Anyone winterized their trailer on the way home?

[blujay40]

Sadly, we are about to depart from our stay in Florida and head home to Michigan. Given the current temps on the way, I realize I need to winterize the trailer before getting there. However, after lengthy discussions with the "significant other" I must consider two options because she wants to maintain use of the trailer as long as possible on the way home (thinking northern Ky or southern Oh would require me to do this) and I would just rather button it up down here and stay in hotels on the way home.

You should also realize that this will be the first time I have done a winterization, period! I have watched a number of YouTube videos, read numerous posts on the process, and I feel I am prepared to do it. 3 way valve at the water pump? Check. Familiar with draining and flushing the water heater? Check. Location of the low point drains? Check. Black tank flush on trailer? Check. RV anti-freeze (4 gal)? Check. At least one checklist obtained online showing the steps? Check. The only thing I can do here vs. at a campground on the way home is blow out the lines because I won't have acess to a compressor on the way home. Stupid me, left it home! DOH! We are close to a relative down here that has one. But not expecting below zero temps at this time of year so not sure if blowing out the lines at this point is really necessary.

So, here is my pro/con list for each. Please feel free to add omissions on my part, or opinionate on whether you would do a winterization on the way home from a trip vs. before you left.

Winterize before we leave - More expensive with costs of hotels, food, and parking could be problematic with arriving late to a hotel (35' trailer and truck) but we could stay on the road longer and get home sooner (2-3 days vs 3-4 days weather/traffic permitting) because I don't have to worry about setting up at night and we can check in whenever we get to a hotel vs trying to enter a campground after dark. I also considered finding hotels next to truck stops with RV parking but she doesn't like that idea.

Winterize on the way home - Less expensive campgrounds, parking not an issue, we still have food in the rig and could make our own meals but trip would take longer because I would want to be off the road before dark each day to check in and setup. Additionally, our trailer is NOT functional other than bathroom/bedroom access without the slides open due to a kitchen island and not sure about running the furnace, hot water heater, etc. with the slides closed so in order to cook, and such, I would have to be somewhere where I can put the jacks down and open the slides.

That is all. Please feel free to take sides. I won't hold it against you!

[AquaMan]

When are you leaving? Here in OH (Dayton) we are expecting 60's this weekend and no significant cold weather until end of next week. It may drop into the 20's overnight, but if you're camping you should be fine. Regardless, with no colder than it is here (not sure how far north into MI you're going) I wouldn't worry too much about it. If you camped on way home, I would pull the drains at your last stop before home, and winterize once home.

[retired06]

The weather this upcoming week might be in your favor. Highs in the 40s and 50s with lows sometimes just below freezing.

[blujay40]

Originally Posted by AquaMan

When are you leaving? Not sure how far north into MI you're going

We are leaving the campground down here on Feb 29th/Mar 1st timeframe. So trip home will be first week of March. Our destination is Lansing which is not all that far into Michigan. Will be monitoring the weather between now watching for major storms/chills which may adjust our schedule a day or two either way.

Should be interesting.

[blujay40]

Originally Posted by retired06

The weather this upcoming week might be in your favor. Highs in the 40s and 50s with lows sometimes just below freezing.

I know. Unbelievable weather up there this year! Unfortunately, we have 10 days or so before our departure date and we all know how things can go sideways up north in a BIG hurry. Keeping our fingers crossed for another warmup during our trip home.

[djeirlessr]

I don't know your setup but I'll tell you what I do so I don't miss anything. First I turn the valves for the water heater and fresh water tank to "winterize" setting. I have a container that holds 4+ gallons of antifreeze and put the hose used to bypass the fresh water tank in the container of antifreeze. My FW has an outside shower and I connect the hose to the "city" water connector.

