If you don’t plan to use your RV anytime soon, you’ll want
to find a way to keep it stored. But if you want to be able to return to a
clean, healthy RV after long-term storage, how can you set it up for success?
Here are some long-term RV storage tips to help you keep your RV in great
shape.
Clean Out the Water
Systems
One of the most important things to do before storing your
RV for a long period is to drain the water systems. Not only will this prevent
bacteria and various odors from forming, but it will ensure that the RV is dry
enough to remain clean for the duration of the storage.
This is also a good time to clean your RV’s water systems. You may remember from our tips on
sanitizing an RV tank that you can utilize a bleach and water solution to
clean out the fresh water system. Yes, you’ll want to drain even the fresh water system before storing long-term,
because it doesn’t take long for a fresh water system to fill with bacteria if
you haven’t done an effective job of cleaning and emptying your systems.
Prepping Black & Grey
Water Tanks
For the black water
tank, follow this procedure:
- Hook up to a sewer outlet and make sure you’re
ready to dump. At this stage, you can open the sewer tank valve and wait until
the waste matter has left the tank before closing the sewer valve. Then run
fresh water into the tank, open the valve, and dump again. - If you don’t have a clear hose, consider using a
clear hose adapter so you can witness what’s coming out of the tank. Not always
pleasant—but necessary for good long-term storage! - Keep working until the water runs clear.
Be sure to empty your black water tank first. You’ll do this
first, because you’ll be using the same sewer hose to empty both tanks. Using
grey water second will help ensure that the hose itself is a little cleaner and
avoids, ahem, “matter” from sticking to the insides.
After emptying the black water tank, repeat the procedure
above for the grey water tank. Allow
each tank to empty completely into the sewer outlet. If you need some
additional cleaning, you can also drive around with a gallon of water and
cleaner solution in the sewer tank, allowing the mixture to slosh in the tank
and work on any “mess” that’s hardened within the tank. Empty everything for
long-term storage once it’s clean.
Clean, Dry & Seal
Your RV
You’ll want to use the same principles as above: keep your
RV dry if you plan on storing it. That means you’ll want to seal off potential
leaks. Inspect the roof and common leak areas like windows and doors to ensure there
aren’t any leaks that could get through while the RV is in storage. Be sure to
use the appropriate RV sealants
for the materials you are working with. Again, the goal here is to keep the RV
stable and dry to avoid mildew buildup.
Give yourself a few days in advance to clean your RV before
storing it. This will help you make sure the RV is adequately drained and dried
before you lock it away. And make sure to use the proper RV cleaners before storage, as
this will help ensure the right protection for materials like vinyl,
fiberglass, and steel.
That’s it! Use our long-term RV storage tips to ensure everything in you RV is stored correctly, and you can
be confident that when you return, it will still be fresh and ready for a great
trip!
