Not winterizing outdoor-kept trailer?

Gets **** cold here in Reno. I use a compressor to blow everything out. I'll go around all the faucets 3-4 times until only air is coming out. Use the pink stuff for all the traps. Take the little pump strainer apart to make sure it's empty and run the pump for a few moments to purge the water from it. Never have a problem with freezing. We will camp year around so I probably do that dance a dozen times through the winter.

Hey, we got global warming, climate change, it ain't going to freeze again. Can't wait til we can raise cactus here in the Seattle area.

Seriously, after the 1st year (in 1988) using pink stuff to winterize, then having to taste it half the summer, I've blown out the system with my little air compressor ever since, never had a freeze up. If you isolate the HWT and drain it, won't need pink stuff except in the p-traps, you can un-winterize, camp then easily winterize when you get back. Here in the ugly, rainy pacific northworst, its fairly mild all year so we can camp just about any season, so blowing out the system is the best way. We do get a Northeaster once in a while and have a week of freezing weather, so must be careful. Lately, we've just kept the unit heated to 50 degrees all winter.

Captain_Happy wrote:
If you want to educate yourself try this. First blow out all the water lines. If your trailer came with a winterizing kit attached to the water pump, pump some pink anti-freeze through the whole system, and don't forget the water value on the commode. And you'll see just how much more water is being pushed out of the lines. It might be a pain in rear, but it'll save you even more if a line or valve freezes and breaks. It may not got the cold in NC, but all it takes is one time. Now you can get a good nights sleep.

Captain, I’ve used this process since day one and I’m still surprised at the water that remains after what I feel is a pretty long purge with 40 PSI. I’m happy with the results.

GordonThree wrote:
For the advocates of a quick blow, how do you purge the pump head and intake strainer? They're usually isolated from where the air connects via city water?

For me. I don't use the fresh water tank. the first tine I winterized the TT, I ran pink thru it. Hasn't been run since. So the pump is dry, The tank is dry. I don't need to run pink thru a dry pump.

Don’t forget to drain the water heater.

If you want to educate yourself try this. First blow out all the water lines. If your trailer came with a winterizing kit attached to the water pump, pump some pink anti-freeze through the whole system, and don't forget the water value on the commode. And you'll see just how much more water is being pushed out of the lines. It might be a pain in rear, but it'll save you even more if a line or valve freezes and breaks. It may not got the cold in NC, but all it takes is one time. Now you can get a good nights sleep.

We live in Coastal GA, about 30 miles north of the GA/FL line. We do get nights below freezing with a few hard freezes a year. When we owned our motorhome, we used it throughout the winter, but we would always blow out the lines after every trip and put a 1/2 cup or so RV Anti-freeze in all the sink traps and the shower trap. It only takes 10 - 15 minutes to do.

It's better safe than sorry. One gallon of RV Anti-freeze would last us at least 2 years, so it is cheap insurance.

-Michael

We were about the same living in Western Oregon very few nights of freezing temps, BUT it could get in the low teens from time to time. I would just blow the lines the process took about 20 minutes using the on-board air for my PacBrake.

If you have access to electric a space heater used overnight when temps dip below freezing will allow you to extend season without winterizing. That is assuming you have an enclosed underbelly
I'm in MD which tends to get colder than SC. I don't shut down for the season until December.

westend wrote:

I have never had trouble when I use the pink stuff. Now I'll be hitting the road in about 3 wks so I have tried blowing the lines out with the air compressor. Never done it this way before and I hope it doesn't bite me down the road. I took the strainer off and cleaned the screen and made sure there was no water.

As long as you have the pump and strainer drained, there shouldn't be an issue. Make sure, when blowing down the lines, that you open the toilet supply valve and outside shower if you have one.
A guy should still use the pink in the drains.

Good advice to do the toilet, that would be expensive . Blow air thru everything you can. Also the outside shower and black tank rinse if you have them.
In addition to using the air, if you use the pink stuff as added insurance, you could put it thru then blow it out . You don't have to leave the pink stuff in the RV. That offers less flushing of the system when/if you decide to use it. No pink stuff residue in the system.