Most RV owners are well aware of the dangers of storing an RV in a cold climate without proper care, but few of them hear as many warnings about the effects of heat on their RV. Whether you're storing your RV in the deep south, the western deserts, or any other regions of the country with high summer temperatures, air-conditioned RV storage can be a little hard to find. Learn why it's worth hunting down at least a shaded place to store your RV to prevent these five common forms of heat damage.
Gas Degradation
First, gas left in a fuel tank for a number of months degrades and causes engine issues if you start up the RV without flushing out the fuel. However, heat causes gas to break down even faster than normal. Adding fuel stabilizers will help, but they can break down too given enough time and heat. Draining the tank entirely before letting the RV sit for even just a month or two in summer will save you a lot of time later and prevent gooey residues from gathering at the bottom of the tank, which happens if you let the gas break down and siphon it out later.
Panel Delamination
The walls, tables, countertops, cabinets, and many other parts of an RV's exterior and interior are made from laminated panels. The layers of the laminated material are held together by adhesives, and high temperatures can cause the adhesive to melt or crack. This causes the panels to start peeling apart into separate layers, which often manifests as a noticeable bulge, warping, or large gaps around the edges of the material. It is possible to repair this damage, but it's a time-consuming process depending on the extent of the damage. It's easier to simply prevent the problem by keeping temperatures under control in the first place.
Worn Fabric
Most of the bleaching that causes an RV's interior to look old and damaged comes from direct sunlight shining in through the windows. Yet some of the breakdown of dye in fabrics can also be attributed to high heat, which is a little harder to prevent than sun damage. Aside from causing the fabric to lose its color, exposure to high heat can also damage the individual fibers. This results in a looser weave and weak fabric that rips easily when you sit on a cushion or open a curtain.
Warped Plastic
Don't underestimate the amount of plastic in your RV's interior. With temperatures reaching 135 degrees F or higher when outdoor temperatures are only in the 90s, a few months of baking in the sun will cause warping of the appliance handles, vent cranks, toilets, slide-out tables, and other parts. Aside from warping, the plastic also weakens with prolonged heat exposure. You may even find your plastic components are so fragile that they break in your hands when you re-enter the RV for the first time after the summer. It can be difficult to find specific interior replacement parts for many RV models, and it becomes downright impossible if the manufacturer is out of business or no longer stocks parts for your model.
Weakened Rubber
Finally, don't forget about the health of the various types of rubber keeping your RV waterproof and tightly sealed against pests. Even your tires will wear out faster and be more prone to dry rot and splitting after heating up every day for the entire summer. It's particularly hard on the rubber seals around side panels that pop out to give you extra space inside the RV, which are costly to replace. It's very hard to spot the fine cracks that cause rubber seals to go leaky, so you may not even realize heat damage has taken place until there's also water damage to increase your repair bills.
For information on your RV storage options, check out websites like http://www.movewithunited.com.
