The RV Winter Storage Prep Checklist

Storage is where rigs age. Not miles, not campgrounds: the six months parked in a lot with grime etching the gelcoat, a pinhole seam wicking melt water, and a battery quietly dying. Good storage prep is five jobs done in the right order, and the order matters because several of them protect the others.

1. Wash and wax the exterior

Do this first and do it before the weather turns, because wax wants a mild day. Everything on the rig right now, bug strikes, road film, black streaks, tree sap, sits against the finish for the entire winter if you store dirty, and gelcoat oxidizes under it. A wash and wax going into storage is the single cheapest thing you can do for resale value: the wax carries the finish through months of UV and moisture, and spring prep becomes a rinse instead of an oxidation fight. If the sidewalls already look chalky, a full detail before storage stops the damage where it is.

2. Inspect and reseal the roof

Winter is when roofs leak, because snow sits and melt water is patient. Every seam, vent, skylight, and antenna penetration gets a look; sealant that is cracked, lifting, or gapped gets addressed now, not in spring when the water has already been inside for months. This is the highest-stakes item on the list: plumbing damage is expensive, but water intrusion is structural. A roof inspection with photos runs $149 and tells you exactly where you stand before the rig disappears under weather for a season.

3. Winterize the plumbing

The big one, timed to your region: two to three weeks before typical first freeze (timing table here). Drain everything, bypass the water heater, antifreeze through every fixture including the outside shower, traps and toilet protected. The complete walkthrough is in our step-by-step guide, or a technician handles it at the storage lot from $189.

4. Running gear and power plant

For towables, storage season is bearing repack season: an annual repack before the sit means spring’s first tow starts on fresh grease instead of a roadside lesson. For motorized rigs and anything with a generator, stabilize the fuel and run it long enough to circulate, then plan on the annual generator service so oil isn’t sitting dirty all winter. Generators age from sitting, not running.

5. Set up the sit

• Batteries: disconnect and store, or leave on a maintainer. A discharged battery freezes.
• Tires: sidewall max pressure, boards or pads under each, UV covers if the lot is open sky.
• Propane: valves off at the tank.
• Pests: steel wool or screens at furnace, water heater, and vent openings; nothing edible left inside; fridge doors propped open and dry.
• Moisture: a couple of desiccant buckets inside, roof vents cracked only if covered with vent guards.
• Cover: breathable RV cover over a clean rig if you cover at all; never a tarp.
• The note: tape a card by the door, “winterized on [date],” so nobody runs the pump in January.

The one-visit version

Everything above except the sit-setup is bookable as a single storage-prep stack: wash and wax, roof inspection, winterization, and bearing or generator service in one visit at your driveway or storage lot, each priced upfront, each photo-documented in your rig’s service record, and each backed by the Whaleshine Promise. Price your rig and your spring self will thank your fall self.