Winter storage of canned goods TT

We have left tins in the cottage over the winter.
It gets to -40C sometimes.

Here's what happens.
Some of the cans split, most don't.
With the sealed cans the food never goes bad it just gets ugly and mushy. If you were hungry enough it wouldn't hurt you.
The worst that happens is the rusty ring on the shelf from condensation on the cans.

We don't leave them up there anymore.
We leave all dry goods, veg oil, seeds, nuts, soap, shampoo.
Been doing it for 35 yrs

golf_bears wrote:
Let me see if I got this straight, you winterized the RV water system but are wondering about leaving canned goods, which contain water, in the RV over winter????

I think you just answered your own question!!!!

Do you leave coolant, which contains water, in your radiator over the winter? Canned food is not pure water. It doesn't freeze when water does.

That said, canned food is so easy to remove there's no reason not too.

DutchmenSport wrote:


Second, ANY food item left in the camper is an invitation for unwanted critters to invade your castle. Ants, bugs, mice, rodents can smell that food a hundred miles away and will dig, claw, and chomp their way into your camper to get to it. Now, you have "goo" and critter "poo" to deal with, not to mention other damage the critters can "doo".

Get the point! Easy solution ... remove all liquids and ALL food, consumable items! Leave nothing inside over the winter months.

Very important point about critters. I also go a bit further and put moth balls around in open plastic containers to guard against them.

Let me see if I got this straight, you winterized the RV water system but are wondering about leaving canned goods, which contain water, in the RV over winter????

I think you just answered your own question!!!!

I'd suggest to get a plastic bin, fill it with the canned goods, and set it out of your way until Spring. Load it back into the trailer after cold weather has passed. I live in MN so this is all no news to me.

I live in ND and have left canned goods in the RV over winter. Never had a can burst. But I will say Cambell's soup that has frozen and rethawed is "interesting".

I no longer leave canned goods in the RV.

Although we remove all food items from our camper in the winter if we are not heating it any more, I do leave a bowl of water on the floor and a bowl of water on the counter top. If the furnace is off and no heat, once the inside of the camper reaches 32, that water starts freezing. It doesn't take long after turning off the heat either. To say putting stuff in cabinets will prolong the freezing is just wrong. How many posts are put on these forums where people have problems with freezing water lines and the suggestion is to leave cabinet doors OPEN so heat can get to them.

If you are fortunate enough to park your camper at your winter home, do the test. Put a small bowl of water on the counter top and let it sit. Check it daily. See how cold it really has to get outside before it's frozen solid! You'll find out, it doesn't have to be much less than 31 degrees over several hours. I've left Coca Cola in the camper, (when we use it for winter camp and drive way camp). Sometimes I forget to get one or two out. When I remember, the Cola is really slushy frozen! If I would have waited any longer, it would have broken.

Not to mention when I forgot I had 4 cans of Coca Cola in the refrigerator when returning home from Florida last December 2015 (to Indiana) and when we got ready to to go to South Carolina in early March (2016) and began restocking the camper, I opened the refrigerator door and found this!.... I strongly say ... remove all food, all cans, all liquids, everything. You don't want this happening:







It did clean up, but it took a couple hours as Cola was everywhere in the refrigerator!

ksg5000 wrote:
Takes a long time for water to freeze inside an RV. Canned food which sits inside a closed cabinet would take longer than exposed plumbing. I leave canned food in my rig in Portland Oregon - which doesn't get cold very often and seldom last very long. Everyone has a different tolerance for risk.

Trust me, it gets plenty cold in Dandridge to freeze ANY canned goods. Typical temps in January-Feb are mid-40s and lower 20s.

I agree, all foods should be removed, to prevent freezing and reduce the chances of mouse infestation.

ksg5000 wrote:
Takes a long time for water to freeze inside an RV. Canned food which sits inside a closed cabinet would take longer than exposed plumbing. I leave canned food in my rig in Portland Oregon - which doesn't get cold very often and seldom last very long. Everyone has a different tolerance for risk.

Yes, but it doesn't sound like Portland gets as cold as where the OP is. If he's getting any place close to zero, then it's staying below freezing for a lot more than Portland does. My DP is stored in Portland at the moment, but it's headed to Phoenix next week for storage to get it out of all that moisture.

Bill

I remove everything that can freeze for winter. Use it and restock in the spring.