Winterizing, Etc.

As our first Northeast camping season with our 2720 winds to a close, the subject of winterizing the fresh water system has come up. According to the manual, essentially all you do is make sure everything is drained, which I have done. Some of my camping friends state that all of the water pipes must be filled w/ antifreeze, and that there should be a water by-pass for the hot water heater to accompliish this (so as not to introduce antifreeze into the HW heater). I find no such by-pass. Any suggestions?, or is it really necessary.

Also, has anyone had a problem with mice infestation into the TM during the closed winter months?

A bypass for the hot water heater is a must in my view and certainly a reasonable expense.  Our dealer explained that first of all, if you didn’t have a bypass, you would have to buy more antifreeze to winterize the unit or disconnect the hot water tank altogether.  The space to work in there is small enough that my slightly larger than average hands just won't fit.  The guy who installed my bypass had to unhook the entire  sink to do it.  Also, if when draining the system in the spring, you didn't get all of the antifreeze out of the hot water tank, it would really affect the taste and smell of the water.  

I thought the bypass was a value for the money.

My method for winterizing was this (and I hope it was right) first, I opened the drain plugs and got as much out as possible.  Then, I took out the anode rod to get out the last of the water.  (I should note here that whether your hot water heater can drain most or all of the water via the low point drains must be different for different models of TM. )  Once that was done, I closed the valves, then changed the valves on my hot water tank bypass to prevent antifreeze from going into the hot water tank.  I then placed a gallon jug of antifreeze near the water pump and disconnected the hose that runs from the fresh water tank to the pump.  I then turned the pump on and went through each of the faucets, first turning on the cold water, and letting it run until pink, then the hot water and let it run until pink.  This took awhile since I also have the outside shower.  Less than two gallons later, I was done, then placed the remainder of the antifreeze in the traps.

Regarding mice and other infiltrators, I started a string on that last year, and people have lots of ideas, such as sprinking borax or Comet around the trailer, to moth balls, to dryer sheets in the drawers to discourage ants.    Probably a lot depends on where you store your unit and how likely such critters are to get in.  Obviously, it IS possible, so you may want to take advantage of any suggestions from that old string (entitled Ants and other unwanted critters) .

Good luck!

I have to ask what might be a dumb question. More out of curiosity than anything else, since the inside of our garage really does not freeze here in AZ we have never winterized our TM or previous Coleman Taos PU. Why is it necessary to winterize if you totally drain all the water from a TM? There would be nothing left to freeze, and therefore expand, and then burst or break, would there? Is it to maintain lubrication of the seals?

Wade

[BOB_STRONG]

Wade

When I called the Trailmanor factory back in 1994, Donny told me that some water can still remain in the water pump and then cause a big problem. That's why I drain the lines, and then use my air compressor to blow out the lines. When I bought our 2002 3326King last October, I had the dealer install a bypass on the hot water tank. I had one on my 1993 & 1994 Trailmanors also. It saves a lot of non toxic antifreeze, and I know that the system will be ok through our cold northeast Pa winters. Just a little peace of mind.

BOB STRONG

The water pump is very difficult to drain completely. If it freezes you can just about guarantee replacement. It usually ruptures the diaphram or cracks the housing.(been there, done that) If you are garaging your TM I would not worry about winterizing. We are still using our pop up; I usually winterize by placing a couple of 40 watt lamps in strategic areas, near the pump, shower valves, and kitchen sink. Two of them is usually enough to keep the inside of the camper from freezing when the top is closed down. I have used this process all the way down to 18 degrees with sucess. I do pour RV anti-freeze down the drains. The only draw back to this system is that you have to check the bulbs on occasion to make sure they have not burned out. I would bet with the composite walls of a TM this procedure would work very well.

Aaron

Jwmarine,
Living in NJ in an area with many open fields and woods, I guess I should have known better but the mouse problem was something that I really didn’t even consider. When we opened the TM which was housed in a portable garage over the winter (Nov – Apr) I was shocked to see we had many little guests. I can tell you that the dryer sheets don’t work. I left those in the TM just because we had them in there already, and while the critters didn’t use those they seemed to use every thing else for nesting material. The only places they didn’t get into were the wardrobe, inside storage under the bed and the front overhead cabinet. So if anyone has a method that works on mice, please let us hear it. Otherwise, I will most likely try one of those altar sonic devices next winter.

[B_and_D]

We had mice get into our 60's Aloha trailer, but once we plugged up any tiny little hole underneath that they could possibly squeeze through, they didn't come back. I read somewhere that they can get into an opening as large as a nickel. They can make quite a mess, can't they?

Sometimes we keep a box of mouse bait in ours, just in case.

[Bill]

Sonic devices don't work - against mice, bats, mosquitoes, deer, and anything else they are advertised for.

Seal up everything. Go under the trailer and look for openings. Most of them have been sealed with screen, but if the mice ate through the screen, cover it with metal (steel) screen. Or better yet, replace the screen if necessary, and cover it with 1/4-inch galvanized hardware cloth (i.e., coarse screen). Do NOT close up the screened-over holes.

Caulk any small openings with expanding foam. I don't think there are many.

A 2720SL is hard to seal around the slider floor. We got mice in ours last year, and I think this is the route they took. The best solution may be to slide the slider in, go inside, and cram a bunch of steel wool (which they won't eat) under the edge of the slider. Or maybe better, do it from the outside, near the hitch, so they can't come in under the couch. You can buy steel wool by the bale (!) in the Paint section of any hardware or home supply store, so it is not expensive. I'm thinking coarser is better, but I'm not sure. Be sure to go all the way to the edge - for us, I think they came in at the track.

I left some "humane" mousetraps baited with peanut butter and cheese inside. They ignored them. Next time, spring traps.

Good luck.

Bill

[YWORRYDOG]

After finding mice the first winter we now use this in garage. No more mice.

http://www.lowguys.com/Merchant2/mer...Control_Indoor

use dryer sheets all arond iside ,keep mice out and a nice smell when you open it up in the spring.