Winter Storage

[scottab96]

Hi all and Happy New Year.
 
New to the PU and RV world and was looking for some advice.  We have a 2004 Bayside and living in Upsate NY had to close up the camper and winterize it.  The questions that I have are:
 
1) - How many people take the tires off, or jack the camper off the ground.  I dod not do that this year, so is it something that I should be concerned with?
 
2) - Does anyone use the portable garages to store their PU's in over the winter?  And how effective are they in protecting the camper?  Right now I have a shelter built out of tarps (so that the tarp does not sit directly on the campr at all to allow it to breathe) but was looking to upgrade to this type of storage unit for next year.
 
Any advise or experiences would be appreciated.
 
Thanks all!

[dthurk]

Howdy neighbor!     We live in Painted Post, NY.  Our camper is stored for the winter.  To prepare for storage, I remove propane and battery, clean the canvas and awning, let dry thoroughly (that's another thread!), remove all perishables from the inside and winterize the water system.  The camper is parked in the backyard with tires on.  Leaving the tires on has not caused us a problem in the past.  I cover it with an AquaShed cover of adequate size for the camper.  Some say it is OK to cover, others say no.  The manual itself says not to cover it.  We have not experienced any problems with the AquaShed cover, which is made of a breathable material.  I would not cover it with a tarp or other waterproof and non-breathable material (although you should be OK if the tarps don't contact the camper).  An AquaShed cover might save you the cost of a portable garage.  Hope this helps.

Would you want to join us for the  COTOC Eastern Rally?  It'll be held July 9 through 14 at Hickory Hill campground in Bath, NY.  Scroll down the main page of forum listings till you get to Rally Forums.  There's a forum in there called 2006 Eastern Rally.  Many threads are posted there concerning the Rally.  COTOC stands for Campers of the Original Colonies.  You're already a member!      :-()

[PLJ]

We usually store our PUP in the garage and leave the tires on. I also leave the tanks and battery in place. I will charge the battery a couple of times over the long winter. Perishables are removed.

This year the garage is out of action as I'm doing a kitchen remodel, so the garage is being used for tile cutting, cabinet sanding etc. The camper is sitting on my driveway. We've had a couple of decent snow falls this year, so all I've done is brush off the snow from the top. I've left the tanks and battery on the PUP. My grill stays on the deck throughout winter with the tank connected and its never been an issue.

[campingcop]

Before moving up to a hybdrid we stored our P U in the dirve, never covered it or took the tires off, never had any problems.  Had the P U for 5yrs.

[geraldgrogan]

I have a question for anyone who can answer it.

I am also a new Jayco trailer owner, as I purchased a 2006 model 1006 just this past August 1st.
 
I know it may be too late to worry about it now, however I will ask anyhow.
 
Seeing as I live in southeastern Wisconsin where the temperatures reach to 5 degrees Fahrenheit regularly during December and January, what procedures do I follow for 'winterizing' my New Jayco trailer before winter?  
 
I have heard conflicting stories on exactly what all needs to be done.  All I did was to open the valve that allows the water to pump onto the ground.  I pumped the 14 gallon tank dry and that was all.  What else was I supposed to do?  Do you think that I risked damaging anything?  How do you think my water heater will fair based on what I did?

[dthurk]

I have a question for anyone who can answer it.

I am also a new Jayco trailer owner, as I purchased a 2006 model 1006 just this past August 1st.
 
I know it may be too late to worry about it now, however I will ask anyhow.
 
Seeing as I live in southeastern Wisconsin where the temperatures reach to 5 degrees Fahrenheit regularly during December and January, what procedures do I follow for 'winterizing' my New Jayco trailer before winter?  
 
I have heard conflicting stories on exactly what all needs to be done.  All I did was to open the valve that allows the water to pump onto the ground.  I pumped the 14 gallon tank dry and that was all.  What else was I supposed to do?  Do you think that I risked damaging anything?  How do you think my water heater will fair based on what I did?

