RV storage
An RV is great to have around in the summer, when the weather is clear and the wide open road is safe for cross-country road trips or weekend excursions to your favorite campground. During the summer season, a curbside-parked RV in front of your home is a welcome sight, a reminder of all that lies ahead once Friday afternoon rolls around. But what do you do with such a huge vehicle in the winter, or in between stints of adventurous road-ruling?
The average size of a motor home is anywhere from 18 feet to 25 feet in length with a weight of approximately 3,000 pounds. When you think of the vehicle in those terms, you might wonder how you’ll ever find a place to store it.
Choosing an RV storage facility
Self-storage units for a vehicle of this size are typically outdoors. Facilities provide fenced-in, well-lit parking areas that are monitored with security cameras. Some facilities offer 24-hour access storage, so you can retrieve your RV any time. Other common amenities include wash stations to rinse off your RV before or after a road trip, and dump stations for dumping and rinsing your holding tank.
RV storage insurance
Before committing to any particular storage facility, check your RV’s insurance policy to see if it covers theft, damage and/or liability for the length of time the vehicle will be in storage.
If not, it might be a good idea to purchase insurance either through your current provider, or through the storage facility. Keep in mind that most (but not all) storage facilities sell additional insurance.
Preparing for RV storage
When it comes to RV storage, the best thing to do to avoid missing any steps is to make a checklist. Start with utilities like turning off heat, electricity and AC circuit breakers. Your RV storage checklist should also include inspecting all devices that could drain the battery if you forget to turn them off, including alarms, shut-off valves, TV antennae boosters and any other plug-in electrical element inside the RV. Clean-out jobs for RV storage should cover sewage tanks and water tanks. Be sure to switch off the propane tanks and clean the RV of any food or crumbs. It’s even a good idea to spray ant killer or leave ant traps inside the RV.
If you’re storing the RV in an uncovered space, a leaky roof could damage the interior and prevent you from getting back on the road when the time comes. Ensure that you’ve closed and sealed the roof vents, and make sure you don’t need roof-resealing maintenance. It’s best to have your roof inspected once per year to keep it in good shape, so get into the routine of doing this before you store for the winter.
Get an RV cover to protect your RV from dust, sun damage, hail, birds and other animals. But you can’t count on a cover to protect you from water damage if the roof needs repair. Either reseal the roof or find a covered storage space to prevent serious damage.