Can I just empty water tanks instead of winterizing?

rhagfo wrote:
Use a small air compressor and blow out the lines, no need for the antifreeze. We use the 5er all winter and have done this several times in a winter, or like last year once! Never got cold enough after our New Years trip.

Living in Western Washington and near the Sound, this is what I do.

As others have said - it's not the water tank or waste tanks that are typically the problem in moderate climates like Portland -- it's the small water lines and things like the toilet valve that tend to bust if the weather gets into the 20's. I usually blow the lines and put some RV antifreeze into the P traps of the kitchen, bathroom, and shower.

For what's it' worth -- I am not a fan of "storm watching" in an RV - hotels are cheap in the winter and if your there to watch a big storm that's where you want to be not some RV.

Matt, in lower SC we won't need to winterize but your solution is hilarious. I don't drink but if I pour my wife's 20 year old single malt down the pipes I'll find out if she has a great sense of humor eh?

rhagfo wrote:

Not true, if day time temps are in the mid 40's you can likely go as low as 28 degrees easly. What're doesn't freeze instantly when the temperature out side is 32 degrees.

Agreed. But I'm not talking about instant freeze. It only takes 5 or 6 hours for a small amount of water to completely freeze in the valves at 28 degrees. Unless there is a guarantee that will never happen in Portland? I don't know. But for the small amount of time and money involved, why take that chance?

I do the blow out method here but this is with my OFF-ROAD POPUP trailer which has a very small fresh water setup... The shower part is my outside shower connections. I also have a cassett potie with shower combo setup which is all self contained for flushing the pot into a pull out tank. The shower combo part of it is connected to my fresh water tank... All of this drains out from the low water drain port... If I open the water heater SINK HOT SPIGOTS when draining from the low water drain ports I get almost all of the hot water to drain from its tank. Only a small amount maybe 1/2 inch of water in the bottom of the tank left after draining... Never has been a problem for me when camping off grid in freezing temps outside. I suppose there may be some water at the input of the water pump but it has never been a problem for me... I am not sure where the one way valve is for the water pump - it may be built-in to the water pump. I have two lines feeding the low water drain port. One from fresh water tank and one from front of trailer where the sink and lines are at.



Have not had any freezing problems here in Norther Neck VA or on many short trips to the high country around here during the early winter months... On my short trips to high country if it is going to freeze after dark I do the blow out method and then just add fresh water to the fresh water tank the next morning when things warm up again...

The longest part of the blow out method is draining the fresh water water from the low point drains. The actual blow out takes around five minutes... Then I add pink stuff to the two P-traps I have in the sink and shower.

If I lived in colder climate locations that had many days of below freezing temps I would probably do the pink antifreeze method for sure...

Like said above it only takes one time to freeze your lines and do damage...

Roy Ken

Campfire Time wrote:
The trouble is that all it will take is one night of sub-freezing temps for more than just a few hours to crack a "T" or a valve. It's maybe a 30 minute process including blowing out the lines with air first. I get the stuff on sale for under $3 a gal, maybe $12 at most for the anti-freeze needed. Cheap insurance. You know your weather better than I do so it's your call.

Not true, if day time temps are in the mid 40's you can likely go as low as 28 degrees easly. What're doesn't freeze instantly when the temperature out side is 32 degrees.

Alabama Jim wrote:
I assume you are in Portland, Maine. I would winterize. Too much risk in freeze damage. Portland, Oregon, no problem.

The OP is obviously talking about Portland Oregon. In Portland Maine you would absolutely have to winterize with about 3 months of below freezing nightly lows.
In Portland Oregon, yes you can just empty and most likely that would be just fine.

Depends on where you live, if you need to winterize. I never winterize the TT for 10 years but we lived in Huntington Beach, CA and temps never get below 48f. Here in Lancaster, CA I winterize as temps get down below freezing a few times a year. Just better safe than sorry.

The trouble is that all it will take is one night of sub-freezing temps for more than just a few hours to crack a "T" or a valve. It's maybe a 30 minute process including blowing out the lines with air first. I get the stuff on sale for under $3 a gal, maybe $12 at most for the anti-freeze needed. Cheap insurance. You know your weather better than I do so it's your call.

Here in Tucson we can see temps down into the twenties a few times just about every winter. It only gets that cold for a few hours and not very often. Once we start to get sub 32 degree nights I open the low point valves and let all of the water drain from the system. This is even more effective if you drive a few miles as that helps to clear the lines. Then I add anti freeze {the pink RV stuff}, to the shower and sink drains, and both the black and gray tanks.

This leaves the rig ready to travel with nothing further to be done, other than adding more fresh water to the tank. Been "winterizing" in this fashion for 7 years and so far so good.

:C