Filon roof Question

[wilssm]

Hello, Newbie pup owner, I have a question? I have a 2010 palomino yearling with a filon roof. I am about to store it for the winter in my driveway, I am not sure if I should cover it or just cover the roof air conditioner unit, my owners manual does not address this any help is welcomed.

Thanks Wilssm.

[AustinBoston]

What part of the world are you in?  What kind of weather do you expect for the winter?

Austin

[wilssm]

Southwestern Pa, cold and snowy

[hoppy]

Along with your concerns about the roof, make certain that you "critter" proof the inside of the PU as well.
Many others have been surprised in the spring when they open up their units to find that the mice had made a nice home in there for the winter months. (eating the beddding, tenting, valences, etc)
Seal off all entry points using brass wool (30 amp cable port) screen mesh (furnace vent, WH vent, fridge vent) and foam insulation (holes through the floor where the water and gas lines come through) Use a flash light up through the floor to find any openings.

 Trust me on this one, you will probably have more problems with vermin' than snow on the roof of the PU.

[maromeo]

I would call the Palomino Manufacturer and ask them if you can cover and with what type of cover. We also have the filon roof intalled in 2002. I do have a seperate air conditioner cover that I use when we have it stored for a while. It keeps the fins clear from debris. It looks like this.

http://www.campingworld.com/shopping/product/adco-air-conditioner-cover/1642

We really don't have to deal with the cold as much but we have the heat. The brass wool works great for keeping the rodents from coming through your mousehole (no pun intended) but we used plummer's putty around all our hoses and cords that came through the floor. It has held up really well for many years and is flexible and doesn't dry out to cut into any the hose or cords. We also put a piece of saran wrap over the putty so it won't get on anything that is in our under storage bench areas. So far we have had not mice or rodents in the PUP during storage.

Every geographic area has it's issues with some kind of rodent. Our area because of the citrus we have roof rats which can get into your attic and nest there during the winter and spring months. They are really gross.

http://phoenix.about.com/cs/desert/a/roofrat01.htm

Mary

[Used 2B PopUPTimes]

This was a question that I frequently ran past the manufacturers during my time at the magazine. The basic response was usually that campers were made to be outside and covers weren't necessary.  About 9 years ago one of the factory guys at Coleman said if you feel the need to cover your camper to use a breathable cover that doesn't extend more than half way down the camper so air can circulate under it.

I always cover mine plus I keep the snow off of the top so the extra weight doesn't ruin anything and so it doesn't seep in when it melts. I also cover the tires year-round to keep the sun from drying them out.

Dave

[wilssm]

Thanks for all the feedback everyone. I talked to my dealer and he suggested a breathable cover which is what I"ll do also I will cover the tires.

Thanks Wilssm

[sacrawf]

The best cover is a roof.  When I didn't have garage space, I rented a place to store my popup to keep it from the sun, rain, hail, snow, ice storms, and falling tree limbs.  It cost me $60 per month and I rented it only from November through March.  You will see a lot of photos and threads in this forum about repairing water damage.  The ideal situation is to prevent yourself from having these problems to begin with.

Even though it is new, check all the caulking around the camper to make sure there are no cracks or spots where the factory wasn't very liberal with the caulking as well.