October 2009
Hello October Campers,
It’s still great camping weather, and probably is the best time of the year for campground cookouts, hot chocolate, chilli, fresh brewed coffee and a little campfire chat... people that don’t camp really miss out on a lot of great stuff.
Getting ready to winterize? Well here are some helping hints.
Don’t put antifreeze in the fresh water tank. It's quite difficult to get the antifreeze smell and taste out of the tank later on. Black water and gray tanks are ok to put in antifreeze just make sure the fresh water tank is completely emptied.
RV plumbing systems are easy to winterize, others require a little more ingenuity. Some folks like to blow out their system with an air compressor. Just make sure you don't exceed the operating pressure of your water system. 40-50 psi . Also, if your RV doesn't have a water heater bypass, get one and install it. It allows you to isolate the water heater during winterization so you don't have to fill it with antifreeze, which is difficult to get out of it in the spring anyway. Removed plug from the outside of the water heater, and open the relief valve, which is also located on the outside of the heater.
Don’t forget about washer/dryers, icemakers, water filters. These need to be winterized. This can be complicated, so follow the manufacturers instructions for winterizing these appliances and if you’re at all uncomfortable with the process, best take it to your local RV Dealer to have done.
Make sure that every drain has antifreeze in the P-trap and don’t forget the toilet. You should flush the toilet at least once through with antifreeze.
Crumple up some newspapers and put them if the refrigerator to draw any moisture, and also to deodorize. For products you may need to winterize your unit, visit our winterizing page.
When you are wanting RV antifreeze you should be able to pay $2.45 to $3.95 a gallon and purchase at your local Lowes or Menards. We can sell you RV antifreeze but it’s cheaper to buy it locally because of the cost to ship.
A big thanks to Steve in Crosby, Texas. He looked at one of our answers to a problem with a refrigerator and gave us another solution to the problem. Here it is and it’s now on our FAQ’s about fridge problems, again thanks Steve!
Question: My refrigerator gets cold on the top but not the bottom. Why?
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Answer: You probably have a blockage in the coil, you can replace the coil, but it's recommended that you replace the complete refrigerator.
Steve’s comment: The answer is the outside temp is too hot for the condenser to condense the ammonia vapor back to a liquid; what vapor is changed back to a liquid is used up in the freezer section leaving no or very little liquid for the refrigerator section. When this occurs put a good thermometer inside the refrigerator section and at night when the temp cools the refrigerator temp will drop and the next day when the temp rises so will the temp inside the refrigerator. The cooling unit is good, there is no blockage, it just needs some help. The solution is more air movement through the condenser coils/fins. 12v fans...can solve this problem it is common down here in the Houston area. Thanks.
Question: What is the purpose of the "stem" in the plug of my water heater? My last 2 trailers didn't have it. We have used this trailer twice, the first time for 4 days and the last time for 8 days. I emptied the water heater this stem was almost corroded through. Is this normal and if so what happens when it fully eats away and falls into the heater instead of coming out with the plug? Thanks in advance for your info and help. Raymond Co
Answer: That is called an "anode rod". The water heater you have is a Suburban. It has a glass lined tank, and the rod is to coat and protect the inside of the tank. There is a small rod down the center of it about 1/8 inch in size. When all of the coating is gone you should replace it with a new one.
Happy Halloween & Happy Camping,
Jerry Pressley
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