Summer storage temperatures inside

TennTim

I keep my T@G parked in my driveway with a cover. Despite keeping the vent open and the windows cracked. It still can get 10-20°F warmer inside than the outside temperature. Similar experiences before the cover which I thought would help. With recent temperatures over 90°F, the inside was getting over 110°F. Does anyone know of a temperature that things become a problem for the materials (wood, walls, AC, TV, remotes with batteries, etc.)? I've already had 3M strips fall off of the walls.

I've been thinking of plugging the AC into a temperature controlled outlet that I have and keeping the T@G plugged in. The controller is home built but they now sell prebuilt things on Amazon. Setting it to come on at 100°F and off at 90°F and the AC set to Low Cool/Max setting.

Here's similar to what I built.
https://www.amazon.com/Inkbird-Itc-308-Temperature-Controller-Thermostat/dp/B01MDSWXY4/

I've been amazed at the number of uses I have used this temperature controlled outlet. Crock pot, seedling heater mats, germination tests, fermenting, chick brooder, etc.

Verna

My T@B is in the driveway with full sun for 2/3 of the day. Yes, it gets hot, too. I have a roof vent cover on it so I can leave the roof vent open all the time and that helps to let the hot air escape. 

Do  not leave meltable objects inside....

Ratkity

Darn V, I couldn't hit LIKE and AGREE.. oh well. Also, please don't leave medications of any kind while your camper is stored in the sun for any length of time (includes aspirin, aleve, ibuprofen). Sunscreen should be replaced yearly as well as bug spray. You *may* also find opened wet wipes a little fuzzy and funky smelling if you leave them there too lol.

Michigan_Mike

With the AC running ina covered trailer wouldn't their potentially be a mold or condensation issue?  Not to mention heating up of the condenser.  

There are trailers left in the south in extreme heat and places like Arizona, etc. and they seem to survive.  I do know that there is plenty of information available via Google (I've looked at it myself) and you might want to look over the other suggestions out there.  

I keep a travel trailer out in Arizona and was told to place 5 gallon bucket's of water inside the trailer, dump water down into the black water tank so that the seals do not dry out and  also in the gray water tank.   I also believe that air circulating inside the unit is a good thing obviously and you should try to do this as well.  

A word of caution however with any roof vents left open, as the wind can easily buffet a roof vent and have it standing straight up and open to any rain that might fall when trailers are on unattended.  I would suggest wrapping a piece of wire around the handle and securing it in place so that any roof vent left open will stay in a fixed position.

TennTim

Thanks for the feedback. I probably was just looking for another use of my temperature controlled outlet.

If it can survive Arizona heat, surely it can handle some NE Tennessee heat. I'll do as I did last summer, leave the vents cracked and let her breathe. I have a vent cover that I place on top when parked, plus the trailer cover. It survived some fairly windy days over the winter and no rain ingress, although I did learn to strap down the cover.

The best answer is "get it out to the mountains"!

Thanks again!

Homebodyatheart

 Someone said recently she lives in Florida and only uses white command strips, because the clear command strips always fall off. Hope this helps! 

SeaLaVie

I am thinking of doing the same thing with the air conditioner. The inside of the trailer regularly hits 110+, with 117 max so far this year.

We live on the Florida coast and are concerned about humidity if we leave the vent open. It can be extremely humid in the summer and things will get moldy. We use a dehumidifier in the trailer when stored. We have a 30 amp hookup available.

Denny16

A dehumidifier in hit humid areas is a grand idea, should work well.  A circulation fan with windows slightly opened (open lock position) would also work.
upgraded the Fantastic Fan to get remote and Auto temp based fan, so when the temp reaches a set level, the fan opens the vent and runs until temp drops to preset temp., then shuts off and closes the vent.

DougH

We hit 106F today at D/FW airport.  So since the camper is in the driveway, I left the top vent open and the fridge exhaust vent running on 12V.  Still got up to 121F inside.  I've left the camper closed up with everything off before on hot days and it can even hit 140F.  I can't tell if any glue or sealant or electronics are being hurt by such high temperatures.

Am I wasting my time venting the T@B when the heat and sun are intense?  Or does it marginally increase the longevity of anything inside?

Sharon_is_SAM

I would put a canopy over it and vent it.  Not sure about the impact of the heat on the inside, but all that sun can’t be good.  

jkjenn

Verna said:

My T@B is in the driveway with full sun for 2/3 of the day. Yes, it gets hot, too. I have a roof vent cover on it so I can leave the roof vent open all the time and that helps to let the hot air escape. 

