With another winter season rolling around, your thoughts might be turning to putting your RV away until spring. It’s certainly getting too cold to go on enjoyable RV trips, but there’s more to winter storage than simply locking it away in a garage! After all, you want your RV ready to go come spring don’t you?
Here are some RV winter storage tips to help you avoid a trip to the mechanic in spring:
- Properly clean your interiors. This may sound like a pain, but you’ll thank yourself when you have a sparkling clean RV to enjoy next year. Make sure you give all your appliances a thorough clean, and vacuum/mop your floors.
- Drain your pipes! Arguably the most important thing about storing your RV for the winter, you need to empty your pipes, drain your holding tanks and give them a clean. After this, you should add antifreeze to the pipes. This way, your pipes won’t freeze or burst during the cold winter.
- Create a space that rodents won’t enjoy. To avoid your RV becoming an attractive winter home for rodents and other pests, be sure to thoroughly tidy up and remove any traces of food that might be around your RV. Your fridge, pantry and countertops are the most important places of focus. You might also want to add some traps throughout the RV to prevent critters from moving in.
- Clean and seal the exterior. Keep your RV free of pests by sealing any cracks or open seams around the doors and windows. Minimizing the areas that pests have to enter your RV will increase the chance you’ll have a clean (and empty!) RV in the spring.
- Consider a breathable RV cover. Adding a non-plastic cover over your RV is also going to help keep pests out. There are also other major benefits such as preventing your water system from freezing and stopping any dirt from freezing on the exterior and causing damage. A breathable cover will also aid in the prevention of mold and mildew.
- Inflate and cover your tires. To help keep your tires in top condition over the winter, you should inflate them to their recommended tire pressure and cover them to prevent frost damage.
- Fill your fuel tank. Don’t store your RV with an empty fuel tank! Filling your tank with fuel will help prevent rust from building up over the winter. Consider adding a fuel stabilizer to prevent the fuel from creating sticky resin deposits over time.
- Disconnect your electricity. Remove your batteries and disconnect any electrical outlets in your RV. Store the batteries in a cool, dark place to keep them in good condition ahead of spring. Be sure to keep them away from harsh winter temperatures, because freezing can destroy batteries!
–Jack Vale is a writer in partnership with Werever outdoor kitchen cabinets.
