FL for Christmas, are we nuts?

[Chucknbob]

So my wife and I have had a vintage popup for a few years (73 Apache) but we just purchased an 04 Jayco Jay Flight Sport. The previous owner already had it winterized. However, we're getting antsy to try out our new toy, so we're considering taking it from Ohio to Florida for a week.

Here is my question, the owner said she blew out all the lines, drained tanks and water heater, plus put antifreeze in the drains. We will need to de-winterize and then redo it all while we're there. Is this going to be difficult or even possible? If so, how would I go about it?

[Char62]

Dick_B wrote:
Yes, nuts! The weather this time of year is very iffy and you could get stuck somewhere not so nice. But this is a senior talking. Not as bold or adventurous as years ago.

Dick, hope you don't mind me asking a question..I notice you have 3/4t truck and a Sunnybrooke camper, the camper is same as mine and I'm new to TT towing, I've pulled 5th wheel to Alaska and drove class C campers lots...my question,,I have a F150 ford pick up with camper like yours do u think I can be safe in towing my truck is v8 automatic..

[spoon059]

Chucknbob wrote:
if we're crazy for making this our maiden voyage.

I forgot about this aspect. I might suggest you dry camp in the driveway for a night and try out all your systems and make sure you don't have any surprises when you are far from home and with no other place to stay.

Then again... short of a leaky roof you can pretty much work around anything else.

[Chucknbob]

Ohh, I won't be making a 12 hour drive south and not have a reservation. There's several campgrounds down there with multiple openings. That's why we're trying to make our mind up now, before they all fill up.

I was just looking for advice if it's feasible to winterize at the CG, and if we're crazy for making this our maiden voyage.

[rockhillmanor]

Do not count on either prayer or luck to find somewhere to stay. Have reservations.

I used to think that also but is far from the truth.

Unless you 'must' stay ON the shores of Florida there are a plethora of CG's inland that you can get in without reservations. And IMHO much much nicer and way larger sites.

Once you come down here you will find the so-called popular CG's have you packed in like sardines sometimes with less than a foot between slides! Small out of the way CG's are MUCH nicer and actually in much better areas.

I have been coming down here for winter for over 6 years and have NEVER made a reservation.

All CG's leave a few sites up front always open for the travelers passing thru.

I have found that if you pull in for just overnight and really like the CG just ask if they have any openings for long term stay.

EVERY one I did this with has had a cancellation of a snowbird reservation and I was slipped right into their spot for the winter if I so desired. :C

[Doug33]

jealous - would like to go to FL for Christmas!

[xteacher]

If you can find a place to stay, go for it! I wish we could. Just go really far south (mid-FL or further south). It gets really cold, even in N. FL. This year is especially nuts, weather-wise.

[Opie431]

Do not count on either prayer or luck to find somewhere to stay. Have reservations.

[spoon059]

YES ITS CRAZY!!! You should stay 2 weeks =)! We do this almost every winter. We drive down and stay about halfway, usually in the Carolinas. We check the weather, it is almost always above freezing that far south, so we drain the antifreeze and use water. We use water the whole time in Florida. On the way home we keep an eye on temps. As we start driving into the colder weather, we put antifreeze back in and dry camp the last night if need be.

Literally it takes about 5 minutes to winterize now that we have done it a couple times.

We have the antifreeze kit on our older trailer, so it just sucks it out of the bottle. I drain all the low points and drain the black/gray tanks and drain/bypass the water heater. I hold a bottle and put the lead hose into the bottle, then my wife goes to the rear outside shower and turns on hot until pink comes out, cold until pink comes out. Then we do the shower and tub faucet. Then bathroom sink and toilet. Then kitchen sink.

It takes a little over a bottle to do all that. Then I pour the remainder of the second bottle down the traps and into the toilet. I let a little extra go into the gray and black tanks.

5 minutes and about $8 worth of antifreeze and we are done. If you do it in warm weather (ie South Carolina) its not a bad process at all).

[NanciL]

For get about blowing out the lines. If you use the pink stuff blowing out the lines is a waste of time.
It takes me no more then ten minutes and a little over a gallon of pink to do my 35 foot trailer.
My biggest concern going and returning at that time would be running into a snow storm - You might want to plug in a few days for being held up, (just in case!)

Jack L

[Passin_Thru]

Dick B, I suppose you will stay in Il, where the weather is IFFY and not so nice people are? The weather got clear down to 30 one night last week at Daytona Bch. Could get 12 ft 0f snow in Miami. Not likely. I encourage you to go and drain the water out in NC and put antifreeze in the sinks and shower. Make sure the water is all drained out. Stop at Camping World somewhere and ask for help if you aren't sure and don't listen to naysayers. Stay out of Orlando area and you should be able to find a place to stay. We come and go all the time and have never found Florida completely full of not so nice people and campgrounds all full.

I have one of these and live it.
http://www.amazon.com/VIAIR-85P-Portable-Air-Compressor/dp/B0036E9VB6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=141680079

[rockhillmanor]

Chucknbob wrote:
Thanks. My next trick is to figure out how to blow out the lines while I'm down there. My home air compressor is too big to haul with us.

First of all there are 3 different ways that all of us winterize.
1. blow out lines - no guarantee nor can you see that you have gotten to all the low spots
2. blow out lines and add antifreeze
3. Just add antifreeze to fresh tank and use pump.

And btw each one of us swear by our method!.:W

I am from Wisconsin and the only flaw I see in your plan is "planning" it.

You can plan to leave on a certain day but the weather may have a different idea. Snow storms, ice storms and wind are NOT what you want to be driving thru with your family in a MH. And those conditions can come up without a lot of notice. And I won't leave until all the roads are plowed AND completely dry. I don't want salt under my MH.

De-winterize in a CG when you hit warmer weather. Just run water thru all your lines until they run clear. There is 'no' need to add bleach. All that does is just adds to the time it takes to run the water to get rid of the bleach smell and taste. RV antifreeze is food grade gras.

Winterize. Buy 6 gallons of antifreeze and put 5 gal in fresh tank with funnel thru city inlet. Open all faucets using water pump until they run pink and pour the last gallon down all your sinks and shower to fill p-trap. And you are done and you 'know' all the lines are filled with it. Been doing it this way for 10 years while the MH was parked in Wisconsin winters and never a leak.

Good luck, come on down the weather is fine, 84 degrees today!

[Chucknbob]

Thanks. My next trick is to figure out how to blow out the lines while I'm down there. My home air compressor is too big to haul with us.

[bhh]

Winterizing and de-winterizing is not that tough. Plenty of posts here on how to do it. It's something you should learn to do anyway. Dewinterize once south and winterize before heading back north. And have a nice trip.

[wannavolunteerF]

I live in South Ga, and haven't winterized the last two years, as I use the TT off and on through out the winter. Once you get to middle AL or GA depending on your route, you should be good. If we have freezing weather, it will likely be just for a few hours during the night. Last week, it was below freezing for 4 whole hours.. I just turn heat in TT on low and don't have water hose connected. It will freeze in a couple of ours. If your Flight is like mine, undercarriage is enclosed so all the tanks are enclosed. Most of my waterlines are actually above floor level, so I can just open a few cabinets and most of the waterlines can get heat from inside too.

by the way, you can download an owners manual with pretty good directions for winterizing from Jayco site. I downloaded owners manual and sales brochure and I have that info handy in my laptop without having to go out to TT to look it up.