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Parking Your RV In Storage
Where do your park your RV for the winter or whatever off season you may have?
Parking is becoming one of the biggest obstacles to owning an RV. Either your community won't allow it or you don't have an ideal spot for it at your home.
We have seen a dramatic increase in RV storage theft. This is due to a combination of factors. There are more of them out there now. They have nicer elements inside such as LCD tvs, GPS devices and DVD stereo units. A bad economy doesn't help. RV storage places usually don't have much security day or night. Even if there are measures for locks, someone could easily pay the lowest storage fee and then get access to other rigs as if they belong there.
Having it at your home allows you to keep an eye on it. You can monitor it in storms and deal with critters that may get in and cause damage before it gets even worse. You may also consider people that you know. You may have a friend or relative that would let you park it at their house. Or you could even set up a cheap rent deal with them so everyone gains something out of it.
The RV should be parked as level as possible. If you do have a slope, keep the fuel tank at the lower end so the fuel doesn't shift toward the engine end. It's also better to store it fairly level just in case you should have to use it as a guest house, a quiet nap, run the refrigerator (propane fridges should be level as to not cause damage) before a last minute trip or maybe someone has to stay in it during an emergency situation. You may not want to or be able to move it to a more level spot at the last minute.
Use leveling blocks or landscaping when storing your RV. Do not use hydraulic jacks in storage. They may leak, malfunction or get stuck in the up position. That is not a problem that you want to have if you can avoid it.
Disconnect your battery to prevent those slow voltage drains. Even with everything shut off per manufacturers instructions, there is usually some kind of tiny drain that will kill your battery over time. It'll happen even faster in freezing temperatures. Even with everything “off” my batteries used to die in a month of winter. You can manually disconnect it or install a battery switch to make this easier. You can buy them at most auto parts stores. There are also devices such as “Priority Start” that will monitor your voltage and just disconnect the battery automatically so you always have enough to start the engine.
RV covers may not be worth it. They are expensive. They rip easily and may cause more damage flapping in the wind against an antenna or your paint job. The other issue is that they seem to attract rodents, bees and birds. If they can find a way under it and use it for protection from the weather, they will. And they will provide you with a nice surprise when you go to uncover your RV.
You don't need to go out and start the engine every couple of weeks . This isn't necessary or good for your engine or transmission unless you are actually driving it. If you can drive it to the grocery store or on errands once in a while, great. If not, you are better just to use a automatic battery charger and charge all your batteries individually.
The best solution is to install a solar panel to keep your batteries topped off. We have more on that in other posts but a proper solar set up is the ideal investment for your RV on many levels. Not worrying about batteries is one of them.
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