How To Winterize a Trailer

[MrLynn]

Originally Posted by Iowa Dave

Did you make sure there’s no water in the shower hose? It loops down and up
And so iit needs to be taken off and drained or you can hold it up vertically and push the button to open and the sink to divert and it should back drain . I usually just unscrew ours and drain it and then put it back on the fitting by the faucet.
Iowa Dave

I opened the shower hose and let the compressed air blow through it, hanging down, so I think it's emptied.

[MrLynn]

Originally Posted by MTA

Hi folks. Longtime listener (lurker) but first time caller. Very appreciative of the Forum.

I had wondered why I had not seen any reference for RVs to what is a standard practice here (at least in this part of the Canadian prairies) of leaving all faucets and valves (say, in an underground watering system) half open after blowing them out to give ice a place to expand.

So winterizing here (with compressed air and, on a 2009 17b with a low-point drain) finishes with leaving all of the faucets partially open. Only two years experience with this, but no problems despite deep cold.

mta

Thanks for the reminder. I'll leave mind partly open. Not sure that'll work for the outside valves, as they don't seem to allow water through unless a quick-connect plug is inserted.

[Ooshkaboo]

Originally Posted by MrLynn

Thanks for the reminder. I'll leave mind partly open. Not sure that'll work for the outside valves, as they don't seem to allow water through unless a quick-connect plug is inserted.

Someone on here mentioned taking the water pump screen out, the rubber seal could freeze and crack. I took it off and let it dry out then put it back in.
I’ve also read where it’s not a good idea to let that rubber toilet seal dry out, that may have been from a YouTube.

[Nindy]

Originally Posted by Iowa Dave

Did you make sure there’s no water in the shower hose? It loops down and up
And so iit needs to be taken off and drained or you can hold it up vertically and push the button to open and the sink to divert and it should back drain . I usually just unscrew ours and drain it and then put it back on the fitting by the faucet.
Iowa Dave

Dagnabbit, Dave! I winterized today and forgot to do that! I always drain it after a shower and used it a few weeks ago but I still check it when winterizing.
I think I was still happy I got the electricity back on!

[EdColorado]

Originally Posted by Ooshkaboo

I’ve also read where it’s not a good idea to let that rubber toilet seal dry out, that may have been from a YouTube.

Just put some rv antifreeze/pink stuff in the toilet bowl after winterizing.
Keeps the gasket lubricated.

[UncleTim]

Originally Posted by MrLynn

?? You blow out the camper in the Autumn, and then fill it with water and use the water during the Winter? Why blow it out, then? And how do you keep the pipes from freezing?

When the trailer is heated, it can easily keep the water above freezing for the whole trip. Just keep the heat on.

When I get home I empty it and blow it out. Takes about 30 minutes. No biggie! If it is really cold, I just bring some water and skip filling the trailer.

[Viajante]

Originally Posted by EdColorado

Just put some rv antifreeze/pink stuff in the toilet bowl after winterizing.
Keeps the gasket lubricated.

Another school of thought:

RV antifreeze is specifically designed to pose little risk of damage to RV holding tanks. However, remember that ethanol-based RV antifreeze has the potential to dry out rubber seals, whereas propylene glycol actually lubricates seals. Quoted from google.

So what do you do? Leave a little engine antifreeze (propylene glycol) in the bottom of the bowl?

[MrLynn]

Originally Posted by EdColorado

Just put some rv antifreeze/pink stuff in the toilet bowl after winterizing.
Keeps the gasket lubricated.

But not if I prop the toilet valve open, as Habberdabber recommended. Nothing will stay in the bowl.

[Fender]

Originally Posted by Viajante

Another school of thought:

RV antifreeze is specifically designed to pose little risk of damage to RV holding tanks. However, remember that ethanol-based RV antifreeze has the potential to dry out rubber seals, whereas propylene glycol actually lubricates seals. Quoted from google.

So what do you do? Leave a little engine antifreeze (propylene glycol) in the bottom of the bowl?

Purchase a propylene glycol based RV antifreeze. I bought a brand called Absolute Zero. It's twice as expensive as the ethanol stuff but has the added bonus of no odour.

Originally Posted by MrLynn

But not if I prop the toilet valve open, as Habberdabber recommended. Nothing will stay in the bowl.

Maybe it's just me but the last thing I want to do is leave the black tank wide open to the inside of the trailer all winter!

[Iowa Dave]

I am older than some dirt. So I have to rely on checklists. And even then I fail on a occasion with an incomplete list. So far I’m lucky to have a goofy memory that seems to dwell on projects at hand and l often remember to do something that I left out of a procedure a couple days later. This would not be good if I did medical work or anything else critical but I don’t. I just roll with the punches and keep tearing off calendar pages and look forward to whatever the next season brings. Meanwhile I will keep making lists on lists.

The day would not be complete if I didn’t recognize all the veterans, their families and the contributions and sacrifices they have made over my lifetime to make my life enjoyable and free every single day.
Iowa Dave

[MrLynn]

Originally Posted by Iowa Dave

The day would not be complete if I didn’t recognize all the veterans, their families and the contributions and sacrifices they have made over my lifetime to make my life enjoyable and free every single day.
Iowa Dave

Ditto. Well said.

