Winterizing/Storing TTT

[JenniferandPups]

Yes it's early, but due to grad school class load while working full time we are not going to get out again until spring. This is our first year with our tiny travel trailer, and we need to protect it.

It's not in the best of shape; there are leaks around the skylight and possibly some around the back edges (the standard places). We want to keep these from getting WORSE if possible, so we can rip it apart and rebuild it and retain as much as possible.

It is too big (tall) to fit in our tiny old garage, so it must remain outside. It will be under a tree.

How should I protect the exterior? Tarp? No Tarp? There is not really room for a standing shelter/awning, in part due to the tree. I am willing and able to brush snow off of whatever cover we use.

What does everyone else do to winterize? Thanks!

[ajricher]

Tell you what I did for years with my tent camper and will do with my TTT now.

1. if you can find a place to store them indoors remove all soft goods (mattress, cushions and the like). This way if Mr. Mouse does get in there's little for him to nest with with just hard surfaces.

2. Depressurize and blow out any liquid lines you might have - this way nothing freezes and breaks over the Winter.

3. Don't store anything resembling food or paper in the trailer if you can - see Mr. Mouse above. Anything liquid (drinks and such) should come out as well - this way they don't freeze/burst.

4. A doubled over large tarpaulin, tied firmly down, is a great cover. What makes it past the first layer if anything will be stopped by the second. I don't personally space the tarp off the surface but some do - go with what works for you.

5. Disconnect and remove the deep-cycle battery and put on a trickle charger in the garage. This way it doesn't discharge, freeze and make a nasty mess when it cracks.

This is all I can think of off-hand - I'm sure someone will bew along soon to add to the list.

Alan

[JenniferandPups]

Ah, mice. Just killed four of them in my house.
Do you think the cushions are better off in the trailer, or in the (unheated, detatched) garage? No room in the 800 sf house for 4 huge cushions backed in plywood! (I store sleeping bags, etc in tupperwares in the garage... but no tupperware is big enough for these cushions!)

No battery, plumbing already disconnected and drained (plus it's gravity feed, so no lines really)... sounds like we are almost good to go! Just need to buy a tarp...

Question on tarp... should it go all the way to the bottom on all sides, or basically just cover the windows?

[ajricher]

Mice...I hate them....

If it's a choice between the open-ish garage and the closed-ish TTT I'd leave them in place and lace the trailer liberally with rat poison. This way hopefully they will eat and die before they make a mess.

Mothballs aren't a bad idea either - if the smell helps to dissuade them so much the better.

Personally I tarp down all the way so the water will run off the tarp and no off the skin of the item in question. It's worked that way or me, but no guarantee that it's the best way.

Oh, yes - a dehumidifying canister (Damp-Rid or the like) will certainly help, especially if you an get to it to check for a need for emptying.

ALan

[JenniferandPups]

Ooo.. thanks for the reminder of the damprid! I was thinking of getting some, just to make sure!

I'll put some traps and mothballs in... no rat poison, as I have dogs. Don't want even a possibility that a mouse could eat it, crawl out into my yard and die! My dogs would eat it in a heartbeat. We finally found some effective mouse traps, though... we haven't had one debaited yet! Of course, I'll have to go empty them...

[b.bodemer]

I opted for a breathable weather resistant cover:
camper cover clicky

Then I purchased a silver heavy duty tarp from HF just large enough for the roof and some overlapping on the sides.

I had no damage at all over a tough Cleveland Ohio winter. I wanted to make sure it was covered well enough until it got it's new roof.

I did use two big tubs of Damp Rid, left no curtains or cushions in camper, left dryer sheets in all cabinets and throughout camper(helps with mice).

This year I have a new roof and I'm also lucky enough to have found heated indoor storage for Nov-April for a very resonable price.
Barb

[Carter]

Think about sealing any area that might leak with something like a butyl caulk. A product you can easily remove later unlike silicone. Stop the water infiltration and do what you need to about mice. I've stored mine outside for years without a rodent problem. Only way to get in is to chew through a 3/4" plywood floor while hanging on steel with their tiny little nails. They haven't been that ambitious yet.
Jim

[JenniferandPups]

I opted for a breathable weather resistant cover:
camper cover clicky

Then I purchased a silver heavy duty tarp from HF just large enough for the roof and some overlapping on the sides.

