searching for options for winter longterm storage in Florida

[Menno]

Hi all,
We are thinking of "storing" our Classic 33 ft trailer in Florida for 3 months (end of Oct. till Jan.), avoiding having to winterize our unit (living in Vermont) and planning to hit the road again at the end of Jan. Anybody has ideas what our best economic options are? Self storage type of parking, campgrounds (do campgrounds have and allow for longterm "parking"?), any other options?
If anybody has a place in mind and can share this (Orlando area, but any other could work too), we much appreciate this.
Secondly, how much of a problem is it to store an airstream for 3 months
without having it hooked up to power (having battery switched off), in a humid climate like Florida?

[A W Warn]

Moisture can be an issue, therefore mold/mildew because of the moisture, depending on weather/temperature. October and early November can be rainy (hurricane season). December and January are drier, but still damp. 3 large pales of Damp Rid keeps mildew away in my 34' for 3+ months.
Depending on location there are storage options, but mostly outdoors (where I am). Outdoor storage can be had for $40 (open lot) to $75 (fenced lot) per month. I do not know of indoor storage in my area. I know storage is more expensive in costal areas and ridiculous in the Keys. RV dealers, hardware stores, storage facilities and campgrounds offer space.
I rent a lot in a campground year round so I have options; stay there, travel from there, store there with or without utilities.

[uncle_bob]

Hi

Storage for multiple months means a full battery disconnect. The standard use / store switch on a trailer is not going to get this done. Even with a full disconnect, charging the batteries once a month would be a good idea.

Outdoor storage in an un-covered site is a good thing if you have a solar setup on your trailer. It will take care of the battery and that's one less thing to worry about. Exposure in the outdoors will degrade the sealant on your roof a bit quicker. Hail is a possibility in any uncovered location.

Most significant (to me) would be security. An open lot / unfenced and just sitting there ... errr ... that scares me a bit. Fully fenced / monitored / with cameras and access control strikes me as the minimum for long term storage. We store indoors, but it took a year on a waiting list to get there.

If the only issue is winterizing, hauling the trailer from Vermont to Orlando is not going to be cheap. Run it over to a dealer and let them blow things out. Way less money ....

Bob

[Menno]

Thanks for the tips on moisture control. Yes I agree I do want some monitoring and fenced in area to have a safe place for these months. Trying to get some contacts prior to heading out and search when on location.

[Menno]

Thanks for reply. My 2018 classic has solar (standard) so hope to have sun keep my batteries charged while batteries switched off with battery disconnect switch.
Ideally I have it connected to shore power, but if too expensive I can live without it.
The reason to bring it south rather to winterizze is that we want to start traveling in January the southern parts of US. Yes I agree to have a monitored “safe” area for parking /storage, reason I hope to have some suggestions from members for the Florida area. Hear there are a lot of options, but rather want some concrete location addresses i can contact in advance than heading out and search when in the area.

[A W Warn]

One thing I'll add; the only place my trailer ever froze and burst a water line was at the GA/FL border in December. Not winterizes, I thought it was safe to leave for the night. Lesson learned the hard way!
Temperatures can be freezing, though not likely, even as far south as Orlando. One year I saw ice in an outdoor fountain 70 miles south of there, in the park where I am. It was 28 degrees one night in January.

[uncle_bob]

Originally Posted by Menno

Thanks for reply. My 2018 classic has solar (standard) so hope to have sun keep my batteries charged while batteries switched off with battery disconnect switch.
Ideally I have it connected to shore power, but if too expensive I can live without it.
The reason to bring it south rather to winterizze is that we want to start traveling in January the southern parts of US. Yes I agree to have a monitored “safe” area for parking /storage, reason I hope to have some suggestions from members for the Florida area. Hear there are a lot of options, but rather want some concrete location addresses i can contact in advance than heading out and search when in the area.

Hi

If January = right after New Years .... winterize it by blowing it out and using vodka. Don't worry about hauling it to Florida. Run down to someplace fairly warm before you put water into the trailer. That may involve dry camping your first night (or two) on the road. No need to go crazy flushing everything when you start back up with water.

Bob

[carl2591]

yeah that won't work.. you gota be orlando or south to not winterize. GA/FL LIne, which is a band as well, will get COLD in winter enough to to freeze water lines. simply drain water lines, open faucets and open low point valves drain water tanks, drain water heater tank and good to go.. I also remove water pump makings sure to drain all water out and good to go.

Originally Posted by A W Warn

One thing I'll add; the only place my trailer ever froze and burst a water line was at the GA/FL border in December. Not winterizes, I thought it was safe to leave for the night. Lesson learned the hard way!
Temperatures can be freezing, though not likely, even as far south as Orlando. One year I saw ice in an outdoor fountain 70 miles south of there, in the park where I am. It was 28 degrees one night in January.

[Menno]

Originally Posted by uncle_bob

Hi

If January = right after New Years .... winterize it by blowing it out and using vodka. Don't worry about hauling it to Florida. Run down to someplace fairly warm before you put water into the trailer. That may involve dry camping your first night (or two) on the road. No need to go crazy flushing everything when you start back up with water.

Bob

Bob,
Decide to blow out my system with air, now I bought an air compressor. Not more than 40 psi. After opening the various valves including the two yellow ones of alde system to drain everything, what valve(S) need to be turned on alde to bypass system so no antifreeze goes into water tank? I’m planning to run antifreeze through lines. I see you have a30 classic so probably same 3010 alde system

[TRIPPPIN]

We left our trailer in North Georgia heated storage several times to avoid hauling it back to Canada multiple times over the winter. We drove out Tow vehicle home and left the trailer in heated storage. It was a convenient spot for us to get to and pick up our trailer to go south. The location was far enough south we did not winterize it as we were heading to Florida every time. We recommend the people at https://www.ngarvstorage.com/. Good rates and service. It may be a bit out of the way for you but may be worth considering this one or another heated storage on your route.

[Canoeguy1950]

Originally Posted by TRIPPPIN

We left our trailer in North Georgia heated storage several times to avoid hauling it back to Canada multiple times over the winter. We drove out Tow vehicle home and left the trailer in heated storage. It was a convenient spot for us to get to and pick up our trailer to go south. The location was far enough south we did not winterize it as we were heading to Florida every time. We recommend the people at https://www.ngarvstorage.com/. Good rates and service. It may be a bit out of the way for you but may be worth considering this one or another heated storage on your route.

hi we are from Ontario, with 28 ft excella, maybe 3 - 4 month storage dec to 1st march, is it hard to get space and was is pricey thank you so much

[uncle_bob]

Originally Posted by Menno

Bob,
Decide to blow out my system with air, now I bought an air compressor. Not more than 40 psi. After opening the various valves including the two yellow ones of alde system to drain everything, what valve(S) need to be turned on alde to bypass system so no antifreeze goes into water tank? I’m planning to run antifreeze through lines. I see you have a30 classic so probably same 3010 alde system

Hi

It's that one there and this one here

The best way to see which valve is which is to use the pictures in the manual. Since they are not labeled.in the trailer, any description is very likely to lead you down the wrong path.

The simple answer is that all the valves that are normally open get closed and the closed ones get opened.

Bob