Summer Storage in South Texas?

[osofine]

Has anyone stored their rig in a hot dry climate for the summer? We are leaving our rig here in the RGV from April 15th to Nov 1st. Some people have told us to leave kitty litter in pans inside the rig to absorb moisture. Other people have told us to leave water in buckets to add moisture. Last year we stored the rig for 9 weeks in South Dakota and didn't have any problems. But this is a longer period of time and it gets really hot here.
We had our windows tinted on the rig and we plan to put cardboard in windows to cut down on the heat. Has anyone tried that?

[Bill and Ann]

We have put the bubble wrap with the foil on the outside of the wrap and used it to cover the inside of the windows while we are in the RGV. Should work for the summer also.
With all the humidity down here I don't know why anyone would say to leave water in buckets. I think it would be more apt to cause mould than do any good.

[Driftwoodgal]

We don't store our Montana, but have it parked next to our house near Austin. It is not under a roof so it gets the full sun. The only thing that I do when it is parked is keep the windows covered with the bubble foil stuff that I bought and cut to size from Camping World. Bought that stuff before we had the second AC. I am more worried about the sun fading the blinds etc than the heat.

I do leave the frig and freezer doors open. Also leave the vent cover cracked over the toilet. We do have the vent cover to prevent rain from getting in. If you are worried about moisture than you can buy a product from Walmart, I think is called DRI, to absorb the moisture. I try to keep moisture out of the rig not add to it. Just think of the heat in a car during a Texas summer. They do fine, but things do fade over years when directly exposed to the light.

Colleen

Colleen

[SlickWillie]

I would agree on not needing to leave any buckets of water. I have known some folks that use charcoal briquettes in a bucket to adsorb moisture.

[TLightning]

If I was in your position, I'd try to find covered storage. In that climate, it will be worth the cost.

[Waynem]

I believe covered storage is the way to go. I have covered storage, with all sides of the storage open, and the heat difference is considerably less under the roof. . This allowed me to leave the Fantastic fan opened and the BR vent open. It also protects the tires from UV and the graphics and/or paint from baking in UV, although when on the road, all is exposed. It just gave me peace of mind having it under a roof.

Storage units can be hard to find. I have to keep up the payments on mine, even when we are gone, so as to have it when I return. But that is in this area.

[osofine]

Thanks all for you info. Unfortunately we just bought-in to Mission West in Mission, TX so we will be using there storage area in an open field for storage this year. Next year we will be on a lot with shade trees, so we might leave it on the site next year. We waxed the heck out of it this year and treated the roof, bought max air type covers for the vents and are thinking about leaving the bathroom vent open a bit for ventilation. The vent will be facing west so it shouldn't get too much dust inside the unit??? How about dust with a vent open? Does a lot come in??? I know if I open my windows I get an instant coating of dust on everything.

[VanMan]

You might want to cover the tires (UV rays), J.C. Whitney probably has the cheapest covers.

[ols1932]

quote:Originally posted by osofine

Has anyone stored their rig in a hot dry climate for the summer? We are leaving our rig here in the RGV from April 15th to Nov 1st. Some people have told us to leave kitty litter in pans inside the rig to absorb moisture. Other people have told us to leave water in buckets to add moisture. Last year we stored the rig for 9 weeks in South Dakota and didn't have any problems. But this is a longer period of time and it gets really hot here.
We had our windows tinted on the rig and we plan to put cardboard in windows to cut down on the heat. Has anyone tried that?

We've never stored our rig like that because we've lived in it full time almost from the time we bought it. However, whether or not you use buckets of water to provide humidity or kitty litter to absorb moisture depends on the type of climate in which the unit is stored. Here in So. California (Desert Hot Springs) the climate is so dry in the summer time that it is mandatory to leave a couple pails of water in the rig. The Canadians do this all the time when they store their rigs here. One of them told me he used two 5-gallon pails full of water, one in the bedroom and one in the living room when he leaves in April. When he comes back in November the pails are not empty, but they are well over half gone.

I would assume then that in a high humidity area it would make sense to provide some means of absorbing the moisture, kitty litter probably being a good means.

I'm not speaking from any practical experience -- just passing on some information.

Orv