Need to Winterize in TX?

[jaredcb03]

This is my first winter since purchasing my TT. I live in TX just north of Austin. It usually only freezes a couple of times a year. Mostly it will just get down to high 20's for a few hours at night and then warms up past freezing in the morning.

I plan on using our trailer several time during our "winter". What do I really need to winterize? If I know it's going to drop below freezing could I just put a small space heater in the trailer at night? Or turn the furnace on (would that be safe if no one is there?) I do have electric hookups at the place I store the trailer. My trailer does have an enclosed underbelly, it is a PrimeTime Manufacturing Avenger 26BH.

Right now I was hoping I could just get away with draining the hot water tank and maybe putting some antifreeze of some sort in the black tank. Am I way off mark and need to do the whole 9?

Any advice is greatly appreciated!

[Bumpyroad]

Bigbird65 wrote:
It is supposed to get down to 20 degrees tomorrow night in Arlington. Don't take a chance. Winterize! If you have an air compressor with an adjustable pressure regulator and a fitting for the city water supply the cost of a gallon of the pink stuff is insignificant. If you are slow it should take less than an hour.

This is a repeat of some of the steps above but this is the way I do it. I use the air compressor method. Essentially this involves: draining the 3 tanks, run the water pump dry, open the low point drains, drain the water heater, bypass the water heater, put 35 psi air on the city water inlet, and open each faucet in turn to blow out until you only get air. Blow out the toilet water supply. Blow out the black tank blow down line.

Leave the low point drains open until spring. Reinstall the water heater lower plug after it has been drained. Put some pink stuff (RV anti-freeze available at Wal-Mart) in the sink drains and enough in the shower drain to get it into the gray tank discharge valve. Also put some pink stuff in the toilet and flush to get it into the black tank discharge valve. Leave a little pink stuff in the toilet. Next spring or your next camping trip redo the heater bypass back to normal and close the low point drains.

is your compressor oil free?
bumpy

[Bigbird65]

It is supposed to get down to 20 degrees tomorrow night in Arlington. Don't take a chance. Winterize! If you have an air compressor with an adjustable pressure regulator and a fitting for the city water supply the cost of a gallon of the pink stuff is insignificant. If you are slow it should take less than an hour.

This is a repeat of some of the steps above but this is the way I do it. I use the air compressor method. Essentially this involves: draining the 3 tanks, run the water pump dry, open the low point drains, drain the water heater, bypass the water heater, put 35 psi air on the city water inlet, and open each faucet in turn to blow out until you only get air. Blow out the toilet water supply. Blow out the black tank blow down line.

Leave the low point drains open until spring. Reinstall the water heater lower plug after it has been drained. Put some pink stuff (RV anti-freeze available at Wal-Mart) in the sink drains and enough in the shower drain to get it into the gray tank discharge valve. Also put some pink stuff in the toilet and flush to get it into the black tank discharge valve. Leave a little pink stuff in the toilet. Next spring or your next camping trip redo the heater bypass back to normal and close the low point drains.

[Bumpyroad]

proxim2020 wrote:
If there's not one, they're pretty cheap and fairly easy to add.

the "ease" depends on the layout of the rV. I could not get to the input side of the pump without major surgery so put it on the output side and pump AF thru with a boat bilge pump.
bumpy

[Community Alumni]

rodwha wrote:
If the lines have been blown why is antifreeze necessary?

And what of the fresh water lines/tank? How do you ensure this is cleaned properly before use?

When blowing out the lines you run the risk of water getting trapped and never draining completely. Some run antifreeze through the lines afterwards to displace what little water, if any, that remains. It's kind of like cheap insurance.

Don't bother putting the pink stuff in the fresh water tank. Just drain the tank the best you can. The little bit that remains won't cause any problems. Run the pump to clear the lines that run from the tank. If you would like to add antifreeze, check to see if your trailer has a winterizing kit installed. You can use this to pump antifreeze throughout the lines without having to dump it into the tank. If there's not one, they're pretty cheap and fairly easy to add.

[ssemalone]

I live in Leander, I blew lines, and put the pink in the traps, That's all I have ever done, never an issue, 20 minutes and $5.00 is well worth it to me. We are loading up for a 10 day right after Xmas. Coastal

[mhardin]

I'm just a bit North of Houston and it gets colder where you are than here. The main thing is how long will it be below freezing? If just a couple of hours, I wouldn't worry about it. If it is going to be more than a day, or two, take the appropriate action.

My Jayco was winterized, pink stuff and all, the first winter I had it. Since then, never in the past 13 years. All I do is open all the cabinets, closets, drawers, etc. and turn an electric space heater on the inside.

For the couple of hours forecast below freezing later this week, I plan to do nothing. If it freezes longer, I will use the space heater.

[hohenwald48]

For me it's just easier to set the furnace thermostat on 50 and let it do it's thing. Doesn't use much propane and is very easy. It's not like up north where it gets below zero for 4 months. You're usually just talking about a few night a year.

My trailer sits in the driveway. If it was in a storage lot I guess I'd have to winterize one way or another. I think folks are about 50/50 for anti-freeze vs blow the lines.

[rodwha]

If the lines have been blown why is antifreeze necessary?

And what of the fresh water lines/tank? How do you ensure this is cleaned properly before use?

[GrandpaKip]

You will really wish you had spent the hour or so winterizing if a line freezes and breaks. Because you know that the break will be in the most inaccessible spot in your camper and you won't know until you are set up at your campsite and someone asks, "Is water supposed to be coming out there?"
Now I may winterize and dewinterize 2 or 3 times a year.

[Community Alumni]

Since you're going to be using the trailer over the winter then draining and blowing out the lines will be the quickest way to winterize / de-winterize. There's no need to flush out the pink stuff out of the lines which saves time. Our hard freezes generally don't last very long and we don't get them often so blowing out the line should be good enough for down here. Just remember to get the outside connections like the outdoor shower and outdoor kitchen if you have them. Don't forget to put some antifreeze in the traps and drop some in the holding tanks just for good measure.

[Jay_Pat]

jaredcb03 wrote:

Jay Pat wrote:
I'm in Round Rock.
31 degrees Thursday night.
I do not plan to drain anything, yet.
Pat

Round Rock is where I live too!

When will you actually do something?

It will depend on how cold and for how long.
I don't have a number for that.
Pat

[Bonefish]

Just winterized ours after this last trip. We are in Midland can have some really cold weather. Play it safe drain the lines, all husband does is blow out the lines of water and drain the water heater. Will also run a small heater just to keep it around 40 inside.

Sharon

[Bumpyroad]

I'd winterize it myself.
bumpy

[RoyB]

WX says a big cold wave is dropping down out of Canada this coming next few days... I would judge accordingly...

I havent looked on the map but I think Round Rock is in the Austin area...

Our POPUP trailer is much smaller and a very small water system compared to what you most likely have. We too like to keep on camping in the winter months so the blow out method is our best course for winterizing. Here in Northern Va just gets cold over night sometimes and warms up the next day...

I cam drain my fresh water tank at the low water point with the sink spigots open and blow out the water lines using my 12VDC tankless air compressor. Then just add some pink stuff to the two p-traps I have on my trailer... The hot water heater will have drained down using the low water point but there is still some water in the bottom of it. It has plenty of room to expand if it freezes... Like at the house we always unhook any water lines connected to the trailer city water port...

Used to live in the Wichita Falls areas for a few years back in the 60s... Some of the coldest WX I have ever lived through haha... Learned what a blue northern was when we lived there...

Water lines will bust for sure if they have water in them and freezes up...

Roy Ken