Your RV takes up an immense amount of space, which can make leaving it in your garage or driveway impossible or impractical. In order to save space, you can put your RV into a self storage facility for the periods that you won't use it, but it's important to properly prepare your RV before doing so to ensure that it does not become damaged while in storage.
Ventilation
One of the primary causes of RV damage while in storage is mold and mildew growth, which is caused by humidity and moisture within the interior of your RV. In order to prevent this, you need to ensure that you have proper ventilation throughout the entirety of the cabin. This is done by leaving the vents on the top of your RV open. However, it's important to have vent covers installed, which will prevent water from flowing into your RV while still allowing air to move in and out.
Plumbing
If you are storing your RV in a climate or during a season where the weather won't drop below freezing, all you'll need to do is flush out the waste tanks and add a small amount of clean water to prevent them from drying out. Then, add in a cup of bleach to the fresh water supply to clean out all the plumbing. Remember to flush out the pipes thoroughly once you take your RV out of storage to remove all traces of bleach from your plumbing.
If you are storing in an area or season where it is likely that the temperature will drop below freezing, you should take care to add a mixture of half water and half antifreeze into your waste tanks, pipes, drains and valves to prevent any burst pipes.
Tires
The tires of your RV are placed under a great deal of pressure at all times and, during an extended period of non-use, can begin to degrade. In order to reduce the amount of stress placed on your tires, you should remove as much excess weight from the RV as possible and store the RV out of direct sunlight, as UV rays can dry out the rubber of your tires. Further, you'll want to clean the tires thoroughly using common cleaning detergent and water to remove any oils and debris which can break down the rubber of your tires over time. You should also ensure that your tires are inflated to the proper pressure, as under-inflated tires are likely to crack over time, while over-inflated tires are more prone to bursting.
Share5 January 2017