We don't have a water heater, so I'll leave it to others to deal with that aspect.    :confused:     It's a strong possibility you still have water left in the plumbing lines, drain trap and water pump and water heater, too.  The water pump would be the biggest thing to worry about, as it would probably be the most expensive single item to replace (outside of the HW heater).  I disconnect the hose that runs from the water tank to the pump inlet port.  I bought the longest line I could find that connects a household sink to the valve on the wall at Home Depot.  The sink end screws easily into the pump inlet.  Stick the other end into a gallon of RV antifreeze.  Make sure you use RV antifreeze.   :yikes:     Run the pump for a few seconds till antifreeze comes out the sink tap.  You'll not have a problem with your pump being damaged by freezing water.

It may be possible you'll be OK with your method, but it may be a bit of luck on your side that would cause you to avoid problems.  

Actually, the manual to your camper should have a winterization procedure in it for your particular camper.    :book:  

I would suggest at this point, hooking up your camper in your driveway in the spring and testing your water system.  It would be better to find and identify leaks, if any, in your driveway and repair them on a non-emergency basis.  If no leaks...wonderful!       :-()

[Campaholics]

Gearldgrogran,

After draining the water from the tank and the hot water heater you need to put a bypass connecting the water line to the hot water heater to the line from the heater.  This isolates the hot water heater.  Unscrew the plug with the anode rod and leave it out all winter.  Then dump two or three gallons of RV antifreeze in the water tank and pump it through the lines until it runs pink out of the faucet, both hot and cold.
 
Come spring, drain the antifreeze from the water tank, fill and drain twice, reconnect the hotwater heater, with the plug back in.  Then put a cup of bleach in the tank fill and run through the lines and water heater.  Leave it sit for a couple of hours.  Drain and refill everything about three times.  That should leave you with a sanitized system to start the new season.
 
Bob

[tlhdoc]

what procedures do I follow for 'winterizing' my New Jayco trailer before winter?

I hope you have not damaged your water system.
 
First you need to go out in the morning and remove the anode rod from the water heater.  I will probably look like a big bolt sticking out of the water heater near the bottom of the tank.  Open the water heater access door to find the anode.  Hopefully you will have water and not ice filling the tank.  Once the anode is out and all of the water has drained from the water tank, put the anode back in hole.  Next you will need to bypass the water heater.  This is done with a water heater bypass.  There are permanent bypasses that you just have to turn a handle or two.  There are also temporary bypass hoses that you put on and remove each winter and spring.  Do you have a bypass hose?  Once the water heater is bypassed you will need to pump PINK RV antifreeze through the water system.  There are two ways to pump the antifreeze through your water system. 1.  Dump several gallons of the antifreeze into your freshwater tank.  Turn the pump on and pump the antifreeze through all of your faucets inside and out hot and cold.  2.  Buy an antifreeze hand pump and attach the pump to the city water inlet hookup on the side of the trailer.  Open one faucet at a time and pump the antifreeze in by hand.  You will probably only need a gallon of antifreeze for this method, but you have to buy a hand pump.  Either way you need to get the antifreeze all through the water lines.  Then pour a cup or so of the antifreeze down all of your drains.  Now your water system is winterized.  It doesn't take much water to crack a plastic RV faucet.  I hope you don't have anything broken by the cold weather we have already had this year.

[geraldgrogan]

Thanks for the great advice.

Now that you mention it, I did get a huge pile of manuals with the trailer (a separate one for every appliance if I recall).  It seemed like every appliance had it's own instructions and it was hard to see what the overall plan would be for winterizing. :J

I will dig out these manuals (from my dealer packet) and compare what is recommended with what you have suggested.  

I do have the bypass hose that you mentioned (which I thought was to bypass the water filter) .  Please explain why I would bypass the water heater?  This is not clear to me.  Perhaps I will find these answers in the water heater manual.

