I was talking w/ a seller recently who is a pilot. He stated that even tho a MH, like a plane, is built to sit outside, he believed they should be stored inside and plugged in at all times. ie, he would not own a MH that could not be treated as such. I understand the basics of this, but I've wondered since that conversation whether many of you see that as necessary, or simply the ideal when practical? Of course, climate, (I live in atlanta), and how often it gets 'exercised', (if I were not FT), are significant to the equation. But I'm curious as to how some of you view this? thanks,

If everyone felt this way, there would be very few motorhomes or travel trailers. The vast majority of homes here in America don't have the room for a motorhome garage. A garage capable of housing a motorhome would often cost more than the MH itself. It would be ideal if they could all be garaged, but I would have no problem buying one that wasn't.

I absolutely agree. Plus, the low cost of a metal building that you can put up yourself makes it an easy way to protect a large investment, not to say anything about making it easier to work on. Unfortunately, many home owner associations and even towns, have restrictions on what you can build on your own land, when you can build it, where you can build it, how you can build it, etc, etc, etc. And some lots just aren't big enough. First thing we did when we moved to our daughters farm in Tennessee was to build a 40' X 35' building with a cement floor. Total cost, less than $10000. It's Tere's 'Girl Cave'.

And we store airplanes at Davis Monthan in Nevada why? (And return them o flight as needed). IMHO we should drive them at least once a month (40-50 miles or 45 minutes) to keep everything working and lubricated. I do keep it plugged in - thus my earlier post on boiling out the batteries. My neighbors (nice SOB) bring theirs home on Saturdays to spit and polish for the same reason. We are both ready to launch our hurricane evacuation residences - at least I hope the IRS buys that.

Years ago when I was farming the U of ILLinois published much data related to cost of various agricultural activities etc. One line stood out to me, it was the value for inside storage, 2-3% of the equipment annually. Not all of that equipment would be motorized but, with the possible exception of tractors, it is seasonal equipment used extensively when in season and left idle for most of its useful life.

It stands to reason that a properly stored, indoor kept, RV will last longer than an outdoor kept RV in terms of things that the elements will break down. Namely, paint, rubber, plastic, fabric, sealants, of which there are many on a coach. On the other hand, it isn't always cheap to throw up a large building as some parts of the country have hefty taxes for such. I think it then ends up a very specific analysis that weights the climate, value of the RV, cost of a building, desired length of ownership and ability to maintain cheaply. Some people, for instance, just trade up to a new one every 5 or 6 years. A little hard to do with a Barth. Others are very handy and will replace items that are showing age in proper time so a few more years of service may not be that cost effective.

There are other considerations that may not be as obvious. In the Northeast, for instance, we were plagued with roof cave-ins during severe snow in unattended out buildings. Another problem was always excessive humidity as uninsulated steel buildings heat up and cool down daily at a higher rate than conditioned buildings. Many boat people believe it is far better to store your boat outdoors with shrink-wrap than in an unconditioned building. I agree with that in general in the severe climates. Rodents can be a problem in older buildings too.

On my list the generic shelters would rank from ideal:
#1 Fully climate conditioned storage
#2 Open, shaded, roofed storage (like an RV-port)
#3 Large warehouse unconditioned, but insulated
#4 Just sitting outdoors, but well attended
#5 Inside a poorly conditioned shelter or Outside neglected (tied)

In all cases plugged in with a high end battery tender would be ideal.

Planes are a different animal in my view, they are required by law to have specific airworthiness and time dependent maintenance as well as costing more on average. For instance, I keep both my Gulfstream jets in fully conditioned hangars.........ha ha..........I don't really have two

quote:

On my list the generic shelters would rank from ideal:
#1 Fully climate conditioned storage
#2 Open, shaded, roofed storage (like an RV-port)
#3 Large warehouse unconditioned, but insulated
#4 Just sitting outdoors, but well attended
#5 Inside a poorly conditioned shelter or Outside neglected (tied)

I think I would rate 5 above 4, at least in sunny areas with heavy dew.

I'm not sure what "inside a poorly conditioned shelter" means and how it is different from an "open shaded roofed storage, but my two cents is that, depending on where you live, sun and dew can really be big enemies. The two combine when the sun hits the dew on sunny mornings. And, of course sun shining through the windows wrecks upholstery fabrics and varnish. And if you drop the shades, sun will eat them up.

I certainly agree that if possible, a MH should be driven monthly. Out to full operating temperatures and then back at least once a month.

quote:

I'm not sure what "inside a poorly conditioned shelter"

Bill,

I'm referring to more humid areas where temperature extremes cause moisture to condense onto and into the vehicle. The better ventilation of the open shelter allows it to dry out quickly whereas in say, an unheated barn, the moisture can coat the vehicle for hours. Unlike rain, which saturates the outside skin, condensate attaches itself to all components that don't quickly equalize to the changing temperature. Obviously, the metal components don't do well when covered in moisture for long periods.

It is also an advantage to keep air moving in the vehicle at all times. this can be done with a rain sensing fan or a vent cover that won't allow rain in.

In Chicago at the Museum of Science and Industry they have a WWII German submarine, the U-505. It used to be displayed outside but the weather took it's toll so now its in an underground climate controlled building.

Not even a submarine can survive Chicago weather.

quote:

Originally posted by Moonbeam-Express:

Bill,

I'm referring to more humid areas where temperature extremes cause moisture to condense onto and into the vehicle. The better ventilation of the open shelter allows it to dry out quickly whereas in say, an unheated barn, the moisture can coat the vehicle for hours. Unlike rain, which saturates the outside skin, condensate attaches itself to all components that don't quickly equalize to the changing temperature. Obviously, the metal components don't do well when covered in moisture for long periods.

OK, now I think I understand, and agree. Water bad. Sun bad. Sun and water double bad.

quote:

In Chicago at the Museum of Science and Industry they have a WWII German submarine, the U-505. It used to be displayed outside but the weather took it's toll so now its in an underground climate controlled building.

I was probably about 10 when we went through that. Still remember it clearly, and the video of it's capture. Can't remember what we had for dinner 2 nights ago, but that was an exciting tour.

Same for the Saturn V Rocket at the Johnson Space Center. The gov't (that would be us) built a giant metal building with a/c to stop the corrosion caused by sitting outside.

quote:

OK, now I think I understand, and agree. Water bad. Sun bad. Sun and water double bad.

Absolutely got it!

I did an accidental experiment in my car trailer a few days ago here in Florida. I used a hose to rinse out the sand and dirt on the floor and we had to leave so I shut it up. I came back an hour later and went to get something in the trailer and it was a sauna. The bikes were literally dripping in water. I opened the doors and in about ten minutes everything was as dry as a bone, but had I left it.....yuk! I also remember cold weather in my Barth with two dogs, two cats and three humans humidifying the interior. The windows were dripping wet and they were thermopane. The result over time peeled up the wallpaper around the window frames. I recall from doing experiments with O2 mask mics at my old place of employment that respiration is full of things like hydrochloric acid and salt, it's not just simple H2O.

quote:

Planes are a different animal

.......yeah! you can't pull over to the curb if you have a problem

I'll take the Barth traveling down the road over the Gulfsteam anyday. There is a one Barth I know of that is stored in an old limestone Quarry cave. I use the Barth at home as get away den (2 teen age boys).Having to keep a M.H. inside sorta falls in line with building a barn over the house so you don"t have to maintain the house roof. I would love to have an inside maintance shop for the Barth, but at this time I'll try to keep a good roof, and the gas gauge going from F-E back to F as I travel. Do try to get out at least once a month. It's not the destination it's the journey.