Winterizing Methods Revisited

Tabby

If you are using the antifreeze method, why would it be necessary to bypass the Alde?
Sharon & Alan, 2016 T@B Outback & 2015 Nissan Xterra

Sharon_is_SAM

 Down the sink/ shower for the grey tank and down the toilet for the black.

ChanW

The gray tank is where the shower and sink drain into and the black tank is where the toilet drains into.

Pour some RV antifreeze into the sink drain, and into the shower drain. And pour some antifreeze into the toilet (and flush). Leave a little in the toilet to keep the seal wet.
Maybe two cups into each.

Freshaire said:

This is all greek to me.  How does one add antifreeze to the gray and blank tanks?

Tabaz

AEEEEEEEEEE! If I read one more post about winterizing, I'll scream.  Please, please, please - won't you all just move to the Southwest?

ChrisandAlexis

But @Tabaz , if I move to Sedona, Arizona I would still need to winterize.

Bill_Cochrane

Just finished my first T@B winterizing.   The compressor was too small to maintain a constant 50 or 40 psi so I felt I had to use the antifreeze method as well. Took way too long so I'm hoping my new learned skill will be a bit faster next year.  Question(s)

- now that I'm finished do I shut all the ball valves of the hot and cold water supply and drain of the Alde?

- I leave the sink faucet and shower taps open correct?

- I lowered the front of the trailer to drain residue antifreeze  and leave the front down for the winter, correct?

- Is it acceptable to leave the trailer plugged in all winter with the Alde on about 40 F?

_ The battery is removed and will soon be on the trickle charger.  Any recommendations for make ?

DurangoTaB

Gray tank: pour down the sink or shower drain.  Black: pour down the toilet.

Tabaz

ChrisandAlexis said:

But @Tabaz , if I move to Sedona, Arizona I would still need to winterize.

Yes, but winterizing in Sedona means putting a 60 Watt light bulb under the trailer during evenings with frost warnings!

TerryV6

Well, when you have antifreeze going down your sink drain, it ends up in the gray tank.  Any antifreeze flushed down your toilet, ends up in the "black" tank...

jgram2

The sink and shower empty into the grey water tank and the toilet empties into the black water tank. 

TerryV6

To answer my own question....  My wife went out with friends, so I decided to do the black tank drain.  I was surprised to find only about a quart come out of the pipe.  I guess that only makes sense..  Just for my own piece of mind, I added some back down the toilet and topped off the toilet bowl bottom.  The funny thing is, we think we've had our camper for quite a while, when in reality, we only winterized once before.  Hence the uncertainty.  Also, I have some instructions with slightly different things to do.  Finally, on the page I got from our dealer, it says in the beginning to make sure to drain the fresh water tank and leave the valve open.  Well, that makes no sense when you proceed to fill the tank with antifreeze.  We figured that out when we lost about a half gallon on the driveway..  Also, one info sheet says at the end, to drain both tanks, the other doesn't say that...

ScottG

Bill_Cochrane said:

Just finished my first T@B winterizing.   The compressor was too small to maintain a constant 50 or 40 psi so I felt I had to use the antifreeze method as well. Took way too long so I'm hoping my new learned skill will be a bit faster next year.  Question(s)

- now that I'm finished do I shut all the ball valves of the hot and cold water supply and drain of the Alde?

- I leave the sink faucet and shower taps open correct?

- I lowered the front of the trailer to drain residue antifreeze  and leave the front down for the winter, correct?

- Is it acceptable to leave the trailer plugged in all winter with the Alde on about 40 F?

_ The battery is removed and will soon be on the trickle charger.  Any recommendations for make ?

I have the same issue with my compressor. However, it doesn't take all that much pressure to blow out the lines. Some people report doing it with a manual bicycle pump.

I leave all my drain valves and faucets/taps open, and I level the camper when I park it. However, I doubt it really matters one way or the other once the lines have been cleared.

I see no reason to leave the Alde running all winter. Acceptable? Maybe...but why? That's the point of winterizing!

dragonsdofly

@Freshaire, to add the pink rv anti-freeze to your gray tank, pour several cups of it into the shower drain and the sink drain. That gets it into the gray plumbing traps. Be generous, you want enough in the tank to get to your drainage gate on the outside of the t@b. Open and close the gate several times. This lets the gate valve get the anti-freeze inside so any water will not freeze and crack the valve. For the pink anti-freeze to get into the black tank, pour some into the toilet bowl and pull the flush lever. Do that a couple of times. Again, enough needs to be in the black tank to get to the drainage gate on the outside of the t@b. Follow the slide the gate open and close procedure a few times. Make sure to put a cup or two of the pink anti-freeze into the toilet bowl and do NOT flush. This keeps the toilet seal moist and prevents the seal from drying out. All very easy and quick. Make sure your tanks are emptied and flushed before performing these tasks. This is not the full winterization process, but directly answers your question about how to get the pink stuff into the black and gray tanks.

