Preparing for 1st Winter Storage

[Still Kickin]

I just got a head ache from reading all this stuff. I'm not familiar with your particular unit but;

Do use rv safe anti freeze (any brand) about 2 gals should cover your needs.
Do open and drain fresh water tank, low point hot and cold drains and close back up.
Do acquire an understanding of your bypass valves to the HW tank, prior to introduction of the anti-freeze.
Do remove and drain the HW tank.
Do apply no more than two rotations of teflon tape to the plug (assumption is you have a steel tank here) and replace plug/anode.
Do add bulk anti-freeze to all P-traps and residual amount to black tank after emptied of course.
Do remove hand held shower head if so equipped and return it in Spring.
Do leave fridge open to prevent mold.
Do, if in an enclosed structure, fabricate 5gal bucket mouse trap(s) (bing seach it, google is not welcome) as you want to eradicate those mice prior to entry.
Do remember (by notes) to return bypass valves to operational settings in Spring.
Do post any questions here so others can give constructive advise. Just sayin'

[5picker]

Originally Posted by Still Kickin

I just got a head ache from reading all this stuff. I'm not familiar with your particular unit but;

Do use rv safe anti freeze (any brand) about 2 gals should cover your needs.
Do open and drain fresh water tank, low point hot and cold drains and close back up.
Do acquire an understanding of your bypass valves to the HW tank, prior to introduction of the anti-freeze.
Do remove and drain the HW tank.
Do apply no more than two rotations of teflon tape to the plug (assumption is you have a steel tank here) and replace plug/anode.
Do add bulk anti-freeze to all P-traps and residual amount to black tank after emptied of course.
Do remove hand held shower head if so equipped and return it in Spring.
Do leave fridge open to prevent mold.
Do, if in an enclosed structure, fabricate 5gal bucket mouse trap(s) (bing seach it, google is not welcome) as you want to eradicate those mice prior to entry.
Do remember (by notes) to return bypass valves to operational settings in Spring.
Do post any questions here so others can give constructive advise. Just sayin'

That is some great advice Still Kickin.
I realize it was probably a missed word or two but I'll advise to NOT remove and drain the HW tank... simply remove the plug/anode and drain.

[rockfordroo]

Originally Posted by 5picker

I don't know about right or safe???

The MSDS for that stuff indicates they do not know the freezing point.
Page three indicates: "melting/freezing point - Not available."

Not sure how they can make the claim -100 or -200 or the formation of 'ice crystals' if they don't know the freezing point?

They also go on to say...
"Symptoms/Injuries After Ingestion: Acute exposure of humans to ethylene glycol by ingesting large quantities causes three stages of
health effects. CNS depression, including such symptoms as vomiting, drowsiness, coma, respiratory failure, convulsions, metabolic
changes, and gastrointestinal upset are followed by cardiopulmonary effects and later renal damage.

Pay close attention to the words I highlighted... Ethylene glycol.
This is automotive antifreeze and is poisonous.

They do state (prior to that statement) it is made from Propylene glycol.
My point is... there is a BUNCH of confusing stuff being 'stated' about this particular product so believe what you think appropriate.

They also say on their web site it is suitable for use in engines and has corrosion inhibitors added.

-110º or -200º protection or not... I'm not putting any of that product in my potable water plumbing.

*HERE* is a link to the product. Click on the MSDS link and read for yourself.

They also said "the solution continues to form denser ice crystals and EXPANDS." By the definition of density (weight/unit volume) if it's forming denser crystals, it can't expand. If it expands, it becomes LESS dense. I don't think they know what the heck they're talking about.

[Threegaleh]

I put lots of bounce dryer sheets in our tt and moth balols around the tires and inside. Make sure there is NO food in there. I have no problem with mice and I live in the country.

[Still Kickin]

Originally Posted by 5picker

That is some great advice Still Kickin.
I realize it was probably a missed word or two but I'll advise to NOT remove and drain the HW tank... simply remove the plug/anode and drain.

Ah, that would not be too smart. Thanks, I did mean the plug/anode. Thanks for the catch.

[grumpyoldman]

Originally Posted by 5picker

RV antifreeze will (and does) freeze/get slushy but DOES NOT expand when frozen so even if it freezes, it WILL NOT burst pipes. In fact, it contracts slightly.

Water is the ONLY liquid that expands when frozen.

X2. It states right on the bottle that it will turn to slush but NOT expand.

[D-Man]

Petes RV does a good youtube vid for winterizing.
https://youtu.be/fZshRDDVc9o

[Barry Smith]

What I've been using in my boat and camper for mice is to cut Irish Spring soap into quarters and put it through out the camper and boat. I also leave all cabinet doors open and on the boat I leave everything open. Knock on wood I've not found any mice or dropping in either. You also get that nice fresh smell!

[NDCanoe]

I know you old timers have winterized dozens of times. It's my first time too, and want to say thanks for sharing. Much appreciated.

[IsItFast]

In the 10 years I have been winterizing I have never ran antifreeze through my lines. I normally just drop it in my traps. After draining everything I leave ALL of my valves open on the sinks, showers, etc. That way a lot of the moisture will evaporate and any expansion should be able to be pushed along the pipes instead of being stuck in place at a fitting. The only problem I have had with this method is my new camper has a foot flush toilet (old camper was hand flush) and that valve collected water and broke. Was able to get by with a hose clamp for the weekend but now I know to simply unscrew that valve to drain the water. And don't forget your outside shower if you have one!

[Bnrc73]

Originally Posted by mrgem

Thanks to all who have weighed in.

