[Alty]

Anyone know how to winterize a trailer? We never had to do this with the tent trailer, but we do with our new one. Here's the info on it:

It has a bathroom complete with toilet, sink, tub and shower combo. It also has the kitchen, complete with dual sink, stove, oven, microwave. It sleeps 9, has a fold down bed/kitchen table and benches, a couch that folds to sleep two which is in the pull out, a queen sized bed, and bunk beds. Not that I think that matters when winterizing, but just in case, I'm posting it. It also has air conditioning, just in case something special needs to be done for that.

So what do we have to do to winterize it while it's being stored this winter?

Do we have to do something for the pull out as well, or is that okay?

It's 31.7 feet long, it's a 2007, if that matters. It's a travel trailer.

Any tips would be appreciated. Hubby is watching videos on YouTube about it, but he's not sure what's true, and what isn't, so someone with experience doing this, would really be helpful. :)

Also not sure which category to put this in, so I put it in other home and gardens. If that's wrong, please move it to the right place. I just couldn't find a place that was suitable. :(

[Wondergirl]

Will it be outdoors all winter?

[Alty]

It will WG. Unless someone has a shop they can store it in, the majority of trailers are stored outdoors year round. Ours is parked at a friends place, he has an acreage.

[Wondergirl]

How cold does it get (average) during the winter? What might be a lowest temp?

[Alty]

It depends on what type of winter we get this year. The farmers almanac is predicting a bad one. But winterizing the trailer really has nothing to do with how cold it can get. That much I do know. The temps don't matter that much. Winterizing has to do with making sure the systems don't freeze, and the system can freeze at -1C, just as much as they can at -50C. So how cold it can get, doesn't really matter. You can't winterize a trailer based on temperature. You either winterize it and it survives all cold temps, or you don't and it doesn't. So knowing how cold it can get, doesn't make a difference when winterizing a trailer.

But, to answer your question, it has, and can, get as cold as -50C, but that's extreme, and not the norm. Most winters we see at least a few days of -30C or worse. But none of this has any bearing on winterizing a trailer.

In other words, winterizing doesn't require knowing how cold it can get. It requires knowing what fluids to pour into the system so that the trailer won't be damaged. Do you have any advice on that WG? I don't need to know if it can be stored outdoors, I know it can, and will. There are no special procedures to protect it if we have a super cold winter, you still winterize it the same way. I need to know what fluids to buy, what to pour it into, what needs to be protected. That's the info I need.

What have you done for your trailers to winterize them?

[J_9]

Has Rod seen this? Top 7 Steps for Winterizing your RV Plumbing System

[Alty]

Has Rod seen this? Top 7 Steps for Winterizing your RV Plumbing System

Not sure. He's been looking at videos a lot today. I'll show him this one.

Thanks J. :)

[J_9]

This isn't a video. It's the 7 steps fom the Family Motor Coach Association.

[Alty]

Want to add. The guy that gave us the 2 hour tour of the trailer, and told us how everything worked, did mention winterizing. But it was a quick tour, and by the time we left we were a bit dazed.

Second, it's a used trailer, and the previous owners didn't leave the owner's manual. So we have nothing to look at. We tried looking up an owners manual online, but didn't have much luck.

Just so you all know that we're not complete morons. We would look at the owner's manual, if we had one. :(

[Wondergirl]

Here's a list (from Properly Winterize Your Travel Trailer For Trouble-Free Traveling) --

Winterizing Checklist for Your Travel Trailer:

1. Remove all food, canned and otherwise, and clean trailer thoroughly.
2. Turn refrigerator off and open doors.
3. Drain the fresh water tank.
4. Lower the stabilizers.
5. Pressurize tires to the maximum allowed and cover them.
6. Check battery water.
7. Turn off propane tanks.
8. Blow out waterlines.
9. Open all faucets and drain hot water heater and flush it out.
10. Add RV antifreeze to the fresh water tank. (Note: Always use RV antifreeze, as automotive anitfreeze is toxic. RV Antifreeze is not harmful when ingested and so you needn't be paranoid about residue when you reverse the process and flush out the antifreeze in the spring.)
11. Run each faucet and the shower, including the outside shower, until red, and flush toilet until red.
12. Run some hot water to get antifreeze into the hot water heater tank.
13. Shut off the pump and remove the screen from your water inlet, and then push on the anti-backflow valve to allow water to run out and antifreeze to flow.
14. Pour antifreeze down the shower drain and sink drains.
15. Make sure tanks, heaters, pumps, and lights are off.
16. Pull propane alarm fuse; remove smoke detector.
17. Close all windows and roof vent, and lock all doors.
18. Keep battery charged by connecting a solar charger to the trailer connector.