Glacier Package Question

[Dropnaduece]

I just bought my WH 25BHS late spring and I have not done a winterize before.

Questions:

1. I live in the Seattle WA area where for the most part never gets that cold and mostly rains all winter. If I don't winterize and just do a drain of the water? When and if the temps start to drop can I just turn the heater up and be ok?

2. Also my family and friends ski and snowboard all winter. Where we like to go has a huge parking area designated for TT & RV's for $40 a night. The mountain temps typically hover around the mid 20's. How well does the glacier package actually work?

Is there somebody with any suggestions of what I should look out for or helpful tips on wintering camping?

Thanks in advance!

[ShawnR]

I have always just blown out my trailer(s) and run a smaller electric heater on the lowest setting. Lower cupboard doors open. My current RV (266RKS) has the water pump closed off somewhat so I run some antifreeze to protect the pump. It may be overkill but better safe than sorry. I had another RV with plumbing problems (not from freezing) and it sucks. I also live in Snohomish County BTW. It will get into the teens many nights here.

[ctbailey]

I do pretty much the same thing.

0. Turn off fresh water pump, and also bypass the hot water heater.
1. Connect Air compressor (set at 45psi) to city inlet. blow out the city inlet and all plumbing fixtures, opening and closing each in succession.
2. open the low drain cold side untill just air. close it
3. open the low drain hot side. until just air. close it
4. disconnect air compressor.
5. Using the "winterizing kit" that came with the camper, turn a 2 way valve that has about 24 inches of tube... and stick that tube into a gallon jug of RV Antifreeze.
6. Turn on the water pump, crack open kitchen sink faucet, and it immediately sucks in some antifreeze - this displaces any water in the impeller housing and the tiny strainer attached to the water pump.
7. Open and close each fixture again in succession. This displaces any potential low points in the PEX tubing with pink stuff.
8. This should use up no more than 1.5 gallons of pink.

All told, ive got it down to less than an hour. Its simply too easy not to do, and you won't be having that little voice in the back of your head all winter long saying "are you sure it's not going to get too cold?"

We then will use the TT all winter long. Heck, since I too have the glacier, I'll even use the toilet, and flush with a pail of water. (I'm on a winter site this year, and the gravity sewer is open.)

We are planning on a week trip to the campsite, and for that one week I'll un winterize, and then re-winterize at the end of the week.

At nights We'll run the furnace and keep the low cabinets open.

[ArcticFire]

[QUOTE=ctbailey;446932]I do pretty much the same thing.


All told, ive got it down to less than an hour. Its simply too easy not to do, and you won't be having that little voice in the back of your head all winter long saying "are you sure it's not going to get too cold?"

No Choice here ..... With the winter hitting -40F / -40C ... I winterize.

[Rustysocket]

I live just south of Olympia. The only year I didn't winterize my trailer we had several days in the low 20s and the next season I spent replacing cracked pipes, replacing a water heater, and fixing leaks in walls.

Since then the sting has worn off, the winters seem milder and I've considered doing just the blow out thing again.... I keep the receipt in my my mileage logbook taped to the cover so every time I fill the truck up with fuel is see all the money I spent years ago fixing that problem.

I just picked up 12 bottles of RV antifreeze at tru value on sale for 2$ a gallon.

So regardless of whatever experiences others have had I will be winterizing and hoping still for a mild winter.

We also have taken our Arctic Fox to White Pass during the winter. You have to keep things heated to keep them thawed out or they will freeze.

[NVGun40]

We too have winterizing down to around an hour. Like ArcticFire, we live where temps get below zero, so winterizing is not an option its a necessity.
However, we do occasionally use our rig in the winter for camping/hunting. When we do, we do not de-winterize the water system. We have a 35 gallon portable water tank with a hand pump which I station in the bath tub. Utilizing the toilet, I put about two cups of water softening salt pellets and two cups of RV antifreeze in with the toilet chemicals and when we do use it we flush with a mixture of RV anti freeze and water. Since the onboard furnace sucks battery power so much (because of the fan), we tend to use that very sparingly, just enough to take the chill off during the morning. Otherwise we have a Buddy heater which we leave hooked up and on low inside during the day. At night all heat is off, but the RV holds the heat pretty well, even when it -22 outside, we have never gone below freezing inside at night when we are using it. When it is stored at the house and winterized, it is covered (by a big blue tarp) and closed up and plugged in to electric. I remove my batteries and put them on a maintainer in the garage. If we have to do something inside the trailer, then we turn on a simple electric heater.

