Winter Storage Questions

[Big_Blue]

Great first season in our 2008 Winnebago Destination/DP. Alas, winter will be coming to soon here to Maine. Due to other obligations, its time to put the toys of summer away now.

Winterizing the fifth wheel was easy. Drain the lines, put the pink in the lines, drive to winter storage location, remove battery and return in the spring.

Class As are a wee bit more complex. The research that I have done is primarily focused on draining the lines and putting the pink in the lines. I get that.

(I have located indoor winter storage for a reasonable rate. This opens the driveway up for safe snowblowing, et al.)

What about the diesel fuel in the tank? Leave alone or add the winter additive? Fill the tank or ????

The batteries are another concern. All the research says to charge them up monthly. Which assumes that there will be unfettered access. Unfortunately, that will not be the case. The batteries will be fully charged when the rig is put into storage.

What I'm thinking is to disconnect the house batteries from the coach. Setting the battery Aux Batt Switch to off. And return in the spring with a battery charger and good book to read while getting the charge back up to operational.

For those of you who do long term storage over the winter. What have you done? What have you learned? What are the dos and don'ts?

Tnx in Advance.

[Blaster_Man]

I agree with Brett...add a biocide. It will keep "stuff" from growing.

[bshpilot]

the biocide isn't necessary and neither is the anti-gel.....he doesnt have to worry about gel-ing of the fuel because he's NOT gonna be driving it.

biocide is unnecessary w/ todays fuels, I've got stuff that has sat over a year and never had any algae growth.

[wolfe10]

Storing a diesel coach for 6 months:

If you filled up (full tank is a must, as it minimizes condensation) in the summer or fall (i.e. #2 diesel), adding an anti-gel is a good idea. And for storing that long, I would also add a Biocide (available from any marine store, as boats storing diesel have the same issues).

[Giselle]

Big_Blue wrote:
Great first season in our 2008 Winnebago Destination/DP. Alas, winter will be coming to soon here to Maine. Due to other obligations, its time to put the toys of summer away now.

Winterizing the fifth wheel was easy. Drain the lines, put the pink in the lines, drive to winter storage location, remove battery and return in the spring.

Class As are a wee bit more complex. The research that I have done is primarily focused on draining the lines and putting the pink in the lines. I get that.

(I have located indoor winter storage for a reasonable rate. This opens the driveway up for safe snowblowing, et al.)

What about the diesel fuel in the tank? Leave alone or add the winter additive? Fill the tank or ????

The batteries are another concern. All the research says to charge them up monthly. Which assumes that there will be unfettered access. Unfortunately, that will not be the case. The batteries will be fully charged when the rig is put into storage.

What I'm thinking is to disconnect the house batteries from the coach. Setting the battery Aux Batt Switch to off. And return in the spring with a battery charger and good book to read while getting the charge back up to operational.

For those of you who do long term storage over the winter. What have you done? What have you learned? What are the dos and don'ts?

Tnx in Advance.

I like your approach towards batteries, please dont chagre them everyh now and then. Kee p a figure in mind, for instacne if the battery is just 20% then only chagre it. and let it chagre it till its full. Dont take it out in between. Becasue there are lot of techncial issues whith charging the battery. I can explain in detail if you want. (let me know)..

[10forty2]

Thanks for everyone's experienced replies. Since this is my first winter with a Coach, I'll be doing a version of winterizing too. I won't likely be doing it until after Thanksgiving, though, since here in NC we don't get really cold weather until after then...unless there's a freak cold snap. The pink stuff in my water lines will be the main thing I do. Washing the outside, topping off the gas tank and changing oil, as well as winter-time washer fluid will be on the list too.

In reading one response about cranking the engine once a month during storage....my experience with engines has led me to say, NO...DON'T DO IT! ...unless you can get out and drive around for 30 minutes or more. The reason is that a short run on a cold engine is much worse, IMHO, that not running at all. The cold oil makes for dry or almost dry starts and there will be condensation that builds in the oil pan as it sits in changing temperatures. Unless you get up to normal running temps to evaporate the moisture, just cranking the engine for a few minutes idling will only serve to circulate the moisture throughout the engine and eventually cause damage. Like someone else said, change the oil before you store so it's as fresh as possible and top off the fuel tank with fresh fuel along with a good additive such as Sea Foam to preserve and reduce condensation buildup there too.

And be careful with the recommendation for a solar panel. I found out the hard way on a large generator that solar panels without a regulator/trickle circuit will boil your battery dry and it will be worthless. You can buy solar panels all day long on Amazon or Ebay that tout being able to provide trickle charging directly to the battery, but make sure that if you're going that way, you get a separate regulator box. The one I bought advertised that it would keep a 12VDC battery charged. Well, after frying the battery I actually measured the output...on a sunny day, the solar panel was putting out 30VDC. You're better off turning off the disconnect switch or simply removing the cables prior to long term storage. Always remove the negative cable first and reconnect it last. Unless there's another maintenance reason, you shouldn't need to physically remove the battery from the compartment.

One other thing, if you can in the indoor storage, you will want to exercise your generator under load for 30 minutes or more at least once per month.

