Winter storage! How do you do it?

[Falconwing2016]

I'll be storing my camper in my backyard. I'm in Ontario so that means cold temperatures and snow.

If you store your camper outside in cold weather; Do you use wheel covers? Do you put a tarp/cover over your trailer? If you don't use a tarp, do you apply anything to the roof or undercarriage ?

 

[Rene T]

I just winterize mine yesterday, blow down method, towed it to the backyard, disconnected from the truck and that’s it. I also put a mouse bucket trap inside. Last year I caught 18 mice in the trailer and I had a trap in my garage and caught 19 in that trap.
I just need to call my insurance company to have most of my insurance put on hold.

 

[donn]

Drain, blow out the water lines add antifeeze to the traps and toilet bowl. Add mouse traps close the door. Of course anything that can freeze must come out. I assume you get wind all winter? Do not cover. The cover can flap around and could damage the RV.

 

[DonTom]

People talking about winterizing already? It's 86F/30C here today in Auburn, cool for this time of year. Tomorrow will hit 92F/ 33C.

Rarely gets below freezing here, so what I do to winterize is move my RVs from Reno to here, just 99 miles west and 4K feet less elevation. Reno gets well below freezing every winter.

If I were forced to live in Reno full time, I would store the RV at a warmer place, even if 150 miles away. I would then use an RV storage lot in this area or even more more west of here.

I want my RVs ready to go any time of year. Most of my longer RV trips have been in or around December.

But when we went to Toronto, it was in September of 2012.

-Don- Auburn, CA

 

[SpencerPJ]

I always cover my wheels/tires, and put a full cover over it like this Link
My trailer is a 2012 and looks practically new. The cover keeps the sun and elements off during the winter. I blow my lines and run pink antifreeze through them. I take my battery and any freezables into the heated garage. Everyone has their own opinion on covering. Do not put a tarp over it, it will mold inside, it has got to breathe. make sure the refrigerator is propped open as well.

 

[crawford 111]

being in your cold I would put some light white grease inside the seal of the toilet flap. Most tarps are not good covers for RVs if you are going to cover use a rv cover or something like a car port with heavy slope roof maybe metal so snow could slide off. maybe could build a unit for it just a thought.

 

[Utclmjmpr]

Love my heated garage!!>>>Dan

 

[Henry J Fate]

Get all the water out and antifreeze. Flush your holding tanks and deodorize. Cover the exterior especially all roof extrusions. Cover wheel and tires. Cover and protect the hitch. Use a good heavy oil or grease on the hitch. Put the wheels up on 2x12's and take some of the weight off the axels with Jacks. Proper tire pressure is important and remember the colder it gets, the lower the tire pressure will be.
.

 

[John From Detroit]

I'll be storing my camper in my backyard. I'm in Ontario so that means cold temperatures and snow.

If you store your camper outside in cold weather; Do you use wheel covers? Do you put a tarp/cover over your trailer? If you don't use a tarp, do you apply anything to the roof or undercarriage ?

When I wintered in Detroit... Just North of Ontario..

1st year I did the pink RV antifreeze thing... Cleaning that @Q#$@ out in the spring was.. not easy 2nd year I used the dry method NOTE I had sewer dump at the house. Drain Fresh tank, Drain and bypass water heater, disconnecting ECO lead (Atwood) blow out all lines like 10 times.. waiting a few minutes between blows. Pink in drains and toilets. Dump and add more pink. I removed the ice maker solenoid (Draining those lines) before starting and closed the cut off valve. Stored the solenoid in house.

I had power at the winter site so I used the RV as my "Ham shack" just a dry shack.

 

[DonTom]

Love my heated garage!!>>>Dan

Large enough for an RV? Heated with what? If electricity, you must hate your electric bill about equally as much.

-Don- Auburn, CA

 

[Utclmjmpr]

1800 SF ( 40X45 ) 4 inches of insulation in the walls and ceiling ,, sitting on 6 inches of concrete all steel building )) and heated with Natural gas,, in this area they practically pay you to burn it.. Electricity is only 0.09 per K.. I woke up 30 years ago and got the hell out of California.. That's when I realized I could actually KEEP my money!!, and use it the way I see fit.>>>Dan

 

[DonTom]

That's when I realized I could actually KEEP my money!!, and use it the way I see fit.>>>Dan

Yeah, CA is not a good place to hold on to your money. OTOH, it's a great place to earn money.

