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Mojave · 10-19-2011, 09:32 AM

Just curious as to what climates require you to fully winterize. I live in a temperate rainforest that doesn't fall below freezing. I would guess at times we get the odd winter day in the high 30's low 40's F but typically we hover between 50-60 all year round.

So far we've dumped our gray/black water tank and flushed all water out with a compressor.

Thoughts/advice for a newbie?

Jammer · 10-19-2011, 09:53 AM

Frost damage will only occur if there are sustained temperatures below 32 degrees.

Mojave · 10-19-2011, 10:05 AM

Thanks Jammer!

Ag&Au · 10-19-2011, 01:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mojave

Just curious as to what climates require you to fully winterize. I live in a temperate rainforest that doesn't fall below freezing. I would guess at times we get the odd winter day in the high 30's low 40's F but typically we hover between 50-60 all year round.

So far we've dumped our gray/black water tank and flushed all water out with a compressor.

Thoughts/advice for a newbie?

If it ever freezes at night, you should do at least as much as you have done already, unless you wish to gamble. If you only get a couple days notice of a freeze, then you may not have time.

I checked the climate data for Tofino, and every month from September through May has had a below freezing temperature some time in the past.

The all time low appears to be -15c occurring in January.

Check the data here: Toward bottom of page.

Tofino, British Columbia - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

You might want to look for things that you have left in the trailer that could freeze.

Check this thread for a lot of good info:

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

Ken

Mojave · 10-19-2011, 01:45 PM

Thanks w7ts, I did the same and checked the web for stats (just in case). We've only lived here for a few years but been surfing here for over 10 years and have not had below freezing yet, but never say never. Knowing my luck this will be the year we'll get a rager

Thanks for the heads up on that thread, I'll check it out.

We'll always do the basic flushing that we did this year but I'm more wondering about how critical it is to use antifreeze. Maybe it's just better to be safe than sorry.

Lisa

TBRich · 10-19-2011, 02:41 PM

Lisa... Granted, you live a LOT further north than we do, but it sounds like your temperatures are rather moderate. Here in SoAZ we can certainly freeze, and we regulalry flirt with freezing temps through the winter months. But we do not have long, sustained hours of below freezing temps. We heat up enough during the daylight hours to keep things unfrozen for the most part. We did have a particularly cold winter last year ... we even had a frozen pipe in our house's kitchen ceiling that burst and put us out of our home for 4 months while the extensive repairs were being made (we lived in the Bambi). It was hell, but hell made a tad better by the Bambi.

That being said, we do not winterize. We don't even empty the fresh water tank... mostly because we can manage without it by taking a few mild precautions ...besides, we camp a lot in the winter.

When we are supposed to have a freeze, we set the furnace to about 40 degrees and let it run as it needs to during the night. We open all the interior doors, drawers and closed compartments so that the heat can permeate as many of the spaces as possible. We also turn on the water heater and keep it on all night... and the last thing I do before hitting the hay is run hot water through all the pipes.

We do a lot of camping during the winter months, and we have camped in below-freezing nights (not a lot below, but below, nonetheless)...we have not had a problem. (We do disconnect the city water if we have a water hookups so the water hose doesn't burst.)

You should be OK without a total winterization if you blow out the pipes... and if your rig's storage is such that you can take a few extra precautions, it might give you added protection. I think if we lived where we had colder weather and we weren't using the Bambi regularly, we would winterize just so we wouldn't have to worry about it.

murreywalker · 10-19-2011, 03:32 PM

For what it's worth, the techs at JC say they do NOT use anti freeze. And that's for the units that are there

Compressed air is their methodology to winterize.

Ag&Au · 10-19-2011, 03:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mojave

Thanks w7ts, I did the same and checked the web for stats (just in case). We've only lived here for a few years but been surfing here for over 10 years and have not had below freezing yet, but never say never. Knowing my luck this will be the year we'll get a rager

Thanks for the heads up on that thread, I'll check it out.

We'll always do the basic flushing that we did this year but I'm more wondering about how critical it is to use antifreeze. Maybe it's just better to be safe than sorry.

Lisa

I am almost afraid to say this (knock on wood), but I never put antifreeze in the lines. I just make sure that the air compressor has purged all the water out of them. I do pour about a half gallon of antifreeze down the sink and shower drains so any water in the traps will be displaced and some antifreeze will be in gray tank. What is left in the jug, I pour down the toilet for the black tank. It at least once or more a year it gets below 0F here.

Ken

Wayne&Sam · 10-19-2011, 04:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mojave

So far we've dumped our gray/black water tank and flushed all water out with a compressor.

Other than adding antifreeze to the traps and a bit in the black and grey tanks, that's all I ever do. And we freeze solid for a long time.

Mojave · 10-19-2011, 05:00 PM

Thanks TBRich. Your scenario makes me feel a bit better with what we've done so far, although I'm not sure we plan to do much winter camping. It probably will be in the driveway till April/May. Main reason being a big mountain lies between us and everywhere else and being fairly new to this I'm not sure I'm super confident yet with winter towing and taking on that pass in bad weather. By the way we LOVE Tucson...so beautiful.

Thanks for all the suggestions guys! You're all making this learning curve a lot easier!

Lisa

CanoeStream · 10-19-2011, 08:13 PM

murreywalker, Mojave, w7ts, Wayne&Sam -- blowing out with a compressor-only is satisfactory if one is OCD enough to persist until no trace of mist shows as one cycles each outlet, hot & cold water separately. Remember the low point drain.

Flush the traps well with RV antifreeze.

Spend a tiny few $$ and pour some cheap vodka into the emptied fresh, gray & black tanks if those worry you at all (thanks 2airishuman!). Though I usually think that an inch or two of water in the bottom of these tanks can't damage them.

Mojave · 10-19-2011, 08:31 PM

Thanks Bob and yes good point, definitely not OCD enough to be sure (but sometimes I can be close). Also, that last suggestion is fantastic!..one shot of vodka for the Bambi, 2 shots for Lisa, and repeat!

Aage · 10-19-2011, 08:36 PM

Lisa,

Just don't forget the drain taps, the low-point drains. On our Sov, there are three under the sink (one for the FW tank, then 1 hot and 1 cold) plus two more in the rear "trunk".

Dunno if yer li'l Bambi has more than just the main three, but check: I left the back ones closed last winter and cracked a 6" piece of copper pipe that was inconveniently buried in the wall of the bathroom.

But on the plus side, I know a lot about the rear plumbing now!

Ag&Au · 10-19-2011, 08:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CanoeStream

-------------------, w7ts, ------------------blowing out with a compressor-only is satisfactory if one is OCD enough to persist until no trace of mist shows as one cycles each outlet, hot & cold water separately. Remember the low point drain.

Flush the traps well with RV antifreeze.

I guess I'm OCD enough, because that is exactly what I do.

Did you just see a turnip truck drive by?

Ken

CanoeStream · 10-19-2011, 08:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CanoeStream

Flush the traps well with RV antifreeze.

Spend a tiny few $$ and pour some cheap vodka into the emptied fresh, gray & black tanks if those worry you at all (thanks 2airishuman!). Though I usually think that an inch or two of water in the bottom of these tanks can't damage them.

I should have reversed that order. Put the vodka into your gray through one of your drains. And then flush a solid slug of RV antifreeze into the trap. 2-3 cups all at once seems to be adequate to me.