[Dropnaduece]

Thank you for all your suggestions. It looks like I have to do a winterize no matter what just in case because I don't want to pay $100's of dollars to fix it in the spring when I will be ready to go fishing. I was told by the sales manager that "Glacier Package" turned the TT into a four season unit. But from what I read here and on other sites it may help but not something to be relied upon. Jayco said it has an additional roof r-value and there is some kind of foil in the floor that also increases the r-value and nothing additional in the walls. Since this being my first TT and I have not experienced a full four seasons I don't want to take any chances. I will be using the TT to head out to the ocean for New Years and if the weather is mild I will use everything but when I hit the mountains for skiing what I will most likely do is winterize or leave the heater to run because there are power hookups where I will be going so need to worry about batterie life.

Your reply got me thinking about the batteries. Would it be wise to take them off the trailer and store them in the garage or just leave the alone? I'm sure we will never get in the teens around here but would it be good practice to pull them?

Thanks and journey on to new memories.

[NVGun40]

Originally Posted by Dropnaduece

Your reply got me thinking about the batteries. Would it be wise to take them off the trailer and store them in the garage or just leave the alone? I'm sure we will never get in the teens around here but would it be good practice to pull them?

Thanks and journey on to new memories.

Since your temperatures rarely (if ever) get into the teens where you are at, removing the batteries becomes a matter of choice. Of course that choice depends on certain factors.
Are you able to leave your TT plugged in to shore power while it is parked in storage? If so, there really is no need to remove the batteries.
If not, then removing them for the dry storage certainly can't hurt them, however, disconnecting them is a must. There are a few parasitic draws on the batteries at all times (CO2 detector, smoke detector, even when off the refrigerator has a very small draw at the gas ignition module, the entertainment/DVD player system).

Not to worry, your rig is definitely a four season rig, in fact, most RV's (hard wall, hard roof, no hybrids or tents) are four season capable whether they have a glacier package or sealed under belly or not. Even though they are designed for short term use and mobile, just like a house, with power and gas needs met, they can stay warm and dry inside. It just depends on how much gas and electricity you are willing to use....

[Dropnaduece]

Yea I have my parking for my TT on the side of my house right where the electrical box is located. So earlier this summer I put an outdoor 30 amp plug so the TT will always be hooked up.

I looked at the under belly and snooped around. It appears to be pretty well wrapped up and there a lot of grey colored spray foam around the pipes up to the tanks and the tanks are all wrapped up. I have 2 large propane tanks so I will keep the heat on low so it will run throughout the winter. I will be taking up to the mountains quite a bit this winter so the heat will be up! I'm excited to be able to hit the slopes with the kids and board down to the TT for hot cup of coffee

Thanks for the reply.

[NVGun40]

So glad you will be able to utilize your TT this winter. Word of caution regarding leaving the heat on. Even with large tanks and even on a low setting the onboard furnace utilizes a lot gas so keep and eye on it. Since it is plugged in, and option you may consider; getting a small thermostatically controlled 'ceramic element' space heater. Even when my TT is stored for the winter at my house, when the time comes for me to prep for a cold weather hunt we start the prep a couple days out. We utilize a ceramic element because they are safer (fire danger wise) and set the thermostat at 50 degrees. This way we are utilizing a lot of propane so we have that when we need it.

[Dropnaduece]

Originally Posted by NVGun40

So glad you will be able to utilize your TT this winter. Word of caution regarding leaving the heat on. Even with large tanks and even on a low setting the onboard furnace utilizes a lot gas so keep and eye on it. Since it is plugged in, and option you may consider; getting a small thermostatically controlled 'ceramic element' space heater. Even when my TT is stored for the winter at my house, when the time comes for me to prep for a cold weather hunt we start the prep a couple days out. We utilize a ceramic element because they are safer (fire danger wise) and set the thermostat at 50 degrees. This way we are utilizing a lot of propane so we have that when we need it.

Thanks I will probably go out and get me one of those heaters. I just made the cheap way to go stabilizers and they work awesome and it only cost around $25 for eye bolts, 2 - 2x4's, and 3 ratchet straps.

The TT is rock solid and doesn't wobble a bit so my kids can get and go pee without waking me up cause the trailer is shaking lol

See pic