Did you recently decide to embrace the open road and purchase an RV? If so, you’re not alone. Sales of RVs soared across America over the past two years, as more and more of us sought to spread our wings and hit the great American open road.
While an RV is a great investment in your happiness, ownership does come with responsibilities. Chief among these is proper RV winter storage. By preparing your RV for storage through the winter, you can ensure that it is ready to hit the road again come spring. Here’s how to store your RV during the colder months.
Choose an RV Winter Storage Facility
While you can winterize your RV at home, this is not usually the best option. Taking care of an RV all winter is challenging and resource-intensive, requiring a huge amount of indoor storage space.
Instead, you can opt for a dedicated RV winter storage facility such as Ideal Storage, which will wrap up your RV and look after it on your behalf all through the winter.
Cover It Up
The worst mistake you can make when storing an RV in the winter is to leave it uncovered. Even if it is going into a garage, you should attach dedicated RV covers to the front, rear, sides, and top of the vehicle.
This will help to prevent the buildup of harmful ice, moisture, or debris over the winter months. In addition, make sure to cover the tires, as frost and household pests can destroy them if left unchecked.
Give Her a Scrub
Before you put your RV into winter storage, give it the deepest clean you have ever given it. If you leave your RV for the winter without washing it, the dust and debris will magnify any damage caused by the cold temperatures, making cracks and rust more likely.
Use a pressure washer if you have one to hand and make sure to scrub every inch of the vehicle before putting it away for the winter.
Fill the Tank
It can be tempted to skimp on fuel by using up the tank well before winter starts. However, this is a bad idea. An empty fuel tank during winter makes corrosion and rust a near-certainty.
By filling up the tank, you can rest easy knowing that it will be preserved in good condition once spring comes around.
Park Carefully
Knowing exactly where to store an RV in the winter requires you to think about multiple factors. You should always park the RV away from trees or tree branches, as these can collapse in the winter and total your vehicle.
Avoid parking on grass, dirt, or sand, as your RV might sink during the winter and be impossible to retrieve in the spring.
Prepare for a Summer to Remember
Now that you know the ins and outs of RV winter storage, you can start planning for a truly unforgettable summer. For this, we have got you covered. Make sure to consult our dedicated Lifestyle pages for travel tips and hacks that will allow you to live your best life in 2022.