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Old 12-19-2012, 11:11 AM   #1
stwicks
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Newbi question about storage

Greetings all
First post... great forum. This is my first 5th wheel, 2012 Mountaineer 362RLQ and my family and I love it so far. I am an auto repair shop owner/mechanic by trade, so I have fixed little things when we got it like brake shoe adjustment, bearing repack (you would be suprised how little grease they use)I fixed a PVC leak under the bathroom sink...little things. Very solid trailer so far. Anyway, I store the 5er inside my shop, which is heated of course. I have flushed and drained the holding tanks, drained and flushed the water heater and drained out the water lines and fresh water tank. Since the shop doesnt go below 63 degrees, I didnt see the need to "winterize" the lines and such. I have the trailer plugged into electric. Is this a good idea? Is leaving it plugged in hard on the converter? I don't leave any lights or anything on. Just wondering.
 
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Old 12-19-2012, 11:19 AM   #2
Montana Sky
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I left mine unplugged and shut off/disconnected the battery cables from the battery while stored indoors for winter. Personal preference is the only reason I did it this way.
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Old 12-19-2012, 11:35 AM   #3
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Good advice from Montana Sky. Also drop a couple of gallons of water into each holding tank. Keeps the rubber seals on the dump valves moisted. Jim
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Old 12-19-2012, 12:03 PM   #4
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Since you are hooked up to electric hopefully you turned off the electric switch before draining water heater. Staying hooked to electric or not seems to be a choice, we stay plugged when in the insulated shop at farm. We just bought a new converter and we really don't know why the old one went bad, but do know the fan was making loud noise and not outputting adequate volts DC. Also, bought a new deep cycle battery (just have one battery) as previous one had boiled over several times, and we think the bad converter may have been the cause. We keep the tv on most of the time for background music/news etc. while working in the shop. We keep a small amount of water in the holding tanks. We also keep the Monty setting level with the slides out, and water hooked up, kinda like camping in the shop.
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Old 12-19-2012, 12:19 PM   #5
kdeiss
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Quote:
quote:Originally posted by Montana Sky

I left mine unplugged and shut off/disconnected the battery cables from the battery while stored indoors for winter. Personal preference is the only reason I did it this way.
X2 I would keep water or anti freeze in the lines keeps faucet washers and toilet seals from drying
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Old 12-19-2012, 01:28 PM   #6
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I have a 2004 and it's always plugged in, except when traveling. I haven't had any problems. (Knotting on wood).
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Old 12-19-2012, 01:30 PM   #7
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Mine has sat in my barn plugged in and not winterized when we are not using it for four years. After a trip, I dump the tanks and leave the refer running. That's where I keep my beer.
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Old 12-19-2012, 01:46 PM   #8
kab449
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I leave mine plugged in mainly because I have it parked outside and use the onboard convertor/charger to keep the batteries from discharging. If you have a smart charger it will not cause any problems. A smart charger monitors the battery voltage and adjusts output accordingly to prevent overcharging. Check your manual that came with your trailer.
I also was a auto repair shop owner, but have stepped back to allow my son to take over.
And welcome to the forum.
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Old 12-19-2012, 01:51 PM   #9
7.3Ford
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Steven,

I envy you like poor old trailer sits out an a storage lot, with no power and no cover. After every trip I drain the water heater, and blowout waterlines. When temperatures are going to be below freezing for a long period of time I put a little pink antifreeze in the traps only.

I don't have to worry about the batteries because I have solar panels and they keep imperfectly charged all the time. If you're going to leave it plugged in just make sure you check the batteries once a month to make sure they're not getting boiled dry. There have been some on the form that say that that's factory converter overcharges.

Keep in mind the converter will not charge the battery if the disconnect is turned off.
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Old 12-19-2012, 02:18 PM   #10
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Mine stays under cover but not enclosed. Always plugged in when in storage. 5+ years and no problems.
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Old 12-19-2012, 02:19 PM   #11
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We have never seen any need to keep plugged in during storage as long as we disconnect the batteries
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Old 12-19-2012, 03:35 PM   #12
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We always stored ours outside until we went full time. Always had it plugged in to keep the batteries fresh. We had it ready in case we lost power to the stick house during an ice storm. We also have generators for the Monty if the power was off for an extended period.
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Old 12-19-2012, 04:30 PM   #13
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Mine stays outside and plugged in all the time. If and when it goes to the 20's, which ain't that often here, I just run out and set the T-stat at 60 degrees and leave the heat on till morning and shut it off as it usually warms up during the day. Probably would be ok with out it on since right now it warms up to the 60's and 70's but I need the piece of mind. I do open up the cabinets under the sinks.
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Old 12-20-2012, 03:54 PM   #14
stwicks
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I think I like the idea of leaving it plugged in and leaving the battery disconnected. I also have the slides out, so its nice to be able to go in there when I want, and have power. Thanks everyone for the input.
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