Indoor vs Outdoor Storage August 03, 2018, 09:50:24 am Where do you store your LD in the "off season" indoors or outdoors?I won't be able to store my LD at home (live near DC in an HOA controlled neighborhood) so am trying to decide between buying a cover and storing on a lot at the local Public Storage type facility or pay more for indoor storage.Figuring this out is part of my budgeting process. Thanks.John in Bowie, MD
Re: Indoor vs Outdoor Storage Reply #1 – August 04, 2018, 08:44:27 am Hi John. We park ours in the driveway without a cover. This is because I try to drive the LD every month, including winter (with no snow or ice on the ground). We also like to head south in January to spend time in a warmer climate. I do not wish to try to climb up on the roof, fooling around with a cover in the cold, especially if there is snow or ice on the LD roof.Remember, that the generator in your soon to be LD should be run about 2 hours each month under load to keep it limber. Not all do this, but this operation was reinforced by a factory (Cummins/Onan) rep at a recent rally I attended. According to the rep, it is one of the best things you can do to keep the gennie in good shape. I don't know if a cover would be in the way.Finally, like many here, we have a solar panel on the roof of our LD. It keeps the house batteries charged when the rig is not in use. I don't want to cover the solar panel with anything that would keep it from doing its job.Good luck with your choice. Bob (in wet Western PA)
Re: Indoor vs Outdoor Storage Reply #2 – August 04, 2018, 10:00:19 am John - we were/are in a similar situation (HOA) but our decision to store indoors is based on a number of circumstances as follows:1) Our prior two RV's were another common brand and they "wore" horribly in the So Calif sun, even with covers2) Still working full-time so my budget is a bit more flexible to afford the increase cost of indoors > outdoors3) The service my place offers is terrific (washing the rig, turning refrigerator on a day prior to a pick-up, onsite dump station, onsite propane availability, etc.)4) My rig is kept plugged in so the AGM battery float isn't an issueWe do go to the storage facility regularly to get it on the road and to run the generator. Best of luck,Bill
Re: Indoor vs Outdoor Storage Reply #3 – August 04, 2018, 10:21:43 am Quote from: BowieJohn - August 03, 2018, 09:50:24 amHello John. The design of our property doesn't allow us to keep our LD at home either. So we store our Rig under a 34' commercial three (3) sided storage space that has 20A service, dump station, and a secure perimeter with cameras and a password controlled gate. We also keep our LD plugged into 20A service while in storage which has some benefits. Our space is east facing which means in Texas that our Rig doesn't get the direct afternoon intense Sun. And of course, our LD is protected from the dangers of hail damage (common in this part of Texas). All of this provides us a great amount of convenience and SHADE when working on various projects. The dump station allows us to easily maintain the black/gray tanks according to the "Larry Wade Soaking" technique. Our 9 yoa OEM sensors continue to work and we believe are fairly accurate. As importantly, we're protecting the Rig from the damaging effects of sunlight. I've attached a picture of our 9 year old roof which has benefited the most from storing "her" under cover. I might mention that some insurance companies offer a modest discount when the RV is stored in a secure location. This year, will be the first time we'll also get a discount in our monthly insurance premiums while in storage and unused for longer period of times.There's no doubt it's an expense but we don't have many alternatives if we want to keep our Rolling Home safe.Hope this helps. 2 Likes
Re: Indoor vs Outdoor Storage Reply #4 – August 04, 2018, 04:59:13 pm I have used covers, and they lasted me about 2-3 years in the sun and wind. They chafe and scratch paint, and also can trap moisture inside, creating another maintenance need and potential problem. I store in a barn I built for our RVs on property, and this has been great. So great that if I had no way to store at home I would pay the price for indoor storage. But then, we keep an RV for about 10 years. If I were one to trade them every three years, I would just keep it clean.
Re: Indoor vs Outdoor Storage Reply #5 – August 04, 2018, 06:16:59 pm Quote from: paul banbury - August 04, 2018, 04:59:13 pmI have used covers, and they lasted me about 2-3 years in the sun and wind. They chafe and scratch paint, and also can trap moisture inside, creating another maintenance need and potential problem. I store in a barn I built for our RVs on property, and this has been great. So great that if I had no way to store at home I would pay the price for indoor storage. But then, we keep an RV for about 10 years. If I were one to trade them every three years, I would just keep it clean. I built a pole barn for my RVs and wanted to keep my tractor and vehicles i don't use a lot in it but the pack rats were chewing through the wiring and fuel lines of everything in there. A couple of very expensive fixes! They seem to move in as fast as I trap them and I finally gave up. I think the problem is it's a half mile from my house beacause my wife didn't want it in our yard area so it doesn't get enough people and dog action. Lesson learned.