Here in Auburn, CA it's no place for poor people. 37 cents per KWH (peak times). Water bill is also more than a hundred bucks per month, even if I use none at all. That's just the fee for the service.

But I also live in Reno, where electricty is 11.7 cents per KWH and water bill is very cheap, too cheap to even notice, even if I use a lot.

Last month, I only spent around a week here:
Ran the A/C for most of a hot week (when not here, I leave it set for 88F).

Dear Valued Customer,

Your Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) energy statement(s) is now available on pge.com.

The amount of $244.49 for account number *********-0 is due on 09/29/2021.

Please log in to pge.com to view and pay your bill.

Click below to view the most recent bill inserts including any legal and mandated notices.
www.pge.com/billinserts

We thank you for being a valued PG&E customer."

-Don- Auburn, CA

 

[Utclmjmpr]

All residents in our sub-division co-own our own water company and we all pay $25.00 per month regardless of amount used.. All lots are a full acre and taxes at about $650.00 per year on property
My financial adviser lives in Auburn,, and when receiving my financials exclaimed ,"how do you get away with this low property tax?? Answer,,,,,"I don't live in California any longer">>>Dan

 

[DonTom]

All residents in our sub-division co-own our own water company and we all pay $25.00 per month regardless of amount used.. All lots are a full acre and taxes at about $650.00 per year on property
My financial adviser lives in Auburn,, and when receiving my financials exclaimed ,"how do you get away with this low property tax?? Answer,,,,,"I don't live in California any longer">>>Dan

My water bill here in Auburn, CA:

08/01/2021 BY DUE DATE $345.77

AFTER DUE DATE $380.35

But it is billed every three months. So it's $115.26 per month when using very little water.

-Don- Auburn, CA

 

[steveblonde]

Here in Alberta we winterize after Thanksgiving in October, take out all food sources even salt and pepper. Drain the lines and antifreeze them . Pull the batteries and take them home. And put in 3 or 4 bags of open charcoal briquettes. They absorb odors in 35 yrs of owning zn rv never had mice, even parked next to a trailer in the storage lot that got totalled because mice.( i didnt know about it and happened to look in the window one day and you could see them so i told management)
Mice will seek food sources if there are none and no scent they will move on.
March we open it up again for Easter long weekend weather permitting, we also wash the floors cabinets etcetc so its good to go in the spring.

 

[JayArr]

I'm in BC by the coast so the winters are pretty mild. We get 4-6 weeks around freezing and maybe 2-3 below and the rest is above.

I empty the plumbing tanks and water heater and open the low point drains as well as all the faucets and flush the toilet.

I'm parked in my own driveway so I put an electric heater set to 40 degrees F inside and I pay the hydro to keep it from freezing, it doesn't cost too much, I save enough by not paying for any off site storage to cover the electric bill.

 

[meierjn]

Here in Alberta we winterize after Thanksgiving in October, take out all food sources even salt and pepper. Drain the lines and antifreeze them . Pull the batteries and take them home. And put in 3 or 4 bags of open charcoal briquettes. They absorb odors in 35 yrs of owning zn rv never had mice, even parked next to a trailer in the storage lot that got totalled because mice.( i didnt know about it and happened to look in the window one day and you could see them so i told management)
Mice will seek food sources if there are none and no scent they will move on.
March we open it up again for Easter long weekend weather permitting, we also wash the floors cabinets etcetc so its good to go in the spring.

We are in central Ab as well. The plan this year is to spend thanksgiving long weekend out at the lake and winterize after that. I did the "blowout" method last year and it worked well. Mice are a PITA with a great sense of smell! We also remove everything edible that may attract them. I also add some mouse repellent packets in the external storage compartments or places that the mice may be able to get in. So far so good! I didn't get it tarped in time last fall before the snow hit but I hope to this fall!

 

[Rene T]

So far so good! I didn't get it tarped in time last fall before the snow hit but I hope to this fall!

I hope you’re aware of what can happen if you use a tarp. It needs to breath so it doesn’t cause mold. The blue tarps you can buy will not breath . If you are adimant about covering your rig, use one of the RV covers. Those can breath.

 

[HappyWanderer]

Fresh oil change, antifreeze in the plumbing, plug in the shore line, put it in park and walk away. Exercise the generator monthly, inspect for leaks and critters.

 

[A Traveler]

The OP asked, “Winter storage! How do you do it?”​

I back into the heated garage, plug in the 110-volt shore power, push the button to close the garage door, and go home.

Sorry…I couldn’t resist.