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Should we winterize....?

awahlawahl Member Posts: 25
in Heating/Plumbing & Winterizing
We picked-up our 2021 Tab 400 last Friday- It's spring and finally starting to warm up here- so it was de-winterized by the dealer... Unfortunately - Michigan has a way of giving you at least 2 or 3 seasons in the span of a week. We have a a few days later this week expected to drop below freezing at night...  (snowflakes on Friday.....May 8th!) 

Should we winterize?  During the day the trailer will be warming up so I suppose there will be some ambient heat - and temps should not be below freezing for more than 5-6 hours each night... In preparation for this potential (first-time for us) winterization... If we do- we plan to follow all of the steps for the pre-Nautilus 2021 400 including the Alde bypass, and then set the Nautilus controls for winterization and pump the anti-freeze in.... (There's not much detail on the Nautilus system yet)...  I did find a few videos where it is suggested (after adding anti-freeze to the system) to run some through the water heater low point drains?  Should I open both the low point drains and the water-heater drains to let some anti-freeze out? I do not think it would hurt anything- and presumably we will flush that all out when we de-winterize.... Right? 

Another thought we had was running the Alde for a few days at 55-60 deg. We haven't tried it yet. If we do use it just for heating, is it necessary o put water in the fw tank (for first time use of the system)... or is that only if we're using the hot-water heater? 

Sorry for all the questions- don't want to mess this up as a first-time "winterizer" and brand new T@B owner..... 

Thanks 



2021 T@B 400 Boondock  |  2018 Chevy Colorado Z71 3.6L V6 
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Comments

  • pthomas745pthomas745 Moderator Posts: 3,961
    I looked at the Detroit forecast, and they only had it going down to 34 or so.  But, up in Marquette they were expecting about 24 hours below freezing.  If it is only a few hours below freezing  the thinking usually goes that it isn't a big problem.  The good news is you are watching it closely and prepared, but I would wait a couple of days and see how the forecasts pan out.
    2017 Outback
    Towed by 2014 Touareg TDi
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  • CbusguyCbusguy Member Posts: 771
    You don't put antifreeze in the water heater....you drain it dry and then put it in bypass and fill the rest of the system with antifreeze if that is your chosen method of winterizing.


    Antifreeze may corrode your alde
    2009 GMC Canyon,   3.7 liter 
    2020 320s Boondock lite, With Lots of mods
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  • Sharon_is_SAMSharon_is_SAM Administrator Posts: 9,747
    edited May 2020
    “ I did find a few videos where it is suggested (after adding anti-freeze to the system) to run some through the water heater low point drains?  Should I open both the low point drains and the water-heater drains to let some anti-freeze out? I do not think it would hurt anything- and presumably we will flush that all out when we de-winterize.... Right?”

    @awahl, since the Nautilus is so new, we can’t give you much help.  But, I read the Nautilus manual regarding winterization.  

    I believe the water heater low point drains that the videos are referring to is a typical hot water tank that many RVs have - not the Alde.  You will be bypassing the Alde and not adding AF to it, so none would ever reach the low point drain.  (You don’t need to add AF to the Alde water tank and it is not recommended.  If you do add AF it must be able to tolerate heat if you plan to use the Alde for cabin heat).    

    It is not necessary to fill the 400 fresh water tank or the Alde water tank to heat the cabin with the Alde.  The circulating glycol is what heats the cabin and it is not necessary to fill the Alde water tank to operate the Alde for heat.
    Sharon / 2017 T@B CSS / 2015 Toyota Sienna Minivan / Westlake, Ohio
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  • jschmierjschmier Member Posts: 26

    I picked up my, new to me, 2018, 400 Boondock four weeks ago.  It was 65 degrees when I drove it home but the next week it went down to 26.  Being a complete newbie, I was concerned. (freaking out to be exact).  In retrospect, I had no reason to worry.  Turn on the Alde.  Make sure you have some water in the gray and fresh water tank so it will not have time to freeze in a short time.  I also believe the black tank is somewhat protected by the cabin heat.  Remember, this is not the dead of winter.

     

    You might want to check out the “unofficial” owner’s manual.  It is posted in the forum and was written by a David Weinstein; an amazing resource.  He owns the same year and model as I do, and while there have been some changes to the 2021, most of the information will apply.

     

    The real problem is having this beautiful piece of equipment sitting in my driveway and between covid-19 and the weather, there is no place to go.  My 6 year-old granddaughter and I did a driveway campout last weekend with one restriction, we used the toilet in the house.  She had a great time.


    2018 T@B 400/solar/2022 Honda Ridgeline
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  • Sharon_is_SAMSharon_is_SAM Administrator Posts: 9,747
    @jschmier, welcome to the forum.  Don’t forget that the fresh water tank outlet is not heated by the Alde and is susceptible to freezing and cracking.  Some water freezing in the tanks may not be a problem, but a frozen tank outlet valve may be a problem.  
    Sharon / 2017 T@B CSS / 2015 Toyota Sienna Minivan / Westlake, Ohio
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  • awahlawahl Member Posts: 25
    Hi All -  

    Thanks for the feedback! I may not have explained myself well, but I do understand that I do not want to add antifreeze to the Alde or the hot water tank- :-) I was referring to the water tank low point drains (in the cabin under the bed) - that in one of the Nautilus videos- did include opening them to let some antifreeze out to protect the drain- I do not think it applies here....

    I am about to proceed with adding antifreeze. Here's what I have done:
    1. Turn on water pump in the cabin
    2. Open all the faucets/showers and drain - then close
    3. Turn off water pump in the cabin
    4. Open the low point drains - let completely drain - then close
    5. Open the water heater/Alde flow drains (under the bed) and drain - then close
    6. Drain the black and then the gray tank (then close...)

