RE: WINTERIZING - WHAT TO DO?

[angelsmom10]

 
Please post your answers to these items and any other things you do.  I know that each mfg has things in their owners manual, but let s face it, some the of directions, s^cks![:@]
 
 Water tank
 
 Hot water heater (does it even need it)
 
 Propane tanks (do they need it)
 
 Tires
 
 Angle of PU (id you live in a snow area)
 
 We have a water filter - do we need to do anything
 
 

[CajunCamper]

 angelsmom10
Winterizing is not as critical down here in south Louisiana as it is for you in Ohio, but, I will say that we do empty anything that holds water to prevent any damage from freezing temps. That s about all we do. For us we are usually camping during the winter. Sorry, don t mean to rub it in.

[MtnCamper]

 angelsmom10
I would type it all out again, But just go here.
 
 [link=http://www.title-3.com/Winterize.htm]Tim s Website[/link].
 
 Thanks Tim.

[angelsmom10]

 angelsmom10
I m posting this not only for me, but for everyone else.  We have a lot of new people.  Just referring to a site, is not always the only answer.  Tim s site is fantastic, but other people have their way and this is what I was hoping to achieve was to get other responses for more input.
 
 People complain about the board being boring, well I like to read people s responses and not just.. go to site .........
 
 If people don t want to input, it is only the people s fault about the board being boring.
 
 Sorry I started this thread now.[]

[CajunCamper]

 angelsmom10
You shouldn t be sorry, I kinda enjoyed putting in my two cents on the topic. I too like to read everyone else s ideas and Lord knows I m not one to shy away from letting my voice be heard. So keep asking those questions and posting your opinions angelsmom10, I agree with you, the more post the more interesting the site.

[MtnCamper]

 angelsmom10
I agree, with the posting, I just didn t want to retype the same stuff, that have all ready.
 
 I guess I could type it out, then save it and cut and paste the same response in every time.
 
 That way I wouldn t get hammered for referring to a members site.

[campingboaters]

 angelsmom10
Drain the water tank.  Run antifreeze through the pump and drains -- bypassing the hot water heater.
 
 Drain the hot water heater and remove the anode rod.  Get a new Anode rod for the next season, but leave the rod out so any condensation can drip out.
 
 Close the propane tank valves.
 
 Tires: At best, remove them and store out of the sun.  At worst, do nothing.  In between, cover them from the sun s damaging rays with tire covers or tarps.
 
 We cranked the tongue of our pop-up as high as we could go so that any melting snow would drain off the back.
 
 We didn t have a water filter, but I ve read that you should store them in the freezer if you don t use them often as bacteria would grow in it.  I would advise discarding the filter and getting a replacement for the next season.
 
 I know we own a hybrid now, but these are the procedures we used on our pop-up and used on our hybrid last winter.  The only thing we ll do differently this season is instead of running antifreeze through all the lines is that we ll hook up a compressor and blow water out of all the water lines with air, then only put enough antifreeze in the drains to prevent ice from breaking the pipes.  Our hybrid has outside connectors to the water lines at several points.  This just makes it easier in the spring to de-winterize and we won t have to worry about sanitizing as much.
 
 Hope this helps!
 

[angelsmom10]

 CajunCamper

 

ORIGINAL:  CajunCamper
 
 You shouldn t be sorry, I kinda enjoyed putting in my two cents on the topic. I too like to read everyone else s ideas and Lord knows I m not one to shy away from letting my voice be heard. So keep asking those questions and posting your opinions angelsmom10, I agree with you, the more post the more interesting the site.
 

Thank you for your suppport.
 
 I would like to see more questions brought up even though they have been re-hashed over and over for some of older people.
 
 People have been complaining about the board being boring, so if we start " seasonal camping topics"  people will have things to read, plus new ideas come out and even the newbies have their ideas that work.
 
 I know that I have been known to " fluff" , along with many others, but in the past few months, I have gotten to know several people very well and can t wait to meet them.  I have restrictions on driving distance, but hope that many can come close to us so we can meet.  I hope that the Eastern Rally comes close enough.  I wish we would have gone 2 years ago in TN, but felt like we weren t a part of that section, but now I m sorry we didn t go.  
 
 GLPUC s Rally next year, may be the same time as the Eastern Rally, but as it stands now, GLPUC is going to be just too far for us to travel, but hope that the Eastern is close enough.  Camping should not be limited to " areas" .

[Jeffrey]

 angelsmom10

People complain about the board being boring, well I like to read people s responses and not just.. go to site .........

 What can we do?
 Most of the info is already someplace, and it was complied but when there was alot more people around to figure out the best way.
 
 Most of us figure.....Why reinvent the wheel?? Now we just point to it and say there it is.[&:]
 
 The only long thread on any board nowdays is either fluff, or arguements.
 All the serious questions or discussions end in 2 or 3 posts, pointing someone to a website. (Except for the little bit of new stuff, which isnt much.)
 
