Garage (possible mice) or Driveway in cold Ontario winter

[Vinicius Kernick]

Hello

I am a happy owner of a brand new Rockwood Freedom 1640ltd and I am planning for winter storage. I have a big driveway that could store easily the camper, and I also have a small one-car garage.

I know that I might be a bit early in the season for these thoughts, but I wonder what would be better: To keep the camper outside in the driveway for the winter, facing snow and ice from cold Ontario winter (I might buy a cover for this), or move to inside the garage once the season is done? The problem with the garage is that I found occasionally mice. Killed using traps, baits, etc, but I assume you never get rid of them all and once fall is here new ones would like to come inside as well.

The camper is new so should not have many openings for the little pest to get inside, we also have peppermint, cab'n fresh inside the PUP, abd I would again set bait, traps, etc, but, again, you never know...

Would love to hear your thoughts about it.

 

[NLB]

Aside from the good plan for making the camper inhospitable, I would get underneath with spray foam and seal up even the smallest possible hole.
The camper will fare much better inside a structure than out.
Any reason you can’t seal up the garage and keep the vermin out? I think that is where you need to focus your efforts.
And get a hungry cat!

 

[Vinicius Kernick]

Thanks. The garage is not nicely finished, so the roof/wall junction is not great. The door has some gaps on the bottom, but seems like a good idea to review these two. I have a fat hungry cat!!! But the garage is not accessible from the house, lol

 

[jmkay1]

I kinda agree to risk the garage for the winter If it’s an option. i Would also have someone go inside the camper with a flashlight and someone outside to see exactly where they see light And that way you know exactly where there are gaps that need to be filled with steel wool and other filler. You will be surprised how many holes you may find. With that said a camper could survive the winter outside so Long you are able to access it and remove the piles of snow occasional that may rest on the roof. You also want to make sure all caulking is in good shape And you find no cracks in vents etc. The problem arises though if caulking fails or a crack in the roof vent occur melting snow and refreshing could cause those cracks to get worse and ultimately a leak starts. Sadly it doesn’t take much for water to get inside.

 

[NLB]

I kinda agree to risk the garage for the winter If it’s an option. i Would also have someone go inside the camper with a flashlight and someone outside to see exactly where they see light And that way you know exactly where there are gaps that need to be filled with steel wool and other filler. You will be surprised how many holes you may find. With that said a camper could survive the winter outside so Long you are able to access it and remove the piles of snow occasional that may rest on the roof. You also want to make sure all caulking is in good shape And you find no cracks in vents etc. The problem arises though if caulking fails or a crack in the roof vent occur melting snow and refreshing could cause those cracks to get worse and ultimately a leak starts. Sadly it doesn’t take much for water to get inside.

Let me suggest bronze wool. Yes, it’s a bit pricey but never any rust stain issues.

 

[NLB]

Thanks. The garage is not nicely finished, so the roof/wall junction is not great. The door has some gaps on the bottom, but seems like a good idea to review these two. I have a fat hungry cat!!! But the garage is not accessible from the house, lol

My garage is detached too, so I feel your pain. I did find some rodent resistant spray foam at lowes.
A length of chicken wire rolled into a shape about 4” round and across the width of the door will crush down enough to close the door and fill the gaps.
I have seen people put sheet metal under the tires with grease or glue at the perimeter to keep mice/ants from climbing the tires.

 

[Tonya Harding]

Above suggestions all good; had a pop up & left it under a big carport, never a prob w/ rodents, used Fresh Cab & had everything sealed up, used bronze or copper wool as well. Make sure NO food/paper products etc are left inside to use as nesting material, & make triple dog sure it's completely dry in side before storing; I used to run an oscillating fan for awhile inside the open camper & kept my cushions inside to avoid any humidity, & used a tub of Damp Rid inside & checked it once a month. Overkill? Maybe lol

 

[Snow]

I vote driveway, cover is optional.
When we had our popup, it was stored outside (Ontario winters) in my dad's yard (he is on top of the escarpment, so more snow and winter then Toronto) with no cover. All I did was winterize the trailer, removed the awning, parked it on boards to keep the tires off the grass/mud, and lower the tongue jack all the way down, Never covered it.
If you use a cover, or a tarp, you want to place something between the cover and the roof, like a few milk crates, use pool noodles along the edges and if using a tarp leave one side of the 4 a bit loose so air (wind) can get under the tarp and circulate, otherwise you'll be back here in a few years asking about roof repair.

 

[1380ken]

Inside storage is always best for anything, being out of the weather. If mice will get into the camper in the garage they will also get into the camper in the driveway. At least in the garage you can leave a bunch of mouse traps around the camper.

 

[Annunzi]

My vote is definitely for the garage, harsh winters are hard on pop ups, especially year after year. If you're worried about mice, in addition to the above suggestions, I'd also remove the dinette cushions and bed mattresses, if you have space to store them somewhere else.

 

[Vinicius Kernick]

Thank you all for all the suggestions. Much appreciated. One question arise from all these comments: what is the bronze wool used for?

 

[NLB]

Thank you all for all the suggestions. Much appreciated. One question arise from all these comments: what is the bronze wool used for?

You can plug holes with it.
Steel wool will rust.