Has anyone left their RV in AZ in the summer with electric plugged in & a/c on? If so, what did it cost you per month? What other recommendations would you suggest for someone thinking about doing this? Thanks!

What other recommendations? Don’t.

Don't think I would leave it plugged in with the air on. We have a park model in Yuma which we close up and turn off the power. I purchased several 5 gallon buckets at Home Depot with lids. I cut about 1/2 of the lids out and, fill them with water to keep a little humidity in the air. I also add a little cooking oil to the drain traps to keep the water from evaporating. So far that has worked fine for us.

I have a bunch of Park Models that I rent out here in Yuma . I turn off the elect, water for 7 months. I also leave 7 or 8 gallon milk cartons thruoutthe Park Models and Houses with water in them. I cover all the windows, toilets,all drains in sink, shower etc I have been doing this since 2000. Works for me.We also leave two cars here for 7 months. I make sure batterys are charged up,I disconnect the battery. Come back in Oct and cars start right up.The cars are under awning cover with 3 car covers over them and still get dust in and over them

samsontdog wrote:I have a bunch of Park Models that I rent out here in Yuma . I turn off the elect, water for 7 months. I also leave 7 or 8 gallon milk cartons thruoutthe Park Models and Houses with water in them. I cover all the windows, toilets,all drains in sink, shower etc I have been doing this since 2000. Works for me.We also leave two cars here for 7 months. I make sure batterys are charged up,I disconnect the battery. Come back in Oct and cars start right up.The cars are under awning cover with 3 car covers over them and still get dust in and over themGood post...perfect!

At 72 degree it only cost a average of $412 per month, The heat is so hot that the Rv lost one foot in length and 6 inchs in with.

Leaving RV in AZ in summer? | Good Sam Community

14 Replies

waterboy502000
Explorer
Feb 27, 2018
Some good ideas here. A big plus would be to park under cover or garage. Wouldn't leav eelectric on.
bdpreece
Explorer II
Feb 27, 2018
rocmoc wrote:
samsontdog wrote:
WOW !! I am glad I dont have the problems that rocmoc mentioned.. I have 9 Park
Models, two TT, 40 ft 5th w here in Yuma as rentals and I dont have those problems. Maybe because its a dry heat. Yeah right. LOL

Yeah the Tucson region gets can get a LOT rain during monsoon season compared to Yuma.

rocmoc n AZ

When we bought our park model in Yuma the neighbor told us they get about three inches of rain her at a time. That means one drop every three inches.
rocmoc
Explorer
Feb 26, 2018
2gypsies wrote:
OP:Another thought..... take it to higher elevation like Flagstaff, Williams, Show Low, Pinetop and store it there. The summer is so much cooler. Pick it up upon your fall return.... or even stay in those places for the summer... very nice. :)

Great idea! Leave keys with 2gypsies & us and we will keep and eye on your rig :B.

rocmoc n AZ
2gypsies1
Explorer III
Feb 26, 2018
OP: Are you planning to leave it in AZ every summer? One or two seasons are not going to hurt it in any way but if every summer you'll need extra precautions. Perhaps try to find covered storage which would help. For your woodwork, get a good oil polish and apply just before leaving. I wouldn't leave the electric on unmonitored.

Another thought..... take it to higher elevation like Flagstaff, Williams, Show Low, Pinetop and store it there. The summer is so much cooler. Pick it up upon your fall return.... or even stay in those places for the summer... very nice. :)
rocmoc
Explorer
Feb 26, 2018
samsontdog wrote:
WOW !! I am glad I dont have the problems that rocmoc mentioned.. I have 9 Park
Models, two TT, 40 ft 5th w here in Yuma as rentals and I dont have those problems. Maybe because its a dry heat. Yeah right. LOL

Yeah the Tucson region gets can get a LOT rain during monsoon season compared to Yuma.

rocmoc n AZ
samsontdog
Explorer
Feb 25, 2018
WOW !! I am glad I dont have the problems that rocmoc mentioned.. I have 9 Park
Models, two TT, 40 ft 5th w here in Yuma as rentals and I dont have those problems. Maybe because its a dry heat. Yeah right. LOL
rocmoc
Explorer
Feb 25, 2018
Our block & mortar home is in AZ but we do have a Motorhome. The sun is brutal; any RV left out in the summer sun has faded skin & peeling decals. Our MH is in a closed garage. Even then you have to place buckets or pans of water inside during Apr, May & June until monsoon season starts to keep the wood, fabric & glue from drying out. When monsoon season starts then it is the opposite problem, too much moisture. Even inside the garage we run the AC a small amount to keep mold from growing. A tough environment for leaving a RV unattended. We have friends from Idaho who leave their Air Stream year-round in a nearby park. Skin is fine but I attend to the buckets of water & AC all summer long until they return in Nov. Even then the heat on the roof caused the glue holding the ceiling cover / headliner to let go and drop. This was from heat softening the glue, not from drying out. Tires must be covered or dry rot will occur quickly. We do get more rain during the monsoon season compared to Yuma so your site of choice maybe a little different.

rocmoc n AZ
BarbaraOK
Explorer
Feb 25, 2018
RVcrazy wrote:
We are concerned that the woodwork seems discolored (dried out?) in units we have seen here in Yuma. We also have a residential refrigerator. I thought it was better for the fridge to be left on. We just want to maintain the unit as best we can. Thank you for your helpful posts. So far, no one leaves the electricity on...

Don't leave the frig on. First, it will run and run with no thermal block (food) in it to help maintain cold. Second, it will add to the heat in the unit. We also have a Park Model that for our winters in Mesa. We do the same as mentioned before, turn everything off, put jugs of water in sinks and bathtubs, windows covered with 'black out curtains' (material at JoAnn Fabrics), cover furniture with old sheets, clean out all food, turn of frig, turn off power and water and go. Come fall we reverse the process for the winter. Woodwork is going to dry out - that is the nature of living in the desert with low humidity. Remember, it is a 'dry' heat.

Barb
RVcrazy
Explorer
Feb 25, 2018
We are concerned that the woodwork seems discolored (dried out?) in units we have seen here in Yuma. We also have a residential refrigerator. I thought it was better for the fridge to be left on. We just want to maintain the unit as best we can. Thank you for your helpful posts. So far, no one leaves the electricity on...
Supercharged
Explorer
Feb 25, 2018
At 72 degree it only cost a average of $412 per month, The heat is so hot that the Rv lost one foot in length and 6 inchs in with.