How to winterize a pop up camper?

[lukenick1]

I have a basic pop up. No toilet/shower or hot water heater. Just a sink with pump. Can I fill the fresh water tank with antifreeze and then turn the faucets on til antifreeze runs out into the sink?

 

[Flametamr]

You have to use special antifreeze for campers. It is pink and sold at Walmart and Camping stores. It is safe to use in drinking water. But they recommend you flush the system very well before use again. It costs about 5 dollars a gallon. That's more than you will need. If you have a holding tank just pour it in and run the faucet until it runs pink and your covered.

 

[North of Mouse]

If you don't care to use antifreeze, you can just blow out the lines and it will be fine. We have a MH now, but haven't used antifreeze in our RV's for several years. It's too expensive for a big rig. My dh just blows out the lines, then puts a small amount of antifreeze in the traps. It is an accepted way to winterize.

 

[lukenick1]

How do you blow out the lines???

 

[TheRustyScupper]

How do you blow out the lines???

Compressed air.

 

[North of Mouse]

How do you blow out the lines???

DH just uses our home air compressor.

 

[iheartpeterpan]

You don't want to fill your fresh water tank with antifreeze, that would take gallons and gallons of the stuff. I just open my fresh water tank valve to drain it, open the lower water valves and leave them open for the winter. Even if there is water remaining in the tank that freezes, it won't hurt anything because there is plenty of room for it to expand.

I just blow out my lines like others have said then pour some antifreeze down the sinks and shower to sit in the traps. If you do want to pump antifreeze into your lines, then I would use a winterizing kit to draw the antifreeze directly into the lines using the pump (not pulling it from the tank).

Like I said I've never done this, just blew out the lines with a compressor. We live in the south where it is not consistently crazy cold though.

 

[loislane]

Sounds about right - just don't forget the hot water heater if you have one. You don't want that to be full of water and freeze up.

For ours, we also scatter Bounce dryer sheets over the bunks and I throw the remains of the Bounce dryer bars under the table, under the sink and in a drawer or two. The fragrance supposedly deters pests. I also fill an egg carton with some moth balls and place it in the center of the pop up when we close it up for the winter. We did this with our old one as well and haven't had issues with mice chewing things.

We also take the battery out and store it inside (in the basement) for the winter.

Finally, we have a large heavy duty tarp that we put over it as it is parked outside, admittedly right next to our garage where it is semi-sheltered, and strap it down tight. Helps protect the A/C unit and just generally add another layer of protection from the elements.

 

[lukenick1]

Sounds about right - just don't forget the hot water heater if you have one. You don't want that to be full of water and freeze up.

For ours, we also scatter Bounce dryer sheets over the bunks and I throw the remains of the Bounce dryer bars under the table, under the sink and in a drawer or two. The fragrance supposedly deters pests. I also fill an egg carton with some moth balls and place it in the center of the pop up when we close it up for the winter. We did this with our old one as well and haven't had issues with mice chewing things.

We also take the battery out and store it inside (in the basement) for the winter.

Finally, we have a large heavy duty tarp that we put over it as it is parked outside, admittedly right next to our garage where it is semi-sheltered, and strap it down tight. Helps protect the A/C unit and just generally add another layer of protection from the elements.

I didn't think you were supposed to cover the pop up with a tarp?

 

[loislane]

I didn't think you were supposed to cover the pop up with a tarp?

I've never heard that, but freely admit there is a whole lot we don't know. I do know that Camping World sells pop up covers - we just had the tarp handy so never bothered to buy a cover. We never used to cover our old one, but our current one has an A/C unit which does need to be covered and protected from the weather. That's the main reason we cover this one.

 

[bama_ed]

I didn't think you were supposed to cover the pop up with a tarp?

lukenick,

I think that advice applies to your standard "big blue" type tarps. The issue is about trapping moisture between the tarp and the trailer and letting it sit there for weeks. Breathable tarps theoretically let the moisture out whereas the big blue types trap moisture and let it "cook" against the trailer for weeks.

Although I don't winterize mine since I store it in an unfinished garage, I've also heard putting a 5-gallon empty paint bucket upside down in the center of the roof under the breathable tarp helps provide enough slant to shed winter rains or melting snows.

Bama Ed

 

[loislane]

That makes sense Bama Ed.

We have a super heavy duty, weatherproof tarp - not the basic blue one - plus between the A/C and the roof racks, the tarp doesn't really sit on the roof anyway. Now I feel better.