Storing an RV

[GraciesMom]

I have put my RV in storage until October 1st and I am literally losing sleep worrying about it. It's under a carport with a lot of other RV's. The front is covered all the time but the rear gets hit with the sunset every day. I put a reflective protector across the back window. The owner of the storage facility said that I could plug it in to keep the battery charged. I think I will do that. I took all of my CD's, DVD's, photographs out - anything that could be damaged by heat. We're having a record heat wave here in Denver. WOULDN'T YOU KNOW IT? LOL!! Anyway - I left water in the black tank - I'm concerned about that evaporating so I'm thinking about taking some bags of ice and dumping in there and some jugs of water. I know about "winterizing" an RV, but not about "summerizing"!!! I am so concerned that being in this heat for a month with no AC running is going to hurt something. I opened the vents, cracked the little windows in the kitchen and the bedroom. I don't know what else I can do to keep it aired out and the temperature down. Suggestions? Thanks!!

[GraciesMom]

I have put my RV in storage until October 1st and I am literally losing sleep worrying about it. It's under a carport with a lot of other RV's. The front is covered all the time but the rear gets hit with the sunset every day. I put a reflective protector across the back window. The owner of the storage facility said that I could plug it in to keep the battery charged. I think I will do that. I took all of my CD's, DVD's, photographs out - anything that could be damaged by heat. We're having a record heat wave here in Denver. WOULDN'T YOU KNOW IT? LOL!! Anyway - I left water in the black tank - I'm concerned about that evaporating so I'm thinking about taking some bags of ice and dumping in there and some jugs of water. I know about "winterizing" an RV, but not about "summerizing"!!! I am so concerned that being in this heat for a month with no AC running is going to hurt something. I opened the vents, cracked the little windows in the kitchen and the bedroom. I don't know what else I can do to keep it aired out and the temperature down. Suggestions? Thanks!!

[AFChap]

We used to store our MH in Virginia in an open air lot, and normally used it for a few days each month. It gets quite warm and humid in VA during the summer months. We made an effort not to leave heat sensitive stuff in the rig -- like cancles, etc. We left the refrigerator empty with doors propped slightly open. I installed vent covers, and left two vents open a little to help let hot air out the top and maybe circulate a little between the two. I didn't worry about the tanks -- during the summer months they were normally dumped before going back to the storage lot, though not always. The tanks are sealed except for the roof vent so should not have much if any evaporation -- the potty might evaporate empty over a long period of time, but we never had that problem.

Unless you have a "smart charger" you should NOT leave the rig plugged it as it will overcharge the batteries and ruin them. The recommended method is to put a good quality timer on the power cord to turn power to the battery charger on an hour or so a day.

[Ding-a-ling]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by GraciesMom:
I left water in the black tank - I'm concerned about that evaporating ... </div></BLOCKQUOTE>I agree with AFChap and don't think that is a concern. What I would do, though, is pour some water in the sink and shower drains. It'll get smelly inside if the water in the trap dries up. Otherwise, I think it will be fine.

[Ray,IN]

You might consider pouring an ounce of cooking oil in your "P" traps, and stool, to greatly reduce evaporation. Why spend money buying ice for your tanks? It will melt in a few hours anyway. I would just add 5-10G clear water to each tank to keep the valves wetted, and any remaining solids. It's suprising (to me) how quickly water evaporates from holding tanks in low humidity areas (&lt;40%) during hot weather.

I have seen the damage to a closed-up RV from S. Florida sun in summer. Warped/cracked wood dining table, Sun-rotted sofa and carpet,etc.
You are prudent to cover sun-exposed windows with aluminum foil, and leave a roof vent slightly open.