Evaluating RV Storage Facilities

Mikebreeze, Thank you for the information on garaging in PWC! Property taxes are surprisingly high in Culpeper County.

Could it be condensation running down the windows and then pooling at a low point? I'm thinking about the cushions on seats right under the windows. I don't have any ideas about under the sink.

We stored our MH in Vancouver, WA last winter and I'll never store it there in the winter again. The condensation in the MH was terrible. There were no roof leaks. People talk about not buying RVs from the Florida area, I don't think I would ever buy one out of eastern OR or WA.

In Nov we're flying down to move it from Vancouver to the Phoenix area for Nov, Dec, & Jan before heading east in Feb. As part of our trip planning we see what major areas we can store it in which Alaska Airlines flies in and out of.

Bill

Trackrig, Thanks for the advice. Plywood was damaged in two places. One place was was under one of the dinette cushions. I never experienced any problem under any of the cushions in the past, but the plywood on which it sat was damp and black. It was also where one of the chains was anchors to attach to the truck bumper. It was protected from rain and open to ventilation. The other piece of plywood was under the sink. There was no leak from the sink or plumbing, but there was a cast iron griddle sitting on the shelf and when I picked up the griddle, it, too, was black and soggy, only under the griddle, not under any other pots or skillets, etc.

VA is not a magical place. The same principles apply as anywhere. The order of level of protection for moisture and UV is as follows.
Do nothing
Tarp it
Breathable cover under a tarp
Open sided, covered storage (carport)
Same ^ with a paved or gravel surface underneath
Covered storage with walls
Climate controlled storage.

We store indoors on the Eastern Shore of the Chesapeake Bay. A big steel framed building with other RVs & boats. Typically we are November to April untouched.

Most winters we have left everything closed up as best as possible & done the mothballs & dryer sheet routine to discourage creatures of any type. No problems. Last winter we left the overhead hatches open. No noticable difference.

I am not familiar with any indoor storage facilities but if you store your RV in Prince William County, VA and list this locality as where the RV is kept, there are no personal property taxes. 2 places that come to mind:

Holly Acres, Woodbridge, VA
www.hollyacres.com

Prince William County Fairgrounds
http://pwcfair.com/rental/

Covered storage always helps with moisture. If you go to eastern Oregon or Washington during the winter you won't find an available covered storage space available anyplace. You want to keep the water from falling on it, sitting on it, draining down the sides and so forth. Take covered storage if you can find it.

You could certainly do without the moist air, but there's no way to get away from that except to put it in climate controlled inside storage.

When you say the plywood was damaged, how was it damaged? Was it the structural plywood, inside plywood, or was the outside made of plywood? Covered storage will take care of the water on the outside or leaking into the structure. If you can find a covered place with electrical power to power a humidifier, that would be your best option. Run the humidifier down a sink drain if you don't have to worry about the sink trap or holding tank freezing. There's desiccant and other things, but I've never seen them really work in a larger RV.

Bill