Bill N.Y. asked (Do you plan on keeping your Barth or selling it once you go back to Thailand?)

I haven't given enough thought what to do with the rig when I am out of the country.

I am buying a rig to use as my condo/apartment in the USA for 3 or 4 months a year over the next 5 to 10 years. That is becoming long term planing anymore.

It just occurred to me that I need to store the unit some place and to maintain it while I am gone. I don't want to buy new batteries each year, for example.

My plan, actually no plan at all, was to find a place to store the unit when I was going back to Thailand. Not important where I would store it as long as it was near an airport for me to leave from.

So I could buy it in Florida, wind up in Texas a few months later, store it and just remember where I left it when I want to come back.

However I have not researched places to store units, and I would assume that having some shore power to keep the electronics in shape would be necessary.

Anybody know of a directory of storage places to keep rigs, or have some experience with storage yards.

I would want to keep a unit in a moderate climate that tended to be dry. I have had units in Michigan which was really cold and harsh on units. Also kept a unit in Seattle and mould and mildew was a problem with the humidity.

Also any guess as to how much it will cost to store a unit? $100-$200 per month plus electricty?

Tom Loughney

For outside storage I'm gonna say a lot of our guys would opt for Arizona. The Air Force storage facility in the desert has hundreds,[thousands?] of planes that have been there for a long time. Florida is very humid and without near constant care you'll have mildew problems. Any place that freezes hosts a whole nuther batch of problems. Inside climate-control is ideal, but it's going to cost a bunch.
I know I didn't answer the question, but somebody out west will surely give you more advice.

The ideal for outside storage would be a place with moderate temperatures & low humidity. Hot places in AZ & So. Cal. are hell on rubber & plastic components, as well as paint. Cold is less damaging than heat, provided a unit is properly winterized, & there is some means of controlling condensation that will result from temperature changes even in dry climates.

I've had good success in keeping boat & RV interiors sweet in Western Washington winters using "Dri-zair, as long as there was adequate ventilation, & no rain leaks. For the last ten of our boating years, we were spending 4 to 6 months down South in the winter, with the boat moored, or dry stored with no major problems.

You can get along without power with proper planning & preparation, though it's handier to have it. There are electrical heaters designed specifically for moisture control, though I'm partial to the "Dri-zair." It absorbs moisture, but needs to be replenished at least once a season.

Locally, dry storage for RVs without power, runs $15 to $45 a month. I paid $30 for a locked storage yard with gravel surface. I have no experience with covered storage, or places with power available. I'm sure that the closer you get to a metropolitan area (read near a major airport) the prices would be exponentially higher.

Had a 14x40' unit in Lake Havasu City for a couple of years, cost was $165 a month. Moved everything to Yuma, same sized unit, cost is $196 a month. Gated entry, alarmed doors, sprinkler system and electric all part of the deal.

I have had my unit in storage now in Lake Havasu for 14 months now. I am on my way back and wondering what problems I may face. I have new batteries that were full and disconnected. I used foil in the windows and took anything that could melt or burst out of the rig.

I hope to connect the batteries, fill the fridge and take off within a few minutes of getting there, or not!

Any filters to check, oil change just before storage.

Tom

Check and charge the batteries first. Check tire pressure and all fluids (even the diffy).

It may sound odd, but check with boatyards when you decide on a location. They are very adept at preparing and maintaining during dormant periods. The boatyard I ran years ago removed all stored boat batteries, labeled them and kept them in large trick charge units until needed. Winterizing a boat and a RV are very similar.

We keep ours in Phoenix in a covered area. Disconnect all batteries, turn off all propane, cover all windows & tires, leave a couple of jugs of water open in the sink, baking soda in fridge with doors blocked open and all water blown out.
Cost is a little less than $150/mon. Area is paved and video surveillance. Olroy may be have a point that further north works as well but for us we want to fly and be there--- without 1000+ miles of various types of potentially adverse weather and then back again.
We had checked in Palm Springs as well but prices seemed to be higher for whatever reason.

Regards Bud

quote:

leave a couple of jugs of water open in the sink

Why?

So your woodwork won't crack due to low humidity and high heat in AZ.

As "Shadow Man" says the jugs are left for humidity. I was surprized that they weren't that empty after a summer in Phoenix--- but the advice was to use them. May compare leaving a jug vs an open pot-- the jug might have too limited of opening to provide the moisture.


Regards Bud

some people use an open 5 gallon pail, some use a 5 gallon pail with a lid with some holes poked in it. Some use more than one, some use smaller containers. It all depends on the size of the area....rv, rooms in a house, or storage shed, etc.

I know they make humidifiers and I know they make dehumidifiers, does anyone know if they make a combo unit? As a cigar smoker, I have seen small electronic humidifiers that could be just the ticket for dry areas.