South Carolina RV'er Practices

[larryi]

I am moving to Charleston SC from Virginia and have a few questions about how other RV owners typically maintain their trailers.

1. In Virginia, we have to winterize trailers, is this common practice still in SC if you are not using it regularly in the winter months?

2. We are having to get flood insurance for our house due to the potential of major storms. Does the same thing exist for RVs? I doubt that our current RV insurance would cover flood damage when its in storage.

3. Ok, other weird question, not having lived in a hurricane zone before, do RVers typically take their trailer with them if evacuating? I can think of lots of pros and cons to taking it with you to get it out of the danger zone but it could be a hindrance too I could imagine if I compare 18mpg without it or 8-9mpg pulling it.

Excited to be moving to South Carolina but also want to be prepared when the time comes. Thanks in advance for your comments.

[bsmith0404]

I don't live in SC, but can tell you that temps there CAN drop below freezing so winterizing would still be recommended. A simple water line blow out with antifreeze in the drains would probably be sufficient.

Someone who lives in a flood zone will probably chime in on the insurance, but I would assume there are options to cover RVs in storage for those areas. I can't imagine any finance company being satisfied if they weren't covered.

As for evacuation, if you have time and the weather is still decent (winds and roads) I would say take it. Having been involved in evacuations before, you can end up traveling a very long way to find hotel vacancies. RV parks MAY be a bit easier to find, and much more comfortable and cost effective if the evacuations turns into a prolonged one. Plus, if things are bad, having a place to stay when you return instead of waiting for a FEMA trailer could be a huge convenience. I had family members who lost their home to Katrina and saw first hand how bad things were.

[CaptnJohn]

I live on the NC coast. No, I don't winterize. Yes, night temps can go below freezing but generally get up to 40 or more during the day. I do drop RV antifreeze down the drains and keep faucets open. The HW tank is drained but usually is if sitting more than a few days.

Hurricanes ~ Cat 1; close the windows
Cat 2; bring lite stuff into the garage from the yard
Cat 3; fill the FW tank and fuel tank and head west. Hunker
down at 1st CG 150 miles inland.

[gearhead]

I don't know how cold it gets in Charleston. You may look at average temperature charts, maybe Accuweather. If in doubt winterize.
I would definitely take the trailer with me when evacuating, unless you are in high winds. I've left home at 1AM to avoid traffic running from a storm. That only helped a little. You will not likely find a decent hotel room with a 8 hour drive. Fill up with water and bring along some extra gasoline. You can't imagine the traffic on 2 lane roads at 3 am. I sat in one spot for 2 hours a few years ago.
But Charleston is a cool spot. Lots of history there.

[gearhead]

Looks like Charleston is going to take a hit on this storm coming out of the Gulf.
When you plan on moving there??