
Hey! I'm Ross, "The RV Engineer!"
RVs can be a little scary, can’t they?
You’re handed the keys after a hurried 15-minute walk-through. Now you’re in charge of a factory-built home on wheels that experiences a hurricane and an earthquake every time you drive through a rainstorm.
As an RV designer and RV technician, I get your frustration. My industry isn’t necessarily known for award-winning customer service, now is it?
This blog contains industry-insider information about how RVs work. Get your info straight from the horse’s mouth – er, or mine, anyway. You have a friend on the “inside” now!
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Recent Posts

Is Your Propane Tank Empty – Or Is It Just Too Darn Cold Outside?
It’s November 14th. You’re using the RV as a base camp during hunting season. After a long, icy day in the blind, you’ve returned to the RV dreaming of a steamy shower – and the

RV Furnace Not Working – Is It Always the Sail Switch?
“My RV furnace isn’t working!” is a common distress signal across many RV forums and Facebook groups. I’ll bet $100 that the first (and second) response to this SOS will be, “Check your sail switch.

A Water Pressure Regulator Is a Top 3 Item that I Recommend to All RVers
A water pressure regulator is one of the top three items I command recommend to all RV owners (the other two are a surge protector and a valid driver’s license). This simple $20 device is

Old, Decrepit RV Roof? 5 Options for Repair!
Unfortunately, RV roofs age less like fine wine, more like milk. Within 10-25 years, most RV roofs look like an abandoned petri dish experiment. But with full roof replacements commonly costing $150 to $400 per

Troubleshooting: How to Fix a Leaking RV Baggage Door?
RV baggage doors – also known as storage doors or cargo doors – are a common point of water leaks. Typical signs are dark water stains and spongy floors around the baggage door, sometimes as

The RV Engineer Goes to RV Tech School! (Part 2)
This isn’t exactly a blog post; it’s more of a public journal entry. It’s a follow-up to my personal life update, The RV Engineer Goes to Tech School (Part 1). As you know, I recently

Federal Trailer Lighting Info and Regulations
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has developed standards and regulations for lighting on all road-ready trailers. These standards define the number of lights and reflectors a trailer must have, where the lights and

“Isn’t Marine-Grade OSB an Oxymoron?” – Letter from a Reader
Engineers don’t have a Hippocratic Oath, per say, but the National Society of Professional Engineers does publish a Code of Ethics for Engineers. Among other mandates, it states: I may not have raised my right

“Is RV Payload Based on Stationary Use with the Occupants Inside?” – Letter from Educated RV Owner!
Towing is complicated, isn’t it? Every time I think I know everything, I go back to SAE J2807 or the FMVSS, and I learn something new! One of my Readers, “Charlie,” recently poked and prodded
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Want to get the most out of this blog?
If you want to get the most out of this blog, bookmark AskTheRVEngineer.com in your web browser! Return whenever you need a technical refresher.
- You can view every single article I’ve ever written about at the article index, organized by niche.
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Trailer and Towing
Learn all about towing, tires and trailers!
Click HereBuying or selling an RV?
Check out my 200-point (and growing!) RV PDI checklist (courtesy of Changing Gears/Sterling RV Solutions.)
Use it to conduct a thorough PDI inspection of an RV before purchasing or selling. Just my way of saying thanks for being a Reader 🙂
