Storing Your RV

In nearly every RV’ers life, there comes a time when you must store your RV for a period of time. Whether you’re a full or part-timer, the need will eventually arrive. In my last post, I talked about winterizing your RV so I thought I would touch on some important things to do when you’re storing or sitting still for an extended period of time.

It’s probably important to determine what an ‘extended period of time’ really is. Typically, when you’re sitting still for a few weeks or more, you’ll want to take some extra precautions to ensure you’ll be ready to roll on down the road when the time comes.

This is the first winter I’ve had to leave my motorhome hanging out in storage. I really wish I could head to warmer climates but unfortunately it just wasn’t in the cards for the crew right now. And I won’t be pulling Perl out of hibernation until around March. Trust me, my feet are really, really itchy!

The first order of business (because I live where the temperature drops below freezing in the winter) was to winterize the RV. After she had some pink stuff (antifreeze) floating through her belly, it was time to get her settled into her storage spot. A big ole’ gravel parking lot.

So what exactly is to be done after the water system is protected?

Some people choose to cover their RV’s in preparation for winter weather. I don’t have a cover and in my opinion, they look like a big pain in the a*& so I decided to forgo one this time around. We don’t get a ton of snow here in Virginia (I know I’m jinxing myself here!) and if we do it usually doesn’t stay around long.

I did debate on getting this ADCO roof cover as it looked a whole lot easier to deal with than the full length ‘cover-it-all-up’ version. But alas, I opted on nothing so that I don’t have to break my neck standing on a ladder trying to slip something over top of my enormous lady! But there are other things that definitely should be done to protect your investment.

RV Tire Protection

One of the most important pieces of equipment on an RV, in my humble opinion, are the tires. They get us from point A to B to C and endless destinations over and over again. One of the last things I want to happen while rolling along is to encounter a tire blow out. So I try to take good care of my tires.

One time when I was at Love’s, Flying J or one of those truck stops, I picked up some tire foam with protectant. I really liked it. I sprayed it on and it cleaned the tires nicely. It also provided UV protection as an added bonus. And the beauty of it was I didn’t have to rinse it off. Pulling out a water hose and spraying down the rig is usually frowned upon in most RV parks I’ve been to.

But while storing for a couple of months, I wanted something with a bit more protection. So I went with 303 Aerospace Protectant. This should be sprayed on every two months or so. However, if you put it on and then cover your tires, that should be sufficient to keep off all the harmful UV rays and keep them from cracking. Which brings me to the next thing I did for my tires.

I put wheel covers on my tires. I bought these ADCO Ultra Tyre Guard covers. The thing I liked about them was the fact that they could be held on with bungee cords so they (hopefully) won’t go flying away. Here are some other good tips from the people over at Goodyear. So with my tires all protected and covered, the next thing I did was……….

Protect the Fuel System

If you have a travel trailer/fifth wheel, you can skip this part (obviously). Please keep in mind, before you do anything to your motorhome, I have a gas engine. I do not know what is recommended for diesel pushers so I’m not even going to pretend.

But I do know that when you’re not driving a gas engine for a while, you need to put fuel stabilizer in your gas tank. This will help prevent gum, corrosion and varnish damage. It will also keep the fuel fresh for up to 2 years. If you don’t want to add fuel stabilizer to your gas tank, you need to drain the fuel.

I chose to add the fuel stabilizer. Like anything else, there are several brands out there. I picked up a decent one at my local Wal-Mart called STA-BIL fuel stabilizer – storage. You can also purchase it on Amazon by following my link.

I purchased a quart of stabilizer and it claims to treat up to 80 gallons of fuel. The recommendation is to keep the tank 95% full and add the stabilizer to ‘fresh fuel’. After adding the product the recommendation is to run the engine for 5 minutes to treat the entire fuel system.

I was a bit nervous about leaving a full tank of gas (~$150) in the tank as my fuel cap doesn’t lock. This is a big storage facility so I don’t know who is hanging around there when I’m not. There are security cameras as well as a locking gate but I don’t want to take chances. So I bought this locking gas cap to deter anyone from easy access. I’m sure the lock is easy to manipulate but I’m hoping it will be too much hassle to bother with.

Batteries

While I haven’t done this, yet, you may want to disconnect your batteries. I have a shut-off for both my chassis and coach batteries. I make sure they are off to prevent any battery drain. However, many people advise completely removing your batteries or at the bare minimum, ensuring they stay properly charged. Keeping them overcharged is as much of a problem as keeping them undercharged. So don’t leave the RV plugged into shore power or remove the battery and hook it up to a charger for the winter. This can be just as detrimental.

Windshield Wipers

I didn’t do this yet, but I probably should. If you have a spare pool noodle, I know a lot of people who will cut it to the size of their windshield wipers. They then slit it down the middle and place it over their windshield wiper blades. I assume that helps to keep them from dry rotting. I’ve never tried it but would like to give it a go. Of course, if you want to spend more then a buck or two, there are these wiper wraps.

Slide-Out Seals

Another good thing to do is to prep the seals around your slide out. If you’ve ever pushed the slide-out button and heard your seals make a pulling or popping noise, it’s because they were sticking to the wall of the coach.

While this isn’t a huge deal, it’s a good idea to wipe the entire seal, sides and top, both inside and out, with the 303 Aerospace protectant I mentioned above. Then take a sock dusted with a good amount of baby powder and follow behind the protectant. This will keep the seals in good shape and keep them from sticking to the side of your coach.

Drive it Around

The final piece of advice is to drive your RV every month or two. This will help to prevent ‘flat’ spots on the tires and keep your batteries charged. If you cannot drive it around, then according to this article by All Stays, it’s best to not go out and just ‘start it up’ every now and then. And whatever you do, don’t leave your jacks down for an extended period of time. I usually operate them on my monthly check but I don’t leave them down.

Did I miss anything? I’m sure I did. If you have any advice or suggestions, feel free to add it to the comments. Here’s another thorough article that may be worth a read from the folks over at motorhome.com.

I hope everyone is enjoying the holiday season surrounded by family and friends. And if you’re lucky enough to be in warm climates, soak in some warmth for the crew :-)!!

{HUGS} from the Crew! 

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