Procedures in putting coach on winter storage

[Richard Cooper]

I've found an indoor storage space in west middle Georgia and they have a 15' x 50' bay with a 20' door height.  In the back of the bay is a 110-volt outlet.  How can I use that to keep my chassis battery charged?  I've not done this before.  Any particular wiring I need?  I have a pigtail to convert my 50 amp shore outlet plug to 30 amp.  Do I need another pigtail to connect to the 30 amp side the of the pigtail to get a male 3-prong plug into a 110-v household type outlet?

Or do I hook up something like this to my chassis batteries?  I actually already own this charger.  I have a 50 ft heavy duty electric cord too.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000H94F6E/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i01

By the way, I got this storage space for free the first month and $239 a month thereafter --- no minimum stay requirements.  See pics attached.

Given this type of storage in the middle of the building with other bays left and right of it as well as concrete floor and some kind of roof overhead, would this be adequate to protect my coach from freezing?  We are talking about middle Georgia --- not Ohio, etc.  I don't want to have to drain and winterize my rig if I don't have to.  I'm likely to leave it on storage during this November, December, and January.  I would be checking on it every month.  

There is no climate control system in the building.

Any other suggestions?

[Steve Huber Co-Admin]

Richard,
I think you will be OK. The coach is insulated which also helps and from the pics, it looks like you'll get sun on the door during the day which will help drive the interior temp up. I would drain the tanks and open the low point drain to drain any water there, then close it but I don't think you need to worry about water in the traps as it would need to get below freezing for a relatively long period for the traps to freeze. Lowest avg temp in Waycross in Jan is 39.6 degrees. However, minimum temps Dec - April can be below freezing with Jan & Feb at 19 & 18 degrees respectively so it can get cold but I have no data on the length of time below freezing. If you are concerned about the traps you could empty them also.
Steve

http://www.areavibes.com/waycross-ga/weather/

[Keith Cooper]

I put a  Camco quick turn bypass kit on the water heater and a winterizing kit at the water pump last year. Approximate cost was less than $30. With the two kits in place it takes less than an hour to winterize the coach incuding the ice maker and the washer dryer. The only recurring cost is 2 1/2 to 3 gallons of RV antifreeze and having the water lines protected provides significant peace of mind. Removing the antifreeze in the spring is a no brainer

[Steve Jewell]

Use a dehumidifier inside the coach. This will keep moisture out of coach and the heat from the humidifier will keep it somewhat warm. You can put a short hose on dehumidifier and drain water into shower. That way it will just keep running. Now the batteries if it were me I would disconnect them if I was going to store it for 3 months.

Steve Jewell

[Steve Huber Co-Admin]

Richard,
The Aqua Hot uses antifreeze as the heating fluid for the coach heaters so no worries there. If you are concerned about freezing, the water in the hot water  heater portion of the unit needs to be drained. Instructions should be in your owners manual. Also available here;  www.aquahot.com/.../AHE-120-04XAqua-HotOwnersManual.
Steve

[Edward Buker]

I would doubt that your coach would ever freeze under those storage conditions. If you consider something like this unit and as some of the colder days in December occur you could stop by the coach and check out the data. This temperature recorder you would keep in the bay. If you set it to record 3 times a day at 8hr intervals you would be able to have a months worth of data available. If the cold spells in December look like a non issue then you can make a conscious decison about not winterizing for January and Febuary.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/100-Temperature-Data-Logger-Recorder-Thermometer-110-C-/270983715501?pt=Motors_Automotive_Tools&hash=item3f17e35aad&vxp=mtr

Later Ed

[Keith Cooper]

In our 2000 Beaver the furnace and  water heater are seperate. Hurricane Furnace and Seward water heater. Once the water is drained from the tanks I pressurize the lines and  open each of valves to remove as much water as possible. Once that is done antifreeze is pumped into the water lines and each valve is opened again to insure antifreeze is flowing from each faucet for both the hot and cold lines. This also insures there is antfreeze in the drain traps. With the ice maker, the filter is removed, and a straight line is inserted to pass antifreeze to the  ice maker. I previously negleted to mention the ice maker filter is installed with quick connects to simplify the process. If you are not comfortable with doing the kit installations Apalachee or Camping World are both willing and able to set up your coach. In fact Apalachee makes flyers available every fall on the do it yourself winterization process

[Edward Buker]

In the Mobile area we do get some of the big highs that come down from Canada during January and Febuary timeframe that can give us some nghts in the low 20s. We have even rarely seen the teens briefly. I do not winterize my coach. It is kept outside but I have a 30 amp hookup and will leave the electric element in the Aqua Hot on with the inside temps set to about 50 on cold nights. If it is going below 25 I will also leave the burner back up on. We probably run the heat for a dozen nights over the winter here, but it depends on the winter, it could be more.

