Joel J Posted October 22 Share Posted October 22 We are moving out of the coach for winter, do we need to find covered storage, or will it be OK outdoors? Do we need electricity? We are in the Spokane area, It snows and gets cold. Thanks for hyour advice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tmw188 Posted October 22 Share Posted October 22 Simple answer is indoors is always better but can be costly. Maintaining batteries could be your challenge if outdoors. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joel J Posted October 22 Author Share Posted October 22 We do have shore power if left outdoors. A local indoor storage facility is available. But no electricity Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Cherry Posted October 22 Share Posted October 22 Uncovered storage will impact the paint and the UV damage to rubber and tires and plastics. Partially covered, as in a carport cover with overhanging sides is a possibility. As is a complete cover. Winterizing will be a necessity if the indoor facility is not heated. Indoors would be my preference. Pull your batteries and set them up in a garage and purchase a 3 stage charger. You will need about 2 amps to keep them charged. Obviously maintaining the electrolyte level. Pulse technology makes a desulfonating system for deep storage batteries that many bass fishermen use for winter storage. I have a neighbor that uses it for his two trolling motors, the boat outboard starting engine battery and his vintage pickup truck. No issues. I’d opt for indoor…winterize and pull the batteries. Maybe mid storage, put back in the batteries and drive 50 miles. Run the genny and the HVAC…HP mode if equipped. Run the furnace or Aquahot. Drive until the tranny gets to the same temp as the engine….turn around and head back then. Tires will deteriorate less. Be sure to check the tires before you drive…. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tmw188 Posted October 22 Share Posted October 22 28 minutes ago, Joel J said: We do have shore power if left outdoors. A local indoor storage facility is available. But no electricity Well I would always opt for indoors if you are willing to spend the money. You may have get creative maybe get a small generator and charge it every 3-4 weeks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waterskier_1 Posted October 22 Share Posted October 22 If you have the money, and the indoor facility is convenient and has power, that would be the best. For me, having power is much more important than having indoor storage - after all, if you weren't storing it, and were instead using it, it would be outdoors (presumably). Even if the indoor facility has heat, unless I could get there within an hour of so of it losing electricity (including time to notify me), I would winterize it - especially if you have an Aquahot. That is $10K or more to replace if it freezes (including labor). I store mine outside, with electricity. I also have solar, which it uses most of the time - it hasn't been plugged in since I returned from the FMCA Rallies last August. I will plug it in though. Last year I didn't, and was out of town and we had 24" of snow and cold for over 5 days - that about as long as I can last on batteries (also heating my LiFePO4 batteries). I had to make a special trip home overnight to plug it in. Which brings up another point - solar. If you have solar, and are paying for electricity, that is more justification for storing it outside vs inside. If you have electricity, you have an excellent smart charger built into your inverter that will maintain your batteries. If you don't have a BIRD system, you will want (if you have not already installed) a way to also maintain your chassis batteries. I can't stress winterizing unless you have direct control (and are immediately available if it fails) of the heated indoor storage. In my priorities, the closeness of having my coach in my yard is much higher than having it stored inside, but we are all different. Lastly, you didn't specifically ask, but I do not recommend the RV Fabric Covers. No matter how well fitting they are, they will chaf the paint. The access is significantly limited when they are on, and lastly, most important to me is the weight. I can't, and I dare say most of the members on here can't carry it up the ladder to the roof. They weigh upwards of 100 pounds. I know some that use a forklift to get it up, but you still have to unroll it, center it, climb back down (with the ladder now covered) and tie things up. I bought one for my previous Dynasty (only 32-ft) and it weighed over 60 pounds. I strapped it to a backpack frame, and got it up there - once. I didn't even open the box. I slid it back down on an extension ladder, and sold it. Don't miss it a bit. -Rick N. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robert92867 Posted October 22 Share Posted October 22 In my opinion, the damage (both visible and unseen) caused by inclement weather will outweigh the costs of dry storage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chargerman Posted October 22 Share Posted October 22 Go with indoors, winterize, air it down and make sure that batteries are fully charged and disconnect them at the terminals, not just the shutoff switches. Then forget about it till Spring. I have been doing this for 10 years and when I return after 4 months all of my batteries are at 95% or higher state of charge. