Advice on part time use....do's and dont's

[Flyboy67]

Tomorrow I will have my new TT set up at a campground on a lake in Al. It has full hookup (elect., sewer, water, etc). I will leave it there for at least 6 months and come and go. What do I need to do (must do's) when I leave for days/weeks? I plan to leave AC thermostat on 75 and fridge on of course. What else ?
Many thanks!

[Flyboy67]

Well we have been set up for just over 24 hours. So far, so,good. New Denali is impressive. Fridge is cold and so is AC! A few adjustments needed on water pressure and tv but overall we are delighted. Thanks for all the advice!

[al7601]

Dryer sheets are pretty common to be placed in cabinet corners or anywhere rodents could get in. We also bought Max air roof vents and now leave the roof vents open while gone for a week at a time.

[Alabama_Jim]

If I were going to be gone for over 2 days I would turn everything off, just as you would if storing it in a lot.

[DownTheAvenue]

In addition to what has already been posted, even with the A/C on, open at least one window just a crack to get some fresh air in. Turn up the thermostat to 80 maybe 85 degrees. Leaving it on 5 is wasteful.

[MitchF150]

Depends on how much you trust your fellow man... For the most part, in camp grounds, you can leave most things out and they will be fine..

I've been burned a few times too, so I wouldn't leave much out and available that could be easily taken..

In my camping life, i've lost a sewer hose, ice chests, chairs, water skies, and just general vandalism in my 45+ years of camping life.. This includes camping since i was a kid with Mom and Dad in the early 70's.

I wouldn't leave my fridge on, with stuff in it.. One time, back when I was a kid and we had a seasonal site, we left the sewer hose and fridge going..

Someone took the hose and decided it would be fun to turn off the electric to the trailer... Came the next weekend to a warm fridge.. Just condiments for the most part, but taught us a big lesson in leaving stuff at the site.. It was a very nice place too...

Anyway, good luck with whatever you do and hope you have better luck with fellow man than I have had.. 😞

Mitch

[coolmom42]

If you are far enough north in AL that you will get temps in the 20s for several nights in a row, you need to take precautions against your water lines freezing. What you need to do & how often, will depend on where your water lines are (inside vs underneath) and how cold it's going to be.

[azrving]

If leaving food in the frig, freeze a dixie cup of water then place it upside down in the freezer. If it's empty when you return frig has been off too long. As mentioned, turn off the water, in fact we always turn it off when leaving the rig and at night. Too many horror stories of popped fittings etc. It's pretty common.

[Flyboy67]

Great advice.....keep the comments coming......rodents?.....ugh!

[Oasisbob]

Yews turn the water off. be sure sewer valve is closed as it should be. Do you have rodent or bugs? Check for openings. Some screen furnace exhaust openings. I do not here. Congrats on the new rig

[DutchmenSport]

Turn the water off at the water spigot. Turn your water heater off. Secure all you camping gear (out of site, out of mind), remove any food that may spoil, take dirty laundry home when you leave the camper for a several day.Empty your trash containers.

There is still an open debate about retracting slide-outs for seasonal campers when owners are gone. Some leave them out, some pull them in. I would be one to pull them in when leaving for a few days and also retract the awning. There is just less of a vunerability with the slides in, and the awning can easily get blown away in a high wind. So always pull your awning in if you're not there.

You want to clean your camper (inside) after every use, rotate clean sheets, pillows and blankets as needed.

Why all the cleaning when you leave? Because those odors will get trapped in the camper and when you come back the next time .... wahoo!!!! So you want to eliminate everything dirty and smelly when you close up shop.

Same is true for your holding tanks. Dump them and clean them out (if you have full hook-up you'll have no problem adding water to your black tank to keep it flushed out good.) Regardless of those who say their black tanks don't stink... um ... yes they do.

When you push that peddle on the toilet and that valve opens! Wahoo Yippee!! The aroma of a skunk will permeate and you'll be breaking out the Febreeze! So, keep them emptied and cleaned out when not in use. Flush good, always.

Don't keep anything of value in your camper unless you are right there, even on a season site. So if you plan on keeping a computer, shot guns or skeet guns, or cash-money in it ... well .... don't! It takes absolutely NOTHING for someone to bust open the door and take anything that's not nailed down. So, simply do not leave anything in the camper you value, unless you are there with it.

This is about all I can think of. Everything above is true for seasonal campsites as well as for those who travel.

[gbopp]

Turn the water off and disconnect the hose from the spigot. That way it can't get 'accidentally' turned on.

[ScottG]

I would shut off the water going to it.

[donn0128]

Mouse traps