Traveling from frigid to warm; and back again . . .

[JonMN]

Another rookie question for you. I noticed several of you live in locations that are as cold or colder than Minnesota. If you decide to leave for a couple weeks in January, I was wondering how or if you de-winterize before heading out.

A few options that come to mind; outgoing.
1. Stay winterized. Might make sense for a short trip.
2. De-winterize in the cold, fill the water tank, and head out.
3. De-winterize at the destination.

Same for the return. Do you come home and try winterizing in the cold or do it while you are still warm?

[PS: I relocate from Northern MN to the much more moderate southern MN.]

[booster]

Originally Posted by JonMN

Another rookie question for you. I noticed several of you live in locations that are as cold or colder than Minnesota. If you decide to leave for a couple weeks in January, I was wondering how or if you de-winterize before heading out.

A few options that come to mind; outgoing.
1. Stay winterized. Might make sense for a short trip.
2. De-winterize in the cold, fill the water tank, and head out.
3. De-winterize at the destination.

Same for the return. Do you come home and try winterizing in the cold or do it while you are still warm?

[PS: I relocate from Northern MN to the much more moderate southern MN.]

We are in the twin cities so not north or south.


I normally don't winterize as the van sits in a heated shop, but if we do want to use it, I winterize even for a short trip if it is under about 25*F while we travel. If we went south far enough I would dewinterize when I got there. If it is already winterized, I would just drive it from northern Mn to southern and leave as is for the one day drive.



If your van is conducive to being freeze proof by using an air blow up method it makes it much easier to do this kind of thing. You just go and don't fill with water until it is above freezing.

[@Michael]

I've 'played it by ear'. One some trips, I drove south until it was above freezing then de-winterized in a campground, and re-winterized (in a campground) on the way back north. On other trips I timed my departure and arrival so that I was leaving and returning on days when the temps were above freezing, and de-winterized/re-winterized at home.

If I'm planning on re-winterizing on the road, I carry a couple gallons of antifreeze. It's very difficult to find RV antifreeze down south.

[JonMN]

Wow, two from Minnesota! Actually, I live in Stillwater which is not really south in MN, but it is still WAY warmer than Crookston where I grew up. This year we are going on our first vacation, and I am sure we will leave way below freezing.

Never thought of carrying my own antifreeze--I was thinking that the South, being the capital of RVs, would have some, but forgot they would rarely need it.

On an unrelated note--where do you fill up with propane in MN?

[booster]

Originally Posted by JonMN

Wow, two from Minnesota! Actually, I live in Stillwater which is not really south in MN, but it is still WAY warmer than Crookston where I grew up. This year we are going on our first vacation, and I am sure we will leave way below freezing.

Never thought of carrying my own antifreeze--I was thinking that the South, being the capital of RVs, would have some, but forgot they would rarely need it.

On an unrelated note--where do you fill up with propane in MN?

I have been getting ours at a U haul rental center near us in Coon Rapids. The actually seemed to know what they were doing compared to the gas station, quick mart, type places.


We are in Andover on the far north end right next to Isanti county.

[SteveJ]

I have bought LP from the BP station in Princeton near the Aldi Mkt on MN95 at US169 and Fisk Tire in North Branch, a couple of blocks off of I-35 on the NE corner of the MN95 interchange. They both usually have a frugal price. These will work well if headed in that direction.

Otherwise I try to fill at an ag/feed distributor and/or a Cenex distributor if the need arises while I'm up there for the "Johnston brothers annual fishing, drinking, and now ORV extravaganza". Nowadays, no fishing, and easy on the drink, but lots of "mentally healthful" eating. We do have a 3 meat minimum for breakfast.

[@Michael]

Propane:

Mike's RV on Frost Ave. in Maplewood. He also has a 24 x 7 year-around dump station. Costs $4.

[jrobe]

Originally Posted by JonMN

[PS: I relocate from Northern MN to the much more moderate southern MN.]

I don't quite understand this part. The average low temperature in the very southern part of MN in January is 9 degrees (vs negative 4 degrees in very northern MN). You better be winterized everywhere in MN in January if I read this correctly.

The only place I would be comfortable not being winterized in January is pretty far south in the US.

[JonMN]

Originally Posted by jrobe

I don't quite understand this part. The average low temperature in the very southern part of MN in January is 9 degrees (vs negative 4 degrees in very northern MN). You better be winterized everywhere in MN in January if I read this correctly.

The only place I would be comfortable not being winterized in January is pretty far south in the US.

Sorry, this was kind of "tongue-in-cheek" MN humor. It still gets really cold here. But not nearly as cold as northern Minnesota. As a lifelong MN resident, the difference is real, but compared to southern states it's cold everywhere during a MN winter.

[SteveJ]

Originally Posted by JonMN

Sorry, this was kind of "tongue-in-cheek" MN humor. It still gets really cold here. But not nearly as cold as northern Minnesota. As a lifelong MN resident, the difference is real, but compared to southern states it's cold everywhere during a MN winter.

The last 20 years or so in MN was in Welch Township. I had a bumper sticker on my pick up that had a picture of a palm tree with the inscription "Native of Tropical Minnesota". I was never able to find another.

