Re: Winter Storage Questions

On Sat, 27 Aug 2005 12:59:49 -0500, LLahr@xxxxxxxxx (Lucy Lahr) wrote:

>I am a Newbie;;; I live in Wisconsin and I am wondering what I have to
>do to store my 1988 Mallard Motor home for winter? Besides winterizing
>all water outlets by emptying and adding anti-freeze. What about
>batteries in the cab and aux battery? What about the built in generator?
>Do I have to do anything with the lp tank? Is it better to store outside
>with or without a cover? Any tips that anyone can give me would be
>great. Thanks in advance. Grammy
Hi,
Try this site for a pretty good explanation of how to winterize your
RV.
http://www.rverscorner.com/articles/painless.html
Click the RV Winterizing E-book link for complete step by step
instructions. If you have an ice maker then you need to follow the
manufacturers instructions on how to winterize it. Same goes if you
have any other water items like filters etc.

There are other RV maintenance books available too, at that site and in
book stores or RV parts stores like Camping World, that would be a good
investment for you.

The generator needs to be exercised at least once a month to keep
moisture out of the windings. If it's a gasoline generator it also helps
to keep the gas from gumming up the carburetor. You might also be able
to add Stabil to the gas. Your best bet is to check the generator
manual or check with the generator manufacturer to see what they
recommend regarding storage.

It's a good idea to at least run the engine for a half hour or so every
month to. Ideally driving it for at least a short distance would be
better. Nothing worse for a vehicle then to just sit for months at a
time.

If you are not going to run the vehicle at all then the best idea for
the batteries would be to make sure they are fully charged and take them
out of the MH and store them. Ideally hooked up to a trickle charger if
possible. If you are going to run the RV then make sure the batteries
are fully charged and then disconnect them. Reconnect them when you are
going to start the RV or generator. Some MH have built in batteries
disconnects. If you don't want to disconnect them then at least make
sure there are no 12V items drawing the batteries down. Things like CO
detectors etc. Pulling all the 12V fuses is another option.

You don't have to do anything to the LP tanks except turn them off.

Some folks like covers some don't. They will scratch the RV if they are
not tightly held down and the wind starts blowing them. You should
cover all the vents if you are going to store it outside to keep snow
from getting in and bees and wasps out while in storage. A cover over
the AC is a good idea too if you don't use a tarp or some kind of cover.

You need to keep an eye out for mice they can make a mess if they get
inside the coach or engine compartment. If you think you could have a
problem with them putting some moth balls, bounce sheets and traps in
and around the RV might help.

Hope this helps. Take care and Happy Campin...
--
RichA
"We Get Too Soon Olde and Too Late Smart"
.