The Little Known or Forgotten Upkeep of an Airstream

An Airstream is the best RV investment you will make. Once you have bought one you will obviously want to take care of it. There are a couple of things that fall in the cracks with upkeep and sadly end up becoming problems. Based on our experience in Salt Lake City at Airstream of Utah this is a short list of things that come up time and time again and how to avoid them. 

1. Batteries- The 12 volt batteries that come with your Airstream work exceptionally well when taken care of. Some people forget that there is upkeep to them. Lead acid batteries that come standard are filled with distilled water. These need to be checked and filled every 30 days. If not you will find that your batteries have a shorter and shorter life span. The other option is to upgrade to the 6 volt batteries that have a longer life and are fully enclosed and require little to no upkeep.
2. Lug nuts- This is a very simple and important item. You need to keep the lugs on your trailer at 110 ft lbs to ensure there is no wheel separation. This is easily done by keeping a lug wrench with your airstream and checking the lugs when you get to each destination. A 13/16ths or a 19 size wrench will do that job for you.
3. Water heater- This is another simple one. Some people get in trouble from their water heater because they turn it on with no water in their system. This is a problem because after about five minutes of no water in there it will begin to burn up your tank and you will need to get it replaced. This is solved simply by leaving the water heater off until you are ready to use it with water in your systems.
4. Macerator pump- This only applies to those with a Touring Coach. These have a macerator pump that breaks down waste for easier dumping. The problem that happens is that owners and users will flush wet wipes into waste tank. The macerator pump cannot break these down and it ruins the pump ending with it needing to be replaced. Save yourself the worry and money and never use wet wipes in your Airstream.

With these little things always done you will be able to keep your Airstream running better, longer, and happier.