I drain the water heater and open the valve to the fresh water tank to drain whatever water is in there. I usually leave it open until I put my FW in storage and then close the valve. Then go in the FW and turn on the water pump. I then open each hot and cold, one at a time until pink is coming out of the faucets. Do the same for the shower in the bathroom. Then I flush the toilet until I see pink and leave antifreeze enough to cover the valve in the toilet. I then go back out and hook the shower hose to my back flush system for my black holding tank. Then I go back in the FW and turn the pump off. Go out again and open the low drain valves and when antifreeze comes out I close them.

Then I take what antifreeze is left and pour some down all the drains and the black tank making sure I leave a little in the toilet.

[rmac04401]

We were down in Florida for a week in January so I de winterized in the first campground on SC boarder on the way down from PA. Boondocked the first night and used water bottles for toilet and teeth brushing.

Then coming back I winterized/dumped after our last stop stay in SC/NC boarder. Once you do it a few times it is a pretty easy quick thing to do. I just made sure I took pink with me because I figured southern Wally Worlds may not carry it.

[Gramps42]

Just did it last week for the first time after being in Florida for a month . I bought a tiny wet dri vac that had a reversible air flow. When I got to Emporia, VA the temp was supposed to drop to 24 degrees. I drained the water tank, removed the annode from hot water tank, put the vac on blow and blew out the lines from the hot water tank, blew out the sink, drained the toilet. Put pink stuff in drains and drove home to Delaware just as temperatures hit 4 degrees.

[raytwntrvlr]

Thanks to Royboy334 for a great idea for blowing out the lines. Leaving FL in a month and I will be giving that a try.

[Oaklevel]

Blowing out the lines with air is good but not necessary when using antifreeze.

By pass the water heater and drain it. Open your faucets and open the low point drains. Close them. You can pull the antifreeze with the pump and flush the lines (run til they turn pink) / All faucets/and showers/ toliet...... Dump some down all drains. I use two gallons of antifreeze on our camper. Should take about 1/2 hour.

[Rodgers]

With the weather what it will be you should be ok if you drain your water heater pull anode rod open low level lines drain all water lines. And leave them open while you drive on the last day and you should get most all the water out. If you don't think you got all the water out of your drains and black and gray tanks. Pour a gal on pink stuff in the different drains. And you should be ok. and if you use one remove the water filter.

[aceinspp]

Originally Posted by Oaklevel

Blowing out the lines with air is good but not necessary when using antifreeze.

By pass the water heater and drain it. Open your faucets and open the low point drains. Close them. You can pull the antifreeze with the pump and flush the lines (run til they turn pink) / All faucets/and showers/ toliet...... Dump some down all drains. I use two gallons of antifreeze on our camper. Should take about 1/2 hour.

X 2 later RJD

[rmac04401]

Originally Posted by Oaklevel

Blowing out the lines with air is good but not necessary when using antifreeze.



By pass the water heater and drain it. Open your faucets and open the low point drains. Close them. You can pull the antifreeze with the pump and flush the lines (run til they turn pink) / All faucets/and showers/ toliet...... Dump some down all drains. I use two gallons of antifreeze on our camper. Should take about 1/2 hour.

X infinity👍

[JP Camper]

If it were me, I would stay in the trailer, hotels are a waste of money when you have your own bed with you, JMHO.
What setting up? Level side to side, stay hooked to the TV if possible, open any slides and you're done, no need for all the other nonsense, water? use your FW tank. Turn off water pump, drain faucets, leave open then Winterize when you get home, just make sure you close all faucets again before winterizing.

[BooBoo23]

No need to blow out the water lines, just open your low point drains and open the faucets and toilet valve and nearly all of the water will drain out. Then use the RV antifreeze to fill the lines back up, just make sure you close all the faucets before you start the antifreeze fill, and then open each one, one at a time. If there is any water in the fresh water tank you may want to open that drain when you leave Florida and let it drain as you travel. Don't forget to pull the screen from the city water fill inlet and push on the check valve with your finger to drain that also. Don't stand in front of the fill inlet when you do that or you may get a mini shower. Empty the black and grey water tanks on the last stop and put about a 1/2 gallon of antifreeze in each one of them. It's still winter and there will be freezing temps for at least another month, especially in Michigan. Almost forgot, drain the hot water tank by removing the anode rod. You will need a 1 1/16" socket for that. After you drain the tank you may want to just screw the anode rod back in just to keep little critters from getting in.

