Storage - covered or uncovered

[KariRich]

We are getting our new airstream in three weeks and while looking for storage down here we have found both uncovered, and covered storage areas.

The prices are way different, but the questions is, is leaving your airstream exposed to the Florida elements while it awaits us to go somewhere bad?

Also, how often does it need to be cleaned?

Thanks everyone!

[lsbrodsky]

Of course it is bad, UV is your enemy for all of the sealants and the clearcoat. You will have a longer life with less preventative maintenance with covered storage. Aside from the cost, the only downside is solar charging but you can remove the batteries or if you have AC, use a maintainer.
Larry

[mojo]

Besides being protected from the rain and sun, with covered storage you'll feel more secure with leaving your fantastic fan vents open. Which will be necessary for air circulation and keeping the humidity down on the inside.

[moosetags]

Covered storage is always preferable. Especially if your Airstream is going to spend most of its time in storage. If it is affordable for you, you should consider doing it.

Brian

[paiceman]

If we had an option we would always go covered, but we do not so she sits outside all year, either in storage or on the road.

[Mixter]

Covered! Covered! Covered! Unquestionably.

[switz]

The salt air will accelerate corrosion on both steel and aluminum. The moist air will generate mold. So a dehumidifier inside the trailer would be a big help with the mold issue. Spraying the appropriate chemicals around the wheels, jack stand and power cord earth contact areas will hep reduce insect infiltration.

[Morgan guy]

We bought our Airstream out of an estate. It appeared to have been left outside for an extended period of time. We did not notice the effect until about a year later when we discovered a soft spot under the dining table. After inspection we found water was coming in around the rear windows because the rubber seal had numerous cracks, apparently from constant exposure to the sun.

[KJRitchie]

Even if I had an SOB I would have covered storage. I keep mine in covered storage but its open. I have a site that is away from the afternoon sun and facing away from the southwest where most thunderstorms bearing hail seem to come from in our area. I have a leak in my rear window that I still haven't been able to find. Waiting for warmer weather to tackle. If it had been in uncovered storage it would be subject to more leaking.

Kelvin

[D Greene]

We also park under roof. One disadvantage with a new unit is it may take longer to discover a leak. If you have sunny weather when camping one could even be out of warranty. Maybe park it outside during some heavy rain just to be sure.

[Drathaar]

Originally Posted by lsbrodsky

Of course it is bad, UV is your enemy for all of the sealants and the clearcoat. You will have a longer life with less preventative maintenance with covered storage. Aside from the cost, the only downside is solar charging but you can remove the batteries or if you have AC, use a maintainer.
Larry

Yes on covered! Just disconnect the negative terminal on the battery to keep the parasitic load from discharging them.

[55AS]

Another vote for covered. I am fortunate that mine fits in the garage. I have 30 amp service there too.

[SeaLevel]

I am storing mine outside, so we'll see how that goes over time. I keep it clean and waxed, and it's not far away so I can keep an eye on it. It has been in very heavy rain, both camping and not camping, and there haven't been any leaks as far as I can tell. I figure they are meant to be outside, and some people are full-timing, which means those units are outside most if not all the time.

[Lumatic]

Originally Posted by switz

The salt air will accelerate corrosion on both steel and aluminum. .

If I had a choice between covered next to the ocean or uncovered away from the water I would take the later

[nvestysly]

+1 for covered if you can afford the cost. In our area there were very few options for covered storage. We found relatively level parking areas were hard to find too.

We opted for covered but it's nearly 50 miles from our house. We have two back-to-back spaces so we can leave the trailer and vehicle attached if we want and simply pull through. Many times our trip is in the same direction as the storage facility anyway so it doesn't seem out of the way. Occasionally we find ourselves backtracking but that's only 1 out of 5 times so it's not bad. When we make trips to the trailer for repairs/maintenance we combine that with other activities like shopping for something in the area or meeting up with friends to help justify our trip.

When Danielle and I were working it was relatively close to where we worked so the location made a little more sense at that time.

[Gneiss Guy]

If you leave it outside to discover any leaks, be sure it is close to home and you visit it often. We had our trailer in covered storage and had no problem finding it's leaks! When we took it on a trip and it rained, we found the leaks quickly. Stopping the leaks was another story entirely, eventually leading us to Jackson Center! We drive 35 miles to keep our new trailer in covered, conditioned space. We think it is worth it.

Richard

[B00merang]

hmmmm....putting the covered storage before the AS....I would say get comfortable with the responses and practice you'll get from your follow-up post, THEN (slowly) approach and back into the covered storage facilities you're being advised about here. jon

[Jack46]

Definitely covered. We have only overhead shelter so I keep the tires covered as well.

[Sbb]

We have had some intense rain here. Sometimes I go inside during storms and watch and listen, looking for leaks. I am not covers, but wheels off ground and covered, we plug in one week, off the next, everything out for the winter and stash about a hundred dryer sheets all over.

The trailer is washed and waxed twice a year. I use a product called glare. We have Bambi, not too big to do, love to watch the rain bead after a waxing.

[PKI]

Option A.....rip out the shrubs, reconfigure the fence, and build a driveway to store the trailer beside the house.
Option B.....pay a monthly fee and store the trailer in a warehouse where they wash it and have it on 24/7 video coverage.
Answer.......covered storage.......might be a different outcome if we could build an RV garage on our property. Pat