My Winterizing Plan.. Feedback requested!

[tuscani]

Hey all, bought my 2016 Palomino Puma 31-BHSS this past spring and plan to winterize it myself this weekend. I have been reading and watching videos on the process and think I have it down. Below are the detailed steps I have come up with. Feedback welcome! Thanks!

-Wash
-Drain all tanks
-Leave grey open
-Remove food
-Leave fridge open
-Disconnect water
-Remove water filter
-Shut off propane
-Turn off water heater and pilot
-Release pressure for water heater
-Remove anode rod\drain
-Rinse inside of water heater
-Reinstall rod and use Teflon tape
-Close pressure release
-Pressurize system and blow lines
-Run water pump 30 secs
-Bypass water heater
-Close valve to fresh water tank
-Hook water pump hose or suction tube to antifreeze
-Open pump suction valve
-Turn on water pump-
-Open each faucet, toilet, showers until pink
-Turn off water pump
-Pour some antifreeze down drains for traps and toilet
-Push release valve on city water connection
-Open Damprid
-Scatter dryer sheets
-Draw in slides
-Disconnect electric
-Remove battery
-Close all vents and windows
-Leave all faucets open
-Drain all tanks again
-Close grey tank
-Wax
-Cover

[gspot01]

You forgot the last step: "-Cry and pray for early spring."

[rattleNsmoke]

I soak cotton balls with peppermint oil and place them in the kitchen drawers. Mice don't like the sweet smell and will stay out. I also leave the center fantastic fan vent partially open along with the bath vent. That helps balance temps between the coach and outside air and helps reduce the chance of mold\mildew.

[tuscani]

Originally Posted by gspot01

You forgot the last step: "-Cry and pray for early spring."

That's actually step one!!! haha

Originally Posted by rattleNsmoke

I soak cotton balls with peppermint oil and place them in the kitchen drawers. Mice don't like the sweet smell and will stay out. I also leave the center fantastic fan vent partially open along with the bath vent. That helps balance temps between the coach and outside air and helps reduce the chance of mold\mildew.

Good tips. Thx. I did have a couple dead ice over summer so I may try that.

[Still Kickin]

Leave faucets closed and heres why. You want the rv anti-freeze to stay in the hot and cold lines. Leaving your faucets open would defeat that. Flow your hot and cold till pink flows, then close the faucets. Flow pink in your toilet (if so equipped) as well.

[tuscani]

Doh! Yeah good catch... lol

[Willbur]

Originally Posted by Still Kickin

Leave faucets closed and heres why. You want the rv anti-freeze to stay in the hot and cold lines. Leaving your faucets open would defeat that. Flow your hot and cold till pink flows, then close the faucets. Flow pink in your toilet (if so equipped) as well.

.....If you have flushed all lines with AF then all of the water would have been expelled. What would be left in the line to freeze????

[bobm253]

Originally Posted by Still Kickin

Leave faucets closed and heres why. You want the rv anti-freeze to stay in the hot and cold lines. Leaving your faucets open would defeat that. Flow your hot and cold till pink flows, then close the faucets. Flow pink in your toilet (if so equipped) as well.

Thats what I always did but this spring I had a leak in my bathroom faucet. It only leaked when I turned the faucet on. The lines and connections did not leak at all.

I figured there must have somehow been a little water in the internal parts of the faucet despite running pink stuff through. Replaced the faucet. This year I decided to leave all the faucets open. We'll see if any problems in the spring.

[larryandamy]

Great process and good feedback.
I lived in Michigan for 27 year before I realized that winters are optional.
I have lived in San Diego since 1982 and my goal in life is to never live where I would have to winterize my rig again.
Clean and flush periodically, but no antifreeze.

I don't hate winter and I do plan on going to places where winter is to play in the snow and enjoy the cold for a time... a short time...
As long as I can drive away from winter and go back to a home without winter, I am happy.

But I guess I need to be concerned about freezing temperatures causing tubes and pipes with water in them to freeze up...

Is it OK to just drain the water out of the tanks and blow out the lines with air before I subject my wife and myself to sub-freezing temps?
Is there a process for this short term travel to cols situation without having to put antifreeze into the rig?

Thanks

[jkoenig24]

Why leave the grey open? That would just give bugs /critters access.

[D-Man]

Hi, I always bypass my hot water heater and leave the drainplug out till spring, but everything else looks good.

[Still Kickin]

You leave the faucets closed in the event that some connection suffers a leak below the faucet, which would slow the migration of the pink stuff to that point. Here is the physics; "if" you do incur a leak, and your faucets are closed, each amount of fluid starts to create a small vacuum until air seeps into equalize the enviroment. Look at it this way, gas cans have a vent to allow the fuel to move freely without chugging. Same principle that you're trying to prevent, in case of unexpected leak in plumbing. Just sayin' Rocket science, no, precautionary, yes.