I need to put the motorhome in storage for a few months while I try and sell the house. The storage unit has power via 120. Can I get a 50 to 15 dogbone to keep my house batteries charged? I'll be turning off the fridge while it's in storage.
Mike
While 15 male to 50 female adapters are made, most use two: 15 to 30 and 30 to 50.
Be sure to add a BIOCIDE such as BiobarJF to the diesel and completely fill the fuel tank to minimize condensation.
yes on all of that - you may need 50 to 30 and then 30 to 15 (common 110V) adapters
camping world, gander, any RV store or Amazon will have - yes your batteries will be UP IF you have a trik-l-start or similar on the unit or if you keep boost switch on (I am not fond of this solution but OK for shorter periods
I'll top off the tank and add BIOCIDE. I'll dump the grey/black, but do I need to empty the fresh? Also, do I turn off the inverter?
Mike
I prefer to leave the tanks full rather than empty. I don't know how others feel about that.
I like to leave the fresh full. If it is more than a couple weeks then I drain it and water the yard. Add a bit of bleach (2 tbsp) and refill before we go.
Fuel full with biocide.
Waste tanks empty.
I just ordered Biocide and found they have 30 amp at the storage site. So already have the 30 amp dogbone. I'll go over on the 1st and turn on the generator and aquahot.
Mike
As far as inverter on/off, read your inverter/charger owners manual. On most leaving it OFF is correct in that it will continue to charge the batteries BUT if power goes off, it will not draw down the batteries as they do use power even in "standby mode".
And, do make arrangements (several good solutions) to keep the chassis batteries charged.
If not already mentioned leave diesel as full as possible, add biocide and drive a bit to get it throughout system, although tank is where it really grows if water accumulates due to condensation in tank
Won't get it till next week. I guess I'll have to go and locate some before I leave on Friday. I found some at O'Reilly's. It's Power service Bio Clean.
Mike
I'm going to take my battery tender with me and hook it up to them. Do I put positive on one battery and then negative on the other? I have 3 optima batteries.
Yes, connect positive to the lug with cable going to coach and the negative to the battery on the other end (that should be connected to chassis ground).
You want the electrons to flow through all batteries.
Add some fresh water with fabric softner to the holding tanks. IMHO empty they will dry the sediment and maybe shrink a bit .
Also make sure that the coach has good ventilation. Keep the fantastic fan open at least. Take out all food products to keep the critters out and leave cupboard doors, fridge and draws slightly open. Turn off propane at the tank. Turn off salesman switch at the door. If there is any chance of freezing remove all items likely to freeze. Put a couple of tennis balls under the wiper arms to releave pressure on the wiper blades. Put some repellant such as peppermint oil in the bays and inside to deter rodents.
Keith
OR, if storing in a humid area, I highly recommend a small house-type dehumidifier (30 pint). Let it drain into the gray tank. Set it at 50% humidity. Do this on all our RV's and sailboats.
Totally prevents that musty smell.
Do check the trickl charger after installation. I had one fail. Green light on. No power. Killed three optima's
I always put about 5 gallons with the deodorizer in the black tank after emptying. I'll put some fabric softener in the grey tank.
What's the fabric softener in the gray tank for?
Remove all food products from your rig and leave your fridge doors ajar. Use twine or a rope to ensure the fridge doors remain open. Don't use a block or stick as these will deform your fridge door seal. If your rig is stored inside do not leave the auto gen start switch on. Under kitchen sink water filter? I'd remove it and store it in you air conditioned house. Leaving a fantastic vent open partially is ok if parked inside, otherwise a wind storm will remove it and leave you with a dirty mess. Had this happen to me while our 5W was stored outside in Las Vegas and the vent cover was shut!! Empty the gray and black tanks. If you fill your fresh water tank I would add some bleach to extend the shelf life of the water. In any case if you leave the rig in storage for an extended period, you will want to sanitize the fresh water system just to be safe. Stay safe, wash you hands.
David