Wintering new 21g

[Tommyp]

Never had a rv before and read post, looked at owners manual and you tube videos. Still confused. Living is south central Louisiana it doesn’t freeze very much. Unit has never been used except for dealer go thru. Supposed to get in low 20’s next week for one morning. How far should I go with wintering?

[JFoust]

Never had a rv before and read post, looked at owners manual and you tube videos. Still confused. Living is south central Louisiana it doesn’t freeze very much. Unit has never been used except for dealer go thru. Supposed to get in low 20’s next week for one morning. How far should I go with wintering?

Tommyp I would at least drain all the lines (low point drains), water heater, and water tanks which were probably filled and tested by the dealer. If it's only going to be that cold for a few hours in the morning then the insulation should be enough to keep it warm inside the trailer. And even below freezing the sun on the trailer roof will warm things up inside during the day. It's usually the underbody where things start to freeze first.

Every trailer build and climate is different, so its hard to give an exact temperature that you will be safe doing nothing, which is why the manual/manufacturers will play it safe and only tell you HOW to winterize and not necessarily when.

Multiple days in the 20's is when you will run in to issues. Just for peace of mind you can always turn the furnace on to keep the inside/underbody above freezing to buy you time until the weather warms back up. It sounds like the cold will be short lived in your area so that sounds like the easiest solution. I live in Northern Utah and have done this with multiple RV's in the fall if it freezes before I get time to winterize and it has worked well.

[Tommyp]

Thanks for your response. Trailer is in covered storage with no power but could run generator. They keep changing the forecasts from low 20’s to upper 20’s. Now mid 20’s. Retired now but wish I had a job where you could be wrong that much and still have a job. I just want to be safe.

[howson]

Thanks for your response. Trailer is in covered storage with no power but could run generator. They keep changing the forecasts from low 20’s to upper 20’s. Now mid 20’s. Retired now but wish I had a job where you could be wrong that much and still have a job. I just want to be safe.

Since you're a new owner and given the trailer's circumstances...is the negative power cable removed from the battery? If not, the battery may be dead at this point.

I got to that thought as I was going to write to run the pump for a moment or two to ensure all the water is out of it. Pump won't run without 12v power...

[JBill9694]

Tommyp , just wanted to add to JFoust good advice to leave valves (drain valves, spigots, faucets) open after draining. This will help prevent any pressure build up in the system from freezing of the residual water. Of course for maximum peace of mind you can always fill the lines with anti-freeze.

Building on howson concern, if the battery is dead the furnace won't work either, and the generator will have to be jump started. Just trying to help make sure you have everything you need when your head to your trailer.

[Tommyp]

Just got back from storage, ran generator for awhile, battery good. Drained everything and blew out lines best I could. Need plug with quick fitting instead next time. They say 27 now for the low on Tuesday morning, but that could change. Will get antifreeze for drains tomorrow. Thanks for everyone’s advice.

[Tommyp]

Now they have the low in the mid teens. Any thoughts on running the furnace on a low setting while in storage? Would the battery last over night?

[Cate&Rob]

Tommyp

If you can get comfortable with using plumbing antifreeze, this will be the simplest way to end all your worries. It is easy to do (after working through the process the first time) and you will spend far less on antifreeze that you would on propane, plus you won't have to deal with empty propane tanks and dead batteries.

Rob

[Second Chance]

Now they have the low in the mid teens. Any thoughts on running the furnace on a low setting while in storage? Would the battery last over night?

Maybe - but not guaranteed at those temps. The furnace fan draws a lot of power. Follow Cate&Rob 's advice and winterize.

Rob

[Tommyp]

Still trying to winterize this. Does a 21G have a water heater bypass? Owner’s manual says contact your manufacturer to see if it has one. Not much help.

[Country Campers]

Still trying to winterize this. Does a 21G have a water heater bypass? Owner’s manual says contact your manufacturer to see if it has one. Not much help.

I believe that the water hook up panel has the settings for winterization. The red lever should be the water heater bypass. If you could post a close up picture of that panel it will help.

Brian

[d2reid]

Winterizing is your best plan, can't help you as I never do that, I live in mine during the winter. But a couple of notes; Your trailer can take some freezing without damage, the new water lines are not as susceptible to splitting as the older pvc pipes. Doesn't mean it can't happen, but much less likely than in years past. Pay attention to items left in the trailer. Soda cans make a mess when they freeze as do wine coolers. Jars with liquid need to be removed.

The water pump may have a clear plastic bowl on it, be sure that is drained...

[howson]

Still trying to winterize this. Does a 21G have a water heater bypass? Owner’s manual says contact your manufacturer to see if it has one. Not much help.

According to GD's Parts Lookup website the 21G has a Nautilus panel v2.5. The owners manual for the 2.5 is here: http://www.bandbmolders.com/wp-conte...tilus-p2.5.pdf

I suspect the reference in your post is to the entry on page 12 of the Nautilus panel. (So far I'm not much help....)



The water heater in the 21G appears to be underneath the refrigerator. Does that panel under the frig remove easily? I bet once removed you'll see the bypass valves.



Howard

[Tommyp]

Got back out to camper today, water heater under fridge. Has a door like a cabinet, just do handle for access. Winterized it in about 15 minutes. Nothing to it. Thanks everyone for the help, I’m new at this.

[Cate&Rob]

Tommyp


Glad we could help. We were all “new at this” at one time. Thanks for letting us know what worked.

Rob