"Soft" Winterizing

AnOldUR

Just made that up, but is there such a thing? Is there an antifreeze that can be used in our fresh water system while on the road in chilly temperatures. Thinking of temps just below freezing, not lower than say 25 degrees. Thinking of using bottled water for drinking, brushing teeth, cooking, but fresh water tank for bathing, dishes, flushing toilet. There are several products described as "safe, odorless, and tasteless" that also lubricate pumps and valves throughout the water system. Has anyone safely used one of these diluted in the manner above? Looking at products like Camco Full Timer's Choice -50°F Antifreeze.

pthomas745

There is so much bafflegab about "rv antifreeze" because they just won't put the ingredients in plain language.

RV antifreeze, when it gets marked as "safe" is propylene glycol, which is a "generally recognized as safe" product.  Used in all sorts of consumer products, even food and cosmetics.  You can change the temperature limits of the glycol by how much water you use to dilute it.

Ethylene glycol is the stuff that is toxic and will (or can) kill you.

Camco has a nice brochure about their winterizing products, and down in the FAQ section there are better descriptions of the ingredients. 

https://www.camco.net/medias/winterizeRV.pdf

SusanD

@pthomas745 Thanks, that brochure was really useful, especially the picture showing how the water system works.  

lkc001

@SusanD I don't know what a "soft" winterizing would be, either you have winterized with the RV antifreeze or you have fully blown out the lines to keep them from freezing.  The underbelly of Tabs is not a "4 season camper" and is not heated, so the lined under the floor, the tank valves, etc would freeze first, then you have to worry about the inside water lines.  I would winterize and use alternative methods for water and toilet if I were going to be winter camping in temps continued under 30 degrees.  You can still use the Alde for heat only.  Then if you move to a warmer climate you can de-winterize again.  IMHO it is not worth the chance of busted pipes/connections.  RV antifreeze is cheap.  

I don't  know of any RV antifreeze that is "tasteless and odorless" and I would not shower with water diluted antifreeze.  It still is pink and I can smell it.  I flush my lines extremely well when de-winterizing in the spring and still use bottled water for cooking and drinking.

AnOldUR

lkc001 said:

I don't  know of any RV antifreeze that is "tasteless and odorless" ...

I did not suggest drinking it, but this is from Camco:
https://www.campingworld.com/camco-full-timer's-choice--50°f-rv-marine-antifreeze-1-gallon-57726.html

bergger

My advice is to just winterize completely and as mentioned above use alternative methods.  We use WAG bags in the toilet if we actually need to use the toilet and Epic Wipes XL for bathing if that is necessary.  A 2.5 gallon water jug with the spigot works great for drinking water and a jerry can of water for washing dishes. 

Sharon_is_SAM

@AnOldUR - I think the intent of Camco listing their AF as safe and tasteless is to indicate that it can be used in consumable water tanks - not that you can use or bathe in water mixed with the AF.  Some folks are sensitive to residual odors after rinsing, so they market their AF to appeal to that preference.

SusanD

@AnOldUR Last year was the first time I had to winterize. I don't know why but I bought enough anti-freeze for the next 5 years! Anyways, my plan is to winterize by the end of October depending on the weather.  If I can get a surf trip in after winterizing, I'm just going to flush it out so I can use the shower.  I never drink the tap water but I'd sure like a hot shower.