Re: Indoor vs Outdoor Storage Reply #6 – August 04, 2018, 06:19:07 pm Quote from: paul banbury - August 04, 2018, 04:59:13 pmI have used covers, and they lasted me about 2-3 years in the sun and wind. They chafe and scratch paint, and also can trap moisture inside, creating another maintenance need and potential problem. I store in a barn I built for our RVs on property, and this has been great. So great that if I had no way to store at home I would pay the price for indoor storage. But then, we keep an RV for about 10 years. If I were one to trade them every three years, I would just keep it clean. I built a pole barn for my RVs and wanted to keep my tractor and vehicles i don't use a lot in it but the pack rats were chewing through the wiring and fuel lines of everything in there. A couple of very expensive fixes! They seem to move in as fast as I trap them and I finally gave up. I think the problem is it's a half mile from my house beacause my wife didn't want it in our yard area so it doesn't get enough people and dog action. Lesson learned. Lesson is never listen to your wife.
Re: Indoor vs Outdoor Storage Reply #7 – August 04, 2018, 06:44:42 pm Quote from: Sawyer - August 04, 2018, 06:19:07 pmI built a pole barn for my RVs and wanted to keep my tractor and vehicles i don't use a lot in it but the pack rats were chewing through the wiring and fuel lines of everything in there. A couple of very expensive fixes! They seem to move in as fast as I trap them and I finally gave up. I think the problem is it's a half mile from my house beacause my wife didn't want it in our yard area so it doesn't get enough people and dog action. Lesson learned. Lesson is never listen to your wife. That usually gets me into trouble! 1 Likes
Re: Indoor vs Outdoor Storage Reply #8 – August 04, 2018, 08:03:04 pm I have covered storage for $65 a month which is actually about 38' total. No other bennies - just a roof and a coded gate. It's about 3 miles away. For me it's well worth it. Frank 2 Likes
Re: Indoor vs Outdoor Storage Reply #9 – August 04, 2018, 08:49:26 pm I wish mine was $85 per month!!!
Re: Indoor vs Outdoor Storage Reply #10 – August 04, 2018, 11:22:43 pm When we lived in NJ, we had a pole barn garage built and stored it (2003 MB) there. But after moving to Colorado Springs in 2008, that wasn't an option - just like everyone else, the HOA won't let us store it on the property. So we store it in a gated lot, no cover. But in 10 years there, we've had no issues with any damage. I just put 5 tubes of caulk on the roof, filling anything I could imagine might turn into a problem. But that is only the second time I've done any roof patching and we've never had a leak. I was a little concerned about storing outdoors, but when we moved our budget was tight - outdoors: $35/mth, indoors: $85-100/mth. During the off-season, we check on it now and then and take it for an occasional spin. But the only problem we have had it that it gets pretty dirty after being in the lot for a few weeks.
Re: Indoor vs Outdoor Storage Reply #11 – August 05, 2018, 12:04:41 pm In Southern California, there is no “off season”, we are usually using the LD every three or four weeks.When we moved years ago, on site parking was a must. We found a house with a driveway that fits two LDs, plus several cars.Storing it at home is great, it’s our guest house and my hide out.Our home is in a breezy area and a cover didn’t work well, so it has been uncovered 15 years. Covers can cause more damage than they prevent. Dirt that gets trapped under the cover can act as sandpaper, when the wind blows.Larry 1 Likes
Re: Indoor vs Outdoor Storage Reply #12 – August 06, 2018, 10:12:16 am Sawyer,I also built a pipe barn for the trailer boat, big ladders, kid storage items, and a the Lazy Daze. Rats have been a constant problem with the Lazy Daze and there are items in the engine compartment that they eat and areas where they like to nest. Three days of storage and the rats move in. I've recently had the best success yet at deterring the rats: Use a 120V LED rope light around, under and inside the engine compartment of the Lazy Daze. Because the pole barn is visible from our bedroom, I also had to make a moveable light barrier around the front of the LD to allow my light sensitive wife to be able to sleep.Rats (Norway, roof, wood, and pack) do not like light. I now have LED light ropes in the storage shelves and protecting the LD. In the last three months, I haven't had any rat action in the Lazy Daze. I still trap one about every three to 5 days, so I know they are still there, but they stay off my shelves and the LD. I almost hate to write this post, because it might be violating the "unmentionable rule". However, so far-so good.Harold
