Winterized and Need Water...

[mitch5252]

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So, I winterized the Mobile Marlin several days ago. We had some bad weather on the way.
Pink stuff everywhere...(no, not breast cancer pink - it's antifreeze pink)

What do I do when I take off on my upcoming adventure? Live out of bottled water until I get far enough south and find a full hook-up place or unwinterize the morning of departure and then rewinterize the house faucet and hose?

I'm not sure how to handle it.

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[Azusateach]

Mitch, I can't imagine that you'll be anywhere that will be so cold that long that you'll have to worry. Some people just blow out their lines and call it good for the winter. Do you have the ability to do that before you take off?

Having to winterize would make me very cranky on a number of counts: the task itself, and the thought of not being able to use my rig for several months. Heck! We're just getting into our busy camping season!

Laura

[Redetotry]

I don't have an answer but glad you asked this question Mitch, I've been wondering myself. It is supposed to get down to 22 tonight and 19 tomorrow night here and they can't get me in to winterize Said they could empty my drains but didn't have time for the rest, and to just plug in at home and run electric heater with cabinets open and I should be good since days will be warm. Not sure when you are leaving but I would think you'll be far enough south the first day that you won't have to worry, a warm front is coming in after Wed. I like the idea of blowing out the lines but they won't do that for me at the shop and we don't have an air compressor.

[sharon]

Bottled water until you get to Vickies and then let her handle it?

[Cudedog]

Hrm.

Not sure what you meant by "pink stuff everywhere", but all I could picture is spilled antifreeze on the ground.

You all probably know this, but here is a reminder: most kinds of antifreeze has an attractive smell and tastes sweet (so I'm told). Dogs will readily lap it up. Unfortunately, it is a deadly poison:

http://www.humanesociety.org/animals/resources/tips/antifreeze.html

Take care in this cooler weather, everyone.

Northern California Anne

[VickieP]

Bottled water until you get to Vickies and then let her handle it?

Don't count on me! I live in SW Louisiana, I've never had to winterize. I guess I could learn on Mitch's rig, if I screw it up, well.....

[judi]

A lot of folks on the Roadtrek forum winterize tanks but not the fresh water one, and don't seem to have problems. Of course, they don't live in the far north. If I had to winterize here in Portland I think leaving the fresh water tank alone would be fine - we get cold and have occasional snow but not like Minn or Mich. I'm not fond of the idea of putting antifreeze in a fresh water tank. No matter how much you rinse and rinse, some molecules will remain in the tank.

I hope you have a happy and amazing trip!

[longdog2]

Mitch is using the RV antifreeze which is safe. I would take some gallons of water along to use until you get further south. Then you can sanitize your lines and water tank and be all set.

[PeggyinCT]

Hi Mitch. This is Nanook from the frozen north. I have already winterized my Roadtrek, but I still camp in it during the winter. Once you have antifreeze in your lines, you don't want to put water down your sink or shower. What I do is flush the toilet with antifreeze. Any water that would normally go down into the gray water tank I pour down the toilet. I carry gallons of water in jugs and use it sparingly. I dump my black water tank periodically.
Enjoy your journey south.

[mitch5252]

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I think I'll put a bunch of water in the fresh tank and not use it until I'm in warmer places...I'll carry a few gallons to flush the toilet.

I guess to flush and sanitize, I'll need to be in a full hook-up site. I can do that instead of staying at Vickie's and be forced to eat her viddles (isn't that what you call food in the South?)

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[avalen]

Bottled water until you get to Vickies and then let her handle it?

yea, I like this idea

[judi]

The only antifreeze, including the one made for RVs (still has bad chemicals) I would put in my fresh water tank is vodka.

[BirdbyBird]

My situation is a little different in that with a Class C, once I start driving down the road the inside of the coach will stay warmed. For the first time this year, since I am taking off within the next two weeks, I am not even winterizing, but running an electric heater at low to maintain temps until I roll out of Ohio.

Those winters when I have needed to head north in the winter and the rig had been previously winterized or I needed to drive through a couple of states and freezing ice storms to make it to the warm of FL in January....I would travel with no water in the fresh water tank, my lines full of pink stuff and with RV antifreeze to put in the Black water tanks and a little in the gray tank to protect what little water that didn't get transferred to the bathroom to be dumped. And I took multiple jugs of water for drinking and washing. I wasn't trying to shower in my rig, I just needed to have enough to drink with, flush and float the Black Tank with, and enough to heat up in the microwave to take a sink bath..... I could travel for weeks like that (borrowing showers at folks houses or at campgrounds....)

Hope that helps. Since the fresh water tank is empty, once I make it to warmer climates all I needed to do was either/or fill my fresh water tank and start using water. It takes very little water to clear what little RV antifreeze in the lines. Soon I have plenty of water for bathing and washing dishes though I keep drinking my jug water for a while until I figure that the tank and the lines are good to go. If I hook up to city water (which I only started doing about two years ago) the principle is the same, the pressure of the water will clear the lines for you.....just remember to let the faucets run until the water clears before using the water...

My fresh water tank in protected from the elements as it is inside under the day bed. My Gray tank and Black Tank are both pretty exposed to the underside and outside temperatures. I figure that they need a little Antifreeze protection regardless....I can only imagine the temperature effect from the wind flowing past on an icy trip on I-75.....

[rvgrammy1953]

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I think I'll put a bunch of water in the fresh tank and not use it until I'm in warmer places...I'll carry a few gallons to flush the toilet.

I guess to flush and sanitize, I'll need to be in a full hook-up site. I can do that instead of staying at Vickie's and be forced to eat her viddles (isn't that what you call food in the South?)

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You'll figure it out...I have faith.....

[mitch5252]

The only antifreeze, including the one made for RVs (still has bad chemicals) I would put in my fresh water tank is vodka.

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Sister, I like your thinking...

ON EDIT: There's no pink stuff in the fresh tank. I don't drink that water anyway - tastes like plastic.
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