Southern winterizing question.

[sgfrye]

this is our first winter owning TT. we live in north carolina with typical mild winters and plan on camping during winter. we will be close to charleston camping new years weekend. low temps for our weather forecast this saturday and sunday has saturday day temp 38, sat night 25, sunday daytime 43, sunday night 22. i plan on "southern" winterizing saturday. please let me know if im forgetting something.

our fresh water tank and pump have not been used yet so they are dry, black and grey tanks have been drained already

1. open low point hot and cold water line drains and water heater
2. blow out water lines 1 faucet at a time, including shower and toilet with 40 psi
3. add rv anti freeze to drain traps and some to black tank

[DiskDoctr]

sgfrye wrote:
Yes it's a pain to get hand started on threads. Any advice or tip on reinserting? Easy to remove with socket wrench.

If you keep the socket on the anode, you can better tell if it is perpendicular to the threaded housing. Makes it easier to hold the inside rod from tilting down inside, which is what I think makes it hard to start the threads 😉

Depending on your socket depth, you can stuff a bit of paper towel down in it to shorten the depth so you can actually apply a bit of light pressure to the fitting, too 😉

[sgfrye]

Almot wrote:

sgfrye wrote:

1. open low point hot and cold water line drains and water heater
2. blow out water lines 1 faucet at a time, including shower and toilet with 40 psi
3. add rv anti freeze to drain traps and some to black tank

After you've used your water heater for a while, you'll want to prepare it for storage too. Heater manual will explain, but usually it's opening the drain ON THE HEATER, not low points, letting the water out, and then running it with pump for a minute or two, to wash the lower part of this little tank.

Nothing important, but otherwise you could get smell of rotten eggs in spring - again, nothing important (no matter what DW says), and often can be remedied by running all the faucets for a minute.

On my heater this drain is a very inconvenient plug, hard to turn with bare fingers and near impossible to get there with a wrench.

This is not essential for "winterizing", but rather a part of regular maintenance. There is a more convenient valve on the heater, located higher, to let "most" of water out, so it won't freeze with the remains of the water.

Where we live in nc we usually only get freezing temps for a few days off and on. We plan on camping thru the winter so I went ahead yesterday and did all the above. I wanted to inspect the anode rod in hot water heater anyway so I drain by removing the large drain bolt/anode rod. Yes it's a pain to get hand started on threads. Any advice or tip on reinserting? Easy to remove with socket wrench.

[Almot]

sgfrye wrote:

1. open low point hot and cold water line drains and water heater
2. blow out water lines 1 faucet at a time, including shower and toilet with 40 psi
3. add rv anti freeze to drain traps and some to black tank

After you've used your water heater for a while, you'll want to prepare it for storage too. Heater manual will explain, but usually it's opening the drain ON THE HEATER, not low points, letting the water out, and then running it with pump for a minute or two, to wash the lower part of this little tank.

Nothing important, but otherwise you could get smell of rotten eggs in spring - again, nothing important (no matter what DW says), and often can be remedied by running all the faucets for a minute.

On my heater this drain is a very inconvenient plug, hard to turn with bare fingers and near impossible to get there with a wrench.

This is not essential for "winterizing", but rather a part of regular maintenance. There is a more convenient valve on the heater, located higher, to let "most" of water out, so it won't freeze with the remains of the water.

[Dave_H_M]

Dave H M wrote:
you didn't forget the city water hook up? :h

:S man did I ever have a big brain pfart there. My mind was pumping pink stuff and you were blowing air. My bad.

[Captain_Happy]

Sound like you've got it all covered, but did blow out the water line that feed the commode. If you haven't you need to. There's a water valve in it and it doesn't take to mush cold weather to break it.

[wa8yxm]

Most Class A motor homes. if occupied with the furnace oprating are good to around 20 degrees safely.. Tonight in NC that may be an issue. In the Mountains of SC, likewise, where I am. 20's anticipated so I should be cool. and I do mean cool, both meanings. Been in the 20's many times.. Been colder a couple times.

If you have no water in the system you are safe

For added protection a few 100 Watt Rough Service light bulbs can be scattered about.. Make sure they are caged, Wither a plastic or wire cage and not touching anything air free to circulate around them (They do get hot) I have a string of C-9 Lamps under my fresh tank, about 270 watts total (each lamp 9 watts 30 lamps) and a 100 Watt RS Cagged in the valve bay. Together they give me an additional 8-10 degrees.

[MEXICOWANDERER]

(Jacques Clouseau)

And Furthermore!

We need that certain somebody to come out and declare this nonsense as "Not Possible!". KA-ZAM! Instant return to politically correct weather...


https://weather.com/news/weather/video/let-it-snow-in-louisiana

[MEXICOWANDERER]

What koa is that? ??

I believe this shot comes from Quintana Roo, the same state as Can'tCun. I had nothing to do with the photo. It's just handy to demonstrate my unlove of freezing my braying burro off. I paid my dues.

After my stint with CalTrans, I packed up and was chased all the way to the border by a big storm. Took me three-months to defrost.

But "Home" is getting cooler and that isn't a joke. No more ninety degree winter days and eighty degree dawns. For the last month it's hit the high seventies to mid eighties, with seventy degree sunrise. Unprecedented. Meteorologists from universities are studying the phenomenon. There is now snow where there has not been snow for the last five hundred years. Far fewer incidents of non-storm waves entering the seating area of the restaurant.

I designed Quicksilver, to drain all water in under 30-minutes. I have a 1/4" shop air hose that connects between the air brake reservoir and water tank to pump section. Non return valve. Start pump and give a tiny zot of 120 psi air. The marine toilet is so simple to evacuate it's almost a joke.

Yeah!
Snow!

In a photograph...

[sgfrye]

DiskDoctr wrote:
Add an inch or three to the toilet bowl with it closed. Helps keep the seal from drying out.

Don't forget to drain the outside faucet or shower if you have one.

I had to look at your location before I responded. If you were farther South where it is warm year round, I might have said "Open the windows" LOL.

Do you have vent covers over your roof vents? If you have them or add them, you can leave your roof vents open and crack a crank out window (tilted window, not slide open) or two to allow ventilation.

Thank u sir. I forgot about small sink in outdoor kitchen hatch.

That's why I posted

[sgfrye]

Dave H M wrote:
you didn't forget the city water hook up? :h

U are correct. Will use that to blow lines

[wowens79]

We are lucky down here to be able to go year round, but you will get lot's of practice at winterizing. I've already done it twice, and we are going to the Smokies between Christmas and New Years. I'll probably end up winterizing 4-5 times this "fall-winter-fall-winter-fall-winter-spring-winter-spring" season. 🙂

Sounds like you've got everything covered.

[sgfrye]

MEXICOWANDERER wrote:
MEX's IDEA OF WINTERIZATION

What koa is that? ??

[MEXICOWANDERER]

MEX's IDEA OF WINTERIZATION

[gbopp]

Dave H M wrote:
you didn't forget the city water hook up? :h

I attach my air hose to the city water hook up to blow out the lines. How do you do it, I must be doing it wrong. :?