MH Winterization in GA

Keith Anderson · 11-11-2006, 12:56 PM

This being our first MH, we want to use it during the winter. We mostly do weekend trips within a couple of hundred miles of Atlanta.
Does anyone in the Atlanta area not winterize their rig?
Please let me know what the owners in the Atlanta area do with their rigs?
Are we forced to not use the MH for the winter?
The MH is usually stored outdoors from Monday to Thursday.
Thanks

Keith Anderson · 11-11-2006, 12:56 PM

This being our first MH, we want to use it during the winter. We mostly do weekend trips within a couple of hundred miles of Atlanta.
Does anyone in the Atlanta area not winterize their rig?
Please let me know what the owners in the Atlanta area do with their rigs?
Are we forced to not use the MH for the winter?
The MH is usually stored outdoors from Monday to Thursday.
Thanks

doc · 11-11-2006, 01:53 PM

Hi Keith, Welcome aboard if no one has greeted you yet. We live a little north and east of Atlanta and frankly we have never 'winterized' with antifreeze except to pour a pint of so in the traps and toilet. When the temp is headed down or is going to be low for a couple of days, we simply set a small electric heater in the kitchen are of the MH and open the cabinet doors as well as the door to the bath/toilet area. We put a 100 watt bulb in the wet bay and another in the pump - electric bay. We like to rv all year and have been known to head out if bad weather like snow or ice is headed in. Florida is just a few hours away and it makes for a winter break to get out of town for a while.

We also have a 30 ft travel trailer that let our kids use (nope!, they cannot borrow the MH!)
I just take a gallon of pink and stick the end of the pump hose into it and pump until pink comes out the toilet, sink and shower area. (By-passing the water heater of course) I drain the WH and pour a gallon of so of pink in the black and gray tanks. Finished. Usually takes about 30 minutes total.

depchief · 11-11-2006, 03:54 PM

Keith, welcomme to the forum.
We recently relocated to the beach area of SC. from NJ. I had not planned to winterize the coach per say, but thought that if we were to get temps in the high 20's for a few days I would drop the water and install a bulb in the pump compartment and water bay. A 1500 watt electric oil radiator in the kitchen. With the tank dropped the pump off and open faucets we will not have a pressurized water system.
I would then just have to add water to head out with out bleeding the pink stuff out of the pipes.
Hopefully we will be south from mid January to the end of Feb.

Lorna · 11-11-2006, 05:19 PM

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Keith Anderson:
This being our first MH, we want to use it during the winter. We mostly do weekend trips within a couple of hundred miles of Atlanta.
Does anyone in the Atlanta area not winterize their rig? </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

You haven't lived in Atlanta very long? At the most you may need to pour a little pink stuff in the traps... possibly into the holding tanks. Watch the Weather Channel for info on LONG freezes... not frosts but the 2 or 3 days of below freezing weather. Since the Weather Channel is based in Atlanta, they are really good about telling Atlanta area when they will get snow or ice and when temps are going below freezing especially if for more than one day.
The week before we left NC we had several nights of freezing and one night of well below freezing. The days (like in Atlanta) warmed up well above freezing. We simply let the water trickle. We had the water running to the camper thru a 75 ft hose, just laying on top of the ground. We once spent a winter in Chattanooga doing the same and it was a cold winter that year.

Doggievet · 11-12-2006, 06:30 AM

I lived in Athens, GA, for many years and I winterized my MH with the pink stuff. On the whole, you can expect a few days each winter when the temp gets into the single digits or teens. The coldest that I experienced in the 30 yrs plus that I lived in Athens was -3 F. The pink stuff is about $3.00/gal and I can winterize for $6.00 or less. That is well worth the peace of mind that I get knowing that my rig will not freeze.
Annie K and Sparky the long-haired chihuahua
03 Journey DL 36 LD
now living in North Carolina

Retired and Happy · 11-12-2006, 08:09 AM

I use my rig off and on all year and have never winterized. I follow some of the thoughts above like putting an electric heater in the kitchen area and opening cabinet doors in the kitchen and bath area. If it's going to be really cold for a while, sometimes I turn the furnace on, set to 50 degrees or so, but that uses a lot of propane

I need to start putting a lightbulb in the utility compartment. Last year I lost a short plastic pipe in there. Just a small split, but enough to require replacement in an awkward location. Fortunately it was a location accessible to the outside through the compartment door.

Steven2b · 11-12-2006, 04:45 PM

Hi Keith,

Like you, I live in the Atlanta area, Marietta to be specific. I've never winterized per se. It is rare that we have temps below 32 for more than 36 hours. I do completely drain the holding tanks, water heater and water filter and add a little pink stuff to the traps and toilet. Never, never, never to the fresh water tank. Like you, I like to take several trips during the winter months so I have to go through this process 4 or 5 times a year.

I found the RV antifreeze at NAPA or Wal-Mart to be significantly cheaper than the RV dealers or Camping World.

Steve

Keith Anderson · 11-13-2006, 04:07 PM

Thanks for the replies. I'm going to watch the weather channel a little closer and winterize when I know it's going to be in the teens to twenties. I'm not so fortunate to be able to keep the MH at our house. The neighborhood covenants won't allow it, so I can't keep a light bulb on in the basement. I might have to miss a month or two of RV'ing here and there. It will make me appreciate it more.
If anyone has any ideas, please post.
Keith

Ron-in-Tn · 11-14-2006, 04:08 PM

The piece of mind knowing your very expensive investment is protected can be priceless as the cost of repairs when things do happen to freeze and start cracking apart is very costly. If you don't like the idea of using the antifreeze...there is usally the option to blow down the system with low pressure air. Read your owners manual carefully on this and it should walk you through the process. This is a very simple and fairly quick process. Just make sure you read the manual and DO NOT EXCEED the recommended air pressure used to blow out the system. When you're ready to go again....just fill it back up and go.

Woody · 11-21-2006, 11:06 AM

Hey Keith, I also live and store my MH in Woodstock. I have lived here and stored my RV for over 13 years. I have used both procedures, however, all I have done the past few years is to empty my tanks (including the Hot water) and then blow out the lines, and add pink (WalMart) stuff to the traps according to the owners manual. Usually takes less than 30 min.

mickey53usa · 11-22-2006, 04:48 AM

Here in NW Texas, I just blow the lines out - put pink stuff in the traps -
Blowing out the lines - founnd out that the Fresh Water tank needs to be empty, other wise the air pressure creates a vacuum and pulls water from the tank into the system. Only way to get the lines blown out was to dump the FW tank first.
I empty the WH tank after every trip. Helps keep the smell down.