I messed up..........

[Martsing]

I made a stupid mistake on our trip back from Florida. I had winterized the camper when we were in Florida. On the way back the temps were in the low 30's so I decided to put a few gallons in the FW tank and just run the toilet. Left everything else "sealed". It got very cold on the 2nd night but the water was still working fine and the tank heaters were doing their thing. on the last leg and then the first night at home it dropped to single digits.

My intention was to re-winterize when we hit Maryland but because the temps were in the single digits for days the pump froze solid. I kept the furnace running but apparently it is not ducted to the front compartment where the pump is and since I did not have the HW heater on it stayed cold. I figured this out later In hindsight I should have either de-winterized completely or not at all!

Now, I am waiting for the temps here to moderate a bit to assess my stupidity induced damage.

I'll let you know how it turns out.

Marty

[MillMitch]

Good luck! I suspect, with this artic air up north, a lot of us are going to be second guessing our winterizing procedures. First time winterizing for me last fall, and I did it twice. First time without opening the low point drains. Had an 'oh crap' moment after reading posts and went out to storage facility and redid it. This forum is awesome.
Mitch in MN

[rockfordroo]

Next time, just get a couple jugs of water and flush the toilet with the water jugs.

[Martsing]

Originally Posted by rockfordroo

Next time, just get a couple jugs of water and flush the toilet with the water jugs.

Oh.... my.... God.....

I have you guys tell people that in the past and it never freakin occurred to me.
Marty

[Rich5117]

Martsing, sure you are not the only one having this problem. What's really concerning is all the posts talking about water pumps freezing up in a compartment that is supposed to stay warm enough to not freeze. It only has to stay above 32 deg.

Good luck, let's hope no major pipe damage, the pump is easy to replace.

[Martsing]

Originally Posted by Rich5117

Martsing, sure you are not the only one having this problem. What's really concerning is all the posts talking about water pumps freezing up in a compartment that is supposed to stay warm enough to not freeze. It only has to stay above 32 deg.

Good luck, let's hope no major pipe damage, the pump is easy to replace.

I hear you, but to be honest I can't fault the unit. If I would have dewinterized completely then the water heater would have kept that area warm. As it is, I only halfway dewinterized and that compartment was left to fend for itself! A lesson learned.

Marty

[trailer tech]

Just from experience....Rv's were not engineered to be lived in. The lowest temp most Rv's are said to withstand is 25 degrees. I've seen them be ok in colder but manufacturers recommend that you not stay in them past 25 degrees. Too many things start going wrong or act up due to the cold weather.

[Thurman]

Also from experience: We were in Ochlocknee Bay, FL. Thu-Sun last week. Thursday night's low was 23° with a light wind coming off the Bay. My furnace was set to 66° and could not keep the TT that warm. We supplimented with an electric space heater and two quilts, well maybe a little snuggling too.

[Martsing]

I dodged a bullet. The temps moderated and the pump stated working. I quickly re-winterized the system and noticed no leaks when pressurized.

I am going to go ahead and buy a new pump anyway and keep it as a spare.

Phew.

Marty

[youroo]

Originally Posted by Martsing

I dodged a bullet. The temps moderated and the pump stated working. I quickly re-winterized the system and noticed no leaks when pressurized.

I am going to go ahead and buy a new pump anyway and keep it as a spare.

Phew.

Marty

Good deal,you just hit the "RV Lottery"! Youroo!!!