Buying a cover

[eddie1261]

I searched for this but because of boolean searches being how they are, I had more hits about insurance because insurance "covers" the RV.... and I have a question about a physical RV cover.

I have read post after post about not using blue tarps because true RV covers "breathe". And I understand that to a point. My question is this. I have to justify spending $300 for an RV cover that I will use for one northeast Ohio winter before I move west. My original thought was to use blue tarps but lay 4x4s across the roof so there is a 4 inch air gap. That is the height of the skylights too, so there would be a 4 inch gap all across the roof. All I want to do is keep the snow off the rubber roof and have the drips as the snow melts in spring roll off rather than pool up on the rubber.

Then the person I was talking to started into why the roof has to "breathe". My question was this. Even with a true RV cover, once the snow falls and weighs it down, that show packs down so tight that the snow itself becomes airtight and prevents the cover from breathing. At that point, what does it matter what is underneath the snow? That $250-300 the cover would cost me could be put to far better use than a cover to keep snow off for one winter. (Trust me, once I leave Ohio, I will never see a snowflake again. 66 years of this crap is enough.)

So, can someone with experience tell me why blue tarps with a 4 inch air gap would ruin my RV forever like this guy was trying to tell me? The plan is that the tarp will extend about a foot down each side of the RV and be fastened down with bungee cords. The center span of the roof will have 2 4x4s, so it will have a crown that is 8 inches high sloping down to a 4x4, then down the side of the roof.

I don't even know what RV covers are made of. Is there some special fabric that allows air through but not water from melting snow?

[jpcoll01]

Another challenge with tarps, which you may have considered is wind.  I'm no master, but I've never been able to get something tarped good enough that wind wouldnt' eventually shred the tarp and sometimes, as a bonus, slap whatever I was covering enough to scar it up.  I can't imagine the moisture thing woudl be a big deal the way you are thinking about covering it.  For that matter could maybe last one winter uncovered, but I'd bet even a tarp laid flat would be better than nothing.

[eddie1261]

JPcoll01, it may be worth noting that everybody telling me not to use a blue tarp works at a place that sells $300 covers.... 

[SWharton]

Why don't you see if you can find indoor storage. Maybe somebodies barn.  I would ask around, maybe somebody has a place to store it indoors. We have n ever covered our trailers or MH for storage. Lived in  northwest NJ with lots of snow and now VA with lots of rain. Never a leak.

To prevent pooling raise the jacks when in storage so the water runs off.......................

 

[eddie1261]

18 minutes ago, SWharton said:

Why don't you see if you can find indoor storage.

 

That IS a good plan but I need it home to work on it. Building shelves, etc, and things that require measurements. Plus I live in the heart of a rather big city where there are no barns. Urban jungle from which I am trying to escape. I would love to barn store it!

Plus I have no friends.... hard to imagine,  I know, with my ray of sunshine personality, but it's true!! 

[SWharton]

I know of someone who asked at a gas station that no longer did repairs and ended up renting the empty bay. He had power etc. and worked on his rig in the comfort of a bay. Think outside the box.

[Chalkie]

I personally would not invest in an RV cover. A neighbor has one and every spring I see him washing off the black crud that has built up over the winter. Seems like too much work to me. 

We semi-snowbird which means the our RV sits out in the winter until we make a break for it. The snow has not hurt it yet. I do go to the expense of keeping the propane tanks filled so that I can leave the furnace set at 40. 

I know Colorado winters are not the same as an Ohio winter since when we get a day or two of sunshine the snow starts melting right away thanks to our low humidity. But if you are not planning on leaving until the snow is gone I am not sure I would worry about it. 

Another potential problem is that unless you get a custom cover you will not have easy access to the door and storage compartment which I would think you would want if you are making modifications.

[pinger]

I purchased a cover just for the top to keep it clean, no snow here, for a $180 at Camping World a couple months ago. Getting too old to climb upon top so I have one of my kids put it on and take it off for me..

