Spring prep is where you find out how good your fall prep was. Do it in the driveway, not at the trailhead. Every item below is something we have fixed on a customer's camper in the first week of April because it was skipped in the first week of April.
Work through it in order. Power first, then water, then everything that moves.
1. Walk-around
Pull the cover and look before you touch anything. Check the roof for pooled water, cracked sealant around vents and solar mounts, and any rodent sign. Look at every window and hatch seal. Check under the camper for drips, nests, and chewed wiring. Note anything you find and deal with it before the next step, because you are about to put water and voltage back into the system.
Shop this step: roof sealant, seal kits, replacement windows and hatches.
2. Wake the batteries
If you stored a LiFePO4 bank at 50 to 60 percent and disconnected it, it should still be close to that. Check voltage before you reconnect. A Victron LiFePO4 that has sat well under 12 V has likely tripped its BMS low-voltage cutoff and needs a proper wake-up charge from a Blue Smart IP65 or IP22 charger before you put it under load.
Reconnect the main disconnect, then open VictronConnect and check the SmartShunt or BMV-712. Synchronize the monitor to 100 percent after the first full charge so your state-of-charge readings mean something this season. Update firmware on every Victron device while you are in the app. If you run a Cerbo GX, restore your saved settings and check it sees every device.
Lead-acid banks: full charge, then a load test. A wet-cell battery that lost water over winter is on borrowed time.
Storage and recovery detail is in the Victron lithium battery guide.
Shop this step: Blue Smart IP65 and IP22 chargers, SmartShunt, BMV-712, LiFePO4 batteries, Cerbo GX.
3. Solar and charging
Reconnect the PV side of the SmartSolar MPPT only after the battery is connected. Set the charge profile back from storage to your normal lithium or AGM profile. Confirm the MPPT shows PV current on a sunny morning. Check the Orion DC-DC charger with the tow vehicle running and confirm it is charging when the engine is on and off when it is not.
Shop this step: SmartSolar MPPT, Orion DC-DC chargers, MC4 connectors.
4. Water system: fill, flush, sanitize
Put the drain plugs back in the tankless heater and refit the inlet filter screen. Close every drain valve you opened in fall. Fill the fresh tank a quarter full and run every fixture until the pink antifreeze is out of the traps and the water runs clear. Drain and repeat.
Then sanitize. A quarter cup of household bleach per 15 gallons of tank capacity, fill the tank, run it through every line, let it sit four hours, then drain and flush twice. Replace the inline water filter cartridge; last year's filter has been growing something all winter.
Shop this step: water filter cartridges, tank drain valves, water pump.
5. Restart the tankless water heater
With the water system pressurized and the drain plugs in, open the hot tap and wait for a steady flow before you turn the heater on. Air in the exchanger is the number one cause of a no-ignition fault at spring start-up. Turn on the gas, turn on the heater, and run hot water for a full two minutes.
If it clicks and does not light, or lights and drops out, work through the tankless water heater troubleshooting guide before you order parts. Most spring faults are air, a dirty inlet screen, or low flow, not a dead unit.
Shop this step: tankless water heater, inlet filter screens.
6. Leak check
Pressurize the system with the pump and leave it on for an hour with all taps closed. If the pump cycles, you have a leak. Check every push-fit joint, the heater connections, the toilet valve, and the outside shower. Look under the sink, under the shower tray, and along the floor line at the front of the camper.
Shop this step: push-fit fittings, hose clamps, water pump.
7. Gas, CO, and smoke
Open the gas bottles and soap-test every joint you can reach. Light every burner and the fridge on gas. Then test the CO detector and the smoke alarm with their test buttons. If a CO detector is more than five years old, replace it. Sensors fail silently. This is not a part to save money on.
Shop this step: CO detector, smoke alarm, gas regulator and hoses.
8. 12 V and 120 V
Plug into shore power and confirm the MultiPlus charges the bank and passes AC through to the outlets. Cycle every breaker. Check every fuse in the 12 V panel for corrosion. Test every light, the water pump switch, the fridge on 12 V and on AC, and the roof fans.
Shop this step: circuit breakers, blade fuses, roof vent fans.
9. Suspension, wheels, and bearings
Lift the stabilizer legs and let the suspension take the weight. Look again at every suspension bushing. Anything cracked or squeezed out gets replaced before the first trip, not after. Torque the wheel nuts to spec. Check tire pressure and look for flat-spotting or sidewall cracks. If the bearings have not been repacked in a year or 10,000 miles, do it now.
Shop this step: suspension bushings, folding stabilizer legs, BlackSeries aluminum wheels, wheel bearings.
10. Hitch, jack, and steps
Grease the DO35 or DO45 coupler and pin. Refit the hitch pin in the Y-hitch receiver and confirm the lock still turns. Run the electric trailer jack full travel both ways and listen for grinding. Run the electric entrance step out and in three times. A step that hesitates now will strand you with it half out at a campground.
Shop this step: Cruisemaster DO35 and DO45 couplers, hitch pins, electric trailer jack 3500 lb, electric entrance door steps.
11. Awning, windows, and locks
Extend the awning and check the fabric and arms. Open every window and confirm the struts hold. Cycle every lock with the key. Check the rock guard mounts and the mesh for tears.
Shop this step: awning parts, window struts, door locks and latches, rock guard (large).
12. Shakedown trip
One night, close to home, with the spares kit on board. Run every system the way you would on a real trip. Bring a notepad. The list you make on that trip is your parts order for the season.
Want us to do it
The Spring Prep & De-Winterization Service is $199.20 and covers the water system flush and sanitize, heater restart, battery wake-up, and a full systems check. If it has been a year since anyone looked at the chassis and gas system, the Essential Annual Safety Service ($449) adds bearings, brakes, gas soap-test, and CO detector replacement. The Comprehensive Annual Service ($999) is the full works including the Victron system.
Book Spring Prep, or email support@rvpartsgiant.com with your model and where the camper is.
Everything on this list ships from Upland, CA. Most orders ship free, 30-day returns.