Re: Indoor vs Outdoor Storage Reply #13 – August 06, 2018, 10:50:00 am Hi Harold, you live just a few miles east of me; I've never had a problem with rats or mice in 39 years at this house. Until last year. I have 3 indoor cats, including one shelter find who had been outdoors before we got him. He escaped into our attached garage, and it wasn't 5 minutes before he caught a mouse. Now all three get a daily adventure into the garage! Friends who live on 12 acres with avocado trees got us a bait station and a very low secondary toxicity bait. Located in our secure back yard, even though the affected cars are in the front, we have decimated the local mice problem, and some of the rats. 'Green' wiring insulation on our Honda, using a soy bean base, has fared poorly according to Consumer Reports, and the Honda has kept the LD safe from damage so far. RonB
Re: Indoor vs Outdoor Storage Reply #14 – August 06, 2018, 11:31:30 am Harold, you wrote...”Use a 120V LED rope light around, under and inside the engine compartment of the Lazy Daze”.When we first brought our LD home, I had purchased a 12V led rope light to place under the hood but as of yet have not installed it. Maybe now is the time. It’s been mentioned here that they are a good idea to keep squirrels out of the engine bay as well. A rechargeable 12V battery and a solar charger should work well for this application. This would save the drain on the coach batteries and not interfere with movie nights. As a standard precaution, I do use Fresh Cab all over the rig including the engine compartment, but in situations such as yours it alone may not do the trick. Sooty, on the other hand, does wonders around the homestead to keep the mice at bay. Not sure what he would do about anything larger, but the squirrels have stayed in the trees while he’s home. Good kitty. 😾Kent
Re: Indoor vs Outdoor Storage Reply #15 – August 06, 2018, 12:58:27 pm I should have mentioned that Honda makes a grey electrical tape looking product now, with mice printed on it. It has capsaicin in the tape and is intended to overwrap split loom wiring, to ward off mice and rat incursions. I'm in the process of wrapping some of the more vulnerable spots on the motorhome too. https://www.collegehillshonda.com/product/4019-2317.html RonB 1 Likes
Re: Indoor vs Outdoor Storage Reply #16 – August 06, 2018, 07:08:46 pm BowieJohn-A hearty hello from a fellow who spent some early years in Odenton, MD, just up the road from Bowie! Makes me want to sing "Those Were the Days!"When we stored it for the off-season, we kept our LD in a secure, covered, heated (to 45 degrees) former factory building, about a half-hour from home. We do the same for our current coach. It costs about $125 a month/$1,000 a season. In my opinion, indoor storage is the only practical way to keep a coach from getting old before its time up here in New Hampshire. Things may be different in the more-temperate Mid-Atlantic States (some may argue, after the past few years, that "more-temperate" is not the case).We have no mice problems when stored at the former factory building, but we do have a mice problem when parked beside the house. I have slowly eliminated entry points, but there are still some, based on the mouse-trap occupancy rate.Mark H
Re: Indoor vs Outdoor Storage Reply #17 – August 06, 2018, 08:34:37 pm Ron and Kent,It was a tough year for 4 footed family members this year. We lost Toby, although he wasn't very useful for much other than waking us up at night with woofing and constant shedding, but we lost Bad Little Kitty, our rat killer. Kitty really enjoyed taking out rats, bunnies, and squirrels and eating them on the back step. I'd go out and pet him and say nice stuff and he would purr as he consumed the unfortunate prey like a little lion. I miss him. He was the spittin' image of Sooty.Hopefully another kitty and dog will stragglers in soon.Kent, the LED lights work really well. I have a solar powered 12v 10 foot string under the hood of the truck and no rodent residents for at least a year. 120v string is much brighter.1 more day to clean out your desk? WooHoo! Donuts and coffee because every day is Saturday! Harold
Re: Indoor vs Outdoor Storage Reply #18 – August 06, 2018, 08:41:35 pm Ron, When I moved from PQ to Poway, I discovered that Poway is 10 degrees colder in the winter and 10 degrees hotter in the summer.I know you are enjoying PQ now.Harold
Re: Indoor vs Outdoor Storage Reply #19 – August 06, 2018, 09:39:57 pm Harold,I just ordered a 12 volt rechargeable battery to run my under the hood lights. I’ll be up at Serrano for two weeks starting Sunday the 12th. This should give me time to tinker with the lights, practice my guitar, ride my bike, dust off the camera gear and embark upon the great unknown. So Greg, if you’re out there, that is where the party will begin. And yes there will be coffee and donuts too. That’s a given.I’ve been mulling over how to satisfy LB building codes and still simi-cover the rig at home. Thinking a stand-alone shade cloth barrier running the length of the rig might work. It won’t touch the paint and it won’t be an awning of sorts. Plus it will leave the solar panels exposed to our glorious So Cal Sun.Did I mention the coffee and donuts? ☕️🍩☕️🍩☕️🍩☕️🍩☕️🍩☕️🍩☕️Kent 3 Likes