The temperatures in southeastern Wisconsin are back in the 40's again, and it seems like it will be around 32 degrees Fahrenheit for most of the rest of the winter (lakes are starting to melt).   I will try and follow your procedures and see how it goes (perhaps this weekend).  I remember that the water heater had a leak in the line someplace just before I closed up the trailer for the winter.  It seemed odd that a new 2006 trailer would get a line leak like that.  I didn't investigate partly because the weather was getting cold and partly because the water heater (and the leaky hose) is contained behind a sealed paneled corner of the front storage area, although the panels looked easy enough to remove.

[dthurk]

My method of winterizing avoids putting antifreeze in the water tank.  Cleaning that tank of antifreeze in the spring is a HUGE pain for me.  I do gravity drain everything as much as possible before I start.  Of course, I realize my system is MUCH simpler than what is being dealt with here by others.  The little bit of water I leave in the tank does freeze, but it doesn't cause any damage.  In general, plumbing can handle freezing better if it's not pressurized and there's no chance of pressure building up due to the water freezing and expanding.  I'm hoping geraldgrogan will find himself in that position.  If his system was drained and drain valves and faucets were left open there's a chance things will be OK.  Of course, plastic parts are much more delicate than household copper lines, with which I have much more experience.

Another method that I had heard about would be to hook up an air compressor to the water system and blow out all the water with as little pressure as possible.  This avoids all use of antifreeze.  I know others have done this, but it sounds risky to me.

[Miller Tyme]

Both of my campers over the years have spent their winters parked in the gravel driveway(no garage), no tarp, tires on 2x6's, with the tongue high(to allow snow/rain to run off.)
   
 Both have weathered the Wisconsin winters well(temps down to -20, snowfalls up to 10 inches). I've had more damage incurred by normal use than the weather.

[tlhdoc]

Please explain why I would bypass the water heater? This is not clear to me. Perhaps I will find these answers in the water heater manual.

You bypass the water heater to keep antifreeze out of the water heater.  There are two reasons to do this. 1.  Antifreeze is not good for the water heater lining.  2.  You would need 6 gallons of antifreeze just to fill the water heater so you could add more antifreeze to pump to the rest of the system.  
 
You really should pull the anode rod to let any water in the water heater out.  Then winterize the system.  Friends of mine moved to PA and didn't winterize their water system.  They had to replace all of the water line, the water heater (it had cracked) and their inside faucet and outside shower.
 
I am assuming that you have the temporary bypass hose.  You unscrew the water lines going into and out of the water heater and then connect the water line to the bypass hose.  It is easy to attach the hose.
 
You can also blow the water out of the water lines like dthurk said, but there is still a chance that some water will remain in a key spot (like the water pump) and cause damage.  If you use the PINK RV Antifreeze you don't have to worry about it.  Good luck and let us know if you have any problems.

[SpeakEasy]

One of the original questions had to do with tires.

I have never removed my tires, and I don't know how much would be accomplished by doing so. However, I do know that you don't want to park the camper on grass or soil all winter. Ground contact for tires is a bad thing for a long period of time. If you have to park in the lawn, put some boards down and make sure the tires are parked on the boards. That isolates the tires from the ground and avoids the problems.

Wherever you park it for the winter, the first thing to do before you move it is to air up the tires to their proper pressure. Then move the camper a little bit by hand if you can. That way if the tires have gotten stuck to the pavement or wood you can gently break that bond.

When I had a garage that could accommodate the camper I left it in there over the winter. For the past three winters I haven't had that luxury. I keep it in my driveway. I don't use any covers or anything for it. I don't even brush off the snow. The only difference I've noticed is that it gets dirty. There is also, of course, extra U-V deterioration of the rubber seal, but that's not really observable yet.

[dthurk]

Oops.  I left ours in the backyard this year with the tires on the ground.  I've had it on pavement prior to this.  DW didn't want it in the driveway anymore.    Maybe I should jack it up when we get a nice day (haha) and get some wood underneath them.

[SpeakEasy]

Oops.  I left ours in the backyard this year with the tires on the ground.  I've had it on pavement prior to this.  DW didn't want it in the driveway anymore.    Maybe I should jack it up when we get a nice day (haha) and get some wood underneath them.

Careful - at this point they may very well be frozen to the ground.