Outdoor storage in very cold climate.

[stoutz429]

Purchasing a class A motorhome to be used and stored in northwestern Pennsylvania. Desire to store it indoors during our extreme lake-effect cold winters.

However, in the event we are unable to secure heated indoor storage and are forced to park it outside during the winter months, what should we do to make sure it is fully winterized for our long cold season?

Mostly concerned with what to do about fluids and batteries, but open to ideas about all aspects of winterizing for extreme conditions.

[bsinmich]

It gets cold here in Holland, MI. I store my MH in a barn (unheated)with concrete floor but not hooked to any charger. I have a solar panel on the roof but in the dark barn that does nothing. I do have the gas tank full, Sta-Bil added to the tank and run the generator prior to parking for the winter. In the spring I start it up like normal. For winterizing I drain the water heater, hook the air compressor to the water inlet and blowout all of the lines until they finally quit spitting. This way I avoid having to play with the bypass valves on the water heater and by adding water I am set to go in the spring. I use about 1/2 gal. of pink stuff in the traps in the MH. It works every year.

[Wrong_Lane]

Forgot to mention one more step we take. Cover the tires!

Winter sun although not hot still has harmful UV rays and can have negative effects on your tires

[dverstra]

I used to have the dealership winterized for me. It is cheap insurance for your first winterization. I finally took the time to make a checklist for winterizing. It's not that hard to do. Missing an item is costly though so be thorough.

I was forced into learning when coming home from Florida and Michigan was 15 degrees. I didn't want to trust it so I purchased some RV antifreeze and a hose to fit on the water pump which I put into the 3 gallons of antifreeze. I drained the fresh water and hot water tank, bypassed the hot water tank, and proceeded to open each valve in the motorhome until pink antifreeze is present. I had not used the ice maker or washer/dryer so it was easier than usual. Oh yeah, don't forget the water filter. Last but not least I pour antifreeze in the traps of the sinks and shower.

Each motorhome is a little different,so think it through before you decide to do it yourself.

[cbr46]

Filling the tank keeps moisture from absorbing into the fuel, which is good but not an end-all.

Some stabilizers will cancel effects of ethanol, some only stabilize the fuel from turning to varnish. Read the labels and be sure to select a stabilizer that includes ethanol treatment.

Ethanol will EAT the metal in your generator's carburetor float bowl. Nasty stuff for small engines, all courtesy of corn lobbyists and government subsidies we've come to love. I try to run my generator at least every 2 weeks regardless where it sits.

Best,
- bob

[ClassAGeek]

I winterize with suitable antifreeze, fill the gas tank, use fuel stabiIizer, flip off the chassis and house battery relays, store with an Adco cover on a far corner of my property. That's about it.

I DON'T leave the battery on trickle charge, run the generator, start or otherwise touch my MH for approximately 6 six months every year.

Endured -30°F many times. Never had any problems.

[beisner]

One year, while winterizing, I forgot an item and it cost me the price for a new one. When I connect to a campgrounds water system I always put an inline water filter on the hose. I didn't think there was any water in the filter so I put it in it's normal storage spot in the camper. In the spring I realized my mistake when I was holding a cracked water filter. Something else I have to do when winterizing is empty my windshield washing reservoir because I only use fresh water in my reservoir. I do not like the blue stripes down the side of the motorhome caused by washer antifreeze, so I replace the fluid with water only.

[doxiemom11]

Another thing we did in addition to the above, is we made sure we had a full gas tank with fuel stabalizer in it and ran both the engine and the generator to make sure the stabalizer went thru that stuff since it was going to sit for 6 mo.

[Wally_Walleye]

Also don't forget to drain your icemaker and if you have a water filter under the sink be sure to take out the filter and drain that also.

[jerseyjim]

When not snowbirding, my motorhome is kept outside...and is fully winterized. Every 2 weeks I start the motor and generator....let them run for about 1/2 hour.

[hershey]

The obvious is to do as mentioned above as to the weatherization of the piping in the RV. As for the batteries, if you can't leave a trickle charger running then don't trust the cut off switches on your RV to remove all phantom amperage draw. Disconnect the ground cable from the batteries after your sure they are fully charged and they will stay charged all winter. I leave my golf car in storage all winter in unheated storage in WYOMING and just remove the ground cable. In the spring, I hookup the cable and drive off.

[cbr46]

Just the opposite, We plan to use, but not inhabit, our RV all winter through weekend trips. Yes, live in GA but we get cold, too. Not a big fan of winterizing after each use (but a whole lot better than split pipes, fixtures, tanks, etc.). Removing wet foods is a good suggestion (tnx).

Could run a low level electric heater with critical areas exposed. Or, with lots of practice, get pretty good at winterizing each / every other week.

15-20F is about as cold as we get. Nightly 25F could be typical.

Any suggestions?

Best,
- bob

[Wrong_Lane]

We live in a cold climate here. Not unusual to hit -20 and have it stay there for a couple of weeks in Feb. Combine that with an average of 24" of snow on the ground and let's just say the brass monkeys are looking for parts.

Lots of good advise about draining pipes, using RV antifreeze (make sure you use the plumber or RV stuff cause the auto type is toxic) and removing all frezable items from inside. This includes toothpaste, shampoo, cans of soup etc. You really should remove all food anyway as you want to make the rig as unattractive to rodents as possible.

Change your engine and genny oil just before the storage, check all other fluid levels, make sure your rad antifreeze is good to -40. Lube all grease fittings. Clean the outside to spotless and put about 5 extra pounds of air in each tire. Fill your gas tank to the brim and add stabilizer. Run the engine and gennie to get stabilized fuel into the carb and injectors.

We cover and I suffer no damage from it. Keeps the ice from freezing to the roof and sides. I take my batteries out, charge them and store them in a cool dry location (my garage). Cold starts in real cold weather are hard on the engine so needless to say no exercising of engines but no ill effects.

I too park on planks to keep my tires up off the ground.

I normally winterize mid-October and it stays parked until late April. Short season but worth the effort.

[crimmps49]

We live in WI and have very cold temps in the winter. Our MH is stored outside with a cover over it. We do charge our batteries periodically and fully winterize the water system. Drain your hot water heater and put it on by-pass. We drain all water and put pink solution in all lines and drains with a bit extra in the black and grey tanks. Make sure you have all your liquid items removed along with other foods, etc. We have 2 plastic bins to put all our items in and store it in the basement. We drive it onto wood planks since it is on gravel and also cover our wheels.

[crasster]

Mainly its about draining all the water out of the pipes. Also a good solar battery charger would be good for both the coach & house batts.