Do you know what’s the worst part of owning an RV? The worst part is not being able to level your RV properly despite having the best leveling system installed. Whose fault is this? Well, if you know the details, it won’t cause you to get all tense and angry.
If you are facing this same issue, this question applies to you. Are you getting all tensed and enraged about your RV’s leveling system not working properly? Let us ease your tension and find out together about Lippert leveling system troubleshooting.
In this article, we will discuss a few good ways how you can troubleshoot your Lippert leveling system. Before going on with that, for people who are yet to know what this system is, let’s get on with some introduction.
What Exactly is a Leveling System?
If you own an RV that you use regularly for road trips, you should know that leveling your RV is an important part of using it. A leveling system is something that evidently reduces the tension of leveling your Rv.
A leveling system automatically levels your RV. Now, you must be wondering why you have to level your RV. Any vehicle with proper suspension will give you better performance in every possible way.
To maintain that in terms of an RV, it needs to be leveled properly as well. Manually leveling an RV can be a tough day’s work. In order to ease that pain, Lippert offers a leveling system.
Why are We Talking About Lippert Leveling System only?
For the people who don’t know why Lippert is the main focus here, Lippert is one of the most prominent part and accessories manufacturers in the industry of RVs.
Since its inception back in 1956, after almost 70 years of service, if you look closely inside your RV and inspect all parts, you will find a part from Lippert for sure.
Lippert leveling systems usually come with either 4- or 6-point jacks. Mostly, the 6-point jack system is installed in the bigger RVs, I. E. – mobile homes. The extra two points increase the stability and ensure that the RV is properly leveled.
There are many other leveling systems available everywhere. But Lippert leveling systems are considered to be the most reliable ones. Because of this, it is used everywhere. Considering that, we are covering the troubleshooting of Lippert leveling systems only.
But just to give you an idea, even if you have a different leveling system like the RVlevelerpro or Beech Lane RV leveling system, the troubleshooting would be almost the same.
How to Troubleshoot Your Lippert Leveling System?
Not every time you need professional help when your Lippert leveling system is not working properly. A few troubleshooting steps can solve your issues. So, before giving up and seeking professional assistance, let’s get on with the troubleshooting.
Error Messages
There’s a reason why Lippert has added that control panel display. That’s not only to view the cinematics or the movement. The system has so many censors installed that even if the system is out of order by an inch or so, it shows an error.
These error messages directly point out what exactly the problem is. But there’s a downside to it too. To understand each error message, you have to read which message dictates what error and how to sort it out.
For instance, if it shows a system jack error, it means that the system jack is not in proper alignment and you have to align it properly again. After it is aligned properly, the censor will pick that it’s fixed.
Bent Jack
Even after everything is on point, the RV may not be leveled. This problem is quite hard to detect as it won’t give you any notifications.
Due to usage, the jacks sometimes can be bent. This usually happens when the jack is either misplaced or the load is too much for the jack to bear. So, if your system is totally fine, check the jack if it’s in proper shape or not. Also, check for other damages as well.
Power Confirmation
The Lippert leveling system is an electrical component and it requires electricity to run. On RVs, the system is connected to the battery to function. It is powered up by the electrical current from the battery.
A very commonly seen problem of the leveling system is that it doesn’t turn on. We don’t use our RVs on a regular basis. In terms of the daily driven cars, if they sit for like 10-15 days, there’s a high chance that the battery has lost its charge.
In the case of an RV, the idling time is much longer than that. An average RV can be sitting out longer than 6 months or so. It’s highly likely that the battery has died and it needs to be charged up before the leveling system can be used.
Moreover, if the battery is dead, the RV engine will not ignite. So, in times like these, a little charge-up from another battery using power cables can do the trick. It’s a very easy and normal process that we sometimes have to apply to start our daily driven cars.
Electrical Connection Test
Another common issue of trouble on the Lippert leveling system is loose electrical connections. This can happen because of many reasons. The most common reason why electric lines can loosen is when the roads are too bumpy, or somehow lines have disconnected while taking out the camping gear and other commodities.
So, the troubleshooting step here would be to check the electrical connections. Sometimes, the loose connection can turn the system on but may malfunction. Because the command you’re giving may not reach the action point.
Jack at Maximum Stretch Level
The landing site may not always be level. It can be an uneven place where you’re supposed to keep the RV level. If the depth of the place where you kept the jack is too much than the even places where the tires are, this problem occurs.
Where the depth is too much, the jack can be stretched to its maximum level without making sure that the RV is leveled. So, to ensure that’s not happening, you have to put something under the jack to increase its height.
Therefore, the jack will be in a proper place and the leveling system will be able to function properly. This is not a mechanical error; this is just one of the things that you might face when you’re visiting a hilly area.
Restart the System
Sometimes our phones or PCs can be stale due to ram overload. This device is a computer designated to do one job. There can be a lot of reasons why the system has malfunctioned or frozen.
To get the Lippert leveling system to work again, you can simply turn the control panel off and turn it on again. It also has a restart button with which you can start from scratch again. In most cases of showing an error, a restart can do the trick.
The censors can display wrong error messages at times. So, if you see a new error message which is potentially not correct, just restart the control panel. It should get rid of the error messages.
Troubleshooting Hydraulic Lippert leveling System
The hydraulic Lippert leveling system is an upgraded version of the usual leveling system. It is more efficient in terms of leveling your RV. The controls and activities and the same. But, the system itself is hydraulic.
Because of that, it depends largely on hydraulic fluid to function properly. If your hydraulic Lippert leveling system is malfunctioning or showing an error, the first thing you should check is the hydraulic fluid level.
Mostly, due to low levels of hydraulic fluid, the hydraulic system is bound to have errors and not function properly. Just adding more hydraulic fluid will solve the issue.
Are Lippert Leveling System Worth the Money?
As an RV user myself, I have the Lippert leveling system installed in mine. It’s the non-hydraulic one. After I heard about the Lippert leveling system, I installed it to understand if it was worth it or not.
I can assure you; the hands-on experience has been tremendous. The amount of work that I had to do previously to level the RV, has been nullified. I just have to control the system with the control panel and the system does it itself.
Now, there’s a smartphone app with which you can control. So, the mechanism is very easy to maneuver considering you’re not doing much other than tapping your screen.
Although, the leveling system is a pretty expensive component to buy. You may think it’s not worth the money. But it is definitely worth the hassle.
Where to get a Lippert Leveling System and Parts?
The best place to look for their parts would be at their official store. But I don’t like the fact that they consume a lot of time to respond and give you what you need. It’s easier to just check the Lippert leveling system listing from other marketplaces and get your hands on one.
If you ask me, you don’t really need the hydraulic system unless it’s a mobile home or a terribly large and long RV. You can do pretty well with the basic system. And I would definitely suggest you get the app. It’s much easier to control.
Lippert RF & RM Error Codes Troubleshooting
Final words
If you were also wondering in which circumstances you have to call a professional, you should get it from the troubleshooting section. For anything other than these problems, you should call a professional to assist you.
Also, if you think you’re not too sure about your troubleshooting capabilities, you should bring about a professional for your Lippert leveling system troubleshooting. That way you are minimizing the risk of not ruining it more.
So, first, see what the problem is. If you are confident enough, try the troubleshooting steps that we talked about. If it doesn’t help or if you don’t think you can do this by yourself, just call a professional.
