An RV Owner's Guide To The Do's And Don'ts Of Winter Storage
Your RV serves you and your family well all summer long, but when the RV season ends and it is time for storage, you have to take a few precautionary steps. By properly preparing your RV for storage through the colder months of the year, you can rest assured knowing that the following spring your vehicle will be all ready to hit the road again. Here are a few do's and don'ts you should remember as an RV owner about preparing your RV for seasonal storage through the winter.
Don't: Forget to defrost and empty your fridge and freezer. - Pull everything from your RV fridge and freezer, including ice trays and containers. You want the unit to be completely free from moisture when you shut it off.
Do: Leave the doors of your RV Cooling Unit open. - Leaving the doors slightly ajar and adding a box of baking soda will mean that you will come back to a perfectly clean, dry fridge and freezer the following spring.
Don't: Cover your RV with a solid plastic cover. - It is a good idea to cover your RV with a breathable cover that is specifically made for RV storage. This will help keep moisture from getting trapped inside and causing mold and mildew.
Do: Park your RV under an awning or in a storage building. - To best protect your RV, it will need shelter in the winter. Ice and snow can cause a lot of damage to an RV if it packs onto the top, creating a lot of additional weight.
Don't: Leave the LP gas supply on. - Turn the main valve from your LP gas storage tank completely off before you lock up your RV for the winter. This is a safety measure, but will also help to keep pests from being attracted to the smell that could leak through your appliances.
Do:Remove the batteries from the gas detector inside of the RV. - If the batteries are left in the RV for long periods, they could be prone to corrosion. Plus, you do not want to have the alarm sound when you are not present, as this will drain the batteries and possibly cause a problem with the fuses of the detector.
You may hate to see your RV go into storage for the winter, but with the proper preparation, you will be happy to see it come out of storage next spring--ready to go. If you plan to store your RV for the winter, talk to the manager at a storage facility, such as Advanced Realty, for more tips and advice.