Covering a truck camper AFTER a snow?

[AlaskaDude]

Hello,

We recently (about 2 weeks ago) bought a 2017 Adventurer 86FB truck camper that was uncovered here in Alaska. It had about 4 inches of snow on it, and we've since brushed all the snow off (as much as we can at least), and have purchased a camper cover. My question is this - is it a bad idea to cover it for the rest of the winter? It's consistently between 50 below zero and 20 above zero right now; never above freezing. I only ask because when the thaw does finally occur, I feel having it covered will keep moisture in. Any thoughts on this?

Thank you in advance!

[jaycocreek]

Grit dog wrote:
Next installment in the “It’s not neglect” series is “How parking your vehicle in a garage is not preferable to leaving it outside.” Bonus episode. “Salt? Pffft, doesn’t cause rust.”

I'm sure there are many on here that would love to have a garage for there RV but it isn't in the cards and why this thread..If the op had a garage for his RV he wouldn't be asking,would he..And once again,your chiming in with absolutely no experience in what the op wanted to know..

To the op..As I mentioned earlier,It won't hurt a thing to put the cover on with a little snow on it..

[jaycocreek]

I rarely let the snow get any deeper than this on my TC..



I have seen RV roofs crushed from the snow load and houses/barns and sheds from lack of shoveling not to mention the other damage it does..

[Grit_dog]

Next installment in the “It’s not neglect” series is “How parking your vehicle in a garage is not preferable to leaving it outside.” Bonus episode. “Salt? Pffft, doesn’t cause rust.”

[JimK-NY]

jaycocreek wrote:
That was a quote not me....lol..I just put it in italics..:B

From RV Country

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So their "resident expert" came up with this idea. Nonsense! My camper is 17 years old and has never been covered. I have never even brushed off the snow and I have never seen any issues or had a roof leak. Currently there is a foot of snow on it. So what?

Snow does not weight 20 pounds per square inch. The weight can be highly variable from a couple of pounds per cubic foot to as much as 20 pounds per cubic foot for saturated snow. Snow tends to blow off of my RV so no matter how much it snows the accumulation is typically less than a foot or so. Up to many hundred pounds of snow should not be an issue for any well built RV.

Then there is the nonsense about water melting and refreezing in roof cracks. If there ae cracks in your roof that let water in, you already have a problem that has nothing to do with snow or refreezing weather. I inspect my RV for potential issues at least once or twice a year. The inspection is essential but I rarely see the need for even minor touchups. A good caulk such as Dicor should last for many decades.

Finally I fail to see how a cover is going to help. If there is a foot or two of heavy snow on top of a cover, I doubt the cover is going to make snow removal any easier. The cover would tear before you could ever lift it up and shake off the snow.

If you are really worried about this get a ladder and a broom to push off the bulk of the snow.

[jaycocreek]

G-Dog wrote:
I know. You’re always on point. But anyone who doesn’t understand covering or shoveling snow isn’t actually qualified to attempt to answer the question. Haha

I have up shoveling the snow on RV roofs years ago to be more exact..Shoveling aka using a shovel on the RV roof is probably the most destructive thing that ever happens to an RV roof....I only use a HD push broom..

G-dog..Always good to here from you..??

Edited to note,when I lived in McCall Idaho it was the norm to have to shovel the windows out from the snow.. The snow was so bad we all took our RV's to another town out of the snow belt..More than one RV roof was crushed from the snow load..

[Grit_dog]

jaycocreek wrote:
That was a quote not me....lol..I just put it in italics..:B

From RV Country

Quote

I know. You’re always on point. But anyone who doesn’t understand covering or shoveling snow isn’t actually qualified to attempt to answer the question. Haha

[jaycocreek]

That was a quote not me....lol..I just put it in italics..:B

From RV Country

Quote

[billtex]

zulu52 wrote:

jaycocreek wrote:
Why keep the snow off?

The question we’re going to answer today, is “Is it safe to leave the snow piled up on the roof of my RV?”. When we asked this question last winter, our resident expert said, “Absolutely not”. Leaving snow on the roof of your RV could cause severe roof damage. Any amount of snow beyond a couple of inches is reason for concern. Snow weighs approximately 12 lbs per square inch. With fluctuations in temperature, you may even have ice build up beneath the snow. The melting (which causes water to run into cracks, etc.) and then re-freezing (causing expansion) can wreak havoc on your RV. You could end up with leaks through your vents and seals and if it were to sit all winter, the spring time could bring you a very unpleasant surprise. The safest bet is to keep it covered, but we understand that isn’t always an option for everyone. If your RV must be exposed to the elements, it is advisable to keep the snow off as best you can by using a soft snow rake with an extendable handle

Snow weighs approximately 12 lbs per square inch?

