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Topic: The Camping Part Is Great...Winterizing Though.......
Posted By: #1nobby on 10/28/16 07:01am

....Is just another Fall job to do!

Just started this morning.....amazing how much food and drink accumulates over a season.......double condiments in the house, now.

I removed my Kuerig coffee maker rather than take it apart to drain the tank.

More to come.

Posted By: downtheroad on 10/28/16 07:36am

You can always leave the Kerig in your rig and run some anti-freeze through the tank........(kidding).

"If we couldn't laugh we would all go insane."

Arctic Fox 25Y
GMC Duramax
Blue Ox SwayPro


Posted By: #1nobby on 10/28/16 08:00am

downtheroad wrote:

You can always leave the Kerig in your rig and run some anti-freeze through the tank........(kidding).


Don't laugh....I've looked into it. [emoticon]

Posted By: #1nobby on 10/28/16 08:03am

Amazing how one looks at things differently under different circumstances.

Hand soap, dish soap, lysol bathroom cleaner, bleach, distilled water all things normally taken for granted....but all will FREEZE and potentially cause a mess in a stored RV.

Posted By: hbrady on 10/28/16 08:37am

We have a bin we keep in the basement that holds all the non-food items you mention. Makes the clean out and re-stock go quickly. Funny, while making my sandwich this morning I opened the fridge and thought 'Why do we have two open containers of mayo? Oh yea... camper stuff' [emoticon]

2015 RAM 2500 HD Crew Cab w/ 5.7L Gas
2018 SportTrek 290vik
Blue Ox SwayPro


Posted By: hohenwald48 on 10/28/16 09:07am

#1nobby wrote:

downtheroad wrote:

You can always leave the Kerig in your rig and run some anti-freeze through the tank........(kidding).


Don't laugh....I've looked into it. [emoticon]


Just run a little Irish whiskey through it. Then you can enjoy the taste of "antifreeze" in the spring.

When seconds count, the police are only minutes away.

2019 Newmar Canyon Star 3627
2017 Jeep Wrangler JKU

Posted By: GrandpaKip on 10/28/16 09:33am

Rather than a chore, I look at emptying all the cabinets as a chance to cull out stuff we don't need. All those spaces now can be cleaned, ready for spring.
I also do the front pass through, taking everything out and going through it all.

Kip
2015 Skyline Dart 214RB
2018 Silverado Double Cab 4x4
Andersen Hitch

Posted By: GrandpaKip on 10/28/16 09:36am

hohenwald48 wrote:

#1nobby wrote:

downtheroad wrote:

You can always leave the Kerig in your rig and run some anti-freeze through the tank........(kidding).


Don't laugh....I've looked into it. [emoticon]


Just run a little Irish whiskey through it. Then you can enjoy the taste of "antifreeze" in the spring.

I thought a bit of Jameson was a requirement for coffee.

Posted By: #1nobby on 10/28/16 10:48am

Drained all the tanks a couple of days ago upon returning from my last camping trip.

So today, I started the process by draining the hot water heater by removing the anode and blowing it out with compressed air.

I bagged the anode and will re-install in the spring.

[image]

I then turned the by-pass valve to start the anti-freeze flush.

[image]

Posted By: #1nobby on 10/28/16 10:51am

I actually ended up using all of this anti-freeze.

[image]

Lucky me.....I have a by-pass on the pump with a decent length hose.

[image]

[image]

Posted By: #1nobby on 10/28/16 10:55am

I cycled the anti-freeze through all the water ways of the trailer.

[image]

[image]

[image]


Not forgetting the city water inlet.......removing the screen you can push in the check valve and have the pump push the anti-freeze through.

[image]

Posted By: #1nobby on 10/28/16 10:58am

Alas.......the check valve would NOT re-seat forcing me to remove and inspect.

Seems as though the inner "O" ring is pooched. Perfect timing for a failure.

I have one on order and will replace it in the spring.

[image]

[image]

[image]

Posted By: #1nobby on 10/28/16 11:01am

To finish off my winterizing.....I liberally spread moth balls and Bounce dryer sheets in every nook and crannie.

