Our 10-Step Guide to Safely Storing Your RV for the Winter
Whether you are a new RV owner or an experienced camper, you know that opening up your RV in the spring and finding rodent dirt, water damage or nasty odours is a bad way to start the camping season. We have compiled a list of 10 steps you can take to ensure your RV is properly prepared for safe storage this winter.
Ensure your unit’s water lines are properly winterized
Run antifreeze through your RV’s hot and cold water lines, pour down the drains and throughout the water system. Failure to do so can cause cracks in water lines or tanks and result in hefty service charges. Your local RV dealer like Camp-Out also offers winterizing services if you’d prefer to leave it to the pros!
Find a safe place to store your RV & protect it from the elements
Whenever possible, opt to store your RV indoors for the winter months. If your RV goes unused for the winter, safely storing it indoors and away from the elements greatly reduces the rate of weathering to the unit.
If you are unable to store your unit indoors, be sure to adequately cover it from the harsh elements like UV rays with a breathable RV cover, as the breathable fabric will allow enough airflow to keep mildew from growing underneath. We recommend ADCO RV covers which are available for order through our parts store.
Thoroughly clean the exterior or your RV
Prior to saying goodnight for the winter, give your RV a good wash. Before storing your unit away for any prolonged period of time, it’s always best to give it a thorough wash with soap and water. Remember if you are waxing your unit, keep wax off of decals as it can cause them to peel.
Give the tires a scrub before storing away. Make sure that the tires are all filled to the manufacturer’s recommendation and use a UV proof tire cover to protect your tires against harsh weather conditions and UV rays. In a pinch, you can instead use plywood or another material to cover the tires in order to repel UV rays, road salt or other chemicals.
Similarly, clean off the awnings with soap and water. Be sure to remove all sap or other debris, and make certain the awnings are dry before putting them away to avoid having mold and mildew problems.
Ensure proper generator storage and maintenance
If you have a generator, run it up to 30 amps. Run the generator with enough electricity to create at least ~30 amps to keep the generator in good working condition.If possible, run the generator monthly while the RV is being stored.
Pull down all blinds/UV shades
Prolonged exposure to the sun can leech the colours out of interior fabrics, such as carpets and upholstery. Use the daylight shades to shield your RV from the sun’s rays, while still allowing light inside. Having at least some light filter in will have the effect of discouraging mold growth.
Be proactive in keeping out pests
Remove all food, blankets, towels and any other soft fabrics from your RV that rodents might want to nest in or chew.
Additionally, do an inspection underneath of your RV and plug any holes or openings you see with spray foam or silicone. Put screens or cover any vents or pipes that lead to the outside of your RV. Place fly screens over appliance vents to block insects from entering.
For extra rodent protection, we highly recommend a mouse-deterring undercoating treatment which is available at Camp-Out RV’s service department.
Keep out moisture to prevent mildew and ‘’old trailer smell’’
Drying packs are a great way to prevent moisture build up inside your RV over the winter. A few Dri-Z-Air packs are enough to last a month or two, just replace them once or twice a season to keep things fresh.
If you have vent covers installed on your RV, keeping your vents cracked just a few centimetres is enough to release moisture and keep air circulating over the winter. However, we only recommend this for those with vent covers and ideally an RV cover as well. We also recommend opening no more than 1-2 cm.
Remove battery and shut off LP supply
Remove your RV battery and store in a cool (not cold) spot for the winter. Make sure your battery is fully charged before storing away. Your battery will slowly lose charge over time, storing in a cooler environment will prolong this process, however, you must ensure that the battery is safe from freezing wherever it is stored.
Ensure your LP tanks are shut off prior to storing for the winter. They are safe to leave in the RV once they’ve been shut off.
Do a final maintenance check prior to storing away
A thorough seams and seals check can save thousands in water damage, especially before storing your unit away for a prolonged period of time in the winter months. Touch up any cracked or weak looking silicone, including the roof, sidewalls and windows.
A water leak in the melting spring can be devastating to your RV, lack of seams and seals maintenance is one of the leading causes of water damage and is not covered under manufacturer or extended warranty.
Check on your RV periodically over the winter
Especially if you're storing your RV somewhere else, and if possible, do a quick inspection of your stored RV every few weeks while it's in storage. Check in on your RV and look for any exterior damage, water penetration or odours inside. If you find any problems, get your RV to a service centre like Camp-Out for repairs right away — the damage may only get worse by spring.
Taking these simple steps will ensure your RV is safe over the winter and will allow for an easier spring opening by helping prevent rodent intrusions, damage, odour build up and more.
For winterizing, maintenance service or storage inquiries, text or call us at (519) 393-5938.