Storing Your RV

[KDroadgolfers]

Hi, I am deciding on the purchase of a Class A motor home. The seller has already winterized it and I will not be using it until April. I have a place to store it outside. I have been researching steps to take for storing including keeping it free of moisture, tire care etc. However, I have been reading about damage that rodents can cause (wiring, hoses etc). My question is, is there anything that can be down to minimize damage from rodents when storing an RV outside for months at a time? Thanks

[tenbear]

When we bought our Class C, about 12 years ago we had several mice inside that we finally trapped. After this I lay down under the RV and searched for any spots that mice could get in. I found several. I sealed these holes; expanding foam, metal screening, sheet metal, etc. I also noticed that the extension cord I was using didn't really block the hole the cord ran through. I made a sheet metal cover for the hole that blocked access around the extension cord.

Haven't had a mouse in the RV since, at least 10 years.

[docsouce]

2x on the poison traps near the wheels. Then I put sticky traps inside the house under the seats and on the floor under the drawers, and engine compartment. I make a list of their locations so I don't forget them in the spring. Also nothing edible inside at all.
So far this has worked ok for 4 years.

[Veebyes]

Ours is stored indoors in a large building on a chicken farm. On the face of it that does not sound like a good idea however we have been there 10 years & never a problem.

I suspect that the farm runs a very effective rodent control program. No feed kept in this building. It is for equipment storage & a workshop. We also do the dryer sheet & liberal use of mothballs inside & all is closed up for a 6 month stretch each year. We open up in April & the odour of mothballs is still there. Must be enough to keep the rodents out.

If leaving the unit unattended setting out traps or poison inside do not seem like a good idea to me. Hate to think what the smell of dead critter will be like after a few months.

[Grit_dog]

More importantly, OP, you allude to purchasing a used RV that is winterized which suggests that you're not testing all the systems.
If so. Bad idea.

[old_guy]

saw here on this forum that mice don't like the smell of green Irish spring soap. but I also heard that the peppermint on cotton balls works too. I have always had problems with mice in my storage room so I use the sticky pads and put a little pile of bird seed in the middle of the pad. I go into the storage room and see as many as five or six mice stuck to the pad. I love the sticky pads they work

[DutchmenSport]

If you put poison out, make sure you don't have other animals running free, like house cats or dogs. If they catch the mice, kill them, and eat them, you've just killed your dog or cat too.

We have a cat and 2 dachshunds and live in the country. The only mice we get in the house are the ones the cat brings in through the doggie door, and then the dogs catch the mice when the cat set them free playing with them. Oh, it's quite a scene when that happens.

But it's rare. Because the dogs are always digging up moles and catching chipmunks and mice! Unfortunately, both my dogs thoroughly enjoy the fine cuisine of mole, chipmunk and mouse! They go nuts for days until they catch the critters. If we put out poison, and the critters eat the poison, then the dogs eat the critters, well .... "and I don't know why she swallowed the fly, perhaps she'll die! Here!

If you park your camper away from fields, bushes, and tree lines the chances of critter invasion are greatly reduced.

[janstey58]

Pure Peppermint oil soaked cotton balls for the inside of the RV in all drawers, storage areas and out in the open. Never had mouse evidence in over 10 years, and my MH is stored in a barn in the country, with visible mice occasionally in the barn. The RV smells great in the spring, another added benefit.

[ScottG]

Put the poison on the outside, not the inside. Poison is food to them and when they smell it they will find a way in - and you don't want that.

[B_O__Plenty]

Traps and poison just like exterminators use. Anything else only seems to work if there are no mice to start with.

B.O.

[Mickeyfan0805]

We've never had a problem, but I do wonder if the enclosed underbelly serves as an additional deterrent. We do keep traps in a few places just in case (never had one caught), and I refuse to park over grass for any length of time. I will only store on concrete.

[magicbus]

When I stored my Class A outside I kept mouse poison under the coach behind the rear tires every fall and never had a problem.

Dave

[ppine]

Never store any food or other products that can attract mice. Pack rats are the worst when it comes to wiring damage. You can use strong smelling evergreens like spruce to repel pack rats. I had one once in the engine compartment of my diesel. I left the hood up with the lights on. I added spruce boughs and set a rat trap near the tie rod ends. Got him.

[MFL]

IMO, the best protection is to store away from an area that rodents frequent. However, a popular product is Fresh Cab, along with many others, including dryer sheets. What works great for some, often doesn't work for others.

Jerry