That looks like a good idea... looks like the right size, and the price sure isn't bad.

Think about sealing any area that might leak with something like a butyl caulk. A product you can easily remove later unlike silicone.

Hmm... didn't know that was an option! I've seen so many people rail about people caulking up trailers instead of doing a real fix that it didn't occur to me to us TEMPORARY caulk. I think I actually have a couple tubes of this lying around from when I needed to temporarily caulk my house windows last year.

[doug hodder]

Like previously mentioned get a good tarp. I don't think I'd use one of those cheap blue ones....they are notorious leakers and are cheap for a reason. I'd also get out and clean off the snow that piles up on it. Watch any loose ends on the tarp or hooks from bungie cords and knots in rope. the wind will work them over the finish in the winter, and a sharp hook will really gouge the aluminum. But then it's never windy in No. Colo right? If the windows aren't sealed really well, you also might want to bag the cushions from any winter wind storm dust.

If you don't plan on moving it all winter...maybe put it up on some jacks so that the wheels don't sit and flat spot over the winter. I'd also cover the wheels from UV, maybe a piece of plywood especially if they are in good shape. I can't remember if you got new rubber on it or not. You gotta remember, you live at a higher altitude and will have more UV than a lot of us. Maybe it's overkill....but I lived there for 30 years and it's all stuff I learned the hard way.

PS...I think I'd at least do the vent seal prior to winter.

Doug

[JenniferandPups]

But then it's never windy in No. Colo right?
Doug

Windy? In Colorado? Never...

The trailer will be in a VERY sheltered spot, though, with a garage on the west side, a garage on the North Side, and a House and Fence on the east side. Even in winter, not too much wind OR sun gets into this area. Good place for a trailer. Big tree overhead, too... (both good and bad).

Thanks for the very detailed advice on how to keep it protected... it will help a BUNCH! I didn't throw down a couple hundred bucks to let it disintegrate on me over the winter.
I unexpectadly have next Thursday COMPLETELY off of work... might be a good time to deal with that vent. The tires are good, no idea how old. Don't seem to be cracked or faded at all... will prop something up to keep them nice! I've been meaning to pick up some more jack stands... would those work long term (like over a winter) to keep it off the tires? Don't think we'll try to take it out before Spring Break at the earliest! (no heater).

Like previously mentioned get a good tarp. I don't think I'd use one of those cheap blue ones....they are notorious leakers and are cheap for a reason. I'd also get out and clean off the snow that piles up on it.

I'm a total newbie on tarps... does this rule out the cheap Harbor Freight ones? (I'm guessing "yes"). Where might I get a GOOD tarp?

[doug hodder]

I've found better ones at HD and Lowes. Heavier grommet supports and a thicker mil on the plastic, tighter weave too I think. Doug

[Arne]

put a bucket of damp rid inside and you should not have to remove anything. I don't see how a mouse could get inside a t/d or TTT unless there are access holes. I've never had a mouse problem, stored inside or outside.

Close doors and windows and vent tight.

http://www.damprid.com/

[48Rob]

It seems to me that if we as old trailer hobbiests are willing to spend so much time, money, and effort in fixing these trailer up, we should also be willing to spend a little money to either have the repairs made so weather isn't an issue, or pay to put the trailer in a dry garage until time can be found...
The old trailer hobby is expensive, just part of the game.

With that said, the following may be of some use.

I'm not a fan of tarps, as they can trap moisture and cause even more damage.
If the trailer is covered from top to bottom, it can't breathe, and general humidity can work on it, unseen, all winter.
Damp rid may be the solution to that problem.
The other issue with tarps is that while it is easy to plan in the nice weather about how we'll go out in the nastiest weather of the year to check on the condition of the tarp...it usually doesn't happen.

When the snow piles up, then melts a little, and refreezes, how to you "brush it off"?
The answer is you don't.
You must wait for it to melt.
The problem occurrs when there is an unseen hole in the tarp, and the melted water under the ice and snow gains entry to the roof, where it then seeps into the leaky roof, and continues to rot the trailer while you're snug and happy in your home thinking "gee, that tarp sure is saving my little trailer".

Come spring, you discover that it is beyond repair...happens a lot...

I'm sure many people will say that they've used tarps for years with no problems, and they may be right, or lucky, or their roof didn't leak in the first place.