I also opened up a fresh odor remover for storage.

[image]



So? What did I miss?

Posted By: boosTT on 10/28/16 11:35am

^^^^ next time use fresh cab.

Posted By: trail-explorer on 10/28/16 11:46am

boosTT wrote:

^^^^ next time use fresh cab.



"cab fresh"

Bob

Posted By: westend on 10/28/16 11:53am

Fresh Cab or save some money and throw a sack of balsam tips inside.

'03 F-250 4x4 CC
'71 Starcraft Wanderstar -- The Cowboy/Hilton

Posted By: #1nobby on 10/28/16 02:52pm

Why?

Moth balls and dryer sheets work great.

Posted By: westend on 10/28/16 04:12pm

#1nobby wrote:

Why?

Moth balls and dryer sheets work great.
Yeah, well, when the rodents start bowling with those mothballs and make a nice fresh nest with the dryer sheets, you can try any of the other repellents like peppermint juice or coyote urine. I haven't found anything that keeps them out of finding a warm place for Winter except a cat or a trap.

Posted By: SoundGuy on 10/28/16 04:31pm

#1nobby wrote:

Alas.......the check valve would NOT re-seat forcing me to remove and inspect.

Seems as though the inner "O" ring is pooched. Perfect timing for a failure.

I have one on order and will replace it in the spring.


Of course it's pooched as you did this with the system under full pressure. [emoticon] Trick is to turn the pump off, relieve some of the pressure by opening a faucet for a few seconds, then push in the check valve stem.

That'll learn ya. [emoticon]

And yeah, Fresh Cab for rodent control. [emoticon]

Posted By: #1nobby on 10/29/16 06:41am

SoundGuy wrote:



Of course it's pooched as you did this with the system under full pressure. [emoticon] Trick is to turn the pump off, relieve some of the pressure by opening a faucet for a few seconds, then push in the check valve stem.



Well....pump was OFF and some pressure was relieved.....but yes....there was some back pressure.

Makes no sense to me why this would fail so easily....I'll take it apart to understand it some more.

Obviously....I'm not the first.....some one learned it before me thus offering such great, after the fact, advice.

Posted By: #1nobby on 10/29/16 09:21am

And the final part of winterizing....getting it indoors for the winter.

Just dropped it off at a former dairy farm....huge barns with concrete floors. I will be last in so that I can retrieve it if needed in January....and if not....first out in the spring. [emoticon]

[image]

Posted By: coolmom42 on 10/29/16 11:26am

Please keep careful track of where you put all the mothballs!

Personally I would never use them. Lots of other options work better.

Single empty-nester in Middle TN, sometimes with a friend or grandchild on board

Posted By: #1nobby on 10/29/16 11:41am

coolmom42 wrote:

Please keep careful track of where you put all the mothballs!

Personally I would never use them. Lots of other options work better.


The moth "balls" are in little paper packets, now.

Once they "expire" you are left with an empty paper pack.

I've used moth balls and dryer sheets in my summer car for 11 years now, during winter storage.

A soft top, to boot.

Never any problems.

Posted By: Bucky Badger on 10/29/16 12:00pm

boosTT wrote:

^^^^ next time use fresh cab.


Fresh Cab does not work. Last year it did not work for me. Last week I put 2 in a capartment and took got a mouse on the glue trap. It would be nice if these things really worked but it was 12 bucks wasted again

2010 F150 5.4, 3.55, 4x4, Equli-z-er Hitch
2007 Forest River Salem 27RB LE
and
2009 Nomad 3980

Posted By: RedRocket204 on 10/29/16 12:05pm

#1nobby wrote:

So? What did I miss?


Low point drains and black tank flush hose?

I love me some land yachting

Posted By: #1nobby on 10/29/16 02:02pm

RedRocket204 wrote:

#1nobby wrote:

So? What did I miss?


Low point drains and black tank flush hose?


Got 'em. Thanks!

Posted By: #1nobby on 10/29/16 02:22pm

#1nobby wrote:

Alas.......the check valve would NOT re-seat forcing me to remove and inspect.

Seems as though the inner "O" ring is pooched. Perfect timing for a failure.



