After Winterizing

Once you have winterized your Roadtrek, then what? You can still travel in your Roadtrek with it winterized and we will have an article about that coming soon. For some, once they have winterized they are putting their Roadtrek "away" until the seasons pass and the warm weather comes again. But can you just winterize and walk away?

The answer is no. There are things that you need to do all winter regarding your Roadtrek. This article will detail winter maintenance.

Check your propane level when you have finally decided that it is time to give the Roadtrek a rest for the rest of the winter. A full propane tank is best during the cold weather. Take it to be filled if it is not full. 

If you have a built in generator, whether gas or propane, that generator needs to be exercised every month. While Roadtrek only recommends 45 minutes of generator "exercise", the company that manufacturers and warranties the generator, Onan Cummings, says that the generator needs to be exercised for two hours a month. The total time that the generator runs from the time it is installed is recorded on the dial that appears on the wall of the Roadtrek with the generator on and off switch. These hours and minutes are reported to Onan Cummings when warranty work is required. I have been told by our service center that if the time on the meter does not equal or exceed the minimum of hours that amount to two hours a month since installation, warranty payment may be refused. So there is more than one reason to exercise the generator properly. And the most important reason is not to make the company happy, but to keep the generator operating properly. Generators work better if they are run often and not allowed to sit without use. This is why "exercising" the generator is required.

During the winter I exercise the Roadtrek generator two hours a month. It is necessary to power at least half of the generator's load capacity when exercising the generator. During the warm months I use the A/C to put this load on the generator, but what should you use when it is cold? If you generator has a 2800 watt capacity, half of that is 1500 watts. Most electric heaters are 1500 watts. I bring a household ceramic electric heater into the Roadtrek during the winter when I am exercising the generator, start the generator, plug in the electric heater and turn it up the thermostat on the heater to high. If it seems that it will get too warm or hot inside the Roadtrek I open the ceiling vent to let some of the heat out as the heater runs. After two hours, all is turned off and the heater comes back into the house until the next month.

Cold weather causes batteries to discharge more quickly. It is important to regularly check the charge level of your coach battery(ies). If the level on the batteries on the wall LED meter shows less than G, it is necessary to charge the batteries. You can do this one of two ways. Drive the Roadtrek for two hours at highway speeds OR plug the Roadtrek into "shore power" at your house for 12 hours. Both will charge both your coach and vehicle batteries. Do not leave your Battery Switch ON when you are not using your Roadtrek. This will drain the batteries in the best weather quickly.

I plug the Roadtrek into shore power for a period of 12 hours on schedule once each month throughout the year. In the winter I check weekly to make sure the batteries have not drained between scheduled charges. 

Some will leave the Roadtrek plugged in to shore power throughout the winter and this is possible as long as you have a Roadtrek with a "smart" charger component (for newer Roadtreks this is part of the 3-way inverter unit). The "smart" charger will charge the batteries until full and then drop back to a "float" charge which will monitor the battery levels and charge when the level drops. AGM maintenance free batteries used by Roadtrek since 2011 are safely charged this way, but wet cell batteries should be checked regularly if left plugged in this way to be sure that the fluid level is not evaporated or boiled away. While Roadtrek states that the engine battery - which is not an AGM battery - will charge without problem this way, if that battery has fluid levels that can be checked they should also be checked regularly. It is better safe by taking a few moments to check the fluid levels, than to be sorry later. (If you have AGM batteries DO NOT open them to check fluid levels.)

As with any motor vehicle it is best not to let it sit for long periods of time without starting the engine. Go out every one or two weeks and start the engine. If you can, take it for a drive.

If you drive the Roadtrek in the winter on roads that have been salted for ice and/or snow, the road salt will do damage to the underside of the van. If you can rinse off the under-chassis with fresh water using a hose. Sometimes, the weather just won't allow this. In that case, as soon as the weather starts to get warm enough to do this, do it. I have seen one Class B owner who places a lawn sprinkler that moves the water back and forth under the van to wash off the salt. After doing one area, he moves the sprinkler back to do the rest.

This is a good time to get to any of the little repairs or modifications that you have been thinking about inside the Roadtrek. You are not going anywhere, it is sitting out there, and you can spend some time inside and get an "RV" fix while you do those things you have been putting off inside the Roadtrek (as long as they are not water related).

How do you remember to do all of this? I do it on a schedule and that schedule is set into my computer's calendar software with reminder alarms. I have an "appointment" with my Roadtrek on the 15th of every month to charge the generator. I have an "appointment" with my Roadtrek on the 28th of every month to plug into shore power. Why the 28th? Not all months have 31 days and February only has 28 unless it is leap year. So, the 28th works for all months. On those days when I turn on the computer, an alarm goes off from the calendar that tells me its Roadtrek Day. With computer calendars easy to sync with smartphones, the reminder comes up on my phone on those days as well.

