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Old 02-26-2016, 08:56 AM   #1
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Winter checkups and dewinterizing

This will be our first season in our 5er, so I'm already itching to get it out of storage this spring. We have booked all our major summer trips already to guarantee we get the locations and amenities we need, as we are staying at some smaller state parks.

We store our trailer at a storage lot just down the street, as we don't have the space on our property. I've done a few walk arounds after big storms just to make sure the outside all looked good. Is there anything else you folks due during the winter as far as checks go? My next stop over I plan to actually bring the keys with me and do a walkthrough on the inside.

When it comes to de-winterizing, does anyone have a checklist of things to test? I think we know a lot of the obvious stuff, like tire pressure, sanitizing the tanks/checking lines, slide outs, switches/electric.
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Old 02-26-2016, 11:56 AM   #2
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I'm no expert with winterizing and de-winterizing but I'll throw a couple of thoughts your way.

1. Drain your fresh water tank (if you put anti-freeze in it) then sanitize it by adding about of cup of bleach to a few gallons of water.

2. Flush all of your water lines. Probably easiest way to do this is use the sanitized water from your freshwater tank, turn on the DC pump, then open each water faucet one at a time to flush out the antifreeze. Don't forget the shower, toilet, and outdoor shower.

3. Flush out your washing machine. Run a couple of short cycles (rinse and drain, for example).

4. Flush the water heater. Your owner manual will give instructions on how to do that.

Again, just a few thoughts. There are a couple of websites that have detailed procedure guides on how to do each of these actions.

HTH.
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Old 02-26-2016, 12:05 PM   #3
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Don't ever put RV anti freeze in your water tank!!!
It is literally impossible to get out, mainly because the drain is not on the bottom of the tank. It's up a few inch's on the side/end of the tank.
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Old 02-26-2016, 12:23 PM   #4
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I have always had some anti freeze in the fresh tank ,usually when switching the siphon hose back to sucking from the tank. My tank has the hose on the bottom. Either way ,when you add the bleach and FILL the tank with water (full sanitizes the walls of the tank too) and run it thru the system , drain and fill with just water to bleed out bleach ,that pretty well gets the smell out.
On my old trailer i took out the adapter that the intake hose connects to and added about 2 ft of 1/2" hose thus allowing the water to get sucked up from the bottom of the tank thus utiizing most of the water in the tank.
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Old 02-26-2016, 12:23 PM   #5
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we have antifreeze in our lines, we were able to put in through an access point, tanks are empty.

I'm looking for more of an idea of what things do people look over while the trailer is in storage or do you just do general walk through look around and make sure nothing is broken. When you do pull it out for the season what's on your inspection checklist? Not looking for details of any particular methods just a checklist of tests like inspect tires, check pressure/adjust as necessary, sanitize plumbing system, test electrical, operate slides, etc.

Thanks.
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Old 02-26-2016, 12:26 PM   #6
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Was looking for a de-winterizing guide in the Docs area but I don't see one.
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Old 02-26-2016, 02:01 PM   #7
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Video on how to de winterize

Here's a nice video to watch on how to totally dewinterize.

My only disagreement is the amount of bleach. I recommend only 1 cup/50 gallons.

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Old 02-29-2016, 08:20 AM   #8
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For us we do weekly winter inspections of our unit. We have had issues with mice over the years so I keep decon and traps in different areas of the camper (and before anyone ask, yes I have sealed every hole I could possibly find including removing parts of cabinets to get to openings and they are still finding a way in ). So I do a weekly check of the traps and maybe once a month I do a walk through to see if there are any leaks around the slides, windows, vents, etc.. I will also do an outside walk around to make sure everything is ok. As for dewinterizing since I blow out all my water lines and don't use any antifreeze in them my dewinterizing is pretty easy. I usually fill and clean the fresh water tank and water lines using the water pump to make sure I don't have any leaks. Fill and run the hot water heater to make sure it is working properly. Run the furnace and A/C's to make sure they are all working properly. Do a thorough cleaning of the inside (mice problem you know ) and a thorough cleaning of the outside. I will also make sure everything is lubed (slide rooms, axles, outdoor hinges, etc.), tires filled, check and condition seals, check rubber gas line, check all caulking, etc.. I know it sounds like a lot but an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure!
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Old 02-29-2016, 11:16 PM   #9
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I'm thinking battery/batteries. Has your 5er been plugged in, and on charge? If so, how are the battery cells? If not, where have your battery/ies spent the winter?
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Old 03-01-2016, 07:17 AM   #10
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Our 5er is in a storage lot with no power. We removed the battery and have stored it up on a wooden shelf at the warmer end of our garage.
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