I started another thread on this City Water Flange.

https://www.rv.net/forum/index.cfm/fuseaction/thread/tid/29086043/p/1.cfm

Posted By: #1nobby on 10/29/16 02:22pm

DUPLICATE

Posted By: ken56 on 10/29/16 02:37pm

I have started to use the winterizing process as an opportunity to inspect all areas that are sealed from the roof to the underbelly. I already found some loose seams and have fixed them and still have a few to go. I have to store my unit outside so I can't afford to have it leak all winter.

I blow air thru the lines first before I run the anti freeze in and have never had a problem in the spring yet.

Posted By: FLY 4 FUN on 10/29/16 05:51pm

If you leave that duct tape on ur rig all winter until the repair of your fresh inlet flange the tape will be almost impossible to remove without mineral spirits.

2012 Dodge Ram 3500 crew SB 4x4 CTD 3.73
2015 Brookstone 315RL
2009 Colorado 29BHS (sold 2015)
05 Jayflight 29BHS (sold 2008)
99 Jayco Eagle 12SO (sold 2005)

Posted By: #1nobby on 10/29/16 08:50pm

FLY 4 FUN wrote:

If you leave that duct tape on ur rig all winter until the repair of your fresh inlet flange the tape will be almost impossible to remove without mineral spirits.


That would be a $100 roll of aviation "speed tape" I used.

It'll come off....trust me.[emoticon]

Posted By: poppin_fresh on 10/29/16 09:03pm

GrandpaKip wrote:

hohenwald48 wrote:

#1nobby wrote:

downtheroad wrote:

You can always leave the Kerig in your rig and run some anti-freeze through the tank........(kidding).


Don't laugh....I've looked into it. [emoticon]


Just run a little Irish whiskey through it. Then you can enjoy the taste of "antifreeze" in the spring.

I thought a bit of Jameson was a requirement for coffee.


Joking aside, please DO NOT run alcohol into your Keurig in an attempt to "winterize" it. Very bad things can happen when the liquid in the brewer does not reach the temp required to turn off the heating element.

Store it above freezing and give it a good clean out in the spring with white vinegar and you will be fine.

2016 Bullet 274BHS
2015 Silverado 1500 Double Cab
Andersen WDH

Posted By: tatest on 10/30/16 01:07am

For me, almost anything that will not withstand winter storage, or long-term summer storage, comes out after each trip. So that means no food or drink, or anything attractive to rodents, stays in the RV trip to trip.

Beside the 30-minute job of winterizing the water system (which I might do and undo as many as four times a year because my camping season overlaps with my winter) the bigger part of winter storage for me is hauling out the camping equipment I might want to use for tent camping off the RV season.

Tom Test
Itasca Spirit 29B


Posted By: #1nobby on 10/30/16 03:54am

poppin_fresh wrote:

GrandpaKip wrote:

hohenwald48 wrote:

#1nobby wrote:

downtheroad wrote:

You can always leave the Kerig in your rig and run some anti-freeze through the tank........(kidding).


Don't laugh....I've looked into it. [emoticon]


Just run a little Irish whiskey through it. Then you can enjoy the taste of "antifreeze" in the spring.

I thought a bit of Jameson was a requirement for coffee.


Joking aside, please DO NOT run alcohol into your Keurig in an attempt to "winterize" it. Very bad things can happen when the liquid in the brewer does not reach the temp required to turn off the heating element.

Store it above freezing and give it a good clean out in the spring with white vinegar and you will be fine.


Ya....I found a spot in my furnace room in the house....easiest solution.

Posted By: #1nobby on 04/27/17 10:50pm

#1nobby wrote:

And the final part of winterizing....getting it indoors for the winter.

Just dropped it off at a former dairy farm....huge barns with concrete floors. I will be last in so that I can retrieve it if needed in January....and if not....first out in the spring. [emoticon]

[image]


Picking up Saturday morning!
I'm excited!

Posted By: SoundGuy on 04/28/17 02:42am

#1nobby wrote:

Picking up Saturday morning!
I'm excited!


