RE: How much should I expect to pay to have my Coleman dewinterized?

[C. Hains]

 
I need to have my Coleman Westlake " dewinterized"  and am unsure what is appropriate as far as cost is concerned.  I have been quoted a price of $100 - $150 by the Coleman dealer for " dewinterizing"  -- does that sound reasonable?  
 I printed Tim s list of what all needs to be done so that helps me, but in addition to that, the cranking mechanism that actually " pops up"  the camper has not been holding and may need fixed.  I ll pay whatever I need to but I d like to have some approximate figure in mind before I go in -- so I thought I d ask the experts. [] You guys might do it yourselves, right?  I m a bit handicapped in that regard!!!
 Your thoughts on approximate cost?
 Thanks,
 Carole

[tlhdoc]

 C. Hains

 

ORIGINAL:  C. Hains
 
  the cranking mechanism that actually " pops up"  the camper has not been holding and may need fixed.
 
 

 Carole is the mechanism clicking as you crank it up?  If not, just crank it all the way up and then over crank it.  Crank it down and then try cranking it up again.  You should hear the clicking.  If it is clicking it should be OK.  Some times when cranking down you might crank it too far down and then you need to reset it by over cranking it up.  When you crank the trailer down stop cranking it when the top stop moving.
 

[C. Hains]

 tlhdoc
I appreciate that advice -- now that you ve said that I m guessing the problem may be cranking it too much after the top stops moving -- because sometimes it clicks while I m winding it up and other times it does not.  
 Thanks.

[tlhdoc]

 C. Hains
If it doesn t click when cranking it up the mechanism to hold the top up is not engaged.  I have had to over crank it up, several times to reset my trailer.  Now I don t let the kids crank it all the way down.

[Ernhrts3n8]

 C. Hains
To dewinterize, I believe all you need to do is hook up city water and just flush the system.  I may be wrong, but that is all I have to do with my tt.  I think $100 - $150 is a lot of money for dewinterizing. JMHO.

[wynot]

 C. Hains
Dewinterizing is a lot simpler than winterizing, but it basically consists of clearing the RV antifreeze out of the lines and tanks.
 
 Drain the freshwater tank of any residual AF.  Remove the HWH bypass and reinstall the lines.  Put water in your freshwater tank, run the pump until the lines are pumping clear water.  Hook up the city water and repeat.
 
 Dump your porta potti if it has antifreeze.  A bigger challenge is if there is significant AF in the flush line, you may have pinkish blue water for a while.

[Tim5055]

 C. Hains
To give a cost estimate, you need to know what work is to be preformed.  Basic de-winterizing (as others have said) just involves flushing the anti-freeze from the system.  It is the additional services which may cost money.
 
 Lifter service, repacking the bearings and other stuff like that will add cost

[whippetwrun]

 C. Hains
We had ours in to the dealer for " spring maintenance"   which included:
 -repacking the bearings,
 -checking the tires for wear and tear,
 -checking the brakes,
 -doing whatever needed to be done with the lift system,
 -checking the battery level,
 -flushing out the water system and checking for leaks,
 -checking the hot water heater/anode,
 -testing the furnace,
 -checking the propane system for leaks,
 -washing the popup and checking the seals for leaks.
 
 I may have missed something, but basically they went over it as if they were prepping it for delivery to make sure everything was they way it should be.
 
 We paid $150 for it.  For us it was well worth it.  We just don t have the time to do it all, it would be winter by the time we got around to it all.  Plus we d probably miss something.