In preparation for the winter...

miatared · 08-30-2010, 09:03 PM

I just bought an Adco SFS Aquashed cover and tire covers for my new Shamrock 19.

Got a few questions:

1- I need to remove the radio antenna, is it a big or easy job ? only 5 months old, it's already rusted in the spring area. Going to see if I could get a no-rust replacement.

2. Should I leave the bathroom fan cracked open (I also a FanMate cover on it) to provide some ventilation ?

3. Is it best to raise the trailer so that the tires do not touch the ground ? or is inflating to 125% (as I read in many posts) sufficient ?

Thanks

NWJeeper · 08-30-2010, 09:10 PM

Don't know about the antenna on yours but ours has a "ball" type of thing at the base that allows it to be swept back, it's held with a single screw through it, remove the screw and I can remove the entire whip.

The absolute best thing anyone can do for an RV in the winter is keep a little heat inside. If it's a small trailer a single 100W light bulb inside a coffee can hung from the ceiling works fine. We used to do this with an airplane we once owned.

We keep a space heater going in our motorhome and set the thermostat to 50. Cold and moisture are real hard on RVs and one begets the other. Just think of how your house would fare if you left it for several months with the heat off.

The other thing I have heard some do is use a Dry-Z-Air Desicant dryer.

RANGERBOB · 08-30-2010, 10:01 PM

I totally rebuilt my barn. It was a pole barn so I demolished one half and rebuilt it higher and wider. I took most of the fall and almost killed this old man. What we won't do for our motorhomes?

cardinal4fun · 08-31-2010, 04:48 AM

2) If I understand correctly you are covering the unit for the winter? If this is true I would leave the vent open like you planned. I also would provide some heat, with the cover you will get little or no air movement.

3) Raise the tires up on wood, plastic etc. and leave the pressure where it should be.

DAISY BOYKIN · 08-31-2010, 06:16 AM

Before you put the cover on for the winter, make sure you pad the am/fm antenna base even if you just lay it down. prevents from rubbung a hole in your new cover.

Sid HRH-Daisy

miatared · 08-31-2010, 06:50 PM

Unfortunately - no power is available where I store for the winter - and temperatures can dip well below 0F, could hit -20-25F easy.

The battery will be in my garage on a tickle charge.

NWJeeper · 08-31-2010, 07:01 PM

Be forewarned that with temperatures that cold you may very well open it up to find split linoleum. It has happened to several here in the past storing in those temps. Linoleum just wasn't made to be left in those cold temperatures. Also know that warranty will more than likely not cover it if it does split. I would find a place to store it that has electricity. Will save you lots of money, tears and hassle in the long run.

revrnd · 08-31-2010, 08:35 PM

Denis, my '09 Rockwood has been subjected to 2 winters here in Peterborough County w/o any heat, no issues w/ the linoleum yet.

I just took the battery out & put in on a battery minder. In the trailer I put some fabric softener sheets, a pie plate of Warfarin & a plate of charcoal (as per my brother's suggestions).

Kris

NWJeeper · 08-31-2010, 08:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by revrnd

I just took the battery out & put in on a battery minder. In the trailer I put some fabric softener sheets, a pie plate of Warfarin & a plate of charcoal (as per my brother's suggestions).

Kris

Umm, eleaborate on the Warfarin and charcoal? What is it supposed to do? You got my curiosity up now.

Miatared: Do a search for Linoleum and you will more than likely find the posts by the others that have had theirs crack. Seems to me they were all from Canada and in areas where the temps drop well below freezing. One guy actually hinted it was a just a case of another American company trying to rip of Canadians.

revrnd · 08-31-2010, 09:13 PM

IIRC, the Warfarin is to kill any critters & the charcoal is supposed to absorb moisture.

I think the Canucks that have had flooring issues are from Alberta, where the winters are lot more severe than those in southern Ontario. Mind you if you talk to the residents, our winters aren't far removed from those in the midst of Siberia.

miatared · 08-31-2010, 09:17 PM

My guess: the Warfarin in mice poison, the charcoal is to neutralize the scent of putrified mice.... ouch!

I will take my chances on the linoleum, I do not have any other options for storage.

miatared · 08-31-2010, 09:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by revrnd

... a pie plate of Warfarin & a plate of charcoal (as per my brother's suggestions).