What took you so long? Picked ours up a month ago, heading out camping in a few hours! [emoticon]

Posted By: CavemanCharlie on 04/28/17 05:53pm

Used mine 3 times already.

Posted By: #1nobby on 04/28/17 07:49pm

SoundGuy wrote:

#1nobby wrote:

Picking up Saturday morning!
I'm excited!


What took you so long? Picked ours up a month ago, heading out camping in a few hours! [emoticon]


Work. Life. Death. Time. Family. Have I mentioned work?
And lousy weather.

Posted By: fallsrider on 04/29/17 05:44am

#1nobby wrote:

...I removed my Kuerig coffee maker rather than take it apart to drain the tank.

You may want to look in your owner's manual to see if your unit has a pump cleaning feature. My wife bought me the single cup Keurig 2 Christmases ago for the trailer. With the unit off, I push and hold the "Brew" button for 4 or 5 seconds. The pump comes on and pumps out any residual water. The units with a tank may not have this feature...IDK. Ours has survived 2 winters so far in the trailer.

Posted By: #1nobby on 04/29/17 08:47am

I brought the trailer home today. Yippee!

It's in great shape as it was indoors for the past 6 months.

No sign of any rodents.

Nobby wins this round.

Posted By: RSD559 on 04/29/17 09:35pm

Stupid Kookifornia question. Why not just drain all of the water out of the system instead of anti-freezing it? We went to Camping World to get an adapter they had on sale, and they had tons of anti-freeze on the shelf, even though it's going to be in the high 90s this week. Is there enough water in the pipes to cause problems?

2020 Torque T314 Toy Hauler Travel Trailer- 38' tip to tip.
2015 F-350 6.7L Diesel, SRW.
2021 Can Am Defender 6 seater. Barely fits in the toy hauler!

Posted By: #1nobby on 04/30/17 08:17pm

RSD559 wrote:

Stupid Kookifornia question. Why not just drain all of the water out of the system instead of anti-freezing it? We went to Camping World to get an adapter they had on sale, and they had tons of anti-freeze on the shelf, even though it's going to be in the high 90s this week. Is there enough water in the pipes to cause problems?


Yes...some people use compressed air to blow out the lines.

But...any water left anywhere...including p traps...will freeze.

So...$20 of anti-freeze is good insurance.

Posted By: #1nobby on 05/21/17 03:19pm

Finished the "de-winterizing" today which included restocking the cupboards and fridge and installing a new city water valve that I pooched last fall. [emoticon]
Ready to roll.
First trip planned is June 8.

[image]

Posted By: harley4275 on 05/21/17 04:52pm

I don't blow lines first , just pump red pop ,anti freeze, one gallon . Once done ,open low point drains and that anti goes in traps and toilet bowl. Usually 20 minutes.
And for the city water intake. After pumping anti, open a tap to release pressure. Put your finger in check valve and have someone turn on pump for a couple secs till pink comes thru.

2013 Sunset Trail 25RB TT
2015 Silverado 2500HD 4x4 6.0 l gasser.
Equilizer 4 pt
From Belle River, Ontario
2003 Mountain Star 890sbrx Truck Camper

Posted By: #1nobby on 05/21/17 06:10pm

harley4275 wrote:

I don't blow lines first , just pump red pop ,anti freeze, one gallon . Once done ,open low point drains and that anti goes in traps and toilet bowl. Usually 20 minutes.
And for the city water intake. After pumping anti, open a tap to release pressure. Put your finger in check valve and have someone turn on pump for a couple secs till pink comes thru.


Little late to the party.[emoticon]

Posted By: harley4275 on 05/22/17 08:24am

Gee ,sorry. Was just answering your post about $20 for anti freeze (2.50 /gal on sale)and Kookafornis question . Plus the threaded plug in your city water intake is my fix for a leaky check valve.

Posted By: #1nobby on 10/21/18 10:20pm

Camped for the last time last week....came home Friday.

Today, Sunday....I winterized the PortaNobby for storage.

I still can't get over how much food and condiments I accumulate over a season.

I slept in the trailer 32 nights this year...best year ever, for me.

After dropping off the trailer for storage on my way to work tonight....I have this feeling that I have forgotten to do something.

