De-winterizing when temps still dropping below freezing?

[switters]

We keep our Airstream at a storage facility through the winter (we live in Park City, UT). I was planning to pick it up on Friday, and de-winterize over the weekend in preparation for leaving for Escalante/Grand Staircase Tuesday.

But the weather forecast suggests that temps may drop below freezing on Monday night and that it might snow on Tuesday. I don’t want to de-winterize over the weekend then have the pipes freeze Monday night. The obvious solution would be to wait until Tuesday to de-winterize, but we have to leave fairly early in the day, and this will be my first time de-winterizing (just got the trailer in the summer of last year), so I don't want to leave it for the last minute.

What would you suggest?

[OTRA15]

There are extensive threads in the Winterizing sub-forum and Sticky Topic at the top there:

https://www.airforums.com/forums/f458/
https://www.airforums.com/forums/f45...rize-7222.html

Someone posted their rule of thumb recently -- "if in doubt do the conservative thing."

Wait until Tuesday.

Good luck.

[switters]

Originally Posted by OTRA15

There are extensive threads in the Winterizing sub-forum and Sticky Topic at the top there:

https://www.airforums.com/forums/f458/
https://www.airforums.com/forums/f45...rize-7222.html

Someone posted their rule of thumb recently -- "if in doubt do the conservative thing."

Wait until Tuesday.

Good luck.

Thanks. I guess I'm just concerned that I'll run into an obstacle with the de-winterizing, and that will delay our departure. But maybe I can go through the procedure (without actually doing it) on Saturday and ask any questions I might have on the forums here, so that I feel more confident going into Tuesday.

[InsideOut]

Why not de-winterize at your first stop? It's really no big deal if you have full-hook-ups.

Shari

[switters]

Originally Posted by InsideOut

Why not de-winterize at your first stop? It's really no big deal if you have full-hook-ups.

Shari

I should have mentioned that we'll be boondocking, so no hookups at all. I agree, de-winterizing at first stop or on location would work otherwise.

[Dennis C]

This is a tough time of year from a weather perspective. I’m just getting ready to re-winterize as I return to Colorado.

[jcanavera]

I've dewinterized before prior to leaving on a trip. What I typically did is if we got a sub freezing night and the trailer was home, I'd open the cabinet door and set the thermostat to run the furnace if the temp dropped below 50 degrees. Never had any issues. We are going to get hit tomorrow night with 26 degree temperatures. At this point my trailer is still in it's storage garage and I haven't de-winterized yet. Typically it doesn't get this cold in my part of the country at this time of the year. Could be the third coldest night on record for this date.

Jack

[switters]

Originally Posted by jcanavera

I've dewinterized before prior to leaving on a trip. What I typically did is if we got a sub freezing night and the trailer was home, I'd open the cabinet door and set the thermostat to run the furnace if the temp dropped below 50 degrees. Never had any issues. We are going to get hit tomorrow night with 26 degree temperatures. At this point my trailer is still in it's storage garage and I haven't de-winterized yet. Typically it doesn't get this cold in my part of the country at this time of the year. Could be the third coldest night on record for this date.

Jack

Thanks. I did this in reverse last fall. We came home from Moab in October and drove into an unexpected snowstorm in Park City. I turned on the furnace and kept it at 50 with the cabinet open. I also brought in a space heater just to be extra sure. I had it that way for 3 nights with below freezing temps and it worked out. (Meanwhile, I was learning to dewinterize and carving out the time to do it.)

[majorairhead]

Any time the notion of whether I should winterize arises in my feeble mind, I winterize

Rattlesnakes scare me, almost as much as the thought of wanting to go camping in spring time but having to schedule repairs due to freeze damage.

The only other point I'd make, and this is just how we do it, is that every spring our first camping experience is at a full hookup site so we can de-winterize.

[Lily&Me]

Grab a few gallons of fresh water and hit the road.

Flush with dewinterizing fluid as needed, find a campground and do what you need to do.

This is how many of us from the cold states start our winter travels, every year.

It’s not how you would most like to do it, but doable.

Maggie

[greghoro]

There are two camps to winterizing:
- Compressed air through city water hookup to blow out all the water
- Circulate RV antifreeze


You didn't mention which camp you were in but others are assuming the second, RV antifreeze. There is no de-winterizing with the first.



That said, I espouse both; blow, circulate antifreeze and blow again. Yes, some will say I'm doing too much work or that antifreeze taste is too yuckky but it's my choice. Call me belt and suspenders.



I my opinion, antifreeze does all its work when initially circulated. It mixes with the water to form a non-expanding slurry. It doesn't need to remain in the pipes all winter, there is no more pure water in the system.



I blow my antifreeze out the same day I put it in, capturing it and using it to winterize the drains. Since I've initially blown out most of the water before circulating the antifreeze, there is no significant dilution to raise the freezing point.



By blowing the antifreeze out, I also lessen the amount of water needed to flush out the remaining antifreeze. This is key when I first fully de-winterize, as I am usually not in a position where I have a lot of water at my disposal.


So, consider blowing out your antifreeze now, if you can.




Greg

[guskmg]

I always stop at a full service campground the night before boondocking for that exact reason. The other alternative is to dewinterize and use some propane in your heater to prevent freezing. If you can't de-winterize, get some bottle water for essentials until you can.
guskmg