Do I Have to winterize?......Artic Packs

[deannelsonrn]

Hello,

Iam VERY new to the RV world. I have a new 2012 Georgetown 351DS with Artic Packs. We love this thing and our family would like to use it throughout the winter!!..We live in Cleveland Ohio area..I have in parked and plugged in(50 amp) with a cover over it when not using i. Do I have to winterized it?...If the artic packs are on when parked?.....

Thanks,

Dean Nelson

Georgetown 2012 351DS

[Herk7769]

IMO, yes you should, IF you are going to cover it and not stay in it.

The heaters only heat the holding tanks; not the plumbing. If you can afford to keep the heat on either with propane or electric heaters you can most likely get away with keeping the rig "ready to go" all winter long.

[kenandterry]

X2 what Herk says. The Arctic Package only heats the holding tanks, and it's those little itty bitty plastic water pipes you need to worry about freezing. You'll have to run a lot of propane and/or electric heaters to keep all the plumbing from freezing..............there's lots of pipes you can't see, and if they freeze up and burst, it'll be a messy time fixing things up.

You mention you'd like to use the rig during the winter...........you plan on going snow skiing with it??????

[F and E Damp]

I winterise our GT, but I keep an oil-filled heater in there with a programmable digital thermostat set to its minimum temp of 45F. We also have an indoor/outdoor thermometer.

When the rig is parked in the colder weather, I have the display in the house and the remote sensor inside the MH. The heater keeps it at about 37 degrees, even when outside is in the high 20s. We're lucky in that it's very unusual for daytime highs to stay below 32F.

IMO, that "Arctic Pack" is one of the dumbest systems I've ever come across. Who really wants to heat up the sewage tank to 60 degrees! If you don't have the owner's manual for it, Dean, drop me a private message and I'll scan a PDF version for you.

[cfsoistman]

Originally Posted by F and E Damp

IMO, that "Arctic Pack" is one of the dumbest systems I've ever come across. Who really wants to heat up the sewage tank to 60 degrees! If you don't have the owner's manual for it, Dean, drop me a private message and I'll scan a PDF version for you.

The coach is self sufficient to use in the winter. Heat from the furnace keeps the water lines from freezing. I'm sure they figure all of those Rvers using their rigs in the winter will be using the comode, sinks and shower. So eventually they'll need to drains those tanks and if frozen would really present a problem. They function fine along with the furnace to keep everything warm but without the furnace running the heat doesn't get into the basement areas where the water lines run below the floor. Sure using an electric heater will keep the ones above the floor in the rear of the cabinets from freezing but you may have to leave a cabinet door or two open at night.
Either way I use a compressor and blow out the lines and pour RV Antifreeze in the sink and shower traps and a little it the toilets as well. To get ready to hit the road doesn't take long since I don't need to flush any lines. I drain the water heater as well.

[pmsherman]

I too, live in the Cleveland, Ohio area and use my 2011 327DS in the wintertime. Our current cold snap convinced me that I needed to do something to protect the water system until we leave for our next trip which should start before Winter sets in.

I blew out all of the water lines with compressed air and drained all of the water I could from the fresh water tank. The water heater was drained and both of my water filters were discarded. RV antifreeze was added to both holding tanks and all of the P traps for the sinks and shower. The only place that still contained water that could freeze and damage anything was the water pump. I Filled that section of the system with RV antifreeze, using the pump to suck it in.

This is not a full winterization because there's still the possibility that there's some water in a low spot of the water lines that could freeze. My inspection of the water system showed that the only place water lines are not inside the coach is the underneath plumbing compartment. Even if we get overnight lows below 30F, I'd expect the interior of the coach to stay above freezing. Of course, when daytime temps get below freezing, it's another story.

Cold weather travel has one restriction I don't have when it's warmer. Overnights must be done at campgrounds with power available. This lets me run the 300W electric gutter heating strip I installed in the plumbing compartment. When we're driving, the heater is powered by the 1kw inverter that also runs the refrigerator. A thermostatic control for the heating strip limits its use and a shutoff switch inside the coach makes sure it's off when it's warm.

Last Winter's trip included an overnight with 18F temperatures. I had no problems with the plumbing system. Water hookups during cold temps are another issue. I always run on internal water and refill the fresh tank then empty my hose just before leaving. Another unit at the campground that cold night was using water from the hydrant until late in the evening when they shut off the supply line. In the morning when things warmed up a bit, the underground supply line broke from freezing. The campground manager said that the RV owner would have to pay for the repairs - esitmated at $1000! You can insulate and heat your hose to prevent freezing but there's little you can go about the hydrant.

Phil

[j_adventurer]

So what are we doing with the gasoline tank? First time for me and concerned about additives that don't prevent the ethanol from separating in the gasoline. I'm trying to locate a non-ethanol gasoline station...?

Another issue is my owner's manual says.."do not add after market products to the gasoline.." it may affect your warranty! I have a Ford F53 chassis.

regards,

[kenandterry]

I'm no chemist, and this is only what I've heard from a number of other people........

Apparently "Premium" grade gasoline does NOT contain ethanol. I have found that the sticker stating "May contain up to 10% ethanol" is NOT found on the premium fuel pumps around this neck of the woods.

When storing my vehicles, motorcycle or lawn toys for a prolonged period, I fill them with Premium and Sta-bil.

No troubles to date.

[bob213]

The new Marine version Sta-bil (green) is made for ethanol based fuels. Ethanol attracts moisture, so the marine version is made to help prevent that.

[TURBS]

Star-tron is what I use for ethanol.


Turbs

[psgrandpa1]

What's an Owners Manuel...we have tried since August to get one.
Can you send me the info on Article packs...
Thanks