 

[eddie1261]

7 minutes ago, Chalkie said:

I personally would not invest in an RV cover. A neighbor has one and every spring I see him washing off the black crud that has built up over the winter. Seems like too much work to me. 

We semi-snowbird which means the our RV sits out in the winter until we make a break for it. The snow has not hurt it yet. I do go to the expense of keeping the propane tanks filled so that I can leave the furnace set at 40. 

I know Colorado winters are not the same as an Ohio winter since when we get a day or two of sunshine the snow starts melting right away thanks to our low humidity. But if you are not planning on leaving until the snow is gone I am not sure I would worry about it. 

Another potential problem is that unless you get a custom cover you will not have easy access to the door and storage compartment which I would think you would want if you are making modifications.

Our winters are so hit and miss it's crazy. Just a few years ago I woke up to a morning when I had 26 inches of snow. And last winter we had maybe one good storm that even required shoveling. The last forecast I read for this year was for a light winter.

SWharton I like that idea and have a thought of where I can find that situation. As long as they are 10 ft high and let me come and go....

I keep saying "Just one more winter".....

Good suggestions!

[Jim Corey]

My previous rig 30' class A, came with a cover. First time I tried to use it, damn near got blown off the roof (and I was much younger then!). Gave it away for the cost of shipping. Getting blown off isn't so bad, but the sudden stop at the bottom isn't so great.

[eddie1261]

25 minutes ago, Jim Corey said:

 Getting blown off isn't so bad, but the sudden stop at the bottom isn't so great.

That is very similar to what they teach in airborne school! 

When you are up on the roof, that cover essentially becomes a sail, and a sail is essentially a parachute turned upright, so yeah I get that. 

Tomorrow I go in search of storage, and if I can't find a place, I am likely just going to use the tarps like I initially planned.

A few years ago, I tried an experiment and on a night when snow was forecast I took a tarp out and using bog landscaping spikes I drove it into the ground. The next morning I went out, loosened one side, and just like a baseball tarp, just pulled the snow off the driveway. The next time I tried it, I ended up finding my tarp against the hedges on the other side of the yard. The first night, no wind. The second night, WIND.  

[Pat & Pete]

4 hours ago, eddie1261 said:

JPcoll01, it may be worth noting that everybody telling me not to use a blue tarp works at a place that sells $300 covers.... 

I don't sell blue tarps . I get them for free from Harbor Freight . That should tell you everything you need to know about blue tarps .

And , I've seen more damage from covers than any of them are worth .

[eddie1261]

2 hours ago, rm.w/aview said:

 For about a decade I kept a sailboat at Edgewater Marina ..... snip ... no more winters in Ohio!

I am actually in Akron, but I grew up living on that lake in Cleveland about 3 miles east of that Marina, right by Gordon Park. Played a LOT of baseball at Edgewater and Gordon in the 60s! That wind along that shallow lake is crazy the way it blows the water up. Anybody who has been to a Browns game in December agrees. Where I am, and where my RV is stored, I don't see anywhere close to that kind of wind. I live on one of those streets that the houses are 12 feet apart, and 9 of that is driveway. I don't know how long you have been away from here, but in February of 2007 I went up to my second floor bathroom looking down on to the patio, and using a measuring stick, I measured 28 inches of snow on the roof of that patio. That was THE winter I started planning my escape. It may not be Maine or Minnesooooooota but as you said and know, winter here can be ugly. I would so rather be in New Mexico or Arizona in winter than Ohio in December and January.

So I will look at whether I bother with tarps or not,. I mean, I have 3 of them, so if I can protect the RV in a positive way I will engineer something. All while I prepare for one HELL of a yard sale in spring when I list the house!

[Ray,IN]

Before we built an RV garage we kept our 5ers parked in the driveway. I covered them with a farm tarp, one blue - one yellow. I bought tarps large enough to completely cover the 5er.  Anyway, I added 2x the number of eyelets in a tarp and used elastic cords to secure the tarp to the 5er, made sure I left no flaps in the tarp to slap against the 5er and damage paint. I never placed anything on the roof to create an air space between tarp and roof, seemed illogical to me.

