1st timer here. I parked in the yard on plywood; covered the wheels; emptied all tanks,new cover arrives tomorrow, all food removed and it's on household current shore cord. My question is this: Can I keep a small infrared heater running to keep it from freezing up and not putting RV antifreeze in the system? I intend to do some inside work this winter (Michigan) and run the genset weekly and move it 1/2 wheel rotation monthly. Suggestions are welcome.

The heater will not keep piping or water in the walls or in the floor from freezing. You need to either blow it all out or use RV anti-freeze.Rotating the tires a half turn is not worth doing.Starting the generator, if hard to do in the cold, it is not worth doing. Trying to start a cold generator once a month can do more harm than good. If you do start it, run it under a good load for half an hour, don't just let it idle.Bill

Put a description of the RV in your profile. We don't know what type/make/model you are talking about.Generally, running a small heater inside the RV will not keep the pipes from freezing. You should blow out the water lines and/or pump RV ANTIFREEZE through the system. Also, pour some into the traps on the shower and sinks.Make sure it RV Antifreeze for water systems. Don't use the antifreeze for engines.

waste of time on turning wheels.if you want to work on the trailer, and have no anti freeze in system, BLOW OUT ALL OF THE WATER---including the pipes. If you just use a 'heater' it won't work and you will have one hell of an electric bill.I am from Michigan, Up North, and I would never NOT put anti freeze into the system.

We have a 4 season fifth wheel, rated for use to zero degrees. At least 50% of the heat from the furnace blows under the floor to keep things from freezing... only if the furnace is left on.I run the RV antifreeze pink stuff once temps reach and stay at 32F. We use the camper every day in our driveway and sleep in it every night. Once propane usage (furnace) runs out one-thirty pound tank every other day, we navigate back into the house.Our 5er is 40 feet long with 4 slides. If we run the electric fire place, the heat pump, and 2 electric ceramic heaters, the trailer still does not stay comfortabley warm enough to stay in once temps near 15-20 degrees. It's just too much space to heat. The furnace has to be running if we stay in the camper when temps are that cold.Also, I found an exposed water line, no insulation, not in the underbelly, and in the clear open. It's under the slide and that line runs to the refrigerator ice maker. It would be the first thing to freeze up and possibly burst the line. So, winterizing the water lines, regardless of the claim to being a 4 season, zero degree usability camper is really not true.I doubt very much electric heaters by themselves will add very little, except as stated above - an increase electric bill, and provide no protection against your water lines. Winterize the water system and if you need water in the camper, keep a milk gallon jug of water in it you can use, and do not dump anything down any drains or toilet. WE use a port-a-potty in the bathroom and dump it directly into our septic tank or directly into the toilet in the house every day, once the lines are winterized. This way we do not have to run in the house for potty in the middle of the night. (burr...)... Then we continue using the camper until propane gets too expensive.Edit: Agree with the above posters about turning the wheels. Your plan is definately a waste of time. If you really want to exercise your tires, hitch up and go for a 30 minute drive a couple times over the freeze months. We normally travel to Florida and back again over the week of Christmas, and then to South Carolina in early March. This "exercises" our tires just fine. Never had a problem and never had flat spots.Everything else you've done is good!We don't have an on-board generator, I can't respond to that one. We do have a stand alone generator, and I fire it up once a month in the garage and let it run a while. Had it for over 15 years now, still working great. It was a free-bee we got with a new trailer purchase some time ago. The company was going out of business and giving them away to new RV sales and the next door RV dealership. We got one. It was a cheap-o-make and model, and had absolutely horrible bad reviews on the internet at that time. But, it's been running like a champ all this time and comes in really handy when we have power outages at the house. We never use it camping.

You live in West Branch. Winterize.

Home Storage | Good Sam Community

CFerguson
Explorer II
Nov 07, 2019
Agree with blow the lines and put rv antifreeze in appropriate places.

That said, if you want to heat, you need to do so under the rv after skirting it. If its a well insulated skirt job, you can prob heat it enough to keep the lower pipes from freezing with a incandescent light bulb. But I live in the South so what do I know about Michigan winters.
rvshrinker
Explorer III
Nov 07, 2019
We don't winterize our four season trailer in coastal PNW. We do run the furnace if it's going to get below freezing.but we have 30 amp power and a large propane tank hooked up so we can go all winter.
Matt_Colie
Explorer II
Nov 03, 2019
Another Michigan here, and I am surprised that nobody else has said this.

What will happen if the power goes out for a day or two?

Yes, do a very complete winterize and be sure about the flush water valve in the toilet. They freeze easily and both a pain and expensive to replace.

Matt - next to DTW
johnwalkerpa1
Explorer
Nov 03, 2019
You might get away with that in Alabama, or coastal Carolinas, but in Michigan.....No way..... please winterize.....it's not hard and you'll save yourself a boatload of trouble!
Jebby14
Explorer
Nov 01, 2019
im just across the ditch in Windsor. winterize. Mine is done, picking her up this weekend to head to storage.
bikendan
Explorer
Oct 31, 2019
ScottG wrote:
I even blow out the drains. No AF at all.

Me too! But I do put AF in the toilet and sink drains.
2oldman
Explorer II
Oct 31, 2019
Grit dog wrote:
2oldman wrote:
Post will be moved or closed.
Whhhy?
It was moved to here from FPS, the good old catch-all of the forum. Apparently the mod didn't make and post to that effect.
Grit_dog
Navigator
Oct 31, 2019
2oldman wrote:
Post will be moved or closed.

Whhhy?
allen8106
Explorer
Oct 31, 2019
I wouldn't risk it.
JimK-NY
Explorer II
Oct 31, 2019
Winterize!! I winterized and kept a small heater running to keep the RV at about 40 degrees. Most winter days, the average temp is not much below freezing so a small heater only needs to run occasionally. At least that was the intention. The power cord was knocked loose during the coldest few days of the winter. We had a couple of large banana squashes stored in the camper. They froze solid.

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