There are times when a Caravan breaks down and one or two minor issues might be the cause. A simple search on Google might be what you need to find a solution for caravan repairs. While other times, it would be best to get expert help.
As a caravan owner, you have to know certain things like how to identify the different types of screws, how to handle a loose clutch, how to spread the weight of your caravan over the tyres, and to ensure the car is running okay. You don’t have to wait till your caravan develops a fault or breaks down to start learning these things.
I’ve met lots of people who had problematic caravans. They went online, searched for solutions, and tried to follow the DIY procedures they saw on YouTube – but with no luck. An example was a guy who had his hot water system needing replacement parts.
Taking the pump and pipes apart was easy; we all did that when we were kids. But assembling it back to the original shape and getting it to work again was a hard job. One wrong wiring and it won’t work. You might as well blow the system off with hot water everywhere.
The best thing to do is let the experts work on it. Sure, you’ll need to spend a few bucks for the repairs, but it is better than wasting hours, possibly days, researching and trying to get things right.
You might think you got it right because it seems that the water is flowing nicely, but about a week from now, you may be facing worse problems (blocked air conditioner, overheating of the engine etc) and you still won’t have an idea of what happened.
However, there are ways to keep the caravan in excellent condition like cleaning, keeping debris off several parts of the car, knowing the limits (the load it can bear, the distance it can travel etc.) of your caravan (always read the user manual), and ways to equally distribute the weight of your van.
It is important to apply common sense instead of just relying strictly on what gets written in the manual instruction. Other things you ought to take note of to keep the caravan in good condition are:
1. Load capacity of the caravan
It is crucial to weigh everything (possessions, accessories, furnishings etc) before putting them in to make sure that your caravan is holding up what it can. Just because the vehicle manual says the caravan can hold a specific weight, does that mean you can just shove things inside and then be relaxed as you think it is entirely safe? Overloading may cause accidents – from tyre blowouts to delayed brake reaction and inability to make proper turns.
Also, things have to be appropriately placed in your caravan to prevent snaking or wobbly trailers. Inappropriate placement of items is dangerous as it may cause the caravan to flip over if you make a sharp turn or come to a sudden halt.
2. Keep essential pumps, fans, and systems clean
Dusting is vital to keep systems working properly. For example, the hot water system needs to have its pump impeller (located in the engine dock) regularly cleaned to keep the water flowing out properly. Build up of debris can prevent the proper flow of water and block the systems thereby causing damage. Aside from the fact that regular cleaning of the fans can keep the air inside clean (which is good for health reasons) and the trailer presentable, it will save you a lot of money in the long run.
3. Learn how to diagnose
At times, even when you read guides to have the best travelling experience in caravans, you will still encounter problems. Nevertheless, this is why it is essential that you first learn how to diagnose the problem. Diagnosing comes with elimination technique where if one place is not the problem, then there are other places you need to pay attention to.
Diagnosing does not mean you can or need to fix it just like how you should not try setting electrical sockets at home just because you know something’s wrong with it. However, it can help save time for the expert if you can adequately explain what happened and what you’ve done in your power to fix it.
4. Know when you cannot do it yourself
We cannot do everything and know everything just because we have Google. There are probably people out there who told you that they did it themselves, but behind that, you never knew if they had a class on it or if someone else taught them how to do it directly. A couple of dents on your trailer are already enough reason to have someone reliable to deal with it.
You can do what is within your power, but when you know that the problem is beyond your expertise, the wisest choice is to let an auto professional deal with it.
Having insurance can put you at ease
It can be costly to call an expert especially when you don’t know if the damage is significant or if you have to keep him working for 5 hours straight. That is why insurance is highly recommended if you own a caravan and use it regularly.
We at AllBrand Caravan Services have a simple and hassle free 4-step process. Call us at AllBrand Caravan Services or visit our shop to get the job done right.
