NewBee Winter Storage Questions

[BeerBrewer]

Let me start off by saying that we had a great first RV season! We visited over 11 campgrounds, in NY, NH, ME, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia and we put over 4000 miles on the trailer. Well we can honestly say that none of this would have been possible without all of your help. All of your advice was always spot on, from talking me out of trying to use my old Tundra as our tow vehicle to what kind of toilet paper to use and everything in between. We honestly can't thank you enough, you've help make our retirement dream of being able to travel and tour this beautiful country at will a reality. Thanks!

Well now that our first RV season has ended for us, we've got to put our trailer to bed and we've got a few questions on the best way to do that. I'll just list them below in not particular order.

1. Is it better to blow out the water lines or fill the lines with potable RV antifreeze? I own a couple compressors and that I use to blow out my sprinkler system, so I have the tools to do it. Not sure which way is best or do I do both? Meaning blow out the water, then pump in the antifreeze.
2. It says in the manual that I should cover the AC unit on the roof. Do they sell a cover for that? I could use a smaller tarp of plastic, but I'm not sure how to keep it from blowing off in the wind. Instead should I cover just the entire roof of the whole trailer? I've read a lot of "pros and cons" about RV covers and I'm frankly terribly confused.
3. What about venting the trailer? I installed MaxxAir vent covers over the bedroom and kitchen/living area vents, so I can open them in the rain without worry. I'm thinking that if I don't cover the roof or entire trailer that I'd leave these closed all winter. Is that a correct? I'm afraid that blowing snow could find its way into the trailer if I leave them open. If the roof is covered or the whole trailer is covered, would I leave these open then?
4. Is there a way to keep rodents from getting inside the trailer? I've crawled underneath and I don't see any entry points. I was wondering if there was something that I could put around the tires and trailer jack that would keep them from getting up on the trailer and chewing a way in?

Our trailer is stored in the back yard along the edge of the property and there are few trees near by. I fully insured the trailer so, if one was to fall on it we'd be covered. We live in NY state out in Suffolk county Long Island so we can get very cold weather, it could get windy with lots of snow and the occasional ice storm. Having said that, lately our winters have been rather mild, but you never know. I'm in the middle of giving it a good cleaning and wax job. I'm doing a side at a time....to let the arm heal.

Thanks again

Bob

[BB&LAB]

Glad you enjoyed your new trailer. As to your questions:

1) Since it sounds like you will be storing the trailer for the winter and likely not using it until spring, I would use RV antifreeze. If you were planning to use the trailer sometime during the winter, I would blow out the lines with an air compressor and pour some RV anti freeze into the toilet and down the sink(s) sufficiently enough to get into the tank drain points and to leave some in the P-traps.

2) Covering the AC unit is a good idea and there are AC specific covers available, but a tarp, properly secured will also do the trick.

3) I would keep the vent closed to prevent blowing snow from entering.

4) I have heard spreading moth balls on both the exterior and the interior helps. A couple other suggestions would be to fill any voids on the underside of the trailer with a combination of steel wool and some spray foam. Also since rodents typically operate at night, you might consider laying one of those long LED light strips (preferably white) on the ground around the perimeter of the trailer.

[BeerBrewer]

I made some progress on winterizing our trailer. I blew out the lines with my compressor. To be safe I only used about 30 PSI. Then just to play it safe, I then filled the lines with RV Antifreeze as well. Unfortunately I have a few more questions.

I started the process by finding the water heater bypass valves. I closed the 2 valves going in (cold) and out (hot) of it and I opened the one so the water will now bypass the water heater. Then I went outside and removed the plug in the water heater, opened the pressure relief valve and let the water drain out. I was surprised how much came out. As I understand it, I'm leaving the bypass valves as they are until the spring. Should I replace the plug in the water heater now or wait until spring? It was a PITA to remove plug and I was thinking of possibly installing a short piece of braided stainless hose on to it with a plug in the end into the heater so next time I don't have to the PITA process of getting the plug out again. Has anyone done anything like that?

I drained the freshwater tank and blew out the line that is used to fill it. Should I pour antifreeze into the fresh water tank? Should I leave the fresh water tank drain valve open or closed? I closed it thinking something might crawl up and die in there ruining my fresh water tank.

What happens to fresh water that is in the line that feeds the pipe? Before I put the antifreeze into the lines, I ran the pump a tad hoping that it would suck the water out the line. Was that enough for that line?

When we were at our last campground I completely drained the grey and black tanks. Then I drained the grey tank into a buck to remove the water that I blew out of the lines. I got about a gallon of grey water that I dumped into our septic system. I hit the foot flush on the toilet and put some (not a lot) antifreeze into the black tank. I also poured the rest of the antifreeze into the sinks and shower drains, hoping to fill the traps. Do I need to do anything more to either of those tanks?

I gave the underneath another look over and GD did a good job closing up the holes.

I still don't know if I should cover it fully or just do the AC unit. Covers range in price greatly and I'm not sure if it causes more harm than good.

[Skiddy]

Assume you used the hot and cold drain valves? Low points and in my case pretty much empties the hot water tank if you open all taps before unscrewing the low point drains.
I blow the lines, 30 psi is great, then suck some antifreeze into the water pump, maybe a liter or two. Our climate is much warmer, so I cut antifreeze 50/50 with water. Pump a gallon of the diluted mix down each drain, protects the traps and keeps the tanks from freezing. Shot of WD40 for the outside compression fittings, shower and spray port if you have one.
Fresh tank is OK, drain it and shut the valve.
Blow out the black tank rinse inlet as well.

I cover mine, ADCO top end ($400 for one for my 2150RB) is soft and allows access to the trailer. Last year, I kept my 50/50 mix in the holding tanks and will reuse it this year.

[BeerBrewer]

Yes I opened both of the drain valves when I blew out the lines and again when I pumped antifreeze thru the lines. I actually filled the lines back up with antifreeze just to be safe.

I just watched a video where this guy poured a few gallons of antifreeze into his fresh water tank. That does not seem necessary to me but I'm new at this. I drained the tank and turned on the pump for about a minute to hopefully suck the water from the line. Then I turned the winterizing valve and put the end of the hose into a gallon of antifreeze and filled the lines.