Action boundaries before instructions
Green, Yellow and Red safety levels
The label describes what the published guidance permits. It is not a rating of your skill, and confidence does not move an action into a safer category.
Green · owner-visible
Observe or use a normal control
Green guidance stays outside sealed or service areas. Typical examples include reading a display, recording a code, confirming the selected mode, checking whether a door closes, noting compartment temperature, or using a normal thermostat or appliance control.
Stop when: the exact system is uncertain, the guide does not match what you see, a cover or tool would be required, or any emergency sign appears.
Yellow · exact-manual action
Follow only the bounded owner instruction
Yellow is not a generic “tools and care” category. It appears only when the owner manual for the confirmed model expressly authorizes the action. The guide must show the applicable source, prerequisites, shutdown state, and local stop conditions.
Stop when: the model or manual revision differs, a prerequisite is not met, the result differs from the manual, or the action would expose gas, combustion, pressure, live electricity, stored energy, refrigerant, internal wiring, moving parts, or a roof hazard.
Red · stop and route
Leave the system off and involve qualified service
Red content is terminal. It can explain why the symptom needs service and help you prepare a useful briefing, but it does not provide a repair, test, bypass, access, or component-replacement procedure.
Includes: gas and combustion systems, live 120-volt work, capacitors, refrigerant and sealed cooling systems, pressurized hot-water service, safety devices, internal wiring, roof access, structural work, and any task restricted by the applicable jurisdiction or manufacturer.
When a guide and your RV do not match
Stop. Record the complete model and serial information, the exact display or symptom, the selected mode, recent changes, and any safe observations already completed. A mismatch is a reason to narrow the scope, not to improvise.