Winterizing

[chef john]

Here in South Carolina, during the winter, it might be 70 degrees one weekend and 25 degrees the next weekend. We live very near a 74,000 acre lake, and when the weather man says we are going to have a 70 degree weekend in December I want to go camping. So here are my questions. How cold does it need to get before I must Winterize? What is the best way to winterize? I have read up some on the subject and I am leaning towards the blowout meathod. Which meathod is the quickest? The salesman at the RV dealership told me to hook up the air valve to the ho****er heater drain plug opening, but my owners manual says hook up to the city water opening. I looked in the library but couldn't find a detailed step by step instruction on using the blowout meathod. If I want to use my 5ver one weekend then it is going to be freezing the next which meathod is the best?

PS I realize that even with the blowout meathod I will need to pour some antifreeze into the P traps.

 

[Jim Dick]

Hi Chef John,

Hooking up to the city water fixture is the "usual" method of blowing out the lines. This is fine in many cases but you might have a fitting or two that collects whatever moisture is left in the lines. There is a possibility that this might freeze if the cold spell lasts for and extended period. If your H2O heater has a bypass valve you would want to empty the heater and throw the bypass.

Some 5ers have an insulated belly pan which will slow the freezing process. I won't gurantee it but blowing out the lines might just be enough to get you through a cold night. If it's going to last a couple of nights you might want to reconsider.

 

[King]

I do everything...  blow out the lines, drain and bypass the hot water heater and pump through antifreeze.  I disconnect the hose at the tank and put it into the antifreeze jugs.  I continue to use the RV by carrying a few gallons of water inside where it's heated.  Of course that means planning stops every two or three days for showers.
Art

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

If your fridge has an icemaker, don't forget to drain or blow out its line as well. Blowing the main lines won't push water out of the icemaker line unless the water inlet valve to the icemaker itself is open, which only happens during a "fill" cycle.  Some newer icemakers have a heater on the water line which will protect it if the RV is plugged to shore power.

Here is a link to instructions on winterizing. How to winterize