge you use, with more electronics in rigs that is a great piece of advice.

I would love to add that back 20 years ago we found ‘walkie talkies’ are a MUST HAVE! It saves couples from the screaming directions back & forth, with an argument later. 🤦‍♀️. When we travelled with all four kids the two older ones would work together to guide us into a spot!
One time I did a 6 weeker with just me (mom) and the kids and our parking was such a quiet breeze that some guy runs out of his unit YELLING to HELP us 😂
My teens on the ‘walkie’ says “who the heck is this guy?” (His impressed wife the next day apologized to me as she really tried to stop him💁🏻‍♀️)
ALSO when we went from 23 class C (our first rv) to a 36’ TT a wonderful man gave me a very prudent piece of advice. “ Honey, you & the kids need to know how to do everything, including driving it. You may need to get your family home sometime.”
Hence our 6 week ‘mom & kids’ road adventure!
We also had a check list that every family member would review and follow up on!

Blessings on your new adventures!

[patbullard]

And to ad to your suggestion of everything being a routine, make sure that everything you use for setup has a specific place to store it. That way you don’t have to search around for the accessories you need when setting up.

[kimberlyyawn]

As newbies, my hubby and I made a habit of doing one last walk around after we sat down in the front seats. That quick walk around the rig has saved our bacon a time or two! It’s was irritating to do, but we were glad we got into the habit.

[NFAslan]

Something I recently learned, is to not pull the sewer levers open and leave them open. Let the black and grey tanks fill up and only empty as needed. Otherwise you can end up with the solids not flowing out. Over time, as sludge builds up it can result in plugging up your sewer system. I had no idea! As a noob, I would have probably left them open thinking that's how it worked. Apologies if you mention this in another video, just a good thing to note on hookup.

[vernondeadmond]

Great information. One thing you might consider is using totes to store water hoses and electric cords I have 4 totes Water, Electric, Sewer, and one for Stuff. This helps keep things in their proper place. It keeps your rig clean and no cross contamination. Thanks again for the info.

[Jdake]

When you curl up your drinking hose, screw the two ends together and dirt, bugs etc can’t get into the ends.

[marklarrabee]

Great video. One tip: Connect the ends of your hoses when you coil them up. I noticed you coil them neatly and attach wraps to hold them tight. If you connect the ends, you will never have residual water spillage.

[paulrobb]

My wife and I rely on a checklist both for arriving and departing. We have assigned duties just like you mentioned. We revised our list several times when we first put it together to make sure we caught every detail. The list really helps to put our mind at ease. Thanks for the great video and others from the past. Happy camping.

[thDecember]

Thank you. For new RV'ers, even if you think you know your routine by heart, it's good to have a checklist because sometimes a task can get overlooked. Better safe than sorry.

[toddgibbs]

For those that don’t do this many times per year, I strongly recommend a practice of a walk around reality check. Before you unhook, before you move, etc. If you are going to move, look at all connections and walk around one more time. That is the hitch, all pins, load bars, safety chains, water, electric, sewer, stabilizers, steps, wheel chokes, windows, gas, everywhere. A slow walk around the entire rig and touch every single thing you can think of. The same thing before you unhook it from the tow rig. Make sure it will not move when it is disconnected. I envision the worst case that I kill someone if I miss something. It is too easy to get distracted in your routine and skip a step. Two more minutes can save you thousands of dollars or in a worst case, someone you can not replace.

[jkirgan]

I’m still new to RVing so, although I knew most of what you were saying, it’s good to know I’d been instructed well in the past to learn a good technique. What I like about this video, and I’ll watch more, is that you are very easy to understand, you don’t go on and on about WHY your making this video, and it is an “easy to stay interested” length. Looking forward to watching more.

[ronronburgundy]

This is so damn intimidating. Just bought a 35ft camper. Never owned one before.. I travel for work painting water towers. Usually stayed in motels. Go back to work in 4 days. Wish Me luck.