I guess I'll find out in the spring, eh?

Posted By: ZINGERLITE on 10/22/18 05:44am

coolmom42 wrote:

Please keep careful track of where you put all the mothballs!

Personally I would never use them. Lots of other options work better.


It takes an entire summer to get rid of that smell. I'd rather replace things mice chewed than camp with that smell.

Posted By: MNGeeks61 on 10/22/18 06:06am

Necro'd! lol

For mothballs, I agree, I don't use them in our park model, I prefer the peppermint oil. Wife can't stand the mouse turds or the mouse urine smell. she then proceeds to wipe everything in the place with disinfectant.

Posted By: hawkeye-08 on 10/22/18 08:54am

I learned about the city water connection last week, needing some pressure released first (I didn't and now have to repair the check valve).

Posted By: afidel on 10/22/18 09:57am

#1nobby wrote:

Amazing how one looks at things differently under different circumstances.

Hand soap, dish soap, lysol bathroom cleaner, bleach, distilled water all things normally taken for granted....but all will FREEZE and potentially cause a mess in a stored RV.

And that's why I'm storing my rig in a mine, constant 65 degrees. Well worth the $87/month.

2019 Dutchman Kodiak 293RLSL
2015 GMC 1500 Sierra 4x4 5.3 3.42 full bed
Equalizer 10k WDH


Posted By: ADK Camper on 10/22/18 10:30am

The last step of my winterizing routine is to call my insurance company and cancell the collision coverage on the trailer. I keep the comprehensive coverage though which covers fire, theft, storm damage etc. I figure if it's not being towed it's not going to be in a collision. This saves me over $100 in premium.

Posted By: DoneItAll on 10/22/18 04:55pm

We solved the dilemma by camping year round. Pump in the pink stuff, keep a small heater running...decide to go out for a weekend, carry bottled water, use campground bathhouse, maybe flush and use the on-board showers. Rarely get below zero here. Can't stop camping just because it's chilly. That's what campfires are for.[emoticon]

John & Harriet on the beautiful Eastern Shore of Maryland
2008 F450 4X4 Crew Cab
2017 Lance 2375 Travel Trailer

Posted By: am1958 on 10/22/18 05:55pm

It never ceases to amaze me what people can find to complain about...

Of course, when I was in the military the generally accepted phrase was "If the troops aren't complaining something is wrong"...

Try "camping" military style... It's an "attitude adjuster"...

Posted By: rhagfo on 10/22/18 06:45pm

I feel so bad for you up north, and northeast as we never needed to fully winterize here in the PNW non perishable food remained as did clothing, blew the lines if was going to freeze. Might have to do once a season or four or five depending on how many times we went out over the winter.

Russ & Paula the Beagle Belle.
2016 Ram Laramie 3500 Aisin DRW 4X4 Long bed.
2005 Copper Canyon 293 FWSLS, 32' GVWR 12,360#

"Visit and Enjoy Oregon State Parks"


Posted By: PaulJ2 on 10/22/18 08:11pm

Likewise here in northwest Oregon, very few below freezing episodes lasting more than a few days. I never winterize my travel trailer. I just turn on it's furnace on the lowest setting--50 degrees. Probably used one 20 LB tank of propane the entire winter.

Posted By: #1nobby on 10/22/18 11:16pm

am1958 wrote:

It never ceases to amaze me what people can find to complain about...



There is a "complaint" on this thread???

Posted By: ZINGERLITE on 10/23/18 05:51am

MNGeeks61 wrote:

Necro'd! lol

For mothballs, I agree, I don't use them in our park model, I prefer the peppermint oil. Wife can't stand the mouse turds or the mouse urine smell. she then proceeds to wipe everything in the place with disinfectant.


My sister in law always complains about the mice droppings and evidence in their camper every spring. My wife reply's with "We never have any issues in ours". What she doesn't know is that i just clean it up and don't tell her! ha!

Posted By: #1nobby on 10/23/18 07:34am

ZINGERLITE wrote:

What she doesn't know is that i just clean it up and don't tell her! ha!
LOL!

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