Blog

(This article was originally written for and published in RV Daily Report on January 20, 2019.)

When buying a new or used RV, one of the most important things to do, is inspect the roof. After all, the roof is where most leaks begin and that’s where to look for signs of moisture intrusion, which you will follow up on, inside the coach. You’ll also want to look at the air conditioners, antennas, and other equipment on the roof. But getting on the roof requires that you use a ladder.

Most RVs have ladders attached and this would seem like the obvious method to use, to get onto the roof. In many cases, this would be true. As an NRVIA Certified Inspector, I’ve seen more than a few mounted RV ladders that I would feel quite comfortable using. But sadly, RV manufacturers don’t seem to follow any kind of standard for roof ladder construction and mounting. That’s why I and every other certified RV Inspector I know carry our own ladders.

I don’t want to discourage you from inspecting the roof of the RV you’re about to purchase. You need to inspect the roof. Just give the ladder a thorough examination, before you try to use it. Better yet, bring your own ladder and some sliced pool noodles (I’ll explain the pool noodles in a moment).

Before I go into using your own ladder, let’s look at some of the issues I’ve found, regarding attached roof ladders.

Common Roof Ladder Issues

In the first photo, you’ll notice that not only has the ladder been bent downward, from weight, but also it is bent inward, near the middle. Compare the straight yellow line, with the bend in the aluminum.

The below photo is of a small area of the same ladder (outlined in a green dotted box, in the first photo).

As you can see, not only has it been bent down somewhat, but also one of the shaped spacers is missing and the screw at that point has been tightened too far, bending the metal tube out of shape. This is clearly a roof ladder to be avoided.

In the next photo, of a different coach, you will notice that the ladder supports, extending from the rear cap, are bent to the side at different angles. All of those yellow lines should be parallel. It’s unclear what damaged this ladder. But it’s another roof ladder that should be avoided.

Furthermore, just because you’re buying an expensive coach, don’t assume that the roof ladder will be as substantial as the rest of the coach. Certainly, as you progress up the price scale, you would expect that the ladders would become increasingly better and in some cases that’s true… just not always.

The next two photos are of a high-end Class ‘A’ motorhome. I used this example, because I’ve seen better ladders on different year models of this same coach. The point is that you can’t make assumptions about roof ladder quality, even on the same model of coach, from one year to the next.

In this case, it appears that too much weight was put on the ladder, at some time in the past. You can see how far the ladder was bent down, by how far the horizontal supports are from actual horizontal.

Once a ladder starts bending, its structure is weakened. As with the previous two examples, this is another roof ladder to be avoided.

I should also note here that several manufacturers are completely doing away with roof ladders, on their higher end coaches. For example, Newmar no longer offers a roof ladder on their popular Dutch Star or anything above that, in their product line.

Testing a Roof Ladder

Before using a roof ladder, you should examine it for bent arms, bent mounting brackets, and loose screws or bolts. If you pull on the ladder and the wall moves with the ladder, then the ladder is probably mounted only to the fiberglass, with no metal or wood support behind it. That sounds hard to believe. But it happens.

Before climbing on a roof ladder, it’s a good idea to reach up and grab the ladder high up and then hang on the ladder, with your knees bent off the ground and shake your body left and right. Watch the mounting points, as you do this. If it doesn’t bend down with your weight and the mounts appear secure, then it’s probably in good condition. But having seen my share of inadequate roof ladders, I’ll continue to bring my own ladder.

Dealing With a Damaged Roof Ladder

If you’re buying a coach that has a damaged roof ladder, you will probably get little sympathy by complaining about it. But go ahead and try. In all probability, if you buy that coach, you will end up buying a coach with a damaged roof ladder. It’s usually just not worth arguing about.

