Storing Trailer at Florida Trailer Park Long Term

[HOWITTRO]

We camp in Florida for about 5 months each year in our Solitude Fifth Wheel and have decided to leave the Fifth Wheel at our Florida camp site rather than taking it home to Canada as we will not be using it in the summer in Ontario, Canada. Can anyone tell me if I should be lifting the unit and rotating the tires a little to avoid a square bottom on the tire and should I put a rubber mat between each tire and the concrete pad the trailer sits on to avoid concrete moisture from penetrating the tires?
We will be leaving our air conditioners on set at 80 degrees and we have a humidifier inside along with packs to absorb moisture which should avoid a build up of moisture in the trailer. I am concerned about the converter charging the batteries in the hot weather in Florida and wanted to turn off the battery disconnect switch to avoid the constant charge running through the batteries. Does this thinking make sense to those of you who have experience with long term trailer storage in a Florida park?
We have a company coming in next week to wash and wax our unit which hopefully will provide some protection from the hot Florida summer UV rays. I really appreciate the advice on summer storage in Florida from the experienced users. I always try to answer forum member questions when I see them if I feel I can add value based on my experience.
Thank you

[FLTom52]

Would you mind telling me where in Florida are you storing your fifth wheel?


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[Jerryr]

A few suggestions.

Do a thorough inspection of the roof and verify all sealants are intact. You want to protect during rainy season

If you have a sewer connection use a drain hose on the dehumidifier to drain into the kitchen sink and leave kitchen gray tank valve open. If you put your dehumidifier on the kitchen island make sure it won’t move due to vibration and fall off the top. Set dehumidifier to 45% RH.

Set ac to 82 degrees.

If you have internet consider some device to monitor temp and humidity remotely. Here’s one example https://www.amazon.com/Wireless-Temp.../dp/B01HH7YD2Y

[HOWITTRO]

We are in Cross Creek RV Resort Arcadia Florida which is 2 1/2 hours south of Tampa
Thanks

[HOWITTRO]

Jerry
Thank you so much for taking the time to respond and I will put in place your recommendations
Bob

[traveldawg]

I'd strongly recommend you find someone to inspect your rig (inside especially) about every 2 weeks. It won't take long for it to get ruined if something happens (stray leak, AC failure, water leak - this is probably an endless list).

We live in a snowbird resort and see many folks come back every fall to moldy, wet, inoperable units; and they thought they had everything taken care of when they left.

[Cate&Rob]

I'd strongly recommend you find someone to inspect your rig (inside especially) about every 2 weeks. It won't take long for it to get ruined if something happens (stray leak, AC failure, water leak - this is probably an endless list).

We live in a snowbird resort and see many folks come back every fall to moldy, wet, inoperable units; and they thought they had everything taken care of when they left.

Hi Bob @HOWITTRO,

I would strongly endorse traveldawg’s advice. I have seen what water (from any source) can do to a closed up trailer in Florida in the summer. Also, have you checked with your insurance about leaving your trailer in Florida for hurricane season?

Rob

[Jerryr]

I'd strongly recommend you find someone to inspect your rig (inside especially) about every 2 weeks. It won't take long for it to get ruined if something happens (stray leak, AC failure, water leak - this is probably an endless list).

We live in a snowbird resort and see many folks come back every fall to moldy, wet, inoperable units; and they thought they had everything taken care of when they left.

That’s why I store mine in a covered storage facility in Florida. I’m paranoid about the potential of water damage.

[GloriaGeorge]

We are interested in your experience of leaving your Solitude in Florida. We too are from Canada and want to leave our unit on the site in Davenport Florida.

We camp in Florida for about 5 months each year in our Solitude Fifth Wheel and have decided to leave the Fifth Wheel at our Florida camp site rather than taking it home to Canada as we will not be using it in the summer in Ontario, Canada. Can anyone tell me if I should be lifting the unit and rotating the tires a little to avoid a square bottom on the tire and should I put a rubber mat between each tire and the concrete pad the trailer sits on to avoid concrete moisture from penetrating the tires?
We will be leaving our air conditioners on set at 80 degrees and we have a humidifier inside along with packs to absorb moisture which should avoid a build up of moisture in the trailer. I am concerned about the converter charging the batteries in the hot weather in Florida and wanted to turn off the battery disconnect switch to avoid the constant charge running through the batteries. Does this thinking make sense to those of you who have experience with long term trailer storage in a Florida park?
We have a company coming in next week to wash and wax our unit which hopefully will provide some protection from the hot Florida summer UV rays. I really appreciate the advice on summer storage in Florida from the experienced users. I always try to answer forum member questions when I see them if I feel I can add value based on my experience.
Thank you

[Aridon]

You can store the RV in FL outside, we are here a good bit of the year FT in SE FL and it is fine. The biggest issues are:

1. The sun beating the crap out of the unit
2. Leaving it - if something happens not much you can do about it

You should make sure that all the seams are well sealed before you leave and that the air conditioners are ratcheted down properly. Any water entry point needs to be looked at and made sure that it is sealed properly before you leave. That includes the slides, windows, roof seams, body seams etc.

If you pull the battery you need to keep it charged. It will slowly discharge disconnected. So either way it needs to get volts, I'd probably just leave it connected to the charger. You should also leave the air conditioner set for 82 or something like that and keep the unit somewhat fresh inside, otherwise you might develop mold / mildew issues over time. You could also just setup some damp rid but I imagine it will fill up before you get back. Leaving power to the unit keeps things running which is good but bad that no one is here to check on them. If something burns out it will keep running until it totally fries itself out which could be a problem. Leaving stuff most of the year inactive is also a problem as is mildew down here from closed up structures. Pick your poison.

If you wax the unit really well once a year it should hold up ok vs the sun but any Southern exposure that isn't shaded is going to fade and get beat up over time. The sun is brutal down here.

Snow birds leave their units at our ownership park all the time. They have been doing it for years. Make sure you have good insurance, we have had a few very close calls in recent years with Cat 5 storms almost making it on land.