[Davydd]

I live in Minnesota but don't have to winterize because I store in a heated garage. However, coming and going is not a problem because I have a winter setup with electrically heated tanks and battery as well as above average insulation and heat and hot water is Rixen diesel-fired which uses I think about a cup an hour diesel fuel. The waste heat glycol at 160 deg. is grooved in the side of the water tank. The only danger is if I leave it outside unheated which I did once when it got down to -5 F. in Louisville, KY staying in a hotel when there was a snow blizzard. I suffered no damage in that one night. Make sure you turn the water pump off and open the faucets is one precaution. Don't travel with full tanks is another. I'm not sure about a macerator and what you can do because I assume it is flooded with liquid but there was no damage. I've camped at -15 F. in January at Tahquamenon Falls SP in Michigan's UP with heat at all times and with water in the fresh tank but took precautions to use anti-freeze in the grey tank. Under way electricity use is not a problem with 576 and 800 ah (previous van) lithium capacity and a second alternator.

It can be done. At Tahquamenon Falls I camped with mostly Roadtreks of all years at a winter freezeout rally and they were winterized but plugged in to shore power. In other words, they had no water and had to use the cold outhouse toilets. That was the difference. That and propane which I didn't have.

[jakegw2]

I have mostly relied on de-winterizing once I was far enough south that I wouldn't encounter a hard freeze (dipping just below freezing for a few hours at night is not enough to freeze the water in the tanks or lines). My freshwater tank and all plumbing lines are inside the heated space of the camper and have never had an issue in weather down to the mid-teens (as long as the furnace was holding the interior to a reasonably warm temperature).

This summer I upgraded my outside black and grey tanks with improved tank heaters and added extra heat pads directly against the dump valves in addition to the one already on the waste line. I also added temperature probes for each tank and the dump valve area so I can monitor the actual temperature of each heated area at all times. All this extra heating and monitoring should let me comfortably de-winterize before departing so I can enjoy all the amenities of the camper on the trip down.

I won't know for sure how well it all works until we get weather that is consistently below freezing to test it. Last year I did about a week (broken up over three stays) in <20 degree F temperatures. Two of my three heat pads failed and I spent far more hours under my camper with a hairdryer then I ever want to spend again.

Power consumption with all the heaters on simultaneously is up quite a bit. With the furnace, CPAP, battery heater, and all other normal consumption I will only be able to comfortably manage a single night with my 200AH LiFEPO4 setup in low-temp conditions. Not ideal, but I don't see myself dry-camping for more than a night in very low temperatures anyway. Driving will recharge the system the following day, and in a pinch I can use my generator. I did add waterproof on-off switches on each pad so I can selectively turn some of them off to reduce power consumption if the temperature is only a bit below freezing.

[JonMN]

Thanks for all the replies--this is pretty interesting. For my van (Coachmen 22RB) the fresh and black tanks are technically within the van. But both sit on the van floor, and I'm not sure how much cabin heat would be available to keep them above freezing. Adding heating pads would be quite a project from the looks of it.

The grey water tank is hanging below the chassis so is definitely open to cold air. But the location makes adding heat and insulation pretty easy if I want to.

No winter camping planned yet, so I think the idea of dewinterizing and winterizing at the destination sounds like the way to go.

PS: I'm really happy to find a Class Bforum that's so active! Class B is pretty quiet at most other RV forums.

[RossWilliams]

I live on the Iron Range. We winterize in fall and don't de-winterize until we get to warmer southern climes, usually in February. We usually get back in early April and winterize again before getting back. The location depends on weather and finding a dump station that is open in winter.

We have not had a problem finding rv antifreeze at a local auto store or hardware store. But we have mostly been out west where cold weather in the mountains creates a market. It might be hard to find in Louisiana but by the time you get somewhere that has temperatures that would require winterizing its usually available.

We do carry rv antifreeze to use for flushing the toilet. When we winter camp in Minnesota the antifreeze has worked fine. But we make limited use of the toilet since we have yet to find a local dump station on the Range that is open in winter. We underestimated the dilution factor once in New Mexico and ended up with a solidly frozen connection to our macerator. Nothing broke, but we couldn't dump.

[Davydd]

The regional park campground (Carver Reserve Regional Park) 2 miles from our house locks the dumping station when the campground closes in October. Fortunately when returning from winter camping our condo garage complex keeps their dump station open as well as the heated wash stall garage which is generally needed to get dirt and especially salt off. We will miss the annual Tahquamenon Falls Winter Freezout Rally but will be heading out for Texas in February so have to travel in the winter. I aniticipate two days in freezing weather boondocking in going down but we won't winterize.

BTW, if you want to test you winter capabilities the Tahquamenon Falls Rally is a good one. It is organized by Mike Wendland (RV Lifestyle) and it has a Facebook site for the rally. Search "freezeout". The park plows the driveways and the reserved sites with electrical hookups. I don't know whether they do it other than the rally. You make your own reservations on the dates of the rally. We camped at -15F at that rally.

[billn]

I'm in Pa and plan on leaving here on Christmas day to head to southern Texas. We are going to de-winterize on Friday, the day before a cold front comes through. It will be dipping into the teens over night Friday and Saturday nights. I'm going to run heat in the van starting Friday night. We will be leaving very early Sunday. I have a remote thermometer in the van so I can monitor the temps from in the house. Our van is a Xplorer 230 XLW and the water tank and all lines are inside the van. Additionally, I may fire up the water heater a few times to help keep the water in the tank above freezing.

[Boxster1971]

I live in Maryland and winterized a few weeks ago after the first significant freezing temperatures. I plan to travel to Alabama and Florida in February - I’ll dewinterize once we are in warmer climate. Then when I get back home in March I’ll winterize again until it stays above freezing here in Maryland. I’ve been doing this for the last 8 years with no issues.

[avanti]

One of the nice things about using compressed air instead of antifreeze is that "dewinterizing" essentially means "adding water".