# To Winterize Or To Not Winterize



## 2dayinc (Jul 2, 2008)

Here in Alabama the winters tend to be mild and I was wondering if it would be a good idea to just leave the TT plugged in and the furnace set to say around 40 degrees instead of pumping all the pink stuff in? I know there will be an exspense for LP, but will this keep everything from freezing and bursting? What about condensation, would this be a issue? We still like to camp during the winter so we would hate to have to go through winterizing each time we finished camping. Any advise will help.


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## Nathan (Jan 2, 2007)

Just so you know, with my 28RSDS and high 20 deg temps, a tank of propane lasts ~1 week. Very expensive for long term heating. With the trailer heated to 65, the inside of the belley was ~40 deg's


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## Guest (Nov 17, 2008)

My remote for the furnace won't go that low. I think that the minimum is around 63 or 64. An electric heater doesn't protect the plumbing underneath the trailor, or you could just put one of those inside. I'm no expert, but I think that your best bet would be to drain the tanks, blow the lines out with compressed air and add a little pink stuff to the traps.

Happy Camping,

Gary


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## rdvholtwood (Sep 18, 2008)

Sensai said:


> My remote for the furnace won't go that low. I think that the minimum is around 63 or 64. An electric heater doesn't protect the plumbing underneath the trailor, or you could just put one of those inside. I'm no expert, but I think that your best bet would be to drain the tanks, blow the lines out with compressed air and add a little pink stuff to the traps.
> 
> Happy Camping,
> 
> Gary


Agreed - I'm not expert either, but, I would winterize also.


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## kyoutback (Jul 12, 2004)

2dayinc said:


> Here in Alabama the winters tend to be mild and I was wondering if it would be a good idea to just leave the TT plugged in and the furnace set to say around 40 degrees instead of *pumping all the pink stuff in? *I know there will be an exspense for LP, but will this keep everything from freezing and bursting? What about condensation, would this be a issue? We still like to camp during the winter so we would hate to have to go through winterizing each time we finished camping. Any advise will help.


All the pink stuff is about 2 gallons.


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## mmblantz (Jul 1, 2007)

I'm in south Georgia and never winterize. I just drain the lines and have never had a problem. We camp year round here also. ----Mike


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## BoaterDan (Jul 1, 2005)

If you think you'd use the trailer WITH WATER all winter in freezing weather and want to re-winterize between trips, I think the best solution would be switching to the blowout method using one of these. I've never had the guts myself, but there are many here that swear by it and don't use antifreeze.

Blowout plug


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## Nathan (Jan 2, 2007)

BoaterDan said:


> If you think you'd use the trailer WITH WATER all winter in freezing weather and want to re-winterize between trips, I think the best solution would be switching to the blowout method using one of these. I've never had the guts myself, but there are many here that swear by it and don't use antifreeze.
> 
> Blowout plug


x2, I'd do it for sure if I lived in the lower 1/2 of the country. It can just get too cold around here, so I blow out and then add pink.


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## 7heaven (Jun 4, 2005)

It really depends on what part of the state you live in and how risk averse you are. In northern Alabama, the night temps can drop into the 20's for a few days, which is all that would be needed to pop a line. Regardless, I would use the blow out the lines option, making sure the low points and water heater are drained. If I were below Birmingham, I might just blow out the lines. If I were up near Huntsville or higher, I'd use the pink stuff.


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## Scoutr2 (Aug 21, 2006)

If you live in the southern half of Alabama, I'd say that blowing out your lines, leaving drain plugs out (low point hot and cold, and HW heater drain), and leaving all faucets open would be good enough. (And don't forget about the outside faucets.) I don't think it gets cold enough in the lower part of AL to make the pink stuff necessary. But you are a better judge than I as to your temperature extremes.

If you want to be safe, or if you live far enough north to be concerned, two gallons of pink RV anti-freeze is all you'll need. (About $4/gallon, at Walmart.) Here's a method I posted in a thread last week. The person who posted the question reported back that he was done in 10-15 minutes.

Drain all water from the system (low point drains and open all faucets to drain completely). Drain the HW heater and leave the drain plug out for the winter. Then, turn the water heater supply to "Bypass."

Remove the sprayer from the end of the flexible shower hose, then remove the hose from the tub spout. Remove the suction line from the suction inlet on your water pump. Then screw the shower hose onto the suction inlet (the threads on the sprayer hose are the same as the threads on the suction inlet of the pump). Now put the other end of the shower hose into the anti-freeze jug, and then turn on the pump. (The hose on the suction side does not have to be tightened up too tight, as there is no pressure there. So no worries about wearing out threads, leaks, etc.)

Open your tub faucets - H & C - then the bathroom sink, then the toilet valve, then the kitchen sink, then the outside faucets, until pink comes out. Then turn off the pump when all is complete. And remember to go outside to the city water hookup and push IN the check valve until pink dribbles out. Remove and replace the tank suction line on the pump inlet and the shower hose to the tub spout - then you're done! (You'll need to stop partway thru and change to the second jug, though.)

This method works like a champ! And no cost or kit to keep track of. I was amazed at how simple and easy this was - but I cannot take credit for the idea. Someone else posted this here, earlier. (Thanks!)

Hope this helps you - and maybe others.

Mike


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## Crawfish (Sep 14, 2005)

mmblantz said:


> I'm in south Georgia and never winterize. I just drain the lines and have never had a problem. We camp year round here also. ----Mike


Same here. I just open the low points and drain the lines. Never have had a problem. If it does get below freezing it does not stay there long enough to freeze the lines. I'm like Mike, we camp year round. We have trips planned all the way through till next April.

Leon


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## prevish gang (Mar 19, 2006)

I live in Virginia and even here we only blow out the lines and drain. We have on occasion added some pink stuff in the traps of the sinks just in case but on really cold nights I turn the furnace on to the lowest setting for overnight only. In the morning I go out and turn it off because it is rare that we stay below freezing all day. Even if we get a cold night we are usually over 40 the next day. If you live in Alabama as you stated and you aren't going to get any long cold snaps you should be okay. We plan to camp all winter this year and added extra insulation to the underbelly of our trailer for that purpose.

Darlene


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## hazmat456 (Jul 26, 2007)

ever thought about using heat tape ? I don't know how well it would really work.


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