Later Ed

[Steve Huber Co-Admin]

Richard,
Couple of other tips you may already be aware of; Fill your tank and add the requisite amount of Stabil for diesel. Preferably add the Stabil when you fill up so it will get to the fuel system components as you drive. Since you will be in a garage, raise all the window blinds. This will keep dust from accumulating on them. I have mini blinds and it really helps.
Steve

[Richard Cooper]

Do I really need stabil since I'm only going to park it for 3 months?  I'll be cranking it up every month too.  Maybe even driving around some.

[Steve Huber Co-Admin]

Richard,
Your call. I use it any time my coach is going to be sitting for about a month. I'd rather be safe than sorry. If I remember correctly, you get a bit of rain in south GA (hi Rh) in the winter. Stabil helps reduce water in fuel.
Steve

[Richard Cooper]

Now it seems I have a new problem.  See the first photo above in the original post.  It looks to me like you could back into the open space at an angle and swing into it with back and forth movement.  The manager told me today that these storage units were not built for the purpose of motorhomes, yet the space inside is 15' x 50' with high ceilings and high door clearance.  He says there is not 40 feet of space between the fronts of these and the smaller ones across from them.

I guess I have to go over there in my car and see for myself.  But maybe I can't wiggle my rig into one of the spaces, but maybe someone else could.  

Gosh, I need indoor storage for the next 3 months and I don't want to have to drive to Florida to get it.  My next trip will be from Alabama on Interstate 10 going west.

[Edward Buker]

I believe that CAT does not really endorse additives to the fuel except in cases of high levels of moisture being available and warmer storage temperatures where algea might grow. That can occur in an RV but it is a much more prevalent problem in a marine environment. For three months of storage, in the winter time I would not be concerned about this issue. Keep the fuel tank full and you will not have a condensation issue which is the best prevention.

I understand Stabil for gasoline ageing issues but diesel can be stored for a year without degradation, so the real issue is moisture and if you need a biocide or not. I do not think that this Stabil for diesel has a biocide in it. It indicates that it helps remove water that supports the growth of algae which means you have to run Stabil through your engine along with any water droplets. Frankly I do not want any water passing through filters and the injection system, I would rather have it seperated out  by the filter system. Stabil may break the water down into such minute droplets that it will pass through the system. I'm not sure how this Stabil system works but I thought that biocide vs non biocide for the storage was a good question and if Stabil was the right product.

I am not knocking Stabil, I use it in my small gasoline engine fuel and my gas powered boat all the time and in that case it is surely needed.

http://www.amazon.com/Sta-Bil-22254-Stabilizer-Performance-Improver/dp/B0030553CC/ref=pd_sxp_grid_pt_1_0

Later Ed

[Keith Oliver]

FWIW

My boat stores up to 600 gal of diesel.  Last year we didn't go out from October 1 to June 1.  At the end of the season I had over 1/2 a tank left.  That fuel sat there undisturbed all winter.  I usually fill up in the fall, but didn't get to it last fall, so it sat there with  lots of opportunity for condensation.  Condensation provides the media for algae growth.  I haven't had any trouble with algae at any time in the past 18 years that I have owned this boat, but I always feel better when my tanks are left full.
I have never added Stabil.  In the early years I added some Biobor, but when I failed to do so, I didn't have any issues, so discontinued the practice.

[Steve Huber Co-Admin]

Just spoke with CAT. Rep would not say anything pro or con re Stabil for long term storage from CAT's perspective. However, they did recommend changing the oil just prior to storage, as older oil will tend to have/draw soot and contaminants that will collect and then get circulated upon start-up. Fresh oil is much less likely to do this. I asked the rep if he would use Stabil in his own coach, and he said no, as CAT had some additives including a biocide that were more effective.
Steve