How You Can Protect Your RV From UV Damage

Alyssa Chartier-profile-image
Alyssa Chartier
July 15, 2022

TL;DR: Protect your RV from UV damage: use an RV cover, park in shade, wash and wax regularly, block windows, and seal/coat the roof. Simple steps to avoid costly damage.

How You Can Protect Your RV From UV Damage

There's nothing better than taking your RV on the road during the summer months. However, you don't want to see it take on UV damage. The sun's rays can cause damage inside and out of your RV, so here are some tips to protecting it.

Get An RV Cover

These are one of the most effective ways of protecting your RV when you're not using it. As such, having one is essential. There's all kinds of styles and materials you can buy, so you'll want to make sure you get the one that's right for you.

Before you buy a cover, ensure that you measure your RV carefully. You want to ensure that you know the dimensions, so you can buy a cover that fits snugly. You'll also want to consider your climate, or the climate you're traveling in. For example, some covers are waterproof, while others are resistant to sand. Getting some tire covers as well will protect them if you're parked up for a longer period of time.

Park In The Shade

An RV cover is the best option when you're parked up for a long time, but it's not going to be feasible when you're out and about. What can you do to keep the sun off your vehicle then?

“If you can, ensure that when you do park up, you park in the shade” says Christine Peters, a travel writer at Research Papers UK and Writinity. “That will do a lot to reduce that UV damage, so seek out shade wherever you can find it.”

Of course, that's not always possible, especially if you require solar power for your RV. If that's the case, it's worth investing in a folding solar system. These can be stored flat, and folded out and placed in the sun when needed so you can still get your power.

Wash And Wax Your RV

Washing your RV regularly is already a good idea, as it will help keep it clean and prevent damage to the body work. There's another good reason to wash regularly too, and that's because it allows you to wax the RV and add an extra layer against UV rays.

There are lots of different RV waxes out there, and you'll want to make sure you're picking up the right one. Some won't protect against UV light, so look for this when you're shopping around. Some waxes can also protect against salt air and corrosion, road tar, bird droppings, and water spots. As such, you can get a lot of protection out of your wax.

Block The Windows

UV rays will cause damage to the inside of your RV too, as they come in through the windows. That can include cracking wood and plastic finishes, fading of soft furnishings, or damage to your dashboard As such, blocking the windows as much as you can will help with this.

There are a couple of ways you can help this. Firstly, you can choose to tint your windows, as that can help a lot with reducing UV light. “Tinting windows is an expensive process, but can be worth it” says Adrian Carroll, a lifestyle blogger from Draft Beyond. “When you use tinted windows, you'll see a drastic reduction in the amount of damage being done.” Tinted windows also let light in, so you can use the RV in the daytime while still being protected.

If you don't want to go the tinted windows route, you can opt for blackout curtains in your RV too. They'll help a lot, but they will also block out light when you need it too.

Seal And Coat The Roof

Finally, your roof is going to take a lot of damage from the sun, so you'll want to protect that too. The best way to do this is to is to seal and coat it. The way you do this will depend on the type of roof that you have. For example, if you have a rubber roof, then you'll want a liquid EPDM rubber coating.

These tips will all help you protect your RV, and keep the UV rays at bay for as long as possible. They're all fairly simple too, so you won't have to do much to avoid that damage over time.

Eula Skiles is a writer with Research paper writing service and Lucky Assignments Cardiff

She writes about RV travel and travel tips. She's also a writer for the Gum Essays blog.

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Alyssa Chartier-profile-image
Alyssa Chartier
Airstreamer, Camper, Cat Parent, Social Media Marketer