Do  not leave meltable objects inside....

Like black tank gel packs.....

Made that mistake...left in bag and got on glass stove top....burned my eyes like crazy to clean up, even with full ventilation.

qhumberd

Second the toss in gel packs melting in the heat. Mine produced enough gas to set off the propane alarm. When I read the package it said store below 110 degrees. Also my Jensen failed and it could have been exposure to heat, though similar temps are present in cars and trucks and the head units seem to tolerate it.

Marceline

DougH said:

We hit 106F today at D/FW airport.  So since the camper is in the driveway, I left the top vent open and the fridge exhaust vent running on 12V.  Still got up to 121F inside.  I've left the camper closed up with everything off before on hot days and it can even hit 140F.  I can't tell if any glue or sealant or electronics are being hurt by such high temperatures.

Am I wasting my time venting the T@B when the heat and sun are intense?  Or does it marginally increase the longevity of anything inside?

Do you cover the windows? I made covers out of reflectix and this seems to help. 

ScottG

As much as we love our T@Bs they are not living things. Parked with nothing running I sincerely doubt they are going to be damaged in any way by moderately elevated interior temperatures. Humidity might be a different issue, but only if it is high enough--and the temperature swings dramatic enough--to cause actual condensation inside the cabin.

I'd be more concerned about wear and tear on my appliances from running them unnecessarily. YMMV!

However, I do agree not to leave chemicals inside when exposed to high heat. As a general rule, my tank treatments, Thermacell cartridges, and propane canisters all live elsewhere.

Denny16

Normally, I leave,the roof vent open slightly (have a rain cover on it), and don’t and back windows in the open/locked position to allow for some air circulation.  In damp weather we have a little ceramic heater tuned on set at 60F, in Low heat mode.  I also leave all the cushions up, cabinet doors open ajar, and under bed locker propped open (a wine cork works here), to allow for air circulation and help prevent condensation, or dampness.  

For best effectiveness, Window coverings help, but reflective sun shields should be on the outside with an air gap behind them, to prevent the windows from overheating with direct sun being reflected back at the window from inside covers.  Leaving the windows star helps to,prevent any window damage.

Cheers

DougH

@Marceline Yup I keep the shades closed, and Reflectex on the main window that gets sun.  Seems to help. 

ADRawli

I know I’m a bit anal, but I could not bear the thought of parking my 400 outside day after day in the direct sun and heat.  Kind of weird when we’re talking about a vehicle designed specifically to be outside, I know.  But, we actually rent a 10’x30’ foot storage unit with a 10 foot door.  It was scary at first, but I’ve learned to get pretty good at backing the trailer into the unit.  In fact, we had an even smaller 8’x25’ foot unit when we started (picture below), that was just too much of an an “adventure” to try and back into, so we upgraded when a bigger unit came available.  But, you can see from the photo even that smaller unit works.  By the way, that’s my other ‘baby’ in the foreground.  It’s almost as fun as the 400.  


So, a storage unit like this may not be for everyone, I am sure, but it is worth it for us.  It’s fully closed in and secure, stays about 5 degrees cooler in the summer than the outside, believe it or not, and even has electricity when we need it.  It’s been great for the peace of mind knowing our investment is neatly tucked away.  

To be honest, I did not have much of a choice as we are not allowed by our HOA to park the unit in the open on our property, and my garage is lacking about 2 feet of door clearance.  So, although not the cheapest way to go, the storage unit has definitely been a good solution for us, especially with our high Dallas area heat we get for about 90 days out of the year.  

We pass about 8 other lots on the way to and from our storage unit, and I see dozens of boats and RVs parked right out there in the open.  I imagine many of those RV owners are like many on this forum and either don’t have other options, or have found other ways to provide some form of protection, like those shared by you all contributing to this thread.  But...I don’t recall ever seeing another NüCamp trailer parked in one of those open lots I’ve passed.  Come to think of it, no Airstreams either.

I hope I do not offend anyone who chooses to park a T@B in the open.  We all get to take care of our units in whatever way seems best to us.  To each his own.  Just sharing my thoughts on how we’ve been able to approach our own situation.  Cheers!

Denny16

I have a storage unit garage too and would live to park the TaB in it for the winter.  But first — I need to clear out and the junk that has it bungeed up! 
A project for another day, sigh... 
cheers