#1 Thing To Inspect
What can cause a purchase or sale to fall through quicker than anything with an RV is…?
Water Damage
You have been researching the camper or RV that you want.
You have a price range that you have set for your budget.
After all the searching you have done you are now going to hopefully buy the camper or RV of your dreams.
But wait… before you even make an offer you need to inspect the camper to look for any potential or current problems.
The number one thing to look for is WATER DAMAGE.
Without any power or utility hookups, the one thing that you can look for that can make this creampuff into a lemon is the effects of water that has leaked into the camper.
To test for water damage a thorough walkthrough inspection inside and outside needs to be done.
As you walk around the camper, look for rust around the camper, loose attachments, rivets missing on Airstreams, and buckling on walls and roof.
Yes, you will need to view the roof to look for any holes, missing caulking, loose or missing rivets, and any locations that could let water penetrate the inside.
As you walk inside, take note of the flooring.
Soft or mushy or buckling flooring at doorways, windows, bathroom toilets, showers or tubs, sinks, and plumbing passageways are good places to look for water damage.
Take a close look at all the ceiling areas to notice stains or even different shades of color that could indicate a repaired location.
Some campers can be repaired pretty cheaply and others not so cheap.
If you have bad flooring in an Airstream, this could cause a shell lift to replace the flooring, not for the faint of heart.
If you see stains around d widows, this may be able to be corrected with some caulking.
If the camper was not winterized properly, there could be problems that can only be seen when water is hooked up and pressure is put back on the system.
This will need to be done to find any drips or leaks from bad fittings or burst pipes.
Next are the holding tanks.
The freshwater tank, the greywater tank, and the blackwater tank need to be filled to test for leaks from cracks or damage.
While hooked up to water, be sure and test all faucets, the hot water tank, and the toilet for proper function and no leaks.
If you don’t have access to water when looking to purchase then these are things that should be at the top of your checklist when you get your new or used camper home.
Remember, water damage is generally a progressive thing that happens.
As you travel with your camper, the road vibration will tend to loosen bolts, seams, and rivets.
You may find that your potential new purchase is just not worth all the dollars and headaches to repair.
Or this can be used as a bargaining chip in price negotiations.
If unsure about what or how to look for problems, give me a call.
I can inspect for damage from water plus all the other things I look for off of my camper RV inspection checklist.
Go to https://www.offgridelectricpower.com/new-contact-form/ to schedule your RV camper inspection.