Outside storage in snow

[lots2seeinmyrv]

First time living in snow country...for those of you who store your RV outside:

1) Do you keep your trailer plugged into the house and put a small space heater inside and set it at 40 degrees?

2) Keeping the battery charged...if I keep the trailer plugged into the house it will stay charged. OR is it best to pull out the battery and put it in the basement so it does not freeze.

Would like to know your procedure.

Thank you.

[westend]

The OP is in Cumberland MD. Everything melts during the day. Keep your battery charged and all should be well.

[myredracer]

TTs aren't particularly well insulated and have air leakage. That heater could end up running non-stop, even on the lowest setting. I don't think it's safe to have that type of heater running 24/7 all winter. You can also expect a higher power bill too.

I installed a permanently mounted recessed 1000 watt heater in a previous 20' TT and even with the t'stat set as low as it could possibly go, it ran continuously because of the high heat loss. I wanted to keep it warm because I was doing a lot of interior mods, but after our power bill went waaay up, I shut it off.

It's standard practice to winterize and leave unheated. Many also leave it plugged in to keep the battery charged.

Having said that, I read a lot of reports of sheet flooring cracking due to the extreme low and extended temps. of the past winter. Don't know what precautions that can be taken that's safe, other than maybe rigging up a few 120V incandescent bulbs sitting on raised bases to raise the interior a few degrees when it gets really cold out?

[john_bet]

I winterize mine. Plugged in 24/7. Battery stays in all the time. OEM convertor. Not fried or boiled a battery since we got it new in Feb. '05. No heat added.

[GordonThree]

No heat in my trailer, but I leave it plugged in.

As mentioned previously, a modern converter (or charger) is key to keeping the battery happy - leaving it in the cold or bringing in it is equal risk.

If you don't know what kind of converter or charging system your trailer has, you could pick up a "battery tender" or "battery buddy" from your favorite automotive / marine supply store and connect it to your battery directly. disconnect any other wires going to the battery first.

[lots2seeinmyrv]

I found the booklet.

WFCO ULTRA III Distribution Center
Model WF-8955PEC

Don't know anything about convertors so if it is ok to keep the battery hooked up 24/7 and the trailer plugged in...we will leave the battery in the trailer.

We have the anti-freeze and know how to winterize.

Thanks, Beth

[Gdetrailer]

Outside 24/7/365

Plugged in convertor ON, batteries connected (this is provided you have at least a 2 stage or 3stage modern converter which will not boil the batteries to death).

NO HEAT what so ever. Unless you are planning to camp in the winter, winterizing the water system IS your best bet.

I personally would not recommend depending on a small heater or even using the RV heater when not in use. Just wastes your money on electric and propane and if depending on it to keep your water lines from freezing you might find that you will need to keep the temps up much higher than 40 and if you have a power outage risk of freezing..

Keeping battery charged..

Provided you have a modern 2 or 3 stage converter you can typically leave the converter on with battery attached. Just be aware than if you have a power outage (or somehow the RV loses power) there will be a constant drain on the battery (from the 12V devices in the trailer like fridge control board and propane detector) which can flatten a battery in a week or two.

Alternately you can simply disconnect the battery and once every month connect the battery and power the converter a few days to top off the battery..

Or you could pull the battery and store in your garage, but you still will need to put a charger on the battery at least once every three months to top off the battery..

Fully charged batteries will not freeze however, partially charged or completely flat batteries can freeze. It is always best to ensure the battery is fully charged at all times for best life of the battery..

Leaving a battery in a partially charged state will reduce the over all life of the battery..

[beemerphile1]

Ours stays outside, winterized with no heat.

In order to answer the second question, what converter do you have?