Let's Talk Winterizing...

[thehamguy1]

Super, Deb and Gary! Especially the detail on when and how to do the compressed air part. I've never done that but with your clear directions I may do it this year instead of the antifreeze bit--it seemed that the water tasted of AF for a long time this last spring even though I'd only used it in the lines under the sink.

[gregory]

Yes, that icky RV antifreeze taste, while non toxic, kind of hangs in there even after a lot of diluting.

Deb

[D-mo]

i pulled the bypass on the watertank like hamguy ... but hey .. he used my dual battery idea .. so ... i think we are good on this.
no blow out for me ... pull the antifreeze in through only the relevant lines, and all is good. No worries, because its all protected.

Good thread ....

d-mo

[ko777]

With all the suggestions here and what my friends with trailer recommends, I will use the anti-freeze process. Can anyone show how to pump the anti-freeze to the lines? I should do this step after the hot water tank line is bypassed.

[ThunderRoad]

With temperatures hitting freezing tonight, I cancelled my planned camping trip and did the water system prep this afternoon. I used the blow-out method because I'd rather avoid as much anti-freeze as possible. Everything went as expected and I'm pretty comfortable that I won't have a water catastrophe over the winter.

Thanks so much for the detailed walkthru!

[ThunderRoad]

We've been concentrating on winterizing the water systems, but I wanted to talk a little bit about a few other things that need a little TLC for the winter season.

A couple specific questions I have are:

1) I'll be parking in the driveway with a popup cover over the camper. Do I need to do anything specific with regards to the tires? Should I park on plywood vs the asphalt? Should I jack them up off the ground?

2) Battery - Can I just hook it up to the 3-stage trickle charger and leave it for the winter (after removing from the camper and moving it to the garage)? I've read both that this is fine and that it isn't.

3) Critter-proofing. The Aframes seem pretty air-tight, especially if one seals the furnace exhausts and the power-cord and RVQue Gas Line ports. Anything else need attention?

[ko777]

Originally Posted by ThunderRoad

With temperatures hitting freezing tonight, I cancelled my planned camping trip and did the water system prep this afternoon. I used the blow-out method because I'd rather avoid as much anti-freeze as possible. Everything went as expected and I'm pretty comfortable that I won't have a water catastrophe over the winter.

Thanks so much for the detailed walkthru!

How did you get rid of all the water in the water pump internals?
Did the blow-out process removed all of the water in the filter container (no filter)?

Did you use the bypass hot water tank step mentioned here?

I may use this method too, it is easier and no need for anti-freeze but to be 100% safe/sure I'll have to use the other method.

[ThunderRoad]

Originally Posted by ko777

How did you get rid of all the water in the water pump internals?
Did the blow-out process removed all of the water in the filter container (no filter)?

Did you use the bypass hot water tank step mentioned here?

I may use this method too, it is easier and no need for anti-freeze but to be 100% safe/sure I'll have to use the other method.

I did flip on the hot water bypass. To empty it, I opened the sink and shower faucets, both hot and cold, and ran the pump until nothing was coming out but air. At this point, the filter was pretty much empty, so I removed the cover and removed the filter, emptied it, and put it back on without the filter - I'll install a fresh one in the spring. I blew air and could hear/feel it coming out of both fixtures. I opened the low-point valves which drained out a little more. As near as I can tell, it's about as empty in the lines as it can be.

Last thing would be to pour some anti-freeze into the sink drain to displace the water in the trap. I still need to get some.

[ko777]

Originally Posted by ThunderRoad

Last thing would be to pour some anti-freeze into the sink drain to displace the water in the trap. I still need to get some.

Thanks for the info, Deb mentioned here earlier that the drain does not require anti-freeze.

[Yukon Don]

Originally Posted by ThunderRoad

1) I'll be parking in the driveway with a popup cover over the camper. Do I need to do anything specific with regards to the tires? Should I park on plywood vs the asphalt? Should I jack them up off the ground?

I read somewhere (I think on a list of tips gleaned from the A-Liner forum) that it's a good idea to give your tires a coat of ArmorAll.
I failed to do this last year with my A-Lite and come spring time the sidewalls were cracked.
I think I'll be taking to time to do that this year.

[TURBS]

Originally Posted by Yukon Don

I read somewhere (I think on a list of tips gleaned from the A-Liner forum) that it's a good idea to give your tires a coat of ArmorAll.
I failed to do this last year with my A-Lite and come spring time the sidewalls were cracked.
I think I'll be taking to time to do that this year.

Armor all is a bad idea Don.
I'm sure Lou will give you the run down when he runs across this thread .

Turbs

[Yukon Don]

Originally Posted by f1100turbo

Armor all is a bad idea Don.
I'm sure Lou will give you the run down when he runs across this thread .

Turbs

Thanks, Turbs. I did a quick check using the search function on this forum (just entered "armorall") and found several pages of tire advice.
I probably should have done that in the first place.

ThunderRoad -don't listen to me.

[TURBS]

Originally Posted by Yukon Don

Thanks, Turbs. I did a quick check using the search function on this forum (just entered "armorall") and found several pages of tire advice.
I probably should have done that in the first place.

ThunderRoad -don't listen to me.

Lol you crack me up Don!
All is good ........ carry on !

Turbs

[Yukon Don]

Actually, I've been following all these various winterizing threads with considerable interest.
Up here, I'm dealing with heavy snow loads and extreme cold.
I wasn't too concerned with the A-Lite because there was so little to go wrong with it (no skylights, propane system, water system, etc).