As I mentioned earlier, the owner's manual simply says "Open bypass valve on water heater. Drain water heater."

Will draining of the water heater take care of itself -- once the bypass valve is open? Or is there some other drain valve? I see a couple of drain valves (one red, one blue) coming out from the undercarriage just ahead of the rear wheels. Could these be the drains for the W/H?

Thanks.

You'll find the water heater on the outside of the trailer. It's a door about 2foot square. Open it up and you'll see the heater. There should be a drain plug towards the bottom. Remove it to drain. Plus there is a relief valve close to the top. Open it to help drain the water heater.

[flip48]

I live in the Austin, Tx area and since this is my first TT I asked other owners about winterizing and they said they don't winterize down here.. That kind of scares me since I lived in the cold country for many years and winterized my boat every year.. Any suggestions from rv's from this part of the country. I was going to take it out one more time and winterize it and got a lot of good advice here.

[bushdad]

Originally Posted by mrgem

Thanks to all who have weighed in.

As I mentioned earlier, the owner's manual simply says "Open bypass valve on water heater. Drain water heater."

Will draining of the water heater take care of itself -- once the bypass valve is open? Or is there some other drain valve? I see a couple of drain valves (one red, one blue) coming out from the undercarriage just ahead of the rear wheels. Could these be the drains for the W/H?

Thanks.

water heater has a plug that you open to drain it.

[mrgem]

Tons of great information given. Referrals to You Tube were great. Watched 5 of them and got different approaches -- all useful.

[keith_h]

Originally Posted by flip48

I live in the Austin, Tx area and since this is my first TT I asked other owners about winterizing and they said they don't winterize down here.. That kind of scares me since I lived in the cold country for many years and winterized my boat every year.. Any suggestions from rv's from this part of the country. I was going to take it out one more time and winterize it and got a lot of good advice here.

I don't live in Austin but all I do here in central NC is blow out the lines, leave the various taps open, drain the pump and screen then put some antifreeze in the traps and toilet bowl. We use the trailer year round and have outside plumbing so we use bottled water once we start seeing the hard freeze nightly temperatures. If we lived further up north where the trailer stayed in storage I might do more but this has worked well for us here.

[flip48]

Last year the coldest temp we saw was 32 degrees and that was only about an hour or so. Not really concerned about freeze but I think it would be good to clear all the lines.

[Skyliner]

Couple of posts back recommending it be winterized by a dealership is the worst advice I've seen for a while on this forum.

DIY if you want it done right.

The cheap -50 deg Walmart RV antifreeze is just fine and with a couple days of -19 deg F temps each winter over the year, I never saw any damage.

I personally hate the residual small and taste of RV antifreeze and have only blown out the lines with compressed air this season. I did run a bit of antifreeze in my rv water pump because I was afraid that residual water could freeze and damage it.

I may change my mind and later run RV antifreeze but for now its all air.

I was surprised by how little water was in the lines after I opened the low water drain points first. Surprsingly, I blew out the most water from the toilet water line.

MICE ARE A BIG PROBLEM IN COLORADO especially if you store your RV in a field.

Dryer sheets are a waste of time.

Sealing entry points is a great idea but the little buggers will always find a way into your RV and can do some incredible damage.

Mice got into our heating duct system via a heater exhaust tube. They urinated and nested in my heater's squirrel cage fan area, others found the ducts very comfy and built nice nests in them. Another group of mice decided that it was easier to nest in the insulation under the floor above the coroplast liner. The amount of feces and urine stained insulation was impressive! It took us several days to remove all of the insulation, disinfect the entire undercarriage and replace the insulation. Cleaning the entire heating system was another day's job.

I'm blessed that my DW helped me eradicate the mouse problem. She didn't even squirm every time she reached to remove insulation and pulled out mice droppings and even dead mice.

We placed lots of cab fresh pouches taped to the coroplast and inside our RV. We also have mouse traps in the camper too along with more cab fresh pouches. We prefer d-con circulator revolving traps that trap the mouse inside the trap instead of spring loaded traditional mice traps that are messy and touchy to set.

Outside we have 3 homemade bucket mouse traps.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eF6xwUSkT1k

as a precaution. These work quite well and ours are filled with antifreeze instead of water.

[Schvarak]

I shopped online for RV antifreeze and I about choked when I saw Walmarts price. Camping world has it for $4.99/ gal, one other store had it for $3.99 and then I found Tractor Supply at $2.99/ gal! Any questions about where I bought it 😊?

[Schvarak]

Originally Posted by Bnrc73

You'll find the water heater on the outside of the trailer. It's a door about 2foot square. Open it up and you'll see the heater. There should be a drain plug towards the bottom. Remove it to drain. Plus there is a relief valve close to the top. Open it to help drain the water heater.

I learned the hard way. Make sure the water heater has been turned off for a period to cool the water. Open pressure relief valve first, then pull the plug/ anode. No sudden showers that way. At least I'd let it cool thoroughly😊

[Wheels Down]

I also got a "shower" yesterday doing my first winterization. Water was cold and quick reflexes kept me mostly dry.
I used the compressed air method. Some comments on the taste and smell left from AF in water lines steered me to use air to blow out the lines. I built a fitting from parts at Lowes that connected air hose to TT city water inlet with a regulator. The hardest part was getting 110 power to the TT in storage to power the air compressor. Finally borrowed an extension cord from another RV that was unoccupied. The cord was unplugged so I did not disrupt any systems in the other RV.
All ops went as planned and I poured AF in the traps, black tank and toilet.
Should be good for the winter.