Kris

Kris did you ever see guests at your pie plate or any evidence of party crashers...?

revrnd · 08-31-2010, 09:30 PM

No sign of any "bodies" & I had most of the removal panels out for 1 reason or another this summer. I just sealed up a gap on the LH side where the wall, floor & wheelwell meat. I was insulating the water pump from the floor & could see light coming in. Got some spray insulation to fill it in.

NWJeeper · 08-31-2010, 09:49 PM

I looked up "Warfarin" and found it's a blood medication, Scarry they are prescribing rat poison to humans for blood clot problems

I had heard the dryer sheet thing before but to tell the truth it's just an internet myth. Our friends had a really bad mouse problem in their motorhome so they tried the dryer sheet idea, low and behold they ended up with fluffy, fresh cotton smelling mice! Yeah, the mice had taken the dryer sheets for their nests. He found them all ripped up under the cabinets. Don't count on dryer sheets to keep mice away. I think the Warfarin is a better plan (or Decon and traps).

We would let our dachshunds loose on them if I thought they wouldn't absolutely tear the RV apart trying to get to the mice.

dirttracker18 · 08-31-2010, 09:50 PM

Just chiming in from Northern Ontario to say that we do not have issues with the linoleum. Our winters are colder then in Alberta (have friends that moved there) and over then a select few you can afford indoor heated storage 90% of people store outdoors with no heat.
If I had a new unit and the floor cracked in the winter I can tell you that they would be fixing it under warranty.
Unless you have moisture in your trailer or motorhome (read some kind of leak) I would think that you should not have any floor issues.
Just my $0.02 from a northerner.

NWJeeper · 08-31-2010, 10:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dirttracker18

If I had a new unit and the floor cracked in the winter I can tell you that they would be fixing it under warranty.

Just so you know, many have tried and have been told no. The problem comes from the fact that Linoleum in RVs is very rarely ever glued down. It is layed out and then the cabinets are installed on top of it, that is what keeps it down. Since the flooring is not glued down it ends up splitting quite easily in extreme cold. Like I said, there have been many come here and complain about spliting Linoleum and none of them have been sucessful at getting their floors replaced under warranty that I can remember.

2Susan · 08-31-2010, 11:39 PM

quick internet search revealed that the coldest winter temps recorded a few miles from here in Alberta were: −40.6 °C (−41.1 °F)
So YIKES! I feel for those folks in Ontario if it's truly colder there. Either way it's FREEZING. Makes me more interested in building a structure (with heat) for the motorhome. Running an electric heater all winter seems like a mighty expensive way to take off the chill.

starburst2 · 11-21-2010, 09:04 PM

The dealer from whom I bought my 2010 GT 350ts had ordered vinyl floor covering from the bedroom up to the cockpit. The flooring had split either from the Alberta winter or the Indiana winter temps. I insisted the vinyl be replaced as a condition of sale and I wanted an upgrade in quality as well. The floor covering guy they used said exactly what NW Jeeper said, that the problem stemmed almost totally from the cheap install practice whereby only the outside perimeter is glued and the rest is not and just floats on the subfloor. He said if you want your RV vinyl to last you must glue the entire floor. Of course it costs more so you won't get it that way from the factory. I believe the dealer was successful in getting FR to through in a few bucks toward replacing the eqivalent of factory quality vinyl. The quote for the cushioned flooring we wanted, including the cost to tear out the old, float the floor and install fully glued cushioned flooring was over $3000 bucks. It was more than carpeting the whole rig. The finished product is fantastic and compares to the flooring in higher end coach. My wife loves it. I had to sign a waiver that FR was in no way responsible for the flooring that had been installed even though new. That was fine with me as I would have torn their crap out anyway, even if they had replaced it with new factory quality. It was s##t but apparently that is what you pay for.
Also, the dealer reiterated what Jeeper said about the reluctance if not refusal of FR to stand behind their vinyl if the splitting is deemed to have been caused by winter temperatures. I don't know if they can do that but they initally take that position. Even if they do stand behind it for a year; owing to the the installation technique it will crack again the next season so you may as well bite the bullet and do it right the first time rather than argue.
Lloyd

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