      Then - In the Nautilus compartment...

    7. Remove the water filter from the fresh-water fill and connect a siphon hose
    8. Set the Nautilus to "Winterize" mode -
    9. Insert siphon hose into gallon of RV antifreeze
    Now....  there is no bypass lever in the 2021... but by setting the Nautilus to winterize mode, I am bypassing the water heater correct? Being such a newbie I am a little gun-shy to start siphoning the pink stuff into the little lady.... If that is correct, all I need to do now is....
    1. Turn on the pump in the Nautilus compartment
    2. Siphon a gallon of RV antifreeze into the system
    3. Go into the trailer and open the hot/cold faucets on sinks/shower until I see the pink stuff
    4. Flush the loo until I see the pink stuff
    5. Turn on the outside shower until I see the pink stuff
    6. Turn off the pump outside in the Nautilus compartment
    7. Disconnect the hose
    8. Put the filter back on
    9. Close the door
    10. Have a beer and relax....
    If anyone would be so kind as to confirm my suspicions now - I can squeeze a beer both before and after I complete the steps above.   =)

    Seriously - thanks again for the feedback and await more comments....! 

    2021 T@B 400 Boondock  |  2018 Chevy Colorado Z71 3.6L V6 
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  • Sharon_is_SAMSharon_is_SAM Administrator Posts: 9,747
    According to the instructions, turning the red handle sideways prevents water from entering the hot water tank.  Go for it.  You can always check to see if any antifreeze got in the Alde by briefly opening the Alde drain.  Here is the install instruction manual that I found helpful.  https://682831.app.netsuite.com/core/media/media.nl?id=1907792&c=682831&h=c9a59223dbfb3c82492c&_xt=.pdf&vid=V2O65mmuAkeKC5ZT&chrole=17&ck=xdGrA2muAkWKC0T_&cktime=175721&promocode=&promocodeaction=overwrite&sj=yvnXJooKoaf8nAo7UHTh2WlG2%3B1585011460%3B713097000

    Also, this thread may help:  https://tab-rv.vanillacommunity.com/discussion/comment/135102#Comment_135102
    Read March 22 and 23rd where Creed of nuCamp confirmed that the red handle sideways does bypass the Alde.
    Sharon / 2017 T@B CSS / 2015 Toyota Sienna Minivan / Westlake, Ohio
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  • awahlawahl Member Posts: 25
    Hi @Sharon_is_SAM -

    Indeed - going to go for it....! 

    I also found this 5 minutes ago.... Instructions for the Nautilus P3 system.... which has some really helpful info and steps for various tasks.... Should be useful for others with this unit....

    One thing I did notice in the Winterize section however- is they suggest to blow out the lines before adding the anti-freeze.... I have an air compressor but it's a tank unit (not a Viair) - and do not want to push any oil into my water lines..... Given that we are only going to have a few hours each night of below-freezing temps I think this should be okay...... 

    Thank you! 
    2021 T@B 400 Boondock  |  2018 Chevy Colorado Z71 3.6L V6 
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  • Sharon_is_SAMSharon_is_SAM Administrator Posts: 9,747
    Be brave😀. Make sure to check out the categories - chock full of good info.  The Nautilus manual is located under “User Manuals...” Plumbing Resources.  

    I think they mentioned to blow out the lines to get any residual water out of the “harness” which I think is the Nautilus plumbing.  Seems like the AF should cover that.

    Good luck and let us know how it goes.  We are all learning about the Nautilus.
    Sharon / 2017 T@B CSS / 2015 Toyota Sienna Minivan / Westlake, Ohio
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  • awahlawahl Member Posts: 25
    Mission complete! Went off without a hitch. Our first winterization, on May 5th, during a global pandemic. Hopefully dewinterizing won't be so dramatic...

    Thanks again for the help! 
    2021 T@B 400 Boondock  |  2018 Chevy Colorado Z71 3.6L V6 
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  • jameskuzmanjameskuzman Member Posts: 140
    edited May 2020
    awahl said:
    Mission complete! Went off without a hitch. Our first winterization, on May 5th, during a global pandemic. Hopefully dewinterizing won't be so dramatic...

    Thanks again for the help! 
    Congratulations!

    Last November, we did our first winterization in our 400. For all of the drama, trauma, confusion, and number of opinions on how to do it, we were pleasantly surprised that it was dead simple and took all of 15 minutes using two gallons of propylene glycol RV antifreeze.

    No facing east while chanting, no Ouija board, no bone rolling, no sage, no incantations. I watched the YouTube videos from NuCamp and Travels with Delaney and opted to do the "suck it in from the jug at the water pump" variation rather than the "pour it into the fresh water tank" method. Adding my own twist, I ran enough through to get some into the gray and black water tanks to help protect the blade valves.

    We de-winterized the last weekend of March to do some early driveway camping and that was easier still. It got down into the low 30's a few nights and I felt comfortable not re-winterizing at those temps, but had it gotten or stayed colder, it wouldn't have bothered me to re-winterize. 
    Jim Kuzman, Girard OH - 2019 T@B 400 - TV 2019 Volkswagen Atlas SE 4Motion w/ Factory Tow Package
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  • Denny16Denny16 Member Posts: 5,431
    If worried about a few nights of colder westher in the freezing range, just drain the tanks, and blow out with compressed air, leave all the valves open and add some heat to the TaB (electric heater or run Alde,with hot water option off)
    Any,small amount of freezing of any residual water will have lots of room to expand and not cause any damage.  
    Cheers
    2018 TaB400 Custom Boondock,  Jeep Gladiator truck, Northern California Coast.
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