Not too many come on and report that their great idea of using a tarp failed, and they ruined the trailer...likely because they're so sick about it that they just junk the trailer and move on to other hobbies "because those darn trailers are just leaky piles of junk".

Temporary caulk may help a little, if you can determine where the leak(s) are. Often, a roof will leak a good distance away from where the stain shows up.

A practical and easy remedy to limit water damage during the winter is to park and set up the trailer so the roof is not flat.
The faster water can run off, the less time it has to pond and seep into the framing.

After choosing the parking place, lay a few boards on one side so that when you back the trailer in, the tire will be parked on the boards, wich will tilt the roof from side to side.
Then, crank the hitch either all the way up, or down, to be as unlevel as you can get it.

Either way you go, if you can leave the door uncovered for easy access so you can inspect the interior for damp and or wet spots, it is much less risky than sealing it up tight and just hoping it will be fine till spring.

Rob

[JenniferandPups]

It seems to me that if we as old trailer hobbiests are willing to spend so much time, money, and effort in fixing these trailer up, we should also be willing to spend a little money to either have the repairs made so weather isn't an issue, or pay to put the trailer in a dry garage until time can be found...
The old trailer hobby is expensive, just part of the game.

If we had money... time... (well, teachers in grad school and musicians NEVER have money... hence the 800 sf house and the fact that I haven't bought new clothing in over 5 years.)

Honestly, everything was supposed to be "repaired so weather wasn't a huge issue"... but life never does let you lie with what you plan. It likes to throw illness, family death, broken trucks in Montana, dog surgeries, etc at you instead.

I just need how to keep it safe until I can get to it. It already probably needs a complete rebuild and skin removal... so the stakes aren't THAT high.

(And yes, I want to build it a carport in that area for once it is fixed back up...

With that said, the following may be of some use.

I'm not a fan of tarps, as they can trap moisture and cause even more damage.
If the trailer is covered from top to bottom, it can't breathe, and general humidity can work on it, unseen, all winter.
Damp rid may be the solution to that problem.
The other issue with tarps is that while it is easy to plan in the nice weather about how we'll go out in the nastiest weather of the year to check on the condition of the tarp...it usually doesn't happen.

When the snow piles up, then melts a little, and refreezes, how to you "brush it off"?
The answer is you don't.
You must wait for it to melt.
The problem occurrs when there is an unseen hole in the tarp, and the melted water under the ice and snow gains entry to the roof, where it then seeps into the leaky roof, and continues to rot the trailer while you're snug and happy in your home thinking "gee, that tarp sure is saving my little trailer".

Come spring, you discover that it is beyond repair...happens a lot...

I'm sure many people will say that they've used tarps for years with no problems, and they may be right, or lucky, or their roof didn't leak in the first place.

Not too many come on and report that their great idea of using a tarp failed, and they ruined the trailer...likely because they're so sick about it that they just junk the trailer and move on to other hobbies "because those darn trailers are just leaky piles of junk".

Temporary caulk may help a little, if you can determine where the leak(s) are. Often, a roof will leak a good distance away from where the stain shows up.

A practical and easy remedy to limit water damage during the winter is to park and set up the trailer so the roof is not flat.
The faster water can run off, the less time it has to pond and seep into the framing.

After choosing the parking place, lay a few boards on one side so that when you back the trailer in, the tire will be parked on the boards, wich will tilt the roof from side to side.
Then, crank the hitch either all the way up, or down, to be as unlevel as you can get it.

Either way you go, if you can leave the door uncovered for easy access so you can inspect the interior for damp and or wet spots, it is much less risky than sealing it up tight and just hoping it will be fine till spring.

Rob

Thanks for the other great ideas... they are very detailed and useful! Parking at an angle is a GREAT idea.

[Aaron Coffee]

On the mothballs I have heard that they leave a lingering odor that is hard to get rid of sometimes. Some home remedy rodent deterents that I have heard are, Irish Spring Soap, Bounce dryer sheets, I have also heard of an airosal airplane product that you spray around the vehicle and tires and mice won't cross the stuff. Can't say for certain what works and doesn't work. I have used irish spring in my car in the past and haven't seen signs of mice, it did have a nice fresh scent when I got it out of storage in the spring.