[jkoenig24]

Have you considered driving north and, if you do encounter SERIOUS cold temperatures, stop at an RV service center and simply pay them to do the job? Most shops would find this to be an incredibly simple job (likely less than one hour of labor). Because winterizing is something they'd do a lot, I expect any established shop should easily get it done right. If temperatures continue to rise, you could well make it all the way home and then, decide if a hard freeze is likely (at which time you do the job yourself with all the resources your home provides).

[blujay40]

Thanks everyone for the responses. I knew I could count on them! I agree that I would rather just stay in the trailer but still had doubts about any possible issues with winterizing that I hadn't yet heard of. You all make it sound easier than opening the slide outs so I am going to give it a go.


Maybe that stupid groundhog will actually be right this year and I won't have to do it till I get home.


Thanks again!!!

[blujay40]

Originally Posted by jkoenig24

Have you considered driving north and, if you do encounter SERIOUS cold temperatures, stop at an RV service center and simply pay them to do the job?

If they are predicting THAT kind of cold, we are staying put!!!

[papakilo]

Originally Posted by blujay40

Sadly, we are about to depart from our stay in Florida and head home to Michigan. Given the current temps on the way, I realize I need to winterize the trailer before getting there. However, after lengthy discussions with the "significant other" I must consider two options because she wants to maintain use of the trailer as long as possible on the way home (thinking northern Ky or southern Oh would require me to do this) and I would just rather button it up down here and stay in hotels on the way home.

You should also realize that this will be the first time I have done a winterization, period! I have watched a number of YouTube videos, read numerous posts on the process, and I feel I am prepared to do it. 3 way valve at the water pump? Check. Familiar with draining and flushing the water heater? Check. Location of the low point drains? Check. Black tank flush on trailer? Check. RV anti-freeze (4 gal)? Check. At least one checklist obtained online showing the steps? Check. The only thing I can do here vs. at a campground on the way home is blow out the lines because I won't have acess to a compressor on the way home. Stupid me, left it home! DOH! We are close to a relative down here that has one. But not expecting below zero temps at this time of year so not sure if blowing out the lines at this point is really necessary.

So, here is my pro/con list for each. Please feel free to add omissions on my part, or opinionate on whether you would do a winterization on the way home from a trip vs. before you left.

Winterize before we leave - More expensive with costs of hotels, food, and parking could be problematic with arriving late to a hotel (35' trailer and truck) but we could stay on the road longer and get home sooner (2-3 days vs 3-4 days weather/traffic permitting) because I don't have to worry about setting up at night and we can check in whenever we get to a hotel vs trying to enter a campground after dark. I also considered finding hotels next to truck stops with RV parking but she doesn't like that idea.

Winterize on the way home - Less expensive campgrounds, parking not an issue, we still have food in the rig and could make our own meals but trip would take longer because I would want to be off the road before dark each day to check in and setup. Additionally, our trailer is NOT functional other than bathroom/bedroom access without the slides open due to a kitchen island and not sure about running the furnace, hot water heater, etc. with the slides closed so in order to cook, and such, I would have to be somewhere where I can put the jacks down and open the slides.

That is all. Please feel free to take sides. I won't hold it against you!

You had better check on which campgrounds are open. I have found in the upper half of the USA many if not most campgrounds close in the fall and do not open till spring. Perhaps you will get only one or two nights camping in on the way from Florida to Michigan. If so this could have an influence on when you would winterize. Some years ago I left Mesa AZ in February heading for Ontario Canada. I winterized before I left and on the first night or two only slept in the trailer and ate out. We used camp ground toilet facilities.

[rmac04401]

You could always boondock if campgrounds are not open. I did that both going down and coming back from Florida