 I think it s just the future of PU message boards, now there only needs to be a couple people around to direct traffic.
 
 

[jstaddwtr]

 angelsmom10
I am glad you brought this up....something I have been meaning to ask for sometime.  I have not seen it addressed before, and if it has my regrets[].......everyone says, (including the book) to tip the PU in case of snow.  Last year we got tons!  
 
 But what about the directions for the 3 way refrigerator that says it should always be balanced?  I was under the impression you could destroy the refrigerator if it was not level in storage.    Please correct my misconceptions.  (gently)   Thanks (smile)[][][]
 
 The one thing I have learned about this board is there are alot of good people participating.  Folks have a hard enough time communicating generally when we are with each other because of how different we all are.  That s what makes it great. Add to that the difficulty in communicating, only in words....
 
 I appreciate everyones input.  Thank you all!

[ForestCreature]

 angelsmom10
Nanacy don t be sorry.  There is nothing wrong with wanting real replies. Actual replies is what will keep things moving. I agree with you.
 
 We don t winterize the water heater, just drain , rinse out the gunk (otherwise known as sediment) and let it dry out well before replacing the anode. I vaguely (sp?) remember reading im my Suburban water heaters so called manual  that the antifreeze can cause damage to the lining and anode rod.
 
 The propane tanks we do nothing to
 
 The tires, you let out the summer air and replace with winter air []
 
 Angling the camper in the winter does not enter the picture for us, we can cover ours.
 I use a tarp and place a box under it to create a peak for runoff. I also place an old blanket over the skylights to protect them from the tarp rubbing when the wind blows. We have no canvas to worry about mildewing.
 
 
 

[campingboaters]

 angelsmom10
justaddwtr,
 I m no expert on the refrigerator, but from my understanding, you would not be tipping the refrigerator THAT much to cause problems, not to mention, it shouldn t be turned on at that time.  I would just make the pop-up level for about a week before firing the refrigerator up.  We were fine with ours after winterizing for two years.
 
 Maybe the damage is slowly done over many years before it s noticed.  Someone correct ME if I m wrong about tipping the camper!

[angelsmom10]

 Jeffrey

 

ORIGINAL:  Jeffrey
 
 

People complain about the board being boring, well I like to read people s responses and not just.. go to site .........

 What can we do?
 Most of the info is already someplace, and it was complied but when there was alot more people around to figure out the best way.
 
 Most of us figure.....Why reinvent the wheel?? Now we just point to it and say there it is.[&:]
 
 The only long thread on any board nowdays is either fluff, or arguements.
 All the serious questions or discussions end in 2 or 3 posts, pointing someone to a website. (Except for the little bit of new stuff, which isnt much.)
 
 I think it s just the future of PU message boards, now there only needs to be a couple people around to direct traffic.
 
 

Look how things keep changing.  The wheel was not always the way it is now (as you put it).  If people didn t keep asking questions and people giving their ideas or different ways of doing it, it may never have evolved as it has.
 
 This is true with many things -- when TV s came out, black and white was fanstastic, then came color, then came more and better versions.
 
 I always hate to bring up or ask a question for this reason.  People don t always appreciate being put down for asking.  When we first started, I didn t want to ask any questions or post our ideas on how we did things, because of peoples responses of " search"  or " see ......" .
 
 Many people asked where they put their PUT stickers.  For many years (even prior to PU-ing DH refused to add bumper stickers no matter what it said, so I always applied to a magnet.  Since I posted this idea, many have loved it.  If I hadn t come around and gotten a little tougher skin, I would never have posted the idea -- I have also posted this several times, with no complaints about doing it.
 
 If you don t like the fluff - don t read the campfire - it s what a lot of it is about -- off topic subjects.

[angelsmom10]

 ForestCreature

 

ORIGINAL:  ForestCreature
 
 ........
 We don t winterize the water heater, just drain , rinse out the gunk (otherwise known as sediment) and let it dry out well before replacing the anode. I vaguely (sp?) remember reading im my Suburban water heaters so called manual  that the antifreeze can cause damage to the lining and anode rod.
 
 The propane tanks we do nothing to
 
 The tires, you let out the summer air and replace with winter air []
 
 Angling the camper in the winter does not enter the picture for us, we can cover ours.
 I use a tarp and place a box under it to create a peak for runoff. I also place an old blanket over the skylights to protect them from the tarp rubbing when the wind blows. We have no canvas to worry about mildewing.
 
 

Thanks for the help on the water heater.  
 
 Tires, I heard some people remove and put the PU on blocks; we have never let the air out or taken off without any problems (know on wood).
 
 I forgot about the tarp, I have seen many PU s around here that have theirs covered with a tarp, but thanks to this board, we do not do it because of confining air and possible causing mildew.

[MtnCamper]

 angelsmom10
Your fridge doesn t have to be level, because it s not running.
 
 Slant the roof, Don t stand the camper on end.[]