Keeping LD warm and dry in MT October 21, 2023, 02:46:22 pm Hi! We must leave our 99 LD outdoors for 2-3 months in Livingston Montana. We bought a full cover. We are parked next to a garage with access to power. What is best practice for keeping rig interior in good shape? Can we safely leave one ceramic electric heater running? And/or buy moisture-reducing tubs? We have winterized the water system and tanks. Thanks for your thoughts.
Re: Keeping LD warm and dry in MT Reply #1 – October 21, 2023, 03:31:58 pm Use several moisture reducing tubs. The heater would run constantly and cost a small fortune in electricity costs. Also the constant usage of electricity at high wattage may heat up wires you don't want heated. If you're winterized, the batteries are the only things you'd have to worry about as they discharge slowly while sitting, and a discharged battery can freeze. Probably remove the batteries to a warmer place and/or put them on a battery maintainer. (If you remove them, take a picture of the cable positions so you'll know how to reinstall them)Maybe put something like Seafoam in the gas tank and run it through the engine and generator. 3 Likes
Re: Keeping LD warm and dry in MT Reply #2 – October 21, 2023, 04:56:08 pm Montana is not very humid in the winter so worrying about moisture probably isn't an issue. A heater of any kind isn't do much good in winter. Is the water heater drained and water lines blown out or red RV antifreeze in all the lines and traps? Livingston is a bad area to expect a cover to stay on make sure it is tied down good. If you live near by, you can keep an eye on it. Since you have access to power you might consider battery maintainers on the starting battery and coach batteries. Do something to try and keep the mice out.Jon 3 Likes
Re: Keeping LD warm and dry in MT Reply #3 – October 23, 2023, 01:52:55 am Thank you, Jons and Linda B. These are great tips. We did decide to avoid leaving an electric heater on due to risk. Still need to pick up the gas additive. Great suggestion to take a photo of batteries before moving to garage with trickle charger. Also, the wind in Livingston can be wild, so will tie the cover down extra tight. Thanks again. 1 Likes
Re: Keeping LD warm and dry in MT Reply #4 – October 24, 2023, 09:26:32 am "the wind in Livingston can be wild, so will tie the cover down extra tight."Good idea. There are two concerns with an RV cover. The obvious one is that you don't want it to blow away. The less obvious one is that even if it doesn't, any areas that are even slightly loose will rub against your rig as the wind blows, and since dust and grit will inevitable creep underneath the cover, it can act like sandpaper. So do your best to tie it down so that it can't move at all. 2 Likes
Re: Keeping LD warm and dry in MT Reply #5 – October 25, 2023, 01:22:02 am Quote from: Andy Baird - October 24, 2023, 09:26:32 am"the wind in Livingston can be wild, so will tie the cover down extra tight."since dust and grit will inevitably creep underneath the cover, it can act like sandpaper. So do your best to tie it down so that it can't move at all.In windy areas with blowing dust and dirt, it is probably a better idea to leave the cover off, it can be next to impossible to tie a cover tightly unless it is custom-cut for your MH. It doesn’t take much movement to grind the paint down.Larry 2 Likes
Re: Keeping LD warm and dry in MT Reply #6 – October 28, 2023, 10:31:28 am Aside from winterizing your water system, and treating your gasoline and disconnecting your batteries, I’d have a look for indoor or covered (pole barn) storage either in nearby Bozeman. Because Montana doesn’t charge sales tax, there are many RV owners that buy and store their motorhome there. One other consideration is snow removal from your roof. Depending on the weather, you may accumulate a considerable load which can stress the roof and create ice dams with resulting leaks during freeze-thaw conditions (ask me how I know). If you do store outside, I’d pay someone to remove the snow at one foot of accumulation. Good luck!Warren 5 Likes
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