winterizing tips for 1971 Safari

frydmans · 10-13-2002, 08:25 AM

It's getting colder here in Wisconsin and I need advise on the best way to winterize my safari.
Any advice or set by step how to instructions would be most appreciated.
Thanks in advance
Steve Frydman

Larry Brown · 10-13-2002, 09:27 AM

When I winterize my M.H. I take and open the drains on all the tanks except the water heater,Than I open up all the faucets and get one of those air fittings that screw into your water fitting and blow all the water out of the lines .Than I remove the plug from the hot water heater. Than I buy a couple gallons of R.v. anti freeze and dump a little down all the sinks to get some in the elbows and in the bottom of the gray water tank.Also I pour some about half a gallon down the toilet with the valve open and some more with the valve closed.(Some people take the inlet line lose from the water line hook a hose to it and put the hose in a gallon of R.V. antifreeze turn on the water pump open all the spicets and fill all the water lines .)It never gets that cold here in the pacific northwest.Also I leave one of those small heaters with a freeze control thermostat on in the winter.

davidz71 · 10-13-2002, 03:36 PM

If I didn't have a 5 watt solar charger/maintainer or BatteryMinder hooked up, I would disconnect the battery and bring it into an area where it will not freeze when the charge starts going down. I know people with RVs and boats who complain that their batteries are not working right after winter when they didn't even put a charge on them the entire time. Once it sits in freezing weather for a period of time and discharges to almost nothing, you can kiss it goodby soon after.
My advice, whether you leave it in the trailer or bring it into the garage, hook up a $39.95 BatteryMinder from www.batterymart.com or $49.95 from Camping World and keep a charge on it all winter.

COArgosy78 · 10-13-2002, 06:24 PM

Hello

I posted this site under the above General Repair forum so if it does not come out here, check there.

RV Technical Articles

His 2 part, multi page on batteries is worth printing out for future reference. Hope it is helpful. Leigh

thenewkid64 · 10-13-2002, 06:42 PM

Steve,

When we lived in Wauwatosa, WI I took the battery out and stored it in the basement on a small piece of plywood. I would throw the battery charger on it once a month or so when I was down there working on a project. Never had a problem with batteries doing it this way. If you want to take the easy way out on the plumbing winterization Roskopf's always did a good job on ours. They also did some furnace and brake repairs for me and were always reasonable.

Dbraw · 10-13-2002, 06:55 PM

Craig,
I read your post about batteries and the BatteryMinder, so I guess I better go to CampingWorld soon and buy one. However, do you think the use of one would be better than just leaving the trailer plugged in to the house current and utilizing the converter that is built-in to maintain the batteries during winter storage? I am still trying to get a handle on all this battery stuff.
Thanks for any info.
Dan

Les Gilliam · 10-14-2002, 05:46 AM

Dan,

It is my understanding that most converters have a constant 3 to 5 amps running to the batteries when pluged into AC. That is not a problem for short periods, but after a month or two will likely overcharge the batteries and cause them to prematurely fail. A small maintenance charger may be the way to go.

Dbraw · 10-14-2002, 06:24 AM

Les,
Thanks for the info. I'll follow your advice.
Dan

davidz71 · 10-14-2002, 01:49 PM

Dan,
It depends on what kind of converter/charger you have now. Some chargers charge at the rate Les mentioned and do not decrease the voltage thereby overcharging/boiling the water out. The BatteryMinder has a 3 or 4 level charging system which includes desulfation to shake the battery plates and then a float or maintenance charge. This last level only gives a maintenance charge when the battery voltage goes below a certain level. It is safe to connect 2 batteries at a time with the BatteryMinder and leave them on all winter long. I have the capability on my Magnetek converter/charger that came with the trailer to unplug it when connected to shore power while on the road. I may leave it charging for awhile but usually unplug it unless I have used a large amount of current. There is one converter on the market, Intellipower I think, sold by Camping World that has an optional Wizzard charger that has a multilevel step system of charging.

**Pick** · 11-25-2002, 06:50 PM

I usually plug mine in for a week or two, then leave it unplugged for a week, then plug back in. I also have a battery minder type charger that I got from Interstate for $29.95