Need Help Storing New Camper!

[Edub]

Fellas, now that hunting has wound down for me its time to winterize and store my new camper we bought this summer. This is my first camper, its brand new and i want to keep it that way.

Do any of you guys have ideas/suggestions for how to keep rodents out of it while its being stored? This is my biggest fear is that something will get in it (mice) and tear it up over the winter.

I have heard moth balls work but they smell so damn bad, I'd rather not use them if I don't have to.

Any advice would be appreciated, would also like to hear your thoughts on tarping it as well.

Thanks in advance!

 

[sra61]

We have a little fitting that we attach to the water inlet and blow the water out of all of the lines first thing. I would suggest you leave some rat poison in there just in case. We have never had a problem with rodents in the off season. Make sure there's no food and it should be good.

 

[Tim McCoy]

I like the adhesive traps. A dab of peanut butter in the middle, mice stay put and do not run off to die.

 

[Gr8bawana]

Like was said earlier make sure water lines are drained. Make sure there are no crumbs of food for mice to find. I also prefer the glue traps over the poison because when they eat the poison they will die in the most inaccessable place in your camper. You can imagime the smell.
If it's a trailer with tires cover them up to protect them from the sun. Better yet if you can take the tires off and store them inside so they are not sitting there with the weight on them.

 

[Edub]

Awesome advice guys, thank you!

 

[Colorado Cowboy]

Another thing I do is leave the refer door open so it doesn't grow any mold. If it really gets cold, buy some RV antifreeze (WalMart has it) and pour it in the sink and shower P traps. Thoroughly flush & drain any holding tanks and add a slight amount of the anti freeze to them also.

 

[WapitiBob]

I used to blow out lines, now I use antifreeze. At the minimum, hook the pump inlet to an antifreeze jug to get some inside the pump.

 

[RICMIC]

Some people spread dryer sheets around inside the cupboards. They may not have any effect on the mice, but even if they don't, they smell nice.

 

[87TT]

If you go to the antifreeze, make sure you get a water heater bypass installed. I like the antifreeze because if you don't get "all" the water out, it can freeze in the faucets and break them. Most are plastic and break easy. Also if it gets cold enough, the pump itself can freeze. With my 32' class A MH, I only use a gallon every time I winterize. The traps are covered by the antifreeze also because you run the water until you see the pink antifreeze.

 

[WapitiBob]

You might just be able to get a 12-24 inch long faucet water line and a cpl female adapters and bypass the water heater yourself. Downside to antifreeze is it makes the water taste like crap. My camper is mid 80's so maybe the new water lines are better at not taking on the taste.

 

[87TT]

Never noticed the taste. Camping world had a kit for the water heater, it's slick. Has a threeway valve. one way bypass the other water heater.

 

[buckbull]

my camper came with a bypass already installed for the water heater. The main thing to do is drain all water out of the camper, assuming it freezes where you are located. First thing I do is drain the hot water tank and then shut off the intake and outtake. I then fill the fresh water tank with a couple gallons of RV antifreeze. Turn the pump on. I usually start with the kitchen sink since it is furthest from the fresh water tank and pump. Run sink until you see Antifreeze. Make your way back to the tank doing the shower, sink and toilet. A few years ago I thought I would use compressed air and just blow the lines out. I didn't get all the water out and had a water line break during the winter, so now I always use the anitfreeze and have no issues.

I have a horrible problem with mice, so I try to do everything I can. I put dryer sheets in all the drawers and cabinets, and place poison inside and out of the trailer.

 

[87TT]

I have a port between a shut off valve on the fresh water tank and the pump. I turn off the valve on the tank and drain it. I then attach a short hose on the port and stick it in a gallon bottle of antifreeze and turn on the pump. It sucks the antifreeze out of the bottle and then the tank never gets antifreeze in it and it uses less antifreeze. I use the same system of starting at the furthest faucet from the pump. Takes a gallon to do it all. The dealer installed the port on the RV but I did it on my last one. Once again they have a valve that feeds the pump. One way the water tank the other way the antifreeze jug.