My neighbors didn't complain, but I know that storing my RV next to my stick house didn't make them happy. I tried my best to keep my RV looking good and thereby reducing any "visual conflict" with the neighborhood. The unfortunate reality is that stick house neighborhoods and RVs just don't mix. The houses really make the RV's look bad! For this reason many RVers prefer to store their rigs at commercial storage facilities.
Vandalism and pilfering are common problems when you leave your RV on the street unattended. Unfortunately it can also occur in commercial storage facilities. Anyone with a code can get into the place and that leaves your RV vulnerable. To help you select the safest storage unit I have a six point list. 1. The facility should be manned daily by bonded employees and have a security patrol that checks on the facility after hours. 2. The facility should have regular hours when you can enter and exit and is security armed with motion sensors or trained guard dogs after hours. 3. It must have surveillance cameras that cover all the storage spaces and the video footage recorded 24 hours a day. 4. The gate code only works during regular hours and is changed on a regular basis. 5. They must have satisfactory fencing and gates (will it keep out your typical teenager?).
6. They must have a good track record with no reported break-ins or vandalism. On point six you can check with the Better Business Bureau or ask for the contact information of two clients that have stored their RVs there for at least one year. The best possible storage is a completely enclosed unit that is lockable form the outside. Unfortunately, this type of unit is very expensive compared to open storage. Many RV storage facilities have covered storage which keeps weather and ultra violet rays from damaging your rig.
Should you elect to store your RV in open storage or covered storage, make sure you have a good dead-bolt lock in addition to your regular locks on your entrance doors. Be sure all your windows are locked and in the case of a 5th wheel or travel trailer your kingpin or tongue lever has a high quality lock as well. And finally, make unexpected visits to your storage facility during the day and drive around the outside at night just to see how things look. Good RV storage facilities will also have a dump station and a wash rack. Helping you keep your RV save and sound - Jim Twamley, Professor of RVing
Vandalism and pilfering are common problems when you leave your RV on the street unattended. Unfortunately it can also occur in commercial storage facilities. Anyone with a code can get into the place and that leaves your RV vulnerable. To help you select the safest storage unit I have a six point list. 1. The facility should be manned daily by bonded employees and have a security patrol that checks on the facility after hours. 2. The facility should have regular hours when you can enter and exit and is security armed with motion sensors or trained guard dogs after hours. 3. It must have surveillance cameras that cover all the storage spaces and the video footage recorded 24 hours a day. 4. The gate code only works during regular hours and is changed on a regular basis. 5. They must have satisfactory fencing and gates (will it keep out your typical teenager?). 
6. They must have a good track record with no reported break-ins or vandalism. On point six you can check with the Better Business Bureau or ask for the contact information of two clients that have stored their RVs there for at least one year. The best possible storage is a completely enclosed unit that is lockable form the outside. Unfortunately, this type of unit is very expensive compared to open storage. Many RV storage facilities have covered storage which keeps weather and ultra violet rays from damaging your rig.
Should you elect to store your RV in open storage or covered storage, make sure you have a good dead-bolt lock in addition to your regular locks on your entrance doors. Be sure all your windows are locked and in the case of a 5th wheel or travel trailer your kingpin or tongue lever has a high quality lock as well. And finally, make unexpected visits to your storage facility during the day and drive around the outside at night just to see how things look. Good RV storage facilities will also have a dump station and a wash rack. Helping you keep your RV save and sound - Jim Twamley, Professor of RVing
7 comments:
EXCELLENT ARTICLE!
Be certain to turn off your propane tanks, and disconnect your batteries!
One more thing to think about is / are the rodents. We had the starter system digested by some mouses. I went to the storage yard to give it the start up routine and fried the computer system. I opened the engine cover and found their cozy little hide-out with all the goodies they brought back from a day out in the yard. So I put a few traps up under the axle area and any place they could get to. That was a $1500.00 deal.
You might try using dryer sheets to repel the rodents. I use Bounce in the exhaust pipe, air cleaner and under the seat of my motorcycle during winter storage. They just don't like the smell I guess, but it works.
Great article about storage facilities. Such places are difficult but not impossible to find. We located one on a military base that rents an old parking lot area to a private company who then leases the spaces to its clients.
We have 24/7 access, armed security, cameras, huge rolls of barb wire over the top of the 12ft high fencing, and a dump station. No covered spaces or a wash. We use our own cover to protect from the elements.
You must show a valid I.D., sign in and give your space number before the guard will open the gate for you.
We have a 24ft TT and a 30ft pull through space for $50 month. As you can imagine, the waiting list is quite long. We were fortunate to get in!
Good article, we keep ours under roof at an old school bus garage. $30 a moonth not bad but no protection. We own a townhouse and we bring the RV home to clean it and get it ready for the season a couple days at a time. One time our next door neighbor told us we where blocking the sun. The next time we brought it home she picketed our house.
I like the storage area I use near Independence, MO. It is 60+ feet underground in an old Limestone Mine. A constant 60+ degrees year around, a locked entry to the RV storage area, plus Guards at the outside entrance.
I resent your "typical teenager" comment. I have been working with typical teenagers for the past forty years. They would not give you any problems. The ones that you have to worry about are vandals and they are NOT typical teenagers!!
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