RV Plumbing Tips

Guaranteed that you'll have a plumbing leak at some point!

_{Background photo credit to Kristopher Roller on Unsplash}

One of my favourite subjects; NOT! lol As many are well aware, repairing RV plumbing leaks is not always an easy task. The walls are 1 3/4 inches thick and half the time the plumbing is not even accessible. We've often had to create access ports to make repairs, which leads to having them made in locations not as readily visible so as to maintain the aesthetic appeal of a room. If you worked for the Cirque de Soliel as a contortionist then RV plumbing repair might not be so challenging; for the rest of us, even with years of experience, you're near guaranteed to feel it the next day in your back, neck and/or arms.

Whether it be poor quality manufacturing, age, neglect or simply the connections working loose due to travel etc, plumbing repairs need to be addressed at the earliest! Damage to walls, cabinets and flooring quickly increases the repair costs. We hope that or tips below will assist you in preventing any RV plumbing leak. Regardless, should it occur, you may be able to fix it yourself but you call us for assistance in acquiring parts or have us make the repair for you.

Before we even get to plumbing repairs ALWAYS know what's going down your drains! I'll dangerously assume that you don't pour grease/fat down your drains; DON'T do it here either. Grease hits the cold waste water and solidifies - DUH! That can so easily settle at the bottom of your tank and not flow out your sewage outlet due to the fact that the waste tank has a low section that starts before the tank outlet. Regardless of whether it's the grey or black water tank, heavy articles settle can there, eventually leading to a plugged tank. Take it from me, you don't want that. Both sewage tanks don't exactly smell pleasant and it makes for a horrid task for the lucky person that gets to unplug it.
Ok, back to the 'regular' repair issues.

• Use ONLY RV chemicals for your plumbing, be it during seasonal use or winterizing.
• Prevent hair from entering your drains, sinks and tub/shower
• Due to travel movement and/or 'fixed' seasonal ground movement check your plumbing connections annually
• Do NOT use Drano on your RV plumbing, or any like household chemicals
• RV plumbing lines, tanks, sewage lines and fittings are made from material and sizes different than those in your home
• Check to ensure your hot water tank has a bypass kit to ease winterizing

Our Ottawa Valley RV Open and Close Checklist as well as our Main Checklist have many tips for your convenience. Instead of multiple checklists we've tried to condense as much as possible in those two. We hope they will help you to avoid unnecessary repairs. Your RV is an investment. While they rarely increase in value you need to protect what you have. You can enjoy your RV for years with minimal repair costs IF you are knowledgeable and are vigilant in your maintenance.

Checklists

• Ottawa Valley RV Checklist Main Checklist
• Ottawa Valley RV Open & Close Checklist. Open & Close Checklist

For service requests you may go to our Help Me! page and complete one of the Inspection Request Forms. For information only simply click on the "Information Only" form button below.

Ask us about our plumbing repair services. We have old school values - we will not take shortcuts. We've built our reputation on it.