Re: Indoor vs Outdoor Storage Reply #20 – August 06, 2018, 10:21:47 pm With the brutal Houston sun, hail storms, floods, and an occasional freeze, keeping our future planned RV indoors is pretty much the only option. Fortunately there are many options (and have noted this in another thread).The cheapest facility is $110/month for an 11x11x30. This comes with a light, and a lock setup that's not so easy to cut with bolt cutters.The next step up, is a larger 14x12x50 unit, in an upscale gated facility with lots of security cameras. These units are about $300/month, and rarely become available. Must be on a wait list.The ultimate, is a new place coming next year called "Elite RV Boat & Storage". This appears to be a very large indoor facility with lots of security, that has heaters to warm things up during our occasional, unexpected freezes. So many people don't bother to winterize, and just can't believe it will get that cold - but it does. They offer valet, wash, wax, cleaning, tank dumping, water fill-up, etc. For our proposed 24' Lazy Daze, this would be $435/month, but would get 2 months free with a one year commitment. I'm a bit interested, but $110/month just sounds a lot better. 1 Likes
Re: Indoor vs Outdoor Storage Reply #21 – August 07, 2018, 01:19:31 am Let's calculate this out.Our LD is going on 16 years old. At $110 a month for indoor storage (which isn't locally available.], this equals over $21,000.It could have a professional paint job job done for this amount or less.We live in a hot, near desert-like climate with 100+ temps expected all summer and the rig has never ben stored indoors. The paint has faded a little but considering where it's been and how many miles are on it, it has held up well.We paid for a high end paint job that would hold up to the elements.The $21,000 we didn't spend on indoor storage has been well used in our travels.If our rig had been stored indoors, it would not be worth $21,000 more.Something to consider.Larry 6 Likes
Re: Indoor vs Outdoor Storage Reply #22 – August 07, 2018, 07:54:26 am In our area, we have severe hail storms. In the last 16 years we have at least 2 storms with baseball size hail, 1 storm with softball size hail, and several storms with golf ball size hail. These storms take out windows, penetrate roof decking, destroy aluminum siding, trim, established trees and so forth. It's common for homeowners to replace the shingles on their roof several times in that period of time. In places like Oklahoma and Kansas, the hail storms are more frequent and more damaging. We've had to replace the shingles on our roof 4 times in 25 years and had 3 vehicles badly damaged when caught out in the open during one of this storms. It's one of the main reasons we store undercover. One of our RV Storage neighbors moved to an open air storage location because it was less expensive. One of his comments was "we have insurance for hail damage." Margee and I don't want our LD to experience that kind of damage. So I'd suggest the weather in different parts of the world might dictate the kind of RV storage one might be need.Follow-up Several Days Later: Has hail pictures.Heavy damage from hail in Colorado Springs - iRV2 Forums
Re: Indoor vs Outdoor Storage Reply #23 – August 07, 2018, 09:34:48 am Quote from: Larry W - August 07, 2018, 01:19:31 amLet's calculate this out.Our LD is going on 16 years old. At $110 a month for indoor storage (which isn't locally available.], this equals over $21,000.It could have a professional paint job job done for this amount or less.We live in a hot, near desert-like climate with 100+ temps expected all summer and the rig has never ben stored indoors. The paint has faded a little but considering where it's been and how many miles are on it, it has held up well.We paid for a high end paint job that would hold up to the elements.The $21,000 we didn't spend on indoor storage has been well used in our travels.If our rig had been stored indoors, it would not be worth $21,000 more.Something to consider.LarryAnd at $400 a month, I'm declaring bankruptcy!
Re: Indoor vs Outdoor Storage Reply #24 – August 07, 2018, 03:05:47 pm Thanks for the good insights and entertaining discussion!I'm leaning towards outside storage based on the general lack of damage to the two cars (both ten + years old and in good shape) we keep on the driveway. Add in periodic wash and 'wax' and viola! -- an acceptable balance between protecting the LD and keeping costs down.John in Bowie 1 Likes
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