Winterizing: Holding tanks dry or not?
I am sure this has been addressed to death, but I have done a search and can't find the answer. I am doing my first winterization (Pennsylvania) and I don't know if I should completely DRAIN my hol...
Forum Discussion
I will reply to the "open valve" by stating that in my 30 plus years of RV'ing with RV's that have holding tanks I have never had an issue with leaving the slide valves open for extended periods of time when the RV was not in use. Anything that dries up tends to rehydrate real quick the next time it's used.
I have the good fortune to have a dump station at home, plus I never worry about weight issues with my truck camper or travel trailer, and often return home with loaded tanks. I find the drive home does a pretty good job breaking things up in the black tank versus dumping at the campground.
And totally unrelated to the OP, in the summer I do dilute holding tank deodorant in a bucket prior to pouring down the toilet. A have a clear elbow I always leave on my dump valves and I've found that if I pour some blue deodorant straight in the toilet after dumping, it just goes down the pipe to the valve and doesn't really get mixed in the tank, as is evident with the clear section of pipe showing an initial gush of blue. So mixing with a gallon or two of water works better prior to adding it to the tank.
Now while some of you are winterized for the long winter ahead, here in the NW I'm getting ready to refill my truck camper with fresh water and head into the mountains to enjoy some snow, and go for some quiet hikes in all but abandoned RV destinations. Hans
I have the good fortune to have a dump station at home, plus I never worry about weight issues with my truck camper or travel trailer, and often return home with loaded tanks. I find the drive home does a pretty good job breaking things up in the black tank versus dumping at the campground.
And totally unrelated to the OP, in the summer I do dilute holding tank deodorant in a bucket prior to pouring down the toilet. A have a clear elbow I always leave on my dump valves and I've found that if I pour some blue deodorant straight in the toilet after dumping, it just goes down the pipe to the valve and doesn't really get mixed in the tank, as is evident with the clear section of pipe showing an initial gush of blue. So mixing with a gallon or two of water works better prior to adding it to the tank.
Now while some of you are winterized for the long winter ahead, here in the NW I'm getting ready to refill my truck camper with fresh water and head into the mountains to enjoy some snow, and go for some quiet hikes in all but abandoned RV destinations. Hans