How difficult is it to repair a damaged roof ladder? Actually, the question should be, “Is it worth repairing a damaged roof ladder?” Keep in mind that when you repair a roof ladder, the result will likely be a roof ladder that has the same inadequacies that allowed the damage to occur in the first place. Think about it…

Conclusion

Now consider that, even if the roof ladder is damaged or inadequate, you still need to examine the roof, before you buy. Sure, an NRVIA Certified RV Inspector will do that for you and a whole lot more. But you may want to look at the roof, before you hire an inspector. After all, if you find a showstopper on the roof and decide not to go forward, then you will have saved yourself the cost of a full, professional inspection. A professional RV inspection can save you a lot of money and covers issues that require special tools. But why spend money on a professional inspection before you’ve done your own basic inspection and made sure that there is nothing obvious wrong.

So what this all boils down to is that the best option is bring your own ladder and pool noodles.

For RVers, I strongly recommend the Extend and Climb ladder, two large pool noodles, and a roll of double-sided Velcro. My 15.5-foot ladder is ANSI rated for 250 pounds and compresses down to just 36 inches, which is easy to transport. The 12-foot version is ANSI rated at 300 pounds. (I should mention that I receive no compensation for this recommendation. It’s just a great ladder for RVers.)

I would caution against buying any of the foreign knock-offs, since they are only EN131 certified. EN131 certification is a European standard that requires testing only at the rated weight, whereas ANSI certification is a US standard that requires testing at four-times the rated weight. Also, the Extend and Climb is marketed as its actual “length”, whereas the knock-offs are almost always marketed as “reach”, which is three feet longer than the actual length of the ladder. For example, a ladder marketed as having a 15-foot reach is only 12 feet in actual length. If you have a tall coach, you may need those extra few feet.

To prevent damaging the wall of the coach, buy two of the largest pool noodles you can find and slice them down the length of the noodle. Then cut notches on one side of the slit on each noodle, to fit around each rung. A serrated steak knife works well for slicing the pool noodle. Then cut lengths of Velcro, long enough to reach around the noodles, to hold the pool noodles in place. This allows for easy removal and storage of the pool noodles.

Finally, raise the first several rungs of the ladder and attach the pool noodles. The pool noodles will then protect the coach, when the ladder is fully extended. If you look back at the first photo, you’ll see how the pool noodles on my ladder, protect the coach. Although it’s difficult to see, at the top of the photo, the size of the smallest aluminum tube on my 250-pound ANSI rated ladder is more than twice the diameter of any tube on any RV ladder. That should tell you all you need to know.

As a final cautionary note, if you are dealing with a coach that has a spoiler or air deflector at the rear of the roof, you should not place a ladder against that spoiler. That spoiler is not structural. Since you also don’t want to place it against an awning, the safest place to place a ladder on such a coach, is usually against the side of the coach, on the street-side.

Happy RVing.

Many people are under the false impression that RV inspections are only needed if you are purchasing a used RV. But nothing could be further from the truth. An RV is a 60 mile per hour earth quake and things shake loose, especially in the first few thousand miles.

Sure, the manufacturers do extensive inspections all through the manufacturing process and they do a quality control inspection, before the coach leaves their plant. But by the time the coach reaches the dealership, there will almost certainly be issues that were not present, when the coach left the plant.

“But the dealership does a pre-delivery inspection (PDI)”, you might argue. This is true. But their inspections are usually very cursory. Oh, they make a big deal about something like a 100 or 200 point inspection. But there are two problems with that.

The first problem is that even a 200 point inspection is barely enough to touch the surface of an RV. Remember that an RV has all of the potential problems that you might have with your bricks and sticks home. Then consider that you have to add in the issues related to dealing with three different power systems, slides, suspension, engine, and generator. Most NRVIA Certified Inspectors perform a 400 to 600 point inspection, depending on the inspector, the coach, and the included options.

The second issue is that the person or persons doing the inspections for the dealership is usually a specialist in some part of the RV. The problem with this is that this person is almost certainly not trained as a general inspector. A technician may be great at air conditioning and propane, but may not know the first thing about slides. The guy who is a slide genius, may know nothing about water pumps and plumbing issues. In fact, at some dealerships, the person doing that 200 point inspection is a salesman, with a checklist.