[Wrong_Lane]

Hi Neighbor:

I don't think you could find anybody with winter conditions like Maine, unless you looked north (where I am)

You already know about the water system. Remember to get all the canned goods, shampoo, tooth-paste etc. out as well, as you know any liquid or paste type item will freeze and burst leaving a mess.

I have always stored outside and covered but this year, for the first time I will be inside an unheated building.

Change your engine oil and filter so the engine is stored with fresh oil. Grease all zerks you can find. Check your engine anti-freeze and make sure it is good to -40. (Make sure your windshield washer fluid is winter grade as well) Inflate your tires to your normal travel inflation. Fill your fuel tank to prevent condensation.

I have a gas engine so I use a storage additive. I think there is a cold weather additive for diesel that prevents it from gelling during extreme cold. Check with the engine manufacturer for recommendations. If you do use an additive run your engine and genny to get the additive through the entire fuel system.

Top up all fluid levels like power steering, transmission, brake etc. Charge the batteries fully.

Wash the rig as dead bugs left to sit on the paint or clear-coat over the winter can leave a stain.

As for the batteries, I used to remove them and store them in my garage. The last two years I left them in the rig with both terminals disconnected. My experience is that when I hook them up again in late April they are still charged and the engine will start. I would however prepare for the worst and take booster cables with me when I retrieve the rig in the spring!

Many people recommend starting once per month or so during winter but if you are in an enclosed area that may not be possible. There is a school of thought that thinks that sub-zero starts with the engine oil as thick as molasses are harder on the engine than letting it sit. The engine will not really get up to operating temperature unless you drive it. If you drive it then the salt on the highways here in the winter will do damage.

Put something under your tires to keep them off the ground or concrete. I will be on concrete this year and plan to use plastic cutting boards from the dollar store under my tires.

I will cover the rig, even inside. It keeps it from getting covered by bird droppings. If you are inside a cover will not blow around so no worries about scuffing the paint. I plan to leave the roof vents cracked open a little to keep the air inside the rig fresh.

In spring you are ready to go and start camping. Your tires may need some air.

I hate storing for 6 months but that is reality here. Remember that during that cold February weather, summer is just three days away, straight down I95!

Safe Travels

[Snomas]

I take our DP out for drives (10-20 mi)every 4-6 weeks to keep all the seals, etc lubricated. Been doing it for 12 years and don't have any problems.

[JustinJohnson]

I learned one thing from my last trip is water heater is must at the time of the winter season. Fuel tanks should always be kept as full as possible to reduce fuel degradation from exposure to oxygen. Use an appropriate additive package to ensure usable.

[J-Rooster]

RayChez wrote:
If I lived in Maine, I would do exactly what you are going to do. But I live in southern California and I use my coach year round. Just getting ready to go on another trip from California to New Mexico and back in about thirty days.

These coaches cost too much money to let them set. They need to be moving or else gaskets start to shrink and pretty soon you have oil leaks, cabinets drying up, tires get bad flat spots and cracks. And if your coach has a gasoline engine, gasoline starts to gel up and fuel injectors can go bad.

So anyways, my point is you should take it out for a drive every once in a while.

Have a safe trip Ray! Take Care, Rooster

[Big_Blue]

Thanks for the advice. Unfortuntalely, up here in Maine, the storage season is about six months long. I do have inside storage lined up for a reasonable rate.

Other people do it, so it too will pass for me. Winterize the H2O system, full tank of diesel with the winter addititive, and pull the ground cable from the charged battery set. Then six months of fretting.

Another smattering of years and I'll be snowbirding with it, v shuttering it away from the snow & ice.

[bshpilot]

if the coach is gonna set for just a few months there is no need to add anything to Diesel fuel.

[big_jim_2]

Don't spray anything into air intake on a diesel as they have heaters in there intake. Any flammable liquid could cause a big bang.

[Matt_Colie]

Diesels are better at waiting than gas engines. But still put it to bed with the tanks full so they don't "breath" and collect moisture. If you can, get a can of "Fogging Spray" and try to crank the engine without it starting. This can be a trick with a good diesel, but a boat guy (fat chance you can find one in Maine ;))will have a good idea what I mean. Then, disconnect the batteries either by switch or by pulling cables. Be cautious with the switch method. Some manufactures put things like the CO monitor or the radio keep alive on the wrong side of the battery switch. (Run into that with bilge pumps all the time.)
Once you have that all settled, go get a couple of (one for the main engine battery and one for the house bank) little solar battery chargers to put in a south facing window. These can even keep a battery topped up just by using the sun both days it is out during a Maine winter.

Before the depression, I did this for a lot of performance cruisers. It always worked out well. My latitude is still about the same, but I can drink the bay and things don't rust as fast. But the only lobster has to get flown in.

Matt - he misses the tide

[RayChez]

If I lived in Maine, I would do exactly what you are going to do. But I live in southern California and I use my coach year round. Just getting ready to go on another trip from California to New Mexico and back in about thirty days.

These coaches cost too much money to let them set. They need to be moving or else gaskets start to shrink and pretty soon you have oil leaks, cabinets drying up, tires get bad flat spots and cracks. And if your coach has a gasoline engine, gasoline starts to gel up and fuel injectors can go bad.

So anyways, my point is you should take it out for a drive every once in a while.