Each tarp lasted 3 years before sun rot ruined it. I never did find any paint damage  resulting from being covered with a tarp.

FWIW,  these farm tarps do "breathe" if that is actually a concern, they are made by weaving, just inspect one yourself. Ever see anything woven that was air-tight?

[sandsys]

I hear about more damage done by tarps than I do by snow. I doubt I would tarp an RV. But the only one I parked in Minnesota in the winter was a Class B so what do I know? I do know wet snow is heavy when it comes removal time. But, when there was no snow my solar panels worked so I had power.

Linda Sand

[DJW]

I found the cover for our 40' Newmar Kountry Aire 5ver to be a real pain in the @#$   If the strap snaps are at all loose and they bang against the side, they will scratch the paint.  It may come out of a small box, but you will never ever get it back into anything close to that size again.  Waste of good money.

Dennis

[dartmouth01]

From what Ive read in the past alot of long timers eventually give up on covers or have suffered negative effects from them (like dulling from areas that eventually flap no matter how tight.  Sounds like you are only covering the top as well so the benefit will probably be minimal unless you have a leak issue currently.  I personally would not go with any cover, except perhaps if you knoe you have a big snow coming, throwing a tarp over the top so you can periodically pull the snow down easily.  I wintered in maine last year and didnt do this, but I did climb on the roof periodically to clear snow and ice dams.  As for tarps, look to see if anyone around you is selling billboard material.  I got some used stuff off CL to make some skirting for the rig and it is much more durable than the weave blue tarps.  You can also buy used and new material online from several suppliers.  And if you're lucky like me the printes side of your tarp will have a bible quote like mine did!  (The other side is black or white so my neighbors wont have to witness the sacriledge :-))

[57becky]

I would go to an RV dealership and ask them what they cover the rigs with that they have for sale.  I have never seen any covered, and I have never covered our rig, and have had upwards of 1 1/2 ft of snow on it.  I do not get on top, but lean a ladder and use a plastic snow shovel to carefully remove as much snow as I can reach. 

[eddie1261]

3 hours ago, 57becky said:

I would go to an RV dealership and ask them what they cover the rigs with that they have for sale.

See that makes so much sense it is embarrassing that I didn't think of it.

[Pat & Pete]

25 minutes ago, eddie1261 said:

See that makes so much sense it is embarrassing that I didn't think of it.

LOL... Have you EVER seen an RV covered at any dealer ? 

[eddie1261]

I have never seen an RV covered PERIOD! Yet people keep buying covers......

 

[Pat & Pete]

There's a sucker born every minute .

[Dennis M]

On 11/16/2017 at 2:33 PM, SWharton said:

Why don't you see if you can find indoor storage. Maybe somebodies barn.  I would ask around, maybe somebody has a place to store it indoors. ...

That's what we did for years in Northern IL. Found a retired farmer with a virtually empty tractor shed. Only drawback being a mile down an unpaved road - and we were only 40 miles west of the Chicago lakefront. Out of sight, secure and I had a key for access anytime I needed it.

Head out to an exurban area, look for a Tractor Supply or similar place and look on their message board or ask around. You did not say what urban area, but if there are lakes around there are often farmers who advertise boat storage - boat or RV usually room for both.

When I first found my place I asked the gentleman if the doors were high enough, "Well," he said, "they are 18 feet high ..."

[SWharton]

We once saw a MH shrink wrapped for the winter. I would think that is a pricey option.

[eddie1261]

3 hours ago, SWharton said:

We once saw a MH shrink wrapped for the winter. I would think that is a pricey option.

It would be expensive when you consider that all I want to do is keep the snow from being directly on the rubber  roof and that the melting snow runs off the tarp instead of pooling on the roof.