Keeping Your RV Running

At B.A. Power, we love summers in the Okanagan!!  The gorgeous weather, the freshest fruit and of course, camping!!  British Columbia is a popular destination for all types of campers and people come from all over the world to visit our beautiful province.  Many outdoor enthusiasts are choosing to camp in comfort, preferring travel trailers and RV’s over tents.  And why not? It is not unusual for the temperatures to rise over 35 degrees during the summer months in most areas of B.C. so an air conditioner can change everything, especially if you are not used to the sweltering heat. 

RV’s and travel trailers require preventative maintenance just like your personal vehicle does.  Many RV owners don’t realize the generator that provides power to the unit also requires special care to ensure everything is running properly to avoid disruptions or complete breakdowns while camping.  The last thing anyone wants is to have to pay big bucks to fix or replace a generator.  Back-up power units are not cheap but will last decades if they are maintained and properly cared for. 

First and foremost, it is important to run the generator under at least 50% load capacity once a month for 1-2 hours even during the off season to keep it primed and ready.  Although there are a variety of generators available, most will require an oil and filter change annually or every 100-150 hours of run time and doing so before storing for the winter is ideal.  Every 400-500 hours, fuel filters should be changed and the valves in older models need to be adjusted around 800 hours.  It is highly recommended to keep a log for running hours, preventative maintenance and any repairs/services. 

There are many sources of information online when it comes to RV generators and the Owner’s Manual will outline the specific maintenance their brand recommends.  Many RV dealerships will not service your rig unless it was purchased from their lot and not all mechanics are trained to fix generators so if you find yourself in the Okanagan and your RV gen-set isn’t running or you require servicing, call B.A Power & Machinery for all your generator needs.