winterizing

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bb21992

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Total novice here but I thought I would go to the experts here.  I hear a lot about winterizing.  I live in California with no snow and plan to use my new used class c during the winter months around here.  Do I need to "winterize"?  Or is it just for those who don't use the RV in the winter and are storing it for a few months?  Thanks.  ???
 
Depends on which part(s) of California you'll be in. We live in the San Joaquin valley, approx 18 miles west of Stockton, and have never winterized an RV or a boat in the last 30 years.

On the rare occasions we have a heavy frost forecast, I might take the coach out of storage and plug into electricity at the house. Then I turn on the basement heater which is on a thermostat (an alternative might be a couple of portable incandescent lights), and either turn on the furnace or an electric heater set to keep the inside temperature above freezing. That happens only a few nights of the year. Since our coach is now in covered storage, I don't bother to do that.
 
"Winterizing" is for protection against freezing temperatures, regardless of whether you RV is in use or not. Techniques vary, though, if you live in a region where temperatures are not extreme or if the rig is in regular use.

It takes at least a few hours of below-freezing temps to create the potential for freeze damage, so if the temps dip below freezing for only a couple hours at night, you probably have no worries. But a night with temps under 32 for several hours demands some action to avoid damage. In many case, just leaving some heat on inside and warming up the hot water tank is sufficient. Maybe put a 75 watt light bulb by the water inlet and waste tank drains too, to prevent a freeze up there (assuming they are enclosed).

Tell us more about your climate and we can make some more suggestions.
 
bb21992 said:
Total novice here but I thought I would go to the experts here.  I hear a lot about winterizing.  I live in California with no snow and plan to use my new used class c during the winter months around here.  Do I need to "winterize"?  Or is it just for those who don't use the RV in the winter and are storing it for a few months?  Thanks.  ???
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When we lived in Garden Grove, we never winterized and only had snow once in the 30 years I lived there, last time before was 1922,  When we are going south in November or December, winterizing consists of burning a lot of propane in the furnace and a heater in the bay till we leave.  This year we are not going south so after we get back home after Thanksgiving, I will do the whole job and save a lot of propane.  ;)
 
If I can add myself to the group needing advice on this ...

We live in the US southeast and our TT is stored off our property in a rural storage facility where it sits out-of-doors.  We're planning to use it in late December or January, so avoiding adding chemicals (antifreeze) that we'd later need to flush out would be nice, but obviously not at the cost of damaging the TT.  So far there's one day when it's projected to have a low below freezing (30). 

Warming the TT up would be easy enough (drive out, turn on furnace/hot water heater -- though will the furnace blower work just on battery?  We can probably run an extension cord or series thereof but may need to run them a good distance to where it's parked)) but it's a nuisance to drive to where it's parked (about 1 hr. r/t).  Keeping it warm overnight via a lightbulb (e.g.) would be pretty much impossible.

What would those knowledgeable about such things recommend we do?  Thanks in advance!

-- bogart
 
I noticed an ad in the Durango Colorado newspaper for someone to come to your home and shrink rap your RV for the winter. I thought it was hysterical but maybe it is not? Anyway, I am off to Arizona to avoid the shrink rapping.
 
Depending on your rig it usually does not take long to drain the water system.  Open all faucets and low point drains.  Drain the water heater, water tank and filter if you have one.  That way all it takes is to get rolling is to fill the water tank, shut the faucets drains and turn on the pump.  The little bit of water in the grey and black tanks should not be an issue.
 
I noticed an ad in the Durango Colorado newspaper for someone to come to your home and shrink rap your RV for the winter. I thought it was hysterical but maybe it is not? Anyway, I am off to Arizona to avoid the shrink rapping.
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This is very often done for boats in the many marina's here, so why not an RV???? 8)
 
I live on the Central Coast of California and we have temps in the winter that many times get below freezing in the winter months late in the night.  I am storing my Class C in a pole barn with open sides in the front and back.  Is it best to drain the water tank and water heater for storage?( not using for a month or two in winter).  Thanks,  Robin and Jerry
 
boatbuilder said:
Depending on your rig it usually does not take long to drain the water system.  Open all faucets and low point drains.  Drain the water heater, water tank and filter if you have one.  That way all it takes is to get rolling is to fill the water tank, shut the faucets drains and turn on the pump.  The little bit of water in the grey and black tanks should not be an issue.
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Charlie:

Would it be better to leave the taps open when the pump is turned on so that air is purged from the lines and then close them or is this not needed?

Ed
 
It usually helps to leave one open until the pump picks up a prime.  I like to open the furthest one from the pump first.  That way you remove the majority of the air first. 
When draining do not forget the outside shower if you have one.  Also drain the shower hose inside.
 
OK.  So not meaning to be dumb about this, I've got a TT with battery power and no access to electric at the moment (i.e. unless I hook it up and move it).  So I can open the low point drain, sure, and I can certainly open the faucets ... but will this accomplish anything if all I've got is battery power (can I turn on the water pump)?  How do I get the water out of the pipes/hoses ...

Thanks for your help.

-- bogart
 
Your water pump is 12v and should run fine off the batteries, to get the winterizing done.  If you do store your TT with no electrical access to keep the batteries topped off, make sure you disconnect the battery leads so they don't discharge and sit empty for months.  That is a sure way to need battery replacement in the Spring.  ;)
 
boatbuilder said:
It usually helps to leave one open until the pump picks up a prime.  I like to open the furthest one from the pump first.  That way you remove the majority of the air first. 
When draining do not forget the outside shower if you have one.  Also drain the shower hose inside.
Click to expand...

Sounds good, Charlie.  Thanks,

Ed
 
Thanks, Scottydl.  We have learned the thing about unhooking the battery ... also learned that it's important to hook up all the leads, including the one that runs to the battery-powered tongue (hitch?) jack, when hitching up.  Go figure  :p.

-- bogart
 
boatbuilder said:
Depending on your rig it usually does not take long to drain the water system.  Open all faucets and low point drains.  Drain the water heater, water tank and filter if you have one.  That way all it takes is to get rolling is to fill the water tank, shut the faucets drains and turn on the pump.  The little bit of water in the grey and black tanks should not be an issue.
Click to expand...

Provided I do what you have outlined above will I need to pour antifreeze down the drains or circulate antifreeze through the system like it says in my manual?
 
gt2003 said:
Provided I do what you have outlined above will I need to pour antifreeze down the drains or circulate antifreeze through the system like it says in my manual?
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Yes you need to pour antifreeze down the drains or somehow get all the water out of them. You shouldn't have to run antifreeze through the system but you can for insurance.
 
As Don said, simply doing a "gravity drain" of the water system isn't enough to protect the system against freezing temps.  Water (even just small amounts of moisture) can still be present in some of the piping bends, valves, and other small sections.  Those tight areas are the ones likely to be damaged by water that expands into ice.  That's why all water needs to be removed from the system, either by blowing out with compressed air or flushing with RV antifreeze.  Some people like to do both, but it's not really necessary.
 
I'm going to attack it tonight by means of the water pump.  I'll have to figure out the bypass valve on my water heater first.  If it doesn't have one, will I need to manually clamp off the input to the water heater so I don't fill it?
 
You can't just manually clamp off the heater because that also stops antifreeze from reaching the hot water lines downstream from the heater. You need to install a bypass if you don't have one. Or buy more antifreeze so the tank can fill too.  That's practical if the temps aren't too extreme and you don't need a lot of antifreeze in the system.
 
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