Is it possible to de-winterise in a campground?

[Ladywendolyn]

Hi Friends
after the longest winter in memory we are finally getting our trailer out of storage this winter. Even though we still have ice on our lakes up here in Canada, the campgrounds are open and I have JAYCO fever!
the only problem is that we are currently between homes, and the place we are staying has a tiny culdesac
(round street) with no room to park the trailer. I am not sure how we will dewinterise, because if I recall correctly we flushed out our tanks last year with a lot of water. I am wondering if it is legal or even possible for us to do this at the dumping station while camping?
I would appreciate your thoughts and suggestions.

[LongIslandCamper]

That's how we've always done it. Why do you think you wouldn't be able to?

[Boubou]

I didn't think it would be illegal. We de-winterized AND sanitized our fresh water tank in the campground this year.

[RoyBraddy]

I get away it big time but i don't have all those big trailer tanks and miles of plumbing through the trailer. I only have to deal with one fresh water tank and one sink arrangement with hot water heater and cassette pottie. The beauty of a small 12-foot box camper haha...

We use the blow out method when it gets freezing cold where we are camping and can do all of this in about five minutes using our portable air compressor. Then once all of the water is out we just pour a little of pink stuff down the traps. The reverse of this also takes about 5 minutes in the small trailers.

Our 30-gallon fresh water tank is just for washing up things with. We bring along our drinking water with us for coffee and cooking. The cassette pottie takes care of itself but then we have to find a dump place for it about every other day. We usually capture all of the gray sink water and tote down to the bath houses and pour down their toilets. Same with the portable cassette pottie tank... We usually can find potable water at the camp site and tote that back to the trailer 5-gallons at a time in just a few trips using the two wheeled folding tote to replace what we had to drain things out for freezing cold times.

Life is abit different when camping with the smaller footprint trailers... We get along just fine when it gets cold... We have all the modern things the big trailers have just limited elbow room inside. Makes us spend more time outside hehe...


Roy Ken

[3'senough]

I don't see why not. Full timers do it all the time on moves from the cold north to warm south. The only challenge you may have is in the sanitizing due to down time while it's in the lines and tanks if you are doing a complete spring opening. Also this is assuming you are in a full service site where you not trying to flush the lines with the sewer rinse which most times is not potable water.

Winter just does not want to go away this year. Freeze warnings all over the NE last night and it's May 14th!

[VicS1950]

Originally Posted by 3'senough

...
Winter just does not want to go away this year. Freeze warnings all over the NE last night and it's May 14th!

Not that anyone asked...

A single freeze event is not generally a danger to piping. The problems come when the water in pipes freezes, partially thaws, the liquid water fills the voids, and then it re-freezes. Each time that happens the ice is able to expand more and put more pressure on the system components which eventually causes failure.

I've observed that in summer cottage piping often it is a low spot in the copper piping which fails and splits over winter. The large bulge in the tubing at the failure shows that the water in the copper tubing has had multiple freeze thaw cycles to expand the metal. In those low spot situations the piping can usually withstand a few seasons, but eventually splits to leak.

Anyway, a single freeze event doesn't usually cause the expansion of ice enough for damage. If you are caught by a single surprise event and hadn't winterized you likely will be OK.

My opinion and worth everything you'll never pay for it. vic

[FPM III]

Why not? What would you be doing at a campground when you de-winterize that's different than when you do it at home? About the only thing just about all campgrounds don't permit is washing your rig. I've taken my TT on it's first campout of the season in its winterized state lots of times and de-winterized there. Your best opportunity is at a site with FHU. Then, you can do everything at your own pace and not be rushed. No one will even pay any attention to what you're doing as they'll be too busy camping (and maybe having their own little "de-winterizing party"). Open a bottle of wine (if permitted at the campground) and enjoy life as you de-winterize.

Personally, I'd shy away from de-winterizing at a dump station, but if you do, wait until late in the afternoon, though, as you could have some unhappy campers giving you the "eye darts" if they have to wait to dump while you're in the middle of your "spring cleaning".

[Murphie]

I sanitize our water lines using a product called Tank Fresh. Made by a co. called Westchem. Pour a cup into a 30 gal tank, fill and let it sit four an hour after running thru your lines. Rince out your tank and lines and your good to go. This product is biodegradable. This could be easily done at a campground. Btw, I purchased a Danby portable dishwasher for our trailer today. I am going to install it under our sink. On a normal cycle it uses 3 gal. of water, which will be less than doing them by hand.

[mcfarmall]

I'm with RoyBraddy. My de-winterizing process on the 23B goes like this: Close the water heater bypass, install the tank drain plug. Put about 5 gallons of water in the fresh water tank and turn on the pump. Fill up the water heater tank and all the lines, check for leaks. Done.

I drain the water heater tank, blow out all the lines, faucets, indoor and outdoor shower hoses in the fall and do not run anti-freeze anywhere but the sink traps and about 1/2 cup in the toilet bowl. We don't drink or cook with water from the storage tank.

De-winterizing is super easy for me!!

[Dwilcox353]

If it is flushing the antifreeze you are worried about, you are fine as it is non-toxic. (at least if you are using RV antifreeze it is) so it can be flushed down the camp ground sewer. For sanitizing the fresh water tank, if you use the recommended amount of bleach for the size of the storage tank, it to will be fine to dump down the sewer. I have seen more bleach used in a load of whites in a washing machine than is used to sanitize a 20 gal holding tank.

[Ladywendolyn]

How much is the recommended amount of bleach for most tanks?

[waynem]

My owner's manual suggests 1/4 cup of bleach per 15 gallons of tank capacity. That's if you can let it stand in the lines for at least 4 hours. If you want to do it quicker, double the concentration.

[Rob_Fla]

Since we are Fulltimers, we do everything at a campground.
While we were at Stone Mountain Georgia GC I installed the Reico Titan Leveling System, yesterday I installed a Wet Bolt Kit on the Right Side of our 5er at our current CG, I do all my Washing and Waxing while at a CG, I do not winterize but have met others that de-winterize when at CGs.

[cekkk]

Just de-winterized at a CG Thursday. It only resulted in a bit of pink antifreeze going into the grey water holding tank which we dumped after dumping the black water holding tank on departure yesterday. We don't use the fresh water tank so did not sanitize it.