The point is that technicians are good at fixing specific problems in their specialty and salesmen are good at closing a sale. But an NRVIA certified inspector is trained specifically to spot problems throughout that extremely complex piece of equipment called an RV.

Something that happened not long ago, exposes the difference between how a dealership looks at inspections and how the buyer looks at them. A salesperson at a local dealership was told by one of my clients that I would be coming by to do an inspection on the new RV he was about to buy. My client said that the salesperson told him that he knew who I was and said that what I did was “over-kill”. My client’s response was to the point. He said, “If I’m spending this much on anything, over-kill is exactly what I want.”

So the question that you should ask yourself, when buying an RV, be it new or used is, “Who do I want inspecting my prospective purchase, the guy who’s inspection is called ‘over-kill’ by the dealer or the dealership that thinks an independent inspection is ‘over-kill’?” Think about it…

Here are some of the issues that I found on just one brand new small gasoline coach. Please note that these issues are not meant to reflect negatively on the dealer. When problems like these are found, almost all dealers do what they can to address them. But you have to know the problems are there, to address them. The client was informed of these issues and he passed the information on to the dealer.

• Dash A/C blowing hot air (dealer was unaware of it, but would repair)
• 6 volts AC on the slide frame (dealer was unaware of it, but repaired it while I was there – a loose ground wire on a slide motor)
• Recalled Fire Extinguisher (dealer knew of the recall, but their PDI had missed it – it was replaced)
• Faulty Smoke Detector (dealer replaced it while I was there)
• A non-GFCI outlet within 6-feet of a sink (probably not easily changed)
• Two sets of wires that were pulled across chafe points (one chafe point issue was repaired while I was there)
• Two sets of wires hanging lose under the frame (the dealer would repair it, after I finished)
• Some minor upholstery issues
• Several other very minor issues

Certainly, I believe that the dealer would have identified several of these issues and repaired them, before delivery, had I not pointed them out. In particular, I was told that they were aware of the fire extinguisher recall and already had spare fire extinguishers. I’m pretty certain that the dealer would have already replaced that fire extinguisher, had their PDI caught it. But they didn’t catch it.

Would they have pressed the button on a brand new smoke detector? You be the judge. Would they have found that 6 volts AC on the slide mechanism? I doubt it. I’ve never heard of a dealership doing a hot-skin test unless one of their technicians felt a shock. But let’s face it. You’re unlikely to feel a 6 volt shock if you’re wearing work shoes. But if the owner is out barefoot, in the rain, trying to get something from a cargo bay, 6 volts is enough to get his attention. If he has a pacemaker, it might do a lot more than just get his attention.

I can pretty much guarantee that most dealerships would not have spotted those wires crossing chafe points. Also, most buyers would not look up to see the problem and if they did, they probably wouldn’t know the significance of what they were seeing. In this case, wires rubbing across a chafe point would eventually wear holes in the insulation, to create a potentially dangerous short. Since this was not an immediate Life Safety Issue, the dealer was not notified of this, but the client was informed by phone and it was put in the report to the client. (Note: We do not share our findings with anyone but the client, unless it is a life safety issue. The client information contained herein is general in nature and does not identify a particular vehicle.) The client passed the information on to the dealer, who fixed the pictured problem, while I was there.

Also, unless the dealer were to put the coach on a lift, it’s probably quite likely that the two sets of wires hanging from the frame would have gone unnoticed. But road debris could easily snag those wires and pull them loose. Again, this was put in the report to the client.

The upholstery issues were not obvious, but were of a nature that would nag at many people, once they became aware of them.

What this all boils down to is that even a brand new RV is going to have problems, beyond what the dealers will typically find, during their PDI. But an NRVIA Certified Level 2 RV Inspector is trained to find these types of issues and much more. Certified Inspectors also have the tools necessary to the task, along with the knowledge to use those tools to maximum effect.

