We are leaving Central Indiana on Nov 17 and heading to Louisiana for a week over Thanksgiving. I've been watching the weather report very closely very close, especially the last few days as they've been calling for light snow flurries and below freezing temps. I was hoping to keep from winterizing until we returned from Louisiana. Considering this is a new Montana, I'm still learning more and more about it every day it seems. We're still sleeping in it every night, even in the cold weather. According to everything I've read and inquired about, the camper is rated at zero degrees. But that also means leaving the propane furnace on to pump heat under the floor. So, we've been running through a 30 pound propane tank about every 6 days, and that's even supplemented with electric. So, what to do? Go ahead and winterize can use the camper without having to run so much propane, or just go ahead and burn the propane for another week until we head South.
Today I decided to go ahead and winerize. It was the first time for me with this new camper, so it was an interesting learning curve, but still I accomplished the entire task with just 2 gallons of RV antifreeze fluid (the pink stuff).
So, why the decision to winterize when we're heading South in 7 days and the trailer is capable of withstanding the current night temps dropping down to 19 degrees?
Today I was at my dealer getting another propane fill up. As I was talking to the guy filling me up, I was asking him about one of the procedures for my camper. In the conversation, he pointed to a camper someone brought in for service. He said they were replacing the water pump. I asked why?
Well, it turned out the owner lived on the South side of Indianapolis and the dealership I was at was about 35 miles NE of Indianapolis (Anderson, Indiana). The owner had been keeping heat in the camper and all the pipes and everything was doing just fine.
This morning, he was bringing the camper to the dealership to get it winterized. So of course, at home, he had to unplug the heat and the power. The drive from the South side of Indianapolis, depending on how far "South", could have been anywhere from an hour to an hour and a half drive.
And you guess it. Temps this morning was 19 degrees. It only took an hour for the inside of his camper to freeze up and his water pump and lines were frozen. The water pump was destroyed and the dealership was now going to, not only winterize, but also replace the water pump and check all the water lines and fix any leaks.
I understand the owner of that trailer was not a happy camper at all.
Well, that information persuaded me to come on home and winterize today. Yea, the trailer might be rated to be water safe at zero degrees. But what happens when you turn everything off, hitch up, and have to drive in freezing temps for several hours before getting out of the freeze zone! New Montana, with frozen and broken water pipes and ruined water up. Um .... no .... I winterized today. When we head South, I'll unwinterize again once down there, and I'll winterize again on our return home.
And FYI, I picked up 5 more gallons of Pink Stuff at Wall Mart earlier today too. It's already in the camper, under the bed waiting for our return home.
I suppose, it's one thing to have a camper that is rated to withstand temps below freezing. It's wonderful to get them protected against freezing when parked and in use. But, if planning to take them on the road ... well ... like that guy this morning .... better get them winterized before hitting the road and all the heat is turned off!
I feel really bad for that guy, who ever he was. But I'm also glad I took the time to listen to the story and heeded my better judgment to just play the odds.
