7 Tips for Safely Storing Your Motorhome in Hot Conditions
As summer approaches, motorhomes often show up in large numbers in campgrounds and resorts across the country, ushering hikers and travellers from interstate to national parks. During this time, holidays and hauling your motorhome out of storage are both in order.
However, not everyone will be travelling by vehicle. Or, if they are, they might not be spending much time outside. If you aren’t using your RV to travel this summer, it will likely be parked in a garage or another location. Scorching temperatures accompany summer, obviously depending on where you reside. The combination of those temperatures and the sun’s ferocious beams/sun’s vicious rays can cause harm to your beloved vehicle.
So how do you keep your motorhome out of harm’s way? Look at seven essential tips for storing your RV in hot weather.
Tips for Storing Your RV in a Hot Climate
The outside is essential to protecting your motorhome in any weather, especially while storing in a hot region where you must consider UV radiation. You can take specific actions to safeguard your vehicle in hot weather and ensure it’s prepared for use the next time you travel. So let’s start now.
1) Clean and Wax the Exterior
Your motorhome will benefit greatly from a thorough wash and a thick coat of wax to shield it from the sun. Cleaning the vehicle will remove any abrasive dirt or grime that could degrade the surface. The wax will seal the surface, preventing water from gathering and assisting UV rays to bounce off the surface.
2) Use an RV Cover
A motorhome cover can provide the best protection against sun damage if you’re not keeping your vehicle indoors or in a dedicated RV storage facility. Similar to how clothes protect you from sunburn, a cover will shield your vehicle from UV radiation. Ensure the motorhome cover is UV resistant, breathable to avoid mould and mildew growth, reinforced in weak areas, and has zippered access doors to offer maximum protection.
3) Use window Covers
The dashboard and furnishings of your motorhome are subjected to intense heat and sunlight. Under constant sun exposure, the upholstery or dashboard may discolour or crack. So, in addition to completely covering the RV, you should use solar window covers inside.
4) Regulate the humidity
The extreme heat in dry climates can cause wood and other materials in the motorhome to dry out and crack. If you’re storing it in an arid environment, leave a bucket of water in the centre to ensure that the air inside your motorhome has enough moisture.
On the other side, excessive moisture in a humid area can lead to the formation of mould and mildew in your motorhome. Place charcoal or silica gel packets throughout the vehicle to absorb the extra moisture in the air if you reside in a humid climate.
To guarantee that the humidity is uniform throughout the RV or to avoid humidity from being trapped in some areas, open all cupboard and closet doors.
5) Open the vents
Keep your rooftop vents slightly open to ensure enough ventilation throughout the motorhome and to fend off mould and mildew. You want them to be open enough to let air through while keeping water out. When you pick up your rig, dust may be inside, but that’s better than a bleached couch or broken table.
6) Drain the Holding Tanks
Standing water in any holding tank can support the growth of mould, mildew, and algae growth. Before storing the motorhome, be sure that all the holding tanks—grey, black, freshwater, and water heater—have been thoroughly drained.
7) Empty and clean out the refrigerator
Another place that is prone to mould and mildew is refrigerators. Yours should be thoroughly cleaned and defrosted, disconnected from power, and the door left open to let fresh air in.
8) Add Fuel Stabiliser
You must add a fuel stabiliser to the fuel if you’re storing your motorhome for longer than a month. The fuel stabiliser will prevent the fuel from deteriorating and causing engine problems. Run the generator and engine after applying the stabiliser to be sure it has spread throughout the entire fuel system.
Thus, while summer may call for some people to unpack their vehicle from storage, it might call for you to pack yours. And now that you know how to store your recreational vehicle in warm weather, you can leave it in storage knowing that you will find it in the same condition you left it in.
New and Used Motorhomes
View our range of new and used motorhomes for sale.