---

John Gaver is an NRVIA Certified Level 2 RV Inspector, Certified AquaHot Technician, and owner of RV Inspector Pro, operating in the Greater Houston, Texas area.

A record number of RV inspectors showed up for the 2017 Annual National Recreational Vehicle Inspectors Association Conference. I don’t have time to go into detail, at this time. But here a 360-degree VR photo of the attendees. I’ll post more about the conference later.

[vrview image=”https://rvinspector.pro/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/nrvia-2017-conf.jpg” start_yaw=”90″]360 Degree Image – Use your mouse to drag the image left, right, up, and down or move your mobile device around.

For most people, the purchase of an RV will be the second largest purchase they ever make, right behind the purchase of their bricks and sticks home. An RV is also a very complex device – every bit as complex as your bricks and sticks home, but with the added elements of water supply issues, drainage issues, generator issues, possible propane issues, motion-induced issues, and lot’s more. Whether new or used, there are a host of things that can go wrong in an RV and most of those things can be prevented. But you need to know where to look and what to look for, first. That’s the job of an RV inspector. He not only knows where to look and what to look for, but has the tools necessary to the task.

That RV you’re about to buy will be a 60 mile per hour earthquake. Things you wouldn’t give a second thought to, in your stationary bricks and sticks home, suddenly become very important in your RV that is constantly being shaken and torqued, as you drive down the road. Even the best maintained RVs require a thorough inspection, from time to time, just for peace of mind.

But it’s not just used RVs that you need to be concerned with. You even hear stories of people buying a brand new, high-end motorcoach and having problems just miles from the dealership. Sure, such instances are rare. But do you want to risk being one of them?

If you have a problem in your bricks and sticks home, you simply call a local plumber, electrician, air conditioner repairman, or other local service provider. He comes to you. But many problems in an RV, require the RV to be taken in to a service center, thus putting a dent in your vacation plans. In fact, if you have a problem in an RV, you consider yourself lucky if it happens, while you’re parked at an RV park and not out on the highway, 100 miles or more from the nearest RV service facility. A professional RV inspection can seriously reduce the likelihood of such an occurrence.

“An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”

Upon seeing how ill prepared his adopted city of Philadelphia was, to fight fires, Benjamin Franklin undertook an initiative to improve Philadelphia’s fire preparedness and to educate townspeople on fire prevention. Writing anonymously in his own newspaper, Franklin famously stated, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”

In an RV, that adage applies in spades. A problem that can easily be found and repaired today, is not likely to turn into a major expense, tomorrow. A simple repair that can be undertaken by the RVer might prevent having to replace a furnace, water heater, or something even more expensive. But, as stated above, you have to know where to look and what to look for, in order to know that there is a problem that needs attention. Furthermore, most RVers do not have the tools necessary to do their own inspection.

As a Certified RV Inspector, these are just a few of the essential tools I carry:

Volt-Ohm Meter with Clamp-on Amp Meter) Manometer (gas pressure gauge) Borescope inspection camera (for viewing inside and behind fixed items) Digital RMS Voltage and Frequency Meter (for diagnosing power issues) 3 types of thermometers (including laser temperature sensor) Polarity tester Circuit tracer Wireless AC power detector more…

Without these tools and the knowledge to use them, in an RV environment, it’s just not possible for even the most experienced RVer to complete a thorough RV inspection. An RV inspection, by a Certified RV Inspector, will most often pay for itself, in that it can save you a lot of headaches and hundreds or even thousands of dollars in repair costs, down the road.

Will an RV inspection catch every possible thing that might go wrong? Of course not. Even the factory that built the RV misses things. But a professional RV inspection will give you an increased level of comfort regarding your knowledge of the actual condition of the RV in question.

Contact us now, to learn how RV Inspector Pro can can help you with your RV inspection needs.