Shake, rattle, and roll

One major way our RVs differ from from our stick houses is the ability to drive them down the highways to a new location. But that also leads to potential problems that you ordinarily don't have to worry about with your stick house--unless there is an earthquake--and that is shake, rattle, and roll.

The rigidity of your RV bouncing down the road applies considerable tension on every fitting in your RV. All the screws, nails, bolts, shelf mounts, and plumbing joints. If a shelf mount fails, the shelf falls down, or at least begins to loosen and you notice it and fix it before it dumps your TV on the floor.

But when a plumbing joint begins to fail, it could be with just an intermittent drop of water. And if that leak is somewhere hard to see--which most of them are--then that drop turns into many drops that could--if not noticed--over months or years rot out much of the wood floor and some of the frame of your home-on-wheels.

The result is not pleasant, and it could cost a bundle to rebuild a rotted out floor. So make it a point periodically--every four or six months--to look into those dark holes under the cabinets and behind drawers, at your city water connection, and around your shower, sink, and water pump fittings.

Use a bright flashlight, and feel around. If you see or feel dampness, locate the source of the leak and have it taken care of immediately, and have an expert check for rot.