If you are one of the millions who use RV storage facilities, a question often asked by them is do you need to winterize your RV while the RV is in storage? It is a valid question, quite often asked by first-time RV owners, so let’s tackle that question in today’s article by Mouser Self Storage, serving South Fort Worth, Alvarado, and Johnson County. Call us at 682-800-3949 for more information about current self storage pricing.
How to winterize an RV.
Here are the basic steps for winterizing an RV, emphasis on the word “basic:”
- Drain water from your RV’s tanks and pipes.
- Apply RV antifreeze.
- Prepare for humidity.
- Store the battery.
- Use RV blocks.
- Clean and empty the interior.
- Cover the exterior.
- Add skirting.
We emphasize, again, that these are the basic steps, the bare minimum, to keep your RV safe and functional during the cold, damp winter months. This list is not meant to be comprehensive but rather to drive home a central point about winterization of any motor vehicle.
Do RV storage facilities make winterizing a moot point?
It can be argued that all but three of the steps mentioned above could easily be completed in your driveway or garage at home, which raises this question: Is it necessary to utilize RV storage facilities? What will they provide that you can’t provide at home?
The problem arises with the first three items on the list, all having to do with cold and/or humid weather, and the damage which cold weather, or humid weather, can do to your RV.
Extremely cold weather, as in deep freezes, or extremely humid weather, can both damage your RV. Prolonged cold will freeze the water in your tanks and quite possibly freeze the hoses/pipes, leaving you with quite a mess when the temperatures moderate. Extremely humid weather can cause condensation inside of your RV, causing water damage and ruining surfaces over time, literally over the months of winter.
So, in RV storage facilities, is your RV protected from extreme cold or high humidity?
The quick answer to that question is NO! It is quite common for the temperature in storage units to drop below freezing or show moisture during humid months. Just because the RV is inside does not eliminate those problems. The only way, then, to properly winterize and properly protect your RV is to pay for climate control RV self storage, storage units which have a constant temperature, maintained year round. This solution does, in fact, properly winterize your RV and keep it safe during harsh weather conditions.
A word: climate control self storage costs extra than regular self-storage, a fact you need to consider, so you are not only paying a monthly bill for self-storage but also paying extra for the constant temperature maintained in the unit.
Bottom line on this question:
Is it worth it to you? That is the only question to ask and you, the RV owner, are the only one who can answer it. Let’s say six months of harsh weather and let’s say, just for the sake of demonstration, the climate control self storage will cost you $150 per month. Final bill: $900 for proper winterization. Is it worth it, to you, to pay $900 for safety and protection against Mother Nature? Please consider this: You are facing at least that amount should you need to replace all water hoses and pipes, or should you need to replace, say, the floor which has water damage.
A final word about Mouser Self Storage.
Mouser Self Storage and our sister company, Blue Mound 287 Self Storage in Haslet, are locally owned and operated. Call us for all of your storage needs i.e. car storage, boat storage units, small hobby shops and, of course, storage for your household possessions.