Freshaire

@dragonsdofly Thanks to you (and others) for stating what should have been obvious for me.  Sometimes the learning curve for this stuff just turns me stupid.  I'll be having my first go at winterizing soon.  I'm sure I'll be back with more questions. 

Alan

Must or should one remove the battery when winterizing?

Verna

@Alan, removing the battery depends on your accessibility to be able to keep it charged. I park in my driveway when not camping and I use a Battety Tender Jr to trickle charge the battery. If I didn't have access to electricity, I would rig up a solar panel with a controller to charge my battery (the controller would not allow the battery to be overcharged). But if you have to store your T@B where there is no electricity nor a place for solar charging g, it would depend on your winter temps as to whether or not you remove your battery to a warm place with access to be charged. Cold MN or Upper NY temps would be reason to move the battery inside if you can’t keep a trickle charge on it. 

Be very sure to mark your wires with a + or a - so it is easy to reconnect it in the spring if you choose to remove your battery.

Photomom

Freshaire said:

This is all greek to me.  How does one add antifreeze to the gray and blank tanks?

The same way you get water (and other stuff) into them. Pour it into the toilet and the sink and shower drains.

GailandJohn

I'm noticing that everyone on this thread is from frigid winter country. We're in North Texas and I'm wondering what people do further south. The coldest it gets here is in the single digits and some winters it doesn't go lower than the teens. We will probably want to go camping this winter and are definitely going camping next month, so I'm wondering if we should just plan to winterize right before a strong blast of cold air, which could be next month, or might not be until December or even January. Our trailer is in enclosed storage when we're not using it.

ScottG

@GailandJohn, you can winterize and de-winterize as often as you like, so long as you get it done before the temperature where your T@B is stored dips below freezing.

If you can be ready to act on a moment notice and can accept the risk that the cold might sneak up on you faster than expected, than there is no reason your plan won't work!

foxden

@GailandJohn You are quite a bit north of me but we do get freezing temps several times a year.  This is my first winter with the T@B and I am planning to just watch the weather and use the blow out method if it looks like we are going to get a freeze.  I also have a November trip planned as well as one in early December so I am going to keep my fingers crossed that we hold out until January before the freezing starts.  Is the enclosed storage at home or offsite?  

GailandJohn

@foxden it's offsite, at a boat storage facility, so there isn't any insulation, just metal walls and roof. I think that I will also just watch the weather. Then, as @ScottG mentioned, we may need to winterize several times. If we have a colder and wetter than normal winter, we may not get it out as much as we want.

ScottG

@GailandJohn, if you haven't already thought of this I suggest getting a small compressor and mastering the "blow out" method for winterizing. I expect the last thing you want to be doing every time you pull your T@B out of mothballs is have to deal with draining and flushing all that antifreeze out of your plumbing! 

GailandJohn

@ScottG yes, I agree. I think we may already have one, but will check with John. If we don't have one, we'll get it, and the blowout attachment, and some rv antifreeze for the gray and black tanks. We also still need to get a surge protector. If I were going to warn someone about buying a T@B, or any other RV, it would be all the extra expenses the first year.

newell

Michigan_Mike said:

~Slowly backs out of thread, closes door slowly~    

Amen brother, me too.....

Freshaire

So. . .once the Tab has been winterized, would it be okay to take it on a trip and use it as long as the water systems were not used?  I'm wondering if the bouncing around will dislodge any of the antifreeze in the traps.  Maybe just top off the gray and black water tanks upon return home (see, I know how to do that now)?

I think I need to winterize, but have a trip planned in November.  There are toilets available at the campground and I can bring the water I will need in gallon containers.  Thanks for your help everyone.

ChanW

@Freshaire, yep, you can camp after it's winterized!

Many of us have been known to camp in the winter. The Alde does an amazing job at keeping the Tab cozy, even at below zero...

I don't think your traps will lose their antifreeze. You'll know it if you start smelling an awful smell (the smell from the gray tank coming up through the drains). Then add more antifreeze.

Have fun!

Verna

@Freshaire, check out this thread for tips on how to use your toilet without anything going into the black tank—see page 2

https://tab-rv.vanillacommunity.com/discussion/comment/35407#Comment_35407

Freshaire

Thank you both @ChanW and @Verna.

TerryV6

Tabaz said:

AEEEEEEEEEE! If I read one more post about winterizing, I'll scream.  Please, please, please - won't you all just move to the Southwest?

The discussion is clearly labeled.  You do not have to open it... Everyone is at a different level in their understanding of the workings of a camper.  No need for rudeness... 

ScottG

Oh, I suspect Tabaz was commenting in jest. I somehow doubt he really wants us all to move down there with him...  ;-)

Anyway, don't worry. Given my peculiar fascination with plumbing, I'll talk winterizing with ya' all day!