winter storage for RV
We are thinking of buying a class C. We don't expect to use it for a 3 to 6 months of the year. What should we do to keep it running well? Should we take it on short drives every so often? How often? ...
Forum Discussion
I usually winterize in mid November and get ready for trips in mid March...four months later. I store in an indoor facility about three miles from our home and it is a half mile from an interstate. Once a month during storage, I find an acceptable weather day and take it out of storage. Then, I drive to a town up the interstate about 25 miles, leave the engine running and have a burger for lunch.
All this time in transit and while enjoying the burger the generator is running with a load on it. My rig has heat strips in the AC unit and they are turned on so the gen is under load. This whole process takes about an hour and a half. Generators need to be run in my opinion every now and then, not just for moving the gas through the carb but also to spin the generator itself to prevent oxidization from forming. Read Onan's manual. I think mine says at least two hours a month.
Now, if you are storing in a heated space not that much is obviously required but most of us are not that lucky.
These things cost a lot of money and I figure 90 minutes of my time to take care of it and eat a good hamburger is not a bad way to spend part of a day.
Also, I use a battery disconnector on the coach batteries to avoid any parasitic draws while in storage. AND, importantly, I keep the fuel tank filled to the brim to avoid condensation during the winter months. I refill it every month after this little journey to make sure to avoid that problem.
Everyone will have their own little technique for maintenance and I have been doing this on different rigs over the decades. I don't want to scrimp on my routine and have troubles out in the wilds somewhere.
All this time in transit and while enjoying the burger the generator is running with a load on it. My rig has heat strips in the AC unit and they are turned on so the gen is under load. This whole process takes about an hour and a half. Generators need to be run in my opinion every now and then, not just for moving the gas through the carb but also to spin the generator itself to prevent oxidization from forming. Read Onan's manual. I think mine says at least two hours a month.
Now, if you are storing in a heated space not that much is obviously required but most of us are not that lucky.
These things cost a lot of money and I figure 90 minutes of my time to take care of it and eat a good hamburger is not a bad way to spend part of a day.
Also, I use a battery disconnector on the coach batteries to avoid any parasitic draws while in storage. AND, importantly, I keep the fuel tank filled to the brim to avoid condensation during the winter months. I refill it every month after this little journey to make sure to avoid that problem.
Everyone will have their own little technique for maintenance and I have been doing this on different rigs over the decades. I don't want to scrimp on my routine and have troubles out in the wilds somewhere.
