Winter Time Storage

[Cardinals]

This year we traded in our 38 foot travel trailer for a 25 foot motorhome, and love it. I have a few questions about winter storage. We live in upstate NY where we have plenty of cold and snow.

1. Is there any recommendation on how much fuel to leave in the tank when I put it away for winter? Full/Half?

2. Is there an additive I should add to the fuel tank prior to storage. If yes, what do you recommend?

3. My plan is to start the engine of the MH at least once or twice a month. It is stored about 5 minutes from our home. Is that too little to too much?

4. I also plan on testing the generator at least once a month...thoughts.

5. I will winterize the unit and prep it for storage.

Thank you for your anticipated comments and assistance.

[whemme]

pianotuna wrote:
I fill my tank with premium for the last trip of the season and add the appropriate amount of seafoam.

I have a modes solar panel system that maintains the house and chassis battery.

What advantage do you think you get by filling your fuel tank with premium fuel? It does nothing for you except cost you about $0.60 extra per gallon. The only thing premium fuel does is raise the antiknock margin needed for higher compression engines something you really don’t need in a non-running engine while your rig is in winter storage.

[Grit_dog]

What’s up with asking the same question twice?
And yeah car dealers don’t to anything except jump start the dead ones.
Filling the tank to prevent moisture/rust is basically a stupid old wives tale. Unless the tank literally sits open to the atmosphere. Or maybe for years on end.

[pianotuna]

I fill my tank with premium for the last trip of the season and add the appropriate amount of seafoam.

I have a modes solar panel system that maintains the house and chassis battery.

[rlw999]

jdc1 wrote:
What do car dealers do with the cars sitting on their lots all winter? Probably disconnect the battery and put it in warm storage on a trickle charger. And nothing else.

I worked at a car rental place and business was much slower in the winter and we often ended up with cars parked for months under the snow. We just kept the excess cars on the back lot and jump started them as needed with a portable battery that we wheeled out on a hand truck. The gas tanks were all full, but took no other special care or preparation.

[DrewE]

What I do, or at least try to do:

Change the oil before winter storage. Fill the gas tank and add sta-bil if you wish, but probably not really necessary. Do not run the engine unless you're going to be driving somewhere; cold starting an engine is about the hardest thing you'll ever do to it, where a great deal of the wear occurs. I think I read somewhere that for the typical car, 90 percent of the engine wear occurs within the first few minutes after cold starts, and the other ten percent at all other times when it is in use.

Running the generator per the manufacturer's recommendations is a reasonable idea. If you have power available and a decent (multistage) converter, leaving it plugged in will keep the house batteries in good shape; otherwise, get them fully charged and then disconnect them (physically) and they'll be just fine in the cold for a few months. Similarly for the chassis battery, of course.

Remove all food (and maybe TP etc.) and set mouse traps. If you have vent covers--highly recommended--leave one or two ceiling vents under cover ajar to get some ventilation.

[jdc1]

What do car dealers do with the cars sitting on their lots all winter? Probably disconnect the battery and put it in warm storage on a trickle charger. And nothing else.

[schlep1967]

Same answers to the same question you asked in the class B forum.

[Grit_dog]

I’ll start by asking how long you expect to store it? But presuming around 6 months, and presuming the genny runs off of the main gas tank, I’d run the tank low, preferably with non ethanol in it, add a stabilizer to what’s left in the tank, run everything for a bit, run the generator out of fuel (assuming carb generator) shut it down and not touch it until spring.

Or you can do the start it every month thing which is really only beneficial to the genny if you leave it full of fuel that can degrade and evaporate. Even then, I wouldn’t bother starting the moho engine. However if you must go through that exercise, which is mostly a placebo, then run it long enough to get everything heat soaked. Ice cold engine will make some moisture as it thaws out after a long sleep.

Many will say to fill the fuel tank. That practice is of no benefit IMO on modern fuel tanks/systems. I winterize or summer-ize or just plain don’t use regularly, around 15 engines a year at the house. Small engines with carbs either get run out of gas or left with AV gas in them. Small efi engines get shut down with AV gas or stabilized gas and don’t get started until needed again.
Haven’t intentionally filled a fuel tank before storage since about 1995 when I figured out that it doesn’t matter on anything that doesn’t have a metal tank. Only issue is old fuel going bad, which is much harder to rectify if you have a full tank vs an empty tank.
Another tip, ethanol blend typical fuel is great to top off a low tank that’s been sitting. The ethanol will absorb any normal moisture that may be present. Just like adding a can of HEET in the winter if you have fuel line freezing issues.

Lastly, one is all gung Ho the first year or 2 to “go run it every month”. What about 5 years from now? What if you’re not around for 3 months, etc.
just get it winter proofed and come back in the spring. Easier, cheaper, less time consuming and no downsides if you do it right.

[IB853347201]

Cardinals wrote:


1. Is there any recommendation on how much fuel to leave in the tank when I put it away for winter? Full/Half? Full

2. Is there an additive I should add to the fuel tank prior to storage. If yes, what do you recommend? Add Stabil to the tank

3. My plan is to start the engine of the MH at least once or twice a month. It is stored about 5 minutes from our home. Is that too little to too much? Once a month should be more than enough. Let it run until it's up to operating temperature

4. I also plan on testing the generator at least once a month...thoughts. Run the generator at least once a month. Make sure you run it under a partial load. A 1500 watt electric heater works well.

5. I will winterize the unit and prep it for storage.

Thank you for your anticipated comments and assistance.