Winterizing your Minnie Towable

[TDI-Minnie]

Thought I'd post a quick 101 on winterizing a Minnie Towable.
What you'll need is:
2 gallons of anti-freeze ($2.97 at Walmart)
A 15/16ths (or 1") socket with extrension
Paper towels and a bucket are optional

First, empty your holding tanks. Black and gray should be already. Fresh water drain spigot is roughly between the axles on the drivers side.

Next, we drain the water heater. Make sure it's not hot!!!
First, release pressure via the valve. it helps to prop it open.


Next, use the socket to remove the drain plug. You are about to release 6 gallons of water, so be ready. This is a simple, plastic plug since we have aluminum water heaters. I leave this plug out until I'm ready to use it again. Do not over tighten... it's palstic!


Next, go inside and open the low-point drains. These simply pull up and pop back down. Have a faucet open so air can flow into the system as water drains.

[TDI-Minnie]

Close those low-point valves and locate the back of the water heater access as well as the water pump. Your location may vary, but you probably need to remove a useless panel.

First, let's by-passs the water heater. There are three valves:
Cold In
Hot Out
ByPass
You should see the Hot and Cold open and the bypass closed.
Switch all three to look like this:


Next, find the water pump and switch the intake valves from fresh water tank to the open hose. You can see the two valves behind the pump here:


So now the pump will draw through the open hose. I use a bucket with 2 gallons of anti-freeze in it:


At this point you are ready to turn on the water pump and go around to every faucet. Let it run till the pink stuff comes out of hot AND cold. Flush the toilet and don't forget the showers.
Make sure to run enough to fill all the P traps and get some into the holding tanks. Make sure to go outside and push in the pressure valve inside the city connection. This is the white, plastic thingy inside where you connect the hose. This will allow the pump to flow anti-freeze up the city connection hose.**the pink stuff will shoot out at you!

Turn off the water pump and dump and remaining antifreeze into the drains/toilet.
The whole process should not take more than 30 minutes (15min if you're good) and costs all of $6.

I think I covered everything. This is only meant as a guide, so do this at your own risk.

To get it back to operational status, run fresh water through the pump AND city connection to flush all faucets.
THEN plug the water heater and switch it's valves back to fill it.

Good luck and DIY!

[TDI-Minnie]

I forgot to mention that if your rig has a black tank flush, it needs to be blown out with air as it is a completelt seperate system not fed by the water pump. Many newer rigs have these and most winterization instructions I've seen overlook this!

[TDI-Minnie]

It's also a good idea to leave the faucets OPEN after you do any winterizing as this helps drain out of the fixtures after the pressure is off. Just remember to close them all before hooking back up!

[BobbyD16]

Originally Posted by TDI-Minnie

It's also a good idea to leave the faucets OPEN after you do any winterizing as this helps drain out of the fixtures after the pressure is off. Just remember to close them all before hooking back up!

Thanks & GREAT Write-up...

keep any Minnie trailer stuff coming... very appreciated !!

[TDI-Minnie]

Thanks
Unfortunately I posted this a little late in the season, but hope it helps folks out.

I also did my wheel bearings and wanted to do a write-up with pics, but the combination of doing it alone with grease on the hands prevented the picture taking. I'll have to get one of the kids the snap a few pics next time.

[Bigbird65]

TDI-Minnie, thanks very much for the instructions and tips for winterizing the Minnie. I will follow them in a few weeks.

Ken

[TDI-Minnie]

No problem. Hope it helps and feel free to ask questions. Yours may be slightly differently laid out, but the bits should all be the same.

[DreaminBig]

This will be our first winterizing ever done! I will definitely be showing this to the DH and reading along to be sure we do it right! THANKS a bunch!!

[DreaminBig]

BTW....I dont have a Winnie, but I figure most TT's are the close to the same and the steps should be in order....AND this is the most helpful post---with pics that I have come across.

[mileshuff]

I feel bad for you guys!! I took a different approach. I decided to live in Arizona and RV year round!

[Bigbird65]

Originally Posted by mileshuff

I feel bad for you guys!! I took a different approach. I decided to live in Arizona and RV year round!

"It's 115 degrees outside." "Yeah but it's dry heat."

[TDI-Minnie]

Originally Posted by mileshuff

I feel bad for you guys!! I took a different approach. I decided to live in Arizona and RV year round!

Yeah, not sure I'm with you on that. AZ gets plenty cool in winter and mighty hot come...May!!
That's why I moved to GA. Florida is a short drive in the winter and the mountains of western NC are even closer in the summer. I RV year round too but we do get a freeze now and then in late December to mid February.
Happy camping!

[mileshuff]

Originally Posted by Bigbird65

"It's 115 degrees outside." "Yeah but it's dry heat."

In the summer time while it maybe 115 in Phoenix, it's 75 in Flagstaff, less than 2 hours away! In the winter while its snowing in Flagstaff, it's 75 in Phoenix. Hard to beat!

[mileshuff]

[QUOTE=TDI-Minnie;2253668]Yeah, not sure I'm with you on that. AZ gets plenty cool in winter and mighty hot come...May/QUOTE]

Only central and southern AZ are hot in the summer. Northern and Eastern AZ are high mountains, nice and cool in the summer and only a couple hours drive from Phoenix. You missed a huge part of AZ!!

[TDI-Minnie]

Cold snap coming here this weekend but a few hours of frost is probably not enough to warrant winterizing.
I figure it has to be below 32F for several hours before anything inside is in peril.

[WinnieMinnie]

TDI-

First, thanks for the fantastic write up.

I was a bit careless when releasing the white valves under the sink and the little c-clips (or whatever they are) went flying. Any idea where to get more? Are they important to replace?

[Bigbird65]

Not sure exactly what clips you are talking about but any good hardware store should be able to help you. It is pretty close quarters under the sink so the clips couldn't have gone far.

I finished winterizing my Minnie Winnie this past weekend using TDI-Minnie's instructions. The only thing I had happen was when I pushed the anti back flow valve button on the city water side a little white plastic ring popped off into the grass. Luckily I was able to find it and reassemble the valve. Hope it doesn't give me any trouble.

[TDI-Minnie]

That clip is definitely important because it actually clicks the valve shut. Mine did not engage fully one time and I leaked water out of the low point drain for several days at camp until I realized it wasn't shut completely. Or in your case, it may drip antifreeze. I recommend you take the clip off the other valve and bring it with you if you try to find a new one at a hardware store.
At some point you will definitely want to replace it.

For what it's worth, make sure that the other one that still has the clip on it is clicked shut.

[TDI-Minnie]

Out of curiosity, how did that clip come off? You don't have to remove it to open the valve.