Due to family medical issues we cannot use our class c MH much this year. I have been driving it once a week and running the generator 1x month under load of the a/c. Any other things I should be doing?
If you have slide, maybe let it out and in every so often. Maybe do same with awning. Not sure if really needed but just seems like a reasonable thing to do
Check battery fluid levels and assure that they are being kept charged to 13+ volts as read at the battery terminals.Run roof and dash AC to keep bearings and seals healthy.
This is what I'd look at, and some of it was repeated above:
1: Winterization. In New York State, I'd drain the tanks and go with the pink stuff (RV antifreeze that is non toxic.) Only water I'd leave in a tank is a little bit in the black tank so the remnant solids do not turn to stone. It can't hurt to add a bit of antifreeze there as well.
2: Rodent intrusion. There are plenty of postings on this. Peppermint oil and dryer cloths do not work. Best protection is using stainless steel wool and spray foam insulation and sealing up all gaps. Inside, it can't hurt to lay out traps, however, I would not use any traps if one has a pet. Baits work, but can affect non-pest animals (the cat eating a poisoned mouse will get a vitamin D overdose for example.)
3: You are doing right with the generator. I'd also consider finding a source for ethanol-free gas, filling your rig up, and then using Sta-Bil or another fuel preserver. The reason why one wants to keep the tank full is to minimize the loss of the lighter petroleum elements that fuel stabilizers can't stop. Don't forget to run the stabilized gas through the generator for a bit. This will help keep varnish out of the carb. There are also controllers you can buy for Onan generators that can turn the generator on for you, run it for a few hours, then turn off. They also will turn on if the house batteries are getting low.
4: Depending on neighborhood, I'd take TVs off brackets and put them on a towel in a drawer. Same with unloading all exterior compartments and storing them latched but unlocked, with a sign stating this. This way, there is a good chance thieves won't trash the compartment doors, and if they break into the coach area, you are just out the TVs, and not have to deal with bracket repairs. This varies on neighborhood. If the area is not great, one might leave a jewelry box with some costume pieces in it, so the tweakers come away with something they think is valuable, which will make it less likely they will decorate some windows with bricks out of spite.
5: Humidity is an enemy. If you have shore power to the rig, it can't hurt to have a dehumidifier and empty it periodically. If no power, then get a few five gallon buckets, and put Damp-Rid containers in them. The buckets will keep the corrosive stuff from getting out if the container spills.
6: Wheels. Driving it every week or so is very wise -- it keeps the tires from getting flat spots or dry rotting.
7: Refrigerator. I'd consider running it on propane every so often just to ensure the flue works, and that no spiders try to make it their home. I also like adding screening to the vents to keep mud daubers at bay. I do this on the furnace and water heater as well. Wasp nests are bad news.
8: A/C. It can't hurt to have the coils sprayed off and the inside filter cleaned/changed. Plus, it is good to run it for an hour or two every so often to make sure the compressor works during this warm weather.
9: Test MH subsystems. For example, the jacks. Slides can't hurt to be run out and in either. Appliances as well.
10: As stated above -- batteries. Depending on the MH's converter, it might be a single state that can boil the house batteries dry, or a multi-stage which can trickle charge. If the house batteries have a cutoff switch, when not using them, I'd consider cutting the power and hooking them up to a Battery Minder which can trickle charge and desulphate them.
The answer you got from mils22 was good, but as a marine specialist in the Great Lakes region, I would like to advise some other care.
For the engine and generator. Do what we do when putting an owner's boat to bed for a long time usually at least one (sometimes more) Michigan winters. Fog both the engine and generator and do not restart them until you need to. This is not the best thing for O2 sensors and catalysts, but it is far and away the best thing for the engines. Put fuel stabilizer in the tank, drain and fill with new oil (old oil can go acid), run until warm and pour fogging oil in the intake. If you kill it with the oil, so much the better. Now leave it alone. This is much better for engines that the occasional run. Never run and engine that it does not get to full operating temperature and avoid idling as that is never good for an engine.
From storing my classic cars, I learned the best thing for tires is to block the vehicle up so they are unloaded and deflate them. Now cover them with something UV proof if it is outdoors. They will still be subject to age-out, but that is what we are all stuck with.
Since you already winterized it, your remaining worries are bugs (they love vents), critters they can get anywhere and they like dry places - food will bring them in right away, and leaks. You can't chase leaks away, so going to visit your coach regularly is still a good idea. Cheap blue plastic tarps are good for about one winter.
If you do not have shore power available get two battery maintainers unless you have a good three stage converter/charger. You will probably still need one for the chassis battery. These should work even if the batteries are still connected. If you do not have shore power, get two small cheap solar panels that are made for this. You will probably have to disconnect the batteries.
Good Luck Guy and I hope your estimate of a year is wrong by half.
Matt
Matt & Mary Colie
A sailor, his bride and their black dog going to see some dry places that have Geocaches in a coach made the year we married.
What you are doing sounds reasonable and good. Hope all the health issues get better!
4 whopping cylinders on Toyota RV's. Talk about great getting good MPG. Also I have a very light foot on the pedal. I followed some MPG advice on Livingpress.com and I now get 22 MPG! Not bad for a home on wheels.
RF 09, Wife's breast cancer surgery, chemo, radiation, rehab and concurrent home remodel, etc., caused us to suspend motorhoming and camping since 2006. Last year we had the fridge and roof A/C die unexpectedly and had them replaced for some $2400. I recently took the Tioga to a Ford dealer's RV department, told them about the long down time and asked them to change oil and filters, gas filter, flush brake system and coooling system and change fluid, and do whatever else they thought was needed after the long spell of not being driven. The bill was $384 including changing generator oil and servicing carb. After that, I had the mixture of 9 and 4 1/2 year old Michelin tires inspected and all six replaced because of sidewall cracks, for some $1500 dollars, got $70 dollar rebate, The last couple of weeks I replaced the squawking LP gas leak detector, installed a replacement Winegard batwing TV antenna with Wingman and bought a bunch of accessories and supplies from CW and wife and I are about to start out on a 3 week+ leisurely camping tour up the coast with our two border collies. In our 70's, the getting ready has been exhausting, but we are really anxious to get "on the road again". It probably would have helped preserve tires by driving frequently and parking on plywood, keeping tires covered, etc. Wife figures the trip up the left coast will cost about $8K, but it should be well worth it. It sounds like you will be taking better care preventive care of your rig than I did. Wish you the best of outcomes and happy resumption of RV'ing in the not too distant future.
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