Urgent Need of Advice re Winterizing!

[rfloyd99]

I am stranded in Colorado high country and am facing four cold nights of 10-25 degree weather.

I have read about what to do to winterize and this afternoon I will be draining/blowing out the fresh water system. I have a 2016 Jayco TT.

I have three issues I'm not sure about and would appreciate some help.

1. Should I do anything to the fresh water pump?

2. Ideas on how to be sure the toilet (the standard plastic Dometic) is drained/blown out well.

3. My tow truck is disabled so I can't tow to a dump station. I am parked on my daughter's ranch, and could dump the small (3-5 gal) amount of gray water and the same small amount of black water (pee and flush water only) on the ground if necessary to avoid an expensive repair. I really would prefer not to dump them unless really necessary.

I am thinking that if the almost empty waste tanks freeze, there isn't anything to be damaged in the tanks, but I don't really know the anatomy of these systems.

I could dump in a few gallons of windshield washer fluid - any of you know anything about that idea?

I will be running a small electric heater inside the unit which should help keep the temp inside above freezing, and the TT will be parked inside a barn out of the wind. Of course, the plumbing is against the exterior walls, and the tanks are underneath and mine is not one of those 'Arctic-ready' units.

I've got to get all this done over the next few hours, so let me hear from you about these specific issues, as wll as any other ideas on my predicament!

BTW, the weather turns warm again in a few days, the truck gets fixed, and we are headed back to Florida, so don't need long-term winter advice.

Thanks!!

[DutchmenSport]

Ii don't add pink stuff to the P traps under the sinks. I untwist the rings and remove them, then dump the water out. Never had smells, as my tanks are cleaned and flushed quite regularly.

Catch the contents of the black tank in a 5 gallon bucket and toss it out with the cow or horse poo. Problem solved.

[BB_TX]

I would not worry about the tanks freezing. BUT. I would be concerned about the few feet of drain pipe coming out of the tanks that will also be full of water. Cheap Walmart heat lamp under that area?

[ksg5000]

If you have removed the water through blowing then there is nothing left to freeze. Doesn't matter whether it's 31 or -31. Drop some anti freeze into the traps and into the black/gray water tanks and you s/b fine.

[DrewE]

Running the pump dry is sufficient (along with blowing out the lines thoroughly, draining the tanks, etc). RV water pumps are not harmed by operating them dry for a few minutes...or hours. If you use RV antifreeze, that gets pumped through the pump along with the rest of the system.

If it were me in your situation, I would probably dump the gray and black water on the ground; however, I am not in any way suggesting you disobey any sanitation laws or regulations in your locality.

A little bit of water in the bottom of the black or gray tank that freezes won't cause trouble for the tank. Some water in the pipe that runs from the tank to the drain valve that freezes could burst that pipe or its fittings, particularly if it is sufficient to fill the pipes without leaving an air gap at the top. One reasonable option to prevent freezing of black and gray water is to introduce some rock salt into the tanks, which I think preferable to windshield washer fluid. (Winter winshield washer fluid typically uses wood alcohol for its antifreeze ingredient; besides being rather poisonous, it is a somewhat active solvent. It probably would not attack any of the materials in the tanks and valves to any great extent, but still....)

[rk911]

consider putting a 60 or 75 watt incandescent light bulb in the wet bay to help keep the water pump warm.

[Lwiddis]

Not human poo, Sadie.

[midnightsadie]

got some pink stuff you can pour in, I,d worry about the drain valves on your tanks. for the samll amount of poo water I,d drain it. your on a farm theres other poo there. ,open the cabinet doors.

[Lwiddis]

There is never a good reason to drain BLACK water onto the ground. Some say gray is ok...that’s baloney too.

[MFL]

If you blow everything out, and run the pump dry, you should be okay inside a barn. Big difference between temp of 25, and 10. I am thinking inside the barn should stay considerably warmer than out door temp. An electric heater inside should protect pipes. If you are sure of the small amount in tanks, they should survive too, as long as you are in the barn.

This is just an opinion, don't call me if everything freezes solid. 🙂

Jerry