Non-winter winterizing

[vetman93]

I know this title seems a little ambiguous but I am in need of some sage advice. I will be storing my 28 International Serenity in a storage facility in Western PA. It is an abandoned limestone mine and the company that owns and manages the facility has stated that the temperature is a constant 57 degrees. Should I do anything different in this environment? I am required to remove the propane tanks and will also be bringing my batteries home to maintain on trickle chargers. I normally drain the fresh water tank, keep some water & chemicals in the BW tank and put a dehumidifier chemical bucket inside when I store for the mild seasons. Is there anything else that you veteran Airsteamer's can recommend?

[AWCHIEF]

Constant 57 degrees! Brew beer.

[Goal15]

Originally Posted by vetman93

I know this title seems a little ambiguous but I am in need of some sage advice. I will be storing my 28 International Serenity in a storage facility in Western PA. It is an abandoned limestone mine and the company that owns and manages the facility has stated that the temperature is a constant 57 degrees. Should I do anything different in this environment? I am required to remove the propane tanks and will also be bringing my batteries home to maintain on trickle chargers. I normally drain the fresh water tank, keep some water & chemicals in the BW tank and put a dehumidifier chemical bucket inside when I store for the mild seasons. Is there anything else that you veteran Airsteamer's can recommend?

Watch out for stalactites . . . I'll bet the drips coming off those would do a number on your AS I'm only half kidding... am not a chemist but would wonder if the ph levels in a limestone mine environment might be a concern with an aluminum trailer

[vetman93]

Originally Posted by Goal15

Watch out for stalactites . . . I'll bet the drips coming off those would do a number on your AS I'm only half kidding... am not a chemist but would wonder if the ph levels in a limestone mine environment might be a concern with an aluminum trailer

The mine is extremely dry. I have friends that store their RV's there and they say that their issue is dust.

[Jammer]

Remove any items of food that might interest mice, and be sure the freezer and fridge doors are blocked open.

I would use RV antifreeze in the drain traps and toilet, not as protection from freezing, but to keep them sealed. Water evaporates more quickly than RV antifreeze.

[jcanavera]

Originally Posted by Jammer

I would use RV antifreeze in the drain traps and toilet, not as protection from freezing, but to keep them sealed. Water evaporates more quickly than RV antifreeze.

Very good point, especially on the toilet. If that flush gasket gets dry, it might tear on the first flush of the season.

Jack

[Alumaholic]

I would sanitize and drain the freshwater tank.
I would also drain the water heater. Your H20 heater has a sacrificial anode that promotes the growth of a bacteria that produces H2S (hydrogen sulfide). That has been a real problem for me when I haven't drained the H20 heater.
I also remove the carbon activated filter from the filtration device beneath the kitchen sink and keep it immersed in water in a closed container in the garage refer.

[polarlyse]

Our trailer was stored from new until we got it in a limestone cave in Missouri by the original / previous owner. He didn't do anything other than drain the water I think.

[AnnArborBob]

Sounds like a perfect environment for storing your AS over the winter!

I would make doubly sure that both my black and grey tanks are completely clean, then leave a small amount of fresh water in each to keep the seals on your dump valve(s) from drying out.

I would also completely empty the fresh water tank and the hot water heater as previously stated.

If you can, blow out the city water system and the various faucets with compressed air to minimize any possibility that the water in those lines will "turn nasty" over the winter with the lack of use.

In the spring, I would sanitize the entire fresh water system with diluted bleach. Instructions for this can be found elsewhere on the forum.

Replace the under counter water filter (if you have one) annually in the spring, don't save the old one for re-use.

Make sure your tires are filled to your desired pressure.

Chock at least one wheel (or set of wheels) to prevent any shifting in case your AS gets nudged, or God forbid, there would be a minor tremor over the winter.

[Protagonist]

Originally Posted by Jammer

I would use RV antifreeze in the drain traps and toilet, not as protection from freezing, but to keep them sealed. Water evaporates more quickly than RV antifreeze.

You can also minimize evaporation by wrapping the toilet in Saran Wrap after adding either water or antifreeze.

Sidebar - Since you know it's not going to freeze anyway, you can minimize your antifreeze expenditure by using a 50-50 blend of antifreeze and water. Your engine block and radiator don't use pure antifreeze, so why should your pipes use pure RV antifreeze?

[Alumaholic]

I realize this is a thread about winterizing for non-freezing storage.
But if you ever must use antifreeze, it's fine to use RV antifreeze in the traps and drains.
But I use cheap vodka colored with red food dye in the fresh water lines, a technique some other Airstreamer recommended on this Forum some years back.
Use it and you'll never be bothered by the taste (or feel when you take your first shower of the season) of RV antifreeze again.

[Protagonist]

Originally Posted by Alumaholic

I realize this is a thread about winterizing for non-freezing storage.
But if you ever must use antifreeze, it's fine to use RV antifreeze in the traps and drains.
But I use cheap vodka colored with red food dye in the fresh water lines, a technique some other Airstreamer recommended on this Forum some years back.
Use it and you'll never be bothered by the taste (or feel when you take your first shower of the season) of RV antifreeze again.

80-proof vodka freezes at -16°F. 100-proof vodka freezes at -40°F. 190-proof vodka (Everclear) freezes at -173°F. By comparison, typical "pink stuff" antifreeze freezes at -50°F.

[Alumaholic]

Thanks Protaganist. I should have acknowledged that where you live should determine which type of antifreeze to use. Here in Albuquerque, 80 proof vodka works great when I blow out the lines with compressed air first so the vodka will not be diluted.

[AnnArborBob]

I make it a point to spend winters where a nice IPA would suffice to winterize my Airstream!

[Rich W]

Earlier this year I checked out a cave near here that offered RV storage. The temperature is about 57 year around. Humidity is lower in the winter, running about 70-75%, than the summer when it was above 80%. They had huge sheets of plastic in places to help manage the humidity. I took a tour and saw some interesting sites. I saw an old Volkswagen Thing, sitting for more than 15 years. It was all dusty but looked OK. There were all sorts of trucks, RVs and cars. The manager said they had a lot of long term storage because of the constant temperature and secure parking.

The drawbacks, at least in the case of this particular cave, were you aren't allowed in there by yourself, you had to be escorted to your vehicle and you weren't allowed to work on it because the escort had to stay with you for security purposes, so you couldn't get into others' equipment. There was no power and no water. You had to notify them about a day or two in advance so they could arrange for the escort. You had to pay each time you took it out. The manager said it was really for winter storage with people finding another location for summers.

It was a pretty steep entrance angle from the street down to the cave entrance. It started snowing and the manager said we needed to leave because if it snowed hard enough we wouldn't be able to get up the hill because of the mud and snow.

We opted for commercial storage with a resident watchman. Another AS just moved in so now ours doesn't feel so lonely. The cave was dry, dusty, but dry.