Winterize or not

Kr@cken

We are going to have a rare event with temps down to 32 for 2 nights. It will be sunny with temps in the 40’s during the day so the T@B will warm up. If drain everything and keep the Alde heat on SP do I need to winterize? I can pack the outdoor shower compartment with a couple of my skiing hand warmers that are break to activate. (I did that last year on the rare nights it hit freezing and it seemed to work.) 
I am camping all next week with power and water so I really don’t want to do a full winterization for 2 nights that may hit 32.
That said if I just got lucky last year and didn’t have any problems I don't want to push my luck. I have a 12V Husky air inflator that can reach 50 psi but I see various opinions about that being sufficient air flow. Should I buy a compressor and do an air blow out winterization?
Any thoughts? The manual references photos on page 4 but there are no photos on that page. There is a picture of the pump on page 50. Do I just disconnect the grey and white connectors on either side of the pump?
Thanks again for all your expertise.

VictoriaP

In our region, depends entirely on where you’re camping. Saturday to Sunday at my house (closer to the mountains) we’re looking at 8 hours overnight of below freezing temps, and another 2 hours before they’ll reach 35°. That’s plenty of time to freeze water, and we have several nights like that forecast. On the coast? Doesn’t even dip below 36° during the same period. 

Personally, if you’re going to be east of the Sound, I’d drain the system, blow out, and put antifreeze in the drains, but I’m fairly risk averse with my trailer plumbing because it’s such a pain to fix if something goes sideways. On the other hand, if you’re headed to the beach, probably not a problem.

Kr@cken

I am on the sound beachfront this weekend so I am hoping it stays a few degrees warmer, Next week at Fort Warden also sea level and with power but lows only in the 40’s. Congratulations on your new car!

VictoriaP

Thanks! Still getting used to it, and haven’t been able to tow while breaking in the new engine. Hitch and wiring are done though, and new full size spare is installed. Tempted to try camping next week myself as it looks gorgeous, but I’d go fully out winterized. Too lazy to dewinterize now and redo it again.

If you have an app that provides local forecasts down to the hour, that might be the best way to judge. I mostly use Dark Sky for that; it’s helpful when I need to judge how long it’ll be cold enough to freeze, or when the current downpour is likely to stop so I can pull in the garbage cans or walk the dog. (Answer: maybe after noon...if I’m lucky) Beachfront on the Sound will likely be OK, I’d think. You just don’t want to go more than a few hours of freezing. Anything longer than that, your risk goes up. 

I think if I were likely to want to camp regularly in the fall and possibly winter, I’d look into skirting the trailer. It can help some, and even more so when camping with hookups as you can put a small space heater underneath the underbelly behind the skirt to keep the tanks and pipes above the freezing mark. Then you only have to worry about freezing temps while in transit.

Kr@cken

Thank you. No experience with the skirting option.  Is the skirting something I would get from my dealer or is it a DIY project? We have a nice marine heater we no longer use that might work well. 

VictoriaP

Basically skirting is heavy vinyl cloth you attach to the undercarriage, hanging down to the ground. This is one DIY option: https://ezsnapdirect.com/products/rv-skirting/ Because like everything else, it’s typically designed for larger RVs than ours, some adjustment to any product you find may be necessary.

It’s commonly done by people wintering over in their RVs in colder weather climates. A friend who is a travel nurse wintered over in her non-4 season Winnebago trailer in Klamath Falls a year or so back using skirting and a heated water hose to keep her pipes from freezing. If traveling, you just remove the skirting and fold it up for storage, then reinstall it once you’re in camp.

Sharon_is_SAM

@Kr@cken - we ran into this when we arrived into Moab.  Had just dewinterized and the forecast turned.  We decided to just drain the tanks and pump, add AF to the p traps and tank outlets and ran the heat.  Just leave the drains open and let it get as dry as possible.  In case anything freezes, as long as there is somewhere for the water to expand to it shouldn't be a problem.  The outside shower - drain and use your pocket heater if that has helped in the past.  If you don't have a sustained freeze, you should be ok.