Winterizing Advice for North Idaho ?

[Micro1706]

We are newbie owners of a new winnie micro travel trailer 1706fb. The plan is to head south as soon as freezing arrives. As usual delays creep into the plans, so we need to consider what to do if it gets very cold - freezing?
We are currently parked in Sandpoint, Idaho, in our driveway. We can plug in the water heater to the house without a problem so as to keep that from freezing.
It has a propane heater. Should we be running that with the lowest thermostat setting? the fridge & freezer are off.
I am keeping an eye on the temps, and it may reach 34 for a couple days next week. With a margin of error that may push us into freezing. We intend to head south to southern Oregon very soon, hopefully staying away from freezing along the way.
Would it be advisable to have the unit winterized for the next couple weeks?
Neither of us are mechanically inclined or experienced, so we prefer to have things done by service personnel. Is there a de-winterizing that needs to be done after the winterizing, and if so, is it user friendly or simple enough to be done by the most basic skills level person?
How long does it need to be in the low 30's before it becomes hazardous to the pipes, water & other tanks?
Many thanks for any help pointing us in the right decision, advice, or suggestions.
cheers
Bob

[Micro1706]

We are very low on the mech.toys totem pole, but living on a sailboat for the past 10yrs has shown me it has a bright side. No compressor...but apparently there is a pink stuff alternative...
thx
cheers

[vic46]

DrewE wrote:
Winterizing is not that difficult to perform. As ksg5000 said, if the nightly lows are 34 degrees, there's absolutely nothing to worry about, and even if they dip below freezing it's not typically a big concern so long as the daytime temperatures are warm (i.e. well above freezing). Exactly when to be concerned depends to some extent upon how well set up your RV is for cold weather usage; if the plumbing is all open and exposed underneath, it will be more likely to freeze than if it's contained within the insulated space of the trailer. The water heater tank is reasonably well insulated, so it won't freeze during these sorts of overnight temperature dips a bit below freezing; there's no need to run it continually to keep the water hot. If it were steady sub-freezing temperatures, that would be a somewhat different situation, of course.

Winterizing basically consists of getting the water out of the water system. This means draining the tanks (including the water heater tank) and what can be drained from the pipes via the low point drains, and then usually proceeding in either of two ways.

One of these ways is to displace whatever water is left in the pipes by pumping them full of RV antifreeze, which is non-toxic (at least in modest amounts--some brands are based around ethanol, so consuming too much would lead to intoxication, etc). Exactly how this is accomplished depends somewhat on how the RV is equipped. Each tap or fixture is turned on until the antifreeze runs out.

The other common method is to blow the pipes clear of water using an air compressor, generally hooked to the city water inlet. The air pressure should be set to something reasonably modest, such as 40 psi, and each faucet or other fixture in turn run until all the water is removed.

In both cases, a cup or so of RV antifreeze is poured down each drain trap.

For the antifreeze method of winterizing, dewinterizing consists of running water through the plumbing until the antifreeze is cleaned out, and then filling the tanks (and water heater) as usual. If the compressed air method is used, there's no need to wash out the pipework.

The owner's manual for the trailer probably has some information on where all the valves etc. are located.

One word of caution: don't turn on the water heater when it is drained, either on gas or electric mode. On electric mode, the element will burn out in a matter of seconds.

GREAT POST! :C:)

I would add for insurance with the compressed air method, the process be done several times for each outlet, including the toilet. I have used the compressed air method for years, in fact, I have never used RV anti-freeze.

Vic

[pianotuna]

At -2 c (28 f) I'd start to worry. At -3 c (26 f) I'd winterize properly or run the furnace at 20 c (68 f).

[Grit_dog]

In my experience, nightly lows a little below freezing, like into the mid 20s at the lowest and above freezing during the day, boats and rvs will survive. Take this with a grain of salt though, as wind, hours of daylight, sun exposure, etc can all affect this.

Quick winterization is easy though if you have an air compressor.
Blow out water lines. Camper in city water mode if you have to switch a valve. 1 at a time open each faucet. Blow air into city water hookup. Seal up the connection with a piece of foam, wrap the air nozzle a tape etc. don't use 150psi air pressure but you won't blow anything up if you have a way for the air to escape (open faucet).
Do this with each faucet and the toilet.
Drain tanks if they're not almost empty already.
Dump some a half gal of rv antifreeze into each tank, thru each drain so the sink traps get antifreeze in them.
Empty hot water heater.
Done.
I've winterized from AZ to AK like this and I dry block my boats too. So far so good for years.

[Micro1706]

Many thanks for your kind replies. I am picking through the multiple posts regarding this subject, but at least my mind is at ease. I expect to leave within 2 weeks.
cheers

[DrewE]

Winterizing is not that difficult to perform. As ksg5000 said, if the nightly lows are 34 degrees, there's absolutely nothing to worry about, and even if they dip below freezing it's not typically a big concern so long as the daytime temperatures are warm (i.e. well above freezing). Exactly when to be concerned depends to some extent upon how well set up your RV is for cold weather usage; if the plumbing is all open and exposed underneath, it will be more likely to freeze than if it's contained within the insulated space of the trailer. The water heater tank is reasonably well insulated, so it won't freeze during these sorts of overnight temperature dips a bit below freezing; there's no need to run it continually to keep the water hot. If it were steady sub-freezing temperatures, that would be a somewhat different situation, of course.

Winterizing basically consists of getting the water out of the water system. This means draining the tanks (including the water heater tank) and what can be drained from the pipes via the low point drains, and then usually proceeding in either of two ways.

One of these ways is to displace whatever water is left in the pipes by pumping them full of RV antifreeze, which is non-toxic (at least in modest amounts--some brands are based around ethanol, so consuming too much would lead to intoxication, etc). Exactly how this is accomplished depends somewhat on how the RV is equipped. Each tap or fixture is turned on until the antifreeze runs out.

The other common method is to blow the pipes clear of water using an air compressor, generally hooked to the city water inlet. The air pressure should be set to something reasonably modest, such as 40 psi, and each faucet or other fixture in turn run until all the water is removed.

In both cases, a cup or so of RV antifreeze is poured down each drain trap.

For the antifreeze method of winterizing, dewinterizing consists of running water through the plumbing until the antifreeze is cleaned out, and then filling the tanks (and water heater) as usual. If the compressed air method is used, there's no need to wash out the pipework.

The owner's manual for the trailer probably has some information on where all the valves etc. are located.

One word of caution: don't turn on the water heater when it is drained, either on gas or electric mode. On electric mode, the element will burn out in a matter of seconds.

[KKWilliams]

Wind quickens the freezing process, as it pushes cold air into areas that share the water lines. If you are going to have 30 degree weather with high winds that could freeze a line quickly.

Either way to help give you piece of mind you should drain the hot water heater if it isn't already. Remove the low water point drain and let all the water drain out. That would cover the most vulnerable areas of freezing.

[ksg5000]

My 02.

Cold weather doesn't damage anything until it get below freezing(32)for a sustained period - takes a long time for water to freeze - takes a longer time for water to freeze in insulated RV. Your expecting 34 degree weather - don't worry - but if it's 24 degrees and expected to stay around for a while then consider winterizing - zillion threads on that subject.