[DGLP]

Originally Posted by Jim Bennett

In well over 30 years of owning 2-3 trailers I have never done this and have actually never heard of it. Most of my trailer tires are at near maximum anyway, but still, I would not worry. I do winterize an RV here in Calgary.

Jim, I lived in Edmonton for most of my years. Agreed, I would not worry about inflating the tires to the maximum pressure. However, I brought my lithium iron phosphate batteries into the garage last night after the temp here in the Twin Cities dropped by 40 degrees Fahrenheit overnight from 68 yesterday to 28 degrees this morning. The Minnesota weather forecasts in winter often refer to the "Alberta Clipper" moving in when the temps are expected to bottom out. Mother nature doesn't worry about the exchange rate!
For those who have not been to Calgary in winter, gotta love those chinooks!

[DGLP]

Originally Posted by Iowa Dave

I am older than some dirt. So I have to rely on checklists. And even then I fail on a occasion with an incomplete list. So far I’m lucky to have a goofy memory that seems to dwell on projects at hand and l often remember to do something that I left out of a procedure a couple days later. This would not be good if I did medical work or anything else critical but I don’t. I just roll with the punches and keep tearing off calendar pages and look forward to whatever the next season brings. Meanwhile I will keep making lists on lists.

The day would not be complete if I didn’t recognize all the veterans, their families and the contributions and sacrifices they have made over my lifetime to make my life enjoyable and free every single day.
Iowa Dave

Growing up in Canada, we observed a moment of silence on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month to honor those who sacrificed. And we wore poppies...Flanders fields...

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

[Iowa Dave]

Thanks for the reading. We studied it in junior high and I learned from that. Soon it will be the 78th observation of the World War Two battle in the Adrienne forest. My dad fought in that battle as well as several other major battles in the much decorated Third Armored ( Spearhead) division,
32nd armored regiment, Company B, call sign Oriole. From the beach landing while the Normandy
Invasion success was still in doubt, to the Sigfried line, the Bulge, Cologne and the liberation of concentration camps, the effect on my dad and those with him certainly affected the rest of their lives. Veterans Day, Memorial Day and other national holidays along with June 6 (D-Day) have always been observed by my brothers and me.
Thanks Again
Iowa Dave

[HarleyD]

Sorry, I missed this yesterday,

This link is an appropriate way to end the day when it is Veterans Day. The music is a version of Taps. The link is at the bottom.

Read the short intro before listening. God bless those who sacrificed everything for us.

About six miles from Maastricht, in the Netherlands, lie buried 8,301 American soldiers who died in "Operation Market Garden" in the battles to liberate Holland in the fall/winter of 1944.

Every one of the men buried in the cemetery, as well as those in the Canadian and British military cemeteries, has been adopted by a Dutch family who mind the grave, decorate it, and keep alive the memory of the soldier they have adopted. It is even the custom to keep a portrait of "their" soldier in a place of honour in their home.

Annually, on "Liberation Day," memorial services are held for "the men who died to liberate Holland." The day concludes with a concert.

The final piece is always "Il Silenzio," a memorial piece commissioned by the Dutch and first played in 1965 on the 20th anniversary of Holland's liberation. It has been the concluding piece of the memorial concert ever since.

This year the soloist was a 13-year-old Dutch girl, Melissa Venema, backed by André Rieu and his orchestra (the Royal Orchestra of the Netherlands). This beautiful concert piece is based upon the original version of taps and was composed by Italian composer Nino Rossi.

http://www.flixxy.com/trumpet-solo-melissa-venema.htm

[DanandDaphne]

Originally Posted by Viajante

Another school of thought:

RV antifreeze is specifically designed to pose little risk of damage to RV holding tanks. However, remember that ethanol-based RV antifreeze has the potential to dry out rubber seals, whereas propylene glycol actually lubricates seals. Quoted from google.

So what do you do? Leave a little engine antifreeze (propylene glycol) in the bottom of the bowl?

Engine antifreeze is Ethylene glycol, toxic stuff! Propylene glycol is not, I used barrels of the stuff in the boiler and sidewalk snowmelt systems at my previous work.
We had to change out the propylene glycol in the garage fire sprinkler system with glycerin not because it is toxic but because it can flash when sprayed in a fine mist, not something you want in your fire suppression system.

[DanandDaphne]

Originally Posted by Fender

Purchase a propylene glycol based RV antifreeze. I bought a brand called Absolute Zero. It's twice as expensive as the ethanol stuff but has the added bonus of no odour.



Maybe it's just me but the last thing I want to do is leave the black tank wide open to the inside of the trailer all winter!

I thought the same thing. The tank is already vented on the roof, don't know why you would do this.

[HABBERDABBER]

I wasn't aware that auto anti-freeze could help the toilet gasket. Maybe that is beneficial.
The black tank vent may keep things "aired out", but not much, as there is likely little air exchange for convection air flow. A low and high opening would be preferred. If surfaces are clean & dry, there's little opportunity for microbial action and odor.
At least those are my reasons for my technique. Just gut level thinking, no data to offer. I've not experienced any odor or other issue after 12 years of doing this when de-winterizing. If you're concerned about germs, good luck. We live in a soup of them, breathing and eating them.
YMMV