Now I've got this bigger, heavier, far more elaborate (and expensive) Flagstaff and I'd really much rather read some good advice beforehand than be the forum's northern test bed and spend next spring tearfully dispatching "don't do this" and "I wish I'd done that" advice.

[chucker25]

Some great advice here everyone. I think this year (the first winter for the trailer) I will try the blown-air method. The DW is very sensitive to chemicals so if I can avoid the antifreeze all the better. We had been planning to store ours in the driveway however after weighing the costs we have decided to put it in storage. Our local agri-exhibition rents storage to RVs for the winter months - inside, no snow, no rain etc. Doubtful there will be heat of course but knowing I wont have rain/freeze/thaw cycles is well worth the $280. I will let you know how clearing the lines goes.

Thanks for all the help on this subject.

[TURBS]

The Worst Enemy of Your Stored*RV

From time to time most RV owners, who are not full timers, have to store their RV for a while. It may only be for a few weeks or it could be for several months. Even though the RV is stored you need to take a few extra steps to protect it from the sun. Yes, the sun can be the worst enemy of your stored RV.*Protecting your RV from the sun is critical if you don’t want to replace your tires much more often than necessary. Other rubber and plastic items such as windshield wipers also need protecting.*While it may seem counter intuitive, driving your RV more frequently will help protect your tires. Flexing them releases chemicals made into the tires that help protect them from the sun. However, if you are parking your RV for a while one of the first things you need to do is buy tire covers.**A windshield cover that extends from one front door to the other on a class C is a worthwhile choice. This cover protects not only the windshield wipers, but the dash and all of the front interior of your RV. In a large class A your protective covering might well go inside the windows.*Most, if not all, tire manufacturers suggest that you not use a product to make your tires shine. However, if you want to use such a product make certain that it is non petroleum based. Several products including: Lucky Earth Tire Shine from alice.com; and Gloss It TRV from glossitonline.com are available.*There is disagreement on whether you should put something under your tires to keep them off the ground. If you choose to do this make certain that what you use fully supports the tires.

[thehamguy1]

I just finished blowing out the water lines on my A128 and putting antifreeze in the system. Looking far under the sink, I found that there IS a P-trap in the sink drain line, as I'd thought. It's not located right under the sink but at the outer wall of the trailer just before the drain exits. If one just looks at the sink drain, he would think there wasn't a trap there, but look deeper, friends!
Maybe the other models or later ones omitted the P-trap but I doubt it. It would be needed to keep sewer gas out of the camper if one were ever connected to a sewer line (remote chance of that, but still a possibility). So my original advice stands: pour a cup or so of antifreeze into your sink drain when you're done with the other winterizing.

[ko777]

Originally Posted by thehamguy1

I just finished blowing out the water lines on my A128 and putting antifreeze in the system. Looking far under the sink, I found that there IS a P-trap in the sink drain line, as I'd thought. It's not located right under the sink but at the outer wall of the trailer just before the drain exits.

Thanks for the tip. Kindly illustrate how you push the antifreeze to all the pipes. I'm doing the blowing out process and may do the antifreeze too.

[thehamguy1]

The easiest way is to use the water pump. Put a couple of gallons of antifreeze in the water tank (after having drained all the water out), then turn on the pump and briefly open each faucet including the outside shower faucets. This assumes you've set the water heater bypass valves to bypass the water heater (so you don't have to fill it with AF). When you're done you'll have AF not only in the lines but in the pump mechanism and inside the faucets to keep them safe.
My way takes a bit more work the first time but is easier the other times. I bought and installed a kit that fits in the line between the water tank and the pump. It has a valve that lets you switch the source for the pump from the water tank to a new port that has a siphon hose on it. Stick the hose in a jug of AF and turn on the pump. The AF is sucked into the pump and pushed through the system. You don't have to put any AF in your water tank this way. I uploaded some photos about it a year ago so you could look at my posts from last October or November to see the way it was done. Maybe someone who has a full size keyboard available (rather than this tiny onscreen one) can find and post that link?
LATER: I found the thread, it's from last September. It's titled "A-frame hardside water pump question". The post with the photo was made on 9/27/11. You'll have to scroll down to find it. And here's a link to a kit like the one I got: http://www.amazon.com/Camco-36543-Pu.../dp/B0006JJ588

[gregory]

Originally Posted by thehamguy1

I just finished blowing out the water lines on my A128 and putting antifreeze in the system. Looking far under the sink, I found that there IS a P-trap in the sink drain line, as I'd thought. It's not located right under the sink but at the outer wall of the trailer just before the drain exits. If one just looks at the sink drain, he would think there wasn't a trap there, but look deeper, friends!
Maybe the other models or later ones omitted the P-trap but I doubt it. It would be needed to keep sewer gas out of the camper if one were ever connected to a sewer line (remote chance of that, but still a possibility). So my original advice stands: pour a cup or so of antifreeze into your sink drain when you're done with the other winterizing.

You are absolutely correct. After reading this post, I went out and looked for myself. The P trap is there, at the back wall before exiting the camper. Gary also had to look for himself and was surprised. I think he'd like to blame the oversight on all the stuff I have under the sink. *sigh*

A big "thank you" to thehamguy1 for setting us straight! My apology if any info I have posted has done any harm, that certainly was not the intention.

This shows us that we can always learn from each others experiences and advise. It's also a good idea to check out anyone's advice with your particular circumstance. That's why I find this forum so interesting to read.

Deb