Winterized, but still want to use
Long time lurker here. I recently became a new class A RV'er and have a few questions. I live in eastern Colorado and have just returned from a trip to Florida. I winterized in FL before I left. ...
Forum Discussion
There's nothing to do to "winterize" the batteries, propane system, and other appliances. You should make sure the batteries do not get discharged (either by charging them fully and disconnecting them completely, or by maintaining their charge with a maintenance charger or solar setup or the converter). That's true for non-winter storage, as well, although in warmer temperatures they will self-discharge at a much faster rate. Likewise, if the RV is going to be stored for an extended period of time, the fuel tank should be filled up (so that there's essentially no air space and hence no condensation) and perhaps fuel stabilizer added--again, just as for long-term summer storage. It is also not a bad idea to run the generator for awhile every now and again to keep the brushes and slip rings clean and free, also regardless of the time of year.
By the way, I'd guess that most of the water you got the second time you blew out the lines came from running the pump dry after blowing them out the first time. If you ran the pump dry first, you should be able to blow out virtually all the water in the system. A few drops in the bottoms of the pipes and fittings won't hurt anything; there's plenty of room for that little bit to expand when it freezes without bursting anything.
So long as the water is out of the plumbing, it's not necessary to heat the RV. It also isn't harmful, though it does waste energy assuming you don't need to have it warm for other reasons (like you're staying in it). If it is unheated (and even if heated) you should probably think about removing most water-based products that you may have stored in the RV, like window cleaner or beer.
By the way, I'd guess that most of the water you got the second time you blew out the lines came from running the pump dry after blowing them out the first time. If you ran the pump dry first, you should be able to blow out virtually all the water in the system. A few drops in the bottoms of the pipes and fittings won't hurt anything; there's plenty of room for that little bit to expand when it freezes without bursting anything.
So long as the water is out of the plumbing, it's not necessary to heat the RV. It also isn't harmful, though it does waste energy assuming you don't need to have it warm for other reasons (like you're staying in it). If it is unheated (and even if heated) you should probably think about removing most water-based products that you may have stored in the RV, like window cleaner or beer.
