checklist for freezing cold weather for our new T@B?

gkillmaster

Would love to hear what the essential things to do (if any) to "winterize" our new trailer?
We live in California where it freezes several days per winter season. Any tips greatly appreciated.

many thanks,

Greg K.

jgram2

@gkillmaster, what trailer do you have? If it's so new you've never put any water in it, you're good. If there's water anywhere, well, you need to search on winterize and start reading. Did you get a manual? It gives you good information and also questions, like blowout vs antifreeze (although you should always put RV antifreeze in the toilet, sink and shower traps as the last step). 

gkillmaster

Thanks Twojgrams! We have the Q Maxx 2017 model. We've taken a long couple month trip in it so far and only have water in it for the sink. We don't have a toilet or shower and we didn't use the heater. I will check the manual. I forgot that we got it on the little USB stick that came with it...

Dalehelman

Do you live in the mountains of Calif.?

ScottG

Poke around in the "Users Manuals..." category. Depending upon how much info you want, there are at least three how-to documents in there spanning the range from basic user's manual through masters's dissertation! 

gkillmaster

Hi Everyone. Thanks for the responses. Was able to use a blow plug and compressor to blow the water out of my system following the instructions in the manual.

Only thing I can't quite figure out now is how to do RV antifreeze down the drain and in the grey water system. It says to pour the RV antifreeze down the drains then flush it out but then there won't be antifreeze in there. How to I do this?

BirdieJane

Let the RV antifreeze stay in the drains. Add enough so it is down in the grey tank and at the dump valves so they don’t freeze shut.

gkillmaster

Thanks for the quick reply! I appreciate that! How much is enough and where are the dump valves? Do you mean the grey handle that opens the big black dump pipe on the outside?

dragonsdofly

@gkillmaster, yes the gate is the mechanism you operate to dump the tank. Forgive my ignorance, but do you have a black tank? If so, pour the pink stuff (a guart or so) into the toilet and activate the flush lever to get the anti-freeze into the black tank and onto that gate valve also. Put a little above the flap to keep the seal moist. If you have a toilet, when you blow the lines clear of water, hold the flush valve open to get water out of the flush valve. That omission cost us a toilet flush valve last year. Make sure you pour the pink stuff in the sink/s and shower drains too.

jgram2

I've read people put antifreeze in a spray bottle and spray, open and close the valve several times to work the antifreeze into the valve with the grey handle attached to the black tube. 

gkillmaster

We don't have a toilet or shower. So I guess there are no valves to have to worry about? Do I still need to pour anti-freeze down the sink drain if it just drains out? Doesn't seem like I need to do this in our case unless I'm missing something. Thanks again all!

dragonsdofly

@gkillmaster, there are (is) a "j" trap under  the sink. It holds water to keep sewer gasses from coming into the cabin from the gray tank. Even if you blow the lines out there is likely to be water left in the trap. Pouring RV anti-freeze into the drain keeps the line from freezing and splitting. It is a recommended procedure, takes only a few seconds, and is worth the precaution IMHO. Good luck whatever you choose.

gkillmaster

Thanks dragonsdofly! So I close the grey water dump lever and pour a quart or so down the drain and leave it for the winter? Do I need to flush it with water? It says to flush it in the manual but that doesn't make sense cause it seems like it would wash the antifreeze out...

Verna

@gkillmaster, do not flush with water, please. You have the right idea that it doesn’t make sense to flush with water at this time. 

The purpose of putting the anti-freeze in the drain is so it will displace any water in the p-trap and the anti-freeze is not going to freeze.  

In the spring, the anti-freeze will be washed away the first time you use the sink. I never make it a practice to actually flush the anti-freeze from the drain pipes. 

gkillmaster

Thank you @Verna!

norwood

Winterized today with the blowout method per one of the instructions on this forum. Seems pretty straightforward but I don’t see anything about protecting the water pump. Assume there is some residual water left in the pump body? We live in NC so it doesn’t get terribly cold for long. Thoughts?

Sharon_is_SAM

Run the pump dry for a short period of time, then disconnect the hose from both sides of the pump (use a towel to catch the drainage), then reconnect.  Many people don’t even do that in freezing temps and have been fine.  There is very little residual water left over.

norwood

Thanks. I’ll just leave it then cuz the pump is a real pain to access in our unit.

ColoradoJon

@norwood - I clear my pump, there is quite a bit of water left in it after blowing out the lines.  Disconnect both lines, wrap it in a towel, then run the pump until water stops coming out.  Reconnect and you are good to go

ScottG

@norwood, see this thread for a lengthy discussion of similar water pump concerns:

http://tab-rv.vanillaforums.com/discussion/comment/82028#Comment_82028

I do run a little antifreeze through the pump, though I doubt it's really necessary. It's easy enough to do (especially with BrianZ's contraption) and provides a little extra peace of mind, but I'd probably skip it if my pump was real hassle to access.

Cracker

Just a reminder to remove the foods and condiments you might overlook when winterizing - i.e., olive oil freezes.  That last one almost caught me unaware.  It would have made a real mess!!!