That can't possibly be right.
I guess it might depend on how many cubic inches are stacked up on top of that square inch.
Zulu

That’s idahosnow.
It’s different.

[Grit_dog]

zulu52 wrote:

jaycocreek wrote:
Why keep the snow off?

The question we’re going to answer today, is “Is it safe to leave the snow piled up on the roof of my RV?”. When we asked this question last winter, our resident expert said, “Absolutely not”. Leaving snow on the roof of your RV could cause severe roof damage. Any amount of snow beyond a couple of inches is reason for concern. Snow weighs approximately 12 lbs per square inch. With fluctuations in temperature, you may even have ice build up beneath the snow. The melting (which causes water to run into cracks, etc.) and then re-freezing (causing expansion) can wreak havoc on your RV. You could end up with leaks through your vents and seals and if it were to sit all winter, the spring time could bring you a very unpleasant surprise. The safest bet is to keep it covered, but we understand that isn’t always an option for everyone. If your RV must be exposed to the elements, it is advisable to keep the snow off as best you can by using a soft snow rake with an extendable handle

Snow weighs approximately 12 lbs per square inch?

That can't possibly be right.
I guess it might depend on how many cubic inches are stacked up on top of that square inch.
Zulu

The comedic value of this forum is priceless!!!
If I had to guess, I’d say 12pcf not psi. Besides you can’t correlate weight to a 2 dimensional measurement.
Either way, the 5 year old kindergarten mentality is live and well here at least!

[Grit_dog]

JimK-NY wrote:
Now I am even more confused. First I do not understand putting a tarp over a snow covered camper. Next, I don't understand the need to shovel off the top of the camper.

It’s ok, if you think long enough, you might understand...

[zulu52]

jaycocreek wrote:
Why keep the snow off?

The question we’re going to answer today, is “Is it safe to leave the snow piled up on the roof of my RV?”. When we asked this question last winter, our resident expert said, “Absolutely not”. Leaving snow on the roof of your RV could cause severe roof damage. Any amount of snow beyond a couple of inches is reason for concern. Snow weighs approximately 12 lbs per square inch. With fluctuations in temperature, you may even have ice build up beneath the snow. The melting (which causes water to run into cracks, etc.) and then re-freezing (causing expansion) can wreak havoc on your RV. You could end up with leaks through your vents and seals and if it were to sit all winter, the spring time could bring you a very unpleasant surprise. The safest bet is to keep it covered, but we understand that isn’t always an option for everyone. If your RV must be exposed to the elements, it is advisable to keep the snow off as best you can by using a soft snow rake with an extendable handle

Snow weighs approximately 12 lbs per square inch?

That can't possibly be right.
I guess it might depend on how many cubic inches are stacked up on top of that square inch.
Zulu

[Bedlam]

Maybe put the cover on the upper half of the camper and run the heater with the roof vents open to thaw out the roof?

[srschang]

JimK-NY wrote:
Now I am even more confused. First I do not understand putting a tarp over a snow covered camper. Next, I don't understand the need to shovel off the top of the camper.

I decided to put a cover over a snow covered camper because I screwed up and didn't get it on before the first snow of the season. So...Do you not cover it, hoping that the snow on the camper will melt & dry and you can real fast get the cover on before it snows more and you can't cover it for the whole winter? Or, do you put the cover on with the limited amount of snow on the camper, thinking that there won't be a thaw before the next snow and the entire winter season? I decided to cover the 4 inches of snow and ice hoping that there would be a thaw before winter set in. If I didn't cover it with the snow and ice on it, it may very well have spent the entire winter with feet of snow on top, melting slowly as spring set in. In the end, it was moot point as it did warm up and lo and behold the ice and snow had melted and dried up from under the tarp.

Root cause was not getting the tarp on the camper before the first snow of the season. The learning was snow and ice will melt and dry up, even if there is a tarp over it.

[jaycocreek]

Why keep the snow off?

The question we’re going to answer today, is “Is it safe to leave the snow piled up on the roof of my RV?”. When we asked this question last winter, our resident expert said, “Absolutely not”. Leaving snow on the roof of your RV could cause severe roof damage. Any amount of snow beyond a couple of inches is reason for concern. Snow weighs approximately 12 lbs per square inch. With fluctuations in temperature, you may even have ice build up beneath the snow. The melting (which causes water to run into cracks, etc.) and then re-freezing (causing expansion) can wreak havoc on your RV. You could end up with leaks through your vents and seals and if it were to sit all winter, the spring time could bring you a very unpleasant surprise. The safest bet is to keep it covered, but we understand that isn’t always an option for everyone. If your RV must be exposed to the elements, it is advisable to keep the snow off as best you can by using a soft snow rake with an extendable handle