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joel J Posted October 22 Author Share Posted October 22 Thanks a lot! I really appreciate all of your input. We are going to be putting the coach into a Fully enclosed barn with a concrete floor and no power. We will have the coach fully winterized before storing it and I will disconnect the House and chasis batteries. If This does not work, I will be back online with more questions ! Thanks again. Joel 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waterskier_1 Posted October 23 Share Posted October 23 18 hours ago, Joel J said: Thanks a lot! I really appreciate all of your input. We are going to be putting the coach into a Fully enclosed barn with a concrete floor and no power. We will have the coach fully winterized before storing it and I will disconnect the House and chasis batteries. If This does not work, I will be back online with more questions ! Thanks again. Joel Do you have Lithium Batteries? If so, then need to be heated or removed to a heated area if the temp drops below 0°F (mine are -4°F for storage). -Rick N. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joel J Posted October 23 Author Share Posted October 23 Wet batteries. And they are older, so ..... ?? Thank you Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waterskier_1 Posted October 23 Share Posted October 23 1 minute ago, Joel J said: Wet batteries. And they are older, so ..... ?? Thank you Put a good charge on them, and I would disconnect the negative on both banks; house & chassis. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Cherry Posted October 23 Share Posted October 23 OR....pull them out and keep them properly charged, per my original post. Keeping a good high quality charger on them will preserve them and extend their life. You will have almost $1000 invested in the batteries. Unless you can go over and somehow charge them...and a cheap 12 VDC charger or even a poor, cheap quality maintainer will NOT WORK....ask folks that did that. They were overcharged....and BINGO....boiled off the electrolyte. Just my thoughts as to how I would do it. Other differ.... 9 minutes ago, waterskier_1 said: Put a good charge on them, and I would disconnect the negative on both banks; house & chassis. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Craggar Posted October 23 Share Posted October 23 I live in Alberta and have always stored my m/h's outside with no issues. Never have a problem with my batteries either for whatever reason even when it's not plugged in. This year I'm leaving it plugged in and put a trickle charger on the chasis battery. I don't think the sun does too much damage in the cold winters we get either, mine is parked beside my shop and doesn't get much sun at all so that helps. I never start it during the winter either, even if we get a warm spell I won't start it until spring. Only thing I do is go in and check the traps for mice at least once a week. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dl_racing427 Posted October 24 Share Posted October 24 (edited) 20 hours ago, Tom Cherry said: OR....pull them out and keep them properly charged, per my original post. Keeping a good high quality charger on them will preserve them and extend their life. You will have almost $1000 invested in the batteries. Unless you can go over and somehow charge them...and a cheap 12 VDC charger or even a poor, cheap quality maintainer will NOT WORK....ask folks that did that. They were overcharged....and BINGO....boiled off the electrolyte. Just my thoughts as to how I would do it. Other differ.... I've been using these for decades. I have 2 on my coach, and another dozen or so on my collector and race cars, standby generator, and other power equipment. https://www.northerntool.com/products/batteryminder-battery-charger-trickle-charger-desulfator-12-volt-1-5-amp-model-1500-31654 I typically get 10 years out of my batteries using these. Edited October 24 by dl_racing427 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tmw188 Posted October 24 Share Posted October 24 Inside is more important to me during the hot summer than in the winter. Like I said buy a small quiet inverter gen if you live close enough to go charge them every 3 weeks let’s say. Hook up thru your shore power plug. If so check on whether you should drive a ground rod into the ground for the gen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robert92867 Posted October 25 Share Posted October 25 On 10/23/2023 at 2:20 PM, Craggar said: I live in Alberta and have always stored my m/h's outside with no issues. Never have a problem with my batteries either for whatever reason even when it's not plugged in. This year I'm leaving it plugged in and put a trickle charger on the chasis battery. I don't think the sun does too much damage in the cold winters we get either, mine is parked beside my shop and doesn't get much sun at all so that helps. I never start it during the winter either, even if we get a warm spell I won't start it until spring. Only thing I do is go in and check the traps for mice at least once a week. I'm impressed. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tmw188 Posted October 25 Share Posted October 25 (edited) The sun does ALOT of damage over time depending on your latitude. Paint, gel coat, clear coat, roof caulk, sealants, window seals and tires if not covered. Edited October 25 by tmw188 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now