My story starts with my two main characters coming back to their RV (which they live out of) after being forcibly separated from it for two weeks, and having a bunch of things they need to do to get back on the road after this setback. Bare minimum, and potentially enough to go with, everything in their fridge went bad (including a bunch of magical potion ingredients) and they have to restock. But I'm wondering if maybe parking an RV in a cave for two weeks might have had other consequences that I could/should tack on to their to-do list as it rapidly spirals into chaos due to circumstances in and out of their control.
Sort of depends what you want to go wrong with it... the van's domestic electrics will usually be separated from the vehicle electrics, so little will go wrong with the actual van (many vans, especially campers/RVs don't get used from one month to the next), but the domestics will often rely on solar to keep charged while parked up (if not plugged into the mains), which obviously won't be a lot of good in a cave. If the fridge was left on, it would have completely discharged the domestic batteries, so none of the lights/pumps/heaters will work, and if it's an older style battery (pre-lithium), discharging below 50% state-of-charge can completely bork the batteries which would then potentially need replacing.
Critters taking up residence in various parts, too. And those critters can chew wires and leave nesting materials in spaces that can cause malfunctions (My dad had a family of mice living in one of his sports cars..... messed up the engine really bad, and bore holes in the leather seats. and the mice attracted snakes that camped out in the wheel well) ...not a cave, but our area is wooded.
That's very insightful. I was going to add my backyard mechanic two cents - the battery might be dead by then, if not disconnected - but obviously I know nothing about rvs and things, and yeah that makes sense they'd have multiple and at least semi-separate electrical system. But of course maybe the problem isn't osmosis of a sort (I mean, eventually if you abandon a car or a building or something, nature will...reclaim it) but actual invaders or something: junkies/tweekers who steal the wiring for dope, street kids or homeless people who crash in it at some point, high school kids who go there to party, and trash the place.
You used the terms “van” and “RV”. They are not necessarily synonymous. Are you talking about a van conversion, a Class A, Class B, or Class C? I suggest browsing the internet for various models. Some RVs are more than 10’ tall, so that would be a big cave. If the roof vent was left open, then critters inside are likely. A big cave is probably known to locals and would have been noticed. A three-way fridge may have been in gas mode, and run out of gas; that would be like a propane or natural gas bottle.
Two weeks will not make any difference unless something other than a digital clock is drawing an electrical current. I have an old truck that I leave sitting for months on end, with the battery being the only issue if left unstarted for more than a few months at a time. Two weeks is like leaving your vehicle in your driveway while on a long vacation. An exception would be any perishable foodstuffs that require refrigeration.
Caves are generally a damp environment which could cause issues for a gas engine starting especially around plugs, coils HT leads and carb. Condensation could also lead to water in the fuel
