It's Early, but I'm already thinking about winter

[thedietz]

Just bought a 2003 Travelstar 21rb hybrid this spring. 2 questions for winter time (would rather be ready then trying to do this research last second).

1. Any suggestions for a good cover for a 21ft hybrid? I'm hoping to find something under $200 that is good quality. I used to tarp my popup but i am nervous of ice and snow with how these beds fold up so I want ot buy a nice cover to fit over the entire camper.

2. Never used the plumbing in my popups. We have however in the hybrid. how do you winterize the plumbing? Is it as simple as pouring antifreeze into the fresh water tank and running it to all the sinks and toilet until it comes out a bit? How much antifreeze is typically needed?


Thanks for the help.

[thedietz]

I will do some research on how to do all of this. Thanks again

[poppin_fresh]

DONT put the antifreeze in the fresh tank and run it out of there. The previous owner did that to mine and it took hours to get it all out. See also, fill, drain, fill, drain, fill, drain, fill, drain...

Drain the fresh tank completely and leave it. Then use the suction port on the pump to only run antifreeze through the pump and lines. Make sure you drain the water heater and bypass it as well or you will be flushing it over and over to get the antifreeze out of it too.

[thedietz]

any good private parks you can suggest for Halloween in central PA? I am from Harrisburg but don't mind traveling a bit. Thanks!

[PAThwacker]

I noticed rv antifreeze already on the shelves at wally world tonight. There is still a solid two more months of camping to be had in PA. Don't fret if the state parks close up the snackbars, lakes, or concession stands. Most are open throughout the hunting seasons, and have plenty of late season bass fishing action. Halloween camping is ton of fun, most campers go all out on the decorations, and the last weekend in October is a blast at any private park. We have Promised Land State Park for bass fishing/hunting wmu3d, and private parks like Otter Lake, WT Family camping, and rest in NEPA. Hunting season ends, and then winter sports kick off. Otter lake has direct access to DCNR snowmobile trails, and WT has access to DCNR atv/snowmobile trails.

[tbred]

Our Walmart has rv antifreeze, a few bucks per bottle.

[thedietz]

thank you for the detailed answer. I decided already on a cover that i bought on Amazon.com. It was only $120 but I am hoping to get a few years out of it. Reviews looked good. I am not sure where to shop around for RV antifreeze so might also need to get on the internet for that.

[dadmomh]

Oh, bummer, don't think about winter yet, it'll be here soon enough.

Re the cover - keep an eye out for the yearly Camping World sale. Depending on your exact size, it may be slightly over $200, but you'll be getting a good quality Adco and they include tire covers during this sale at no charge. The catalog or online will tell you how to measure, but you can also just give them your exact make, model and year and you'll get the right one. Also, they will ask you where you're located since different parts of the country use different types of covers. Some folks do use tarps, but probably 99% of us recommend against it because it's not breathable and will cause scuffs to your exterior from wind. And, honestly, a large enough tarp to really protect your camper will not be all that much of a savings. We bought an Adco the first winter for our '07 ROO, which would have been winter of '06, and when it went to it's new family this spring, it looked practically brand new. So we had 7 good, functional years service.

Re the rest of winterizing - go ahead and pick up a couple of gallons of the pink RV Anti Freeze next trip to wherever you shop. Many of us use something to fill space in the filter cartridge canister, so something like the stones in the craft section or whatever you can find on the cheap will work for you. Make sure you have every bit of food and crumbs out of the cabinets so you don't invite critters. Actually doing the winterizing is not in my job description, so others will fill you in on that. Be sure to clean your refrigerator and make sure the door stays open. That's about the end of the project.

BTW, thoroughly read through the instructions with the cover before you start opening it up....there is a much easier way to put it on if it's not completely opened up. The cover is marked front and back and you'll save yourself a lot of frustration knowing this ahead of time.

[thedietz]

Old-Biscuit - Thank you!

[Old-Biscuit]

For your reading pleasure....
The RV Doctor Article on 'winterizing' LINK

Lots of articles on 'How To' most anything rv.

[RandK-M]

There's a ton of threads already on here about winterizing, but yes, for the most part it's getting rid of water that can freeze in the plumbing.
Either by blowing out the lines with air, or sucking the pink stuff through all the lines until it comes out each faucet, toilet, etc.

I use the pink antifreeze on mine. I drain all the water using the low point drains under the camper first and then draw antifreeze through the system.

I would never put antifreeze in the fresh water tank though. No need, if it's empty, it won't freeze.
I also drain and bypass the water heater. no need for pink stuff in that either.

My camper has a pickup tube by the pump that I can just stick in the antifreeze jug and use the pump to send it through the system. I use a little more than a gallon for the pipes and dump what's left of the second gallon in each sink and the shower drain to have some extra in the traps. A friend had a sink trap freeze and crack one winter.

But seriously, Do a search here for winterizing and you'll find a bunch of step by step instructions already posted. Then if you have a particular question about a specific step or steps, then ask again and plenty of people will be more than happy to help.

Ray