With all of this your Roadtrek will be ready for you to get going without difficulties in the Spring!

WINTERIZING YOUR ROADTREK - STEP BY STEP

I have written two other articles about winterizing the Roadtrek - Winterizing the Roadtrek and Winterizing Observations. Many of our readers have used both of these articles successfully to winterize their own Roadtrek. Looking over both articles and just completing our second winterizing experience on our own, I felt that what is needed is one article that puts the entire process in one place and definitively goes through the process in simple to follow steps. The basic process applies not only to all Roadtreks similarly equipped, but also all RVs and many trailers. There is no mystery to winterizing unless you have never done it before. With this article anyone should be able to winterize their Roadtrek and in no more than two hours - most likely a lot less. Remember that this is STEP BY STEP IN THE SIMPLEST OF STEPS. Do not let the number of steps you see here overwhelm you or discourage you!

 NOTE: If you have not installed a winterizing valve on your Roadtrek and/or you don't have a winterizing hand pump, Just pour the RV antifreeze into your EMPTY front (exterior) fresh tank and just use your water pump to put the RV antifreeze through the plumbing and fixtures. 

IF you just have the winterizing hand pump you can use that to do the entire process. It just takes two to do this - one inside the turn on and off the water fixtures and one outside with the pump and the RV Antifreeze bottle to pump. 

THIS IS A CHANGE TO WHAT TYPE OF RV ANTIFREEZE TO USE (SEPTEMBER 2024). IT HAS RECENTLY COME TO MY ATTENTION THAT RV ANTIFREEZE THAT IS ETHANOL BASED MIX OR FULLY ETHANOL IS NOT GOOD FOR THE SEALS IN THE TANKS OR THE TOILET. IT IS RECOMMENDED TO USE RV ANTIFREEZE THAT IS PROPYLENE GLYCOL BASED.  PROPYLENE GLYCOL RV ANTIFREEZE IS SAID TO BE GOOD FOR THE SEALS AND LUBRICATES THEM. MANY OF THE BOTTLES OF RV ANTIFREEZE SOLD ARE A COMBINATION OF THE TWO BUT APPARENTLY THAT DOES NOT HELP WITH THE MAJORITY OF ETHANOL THAT IS IN THE MIX. I HAVE SEARCHED LOCALLY FOR WHO CARRIES PROPYLENE GLYCOL RV ANTIFREEZE AND FOUND THAT HOME DEPOT CARRIES  THIS PROPYLENE GLYCOL RV ANTIFREEZE:

PRIME GUARD 128 FL OZ PG FORMULA AND GLYCERIN FREE  MINUS 50 DEGREE F RV ANTIFREEZE

IT IS MORE EXPENSIVE THAN THE ETHANOL BASED ANTIFREEZE AT VARIOUS RETAILERS. CURRENTLY IT IS SELLING FOR $7.98 A BOTTLE.  HOME DEPOT ALSO HAS A ETHANOL BASED RV ANTIFREEZE FROM THIS SAME COMPANY - DO NOT BUY THAT. TO AVOID PROBLEMS WITH THE TANK SEALS I AM SWITCHING TO PROPYLENE GLYCOL RV ANTIFREEZE FOR WINTERIZIING. (I am in no way related to this RV Antifreeze company or Home Depot and am not receiving anything in return for mentioning this product.)

THERE IS A RELATED CHANGE IN THE INSTRUCTIONS SECTION ABOUT WHAT TO USE TO KEEP YOUR TOILET BOWL FLUSH SEAL MOIST WHEN WINTERIZING. PLEASE LOOK FOR THAT. IT WILL ALSO BE IN RED.

 

To start, here is a list of what you will need to follow this process and as I go through the steps I will explain alternatives for some of these items. There are some that you must have.

WHAT YOU MUST HAVE BEFORE YOU START:

 -  THREE (3) BOTTLES OF RV ANTIFREEZE (Pink, non-toxic and drinking water safe)

 -  RATCHET SOCKET WRENCH with 1 -1/16" SOCKET (For Roadtrek SUBURBAN Water Heater)

WHAT YOU SHOULD HAVE BEFORE YOU START:

-   CAMCO WATER PUMP CONVERTER WINTERIZER KIT

This is permanently installed between the pipe coming from your fresh water tank and your water pump. Here it has been installed on the intake side of the water pump filter strainer (which on my Roadtrek was moved by service to make room to install the winterizing kit - the brass valve that you see here). Some older Roadtreks do not have room for this valve to be installed. It is possible to make room by adding pipe to the intake side of the water pump as was done here bringing the connection to the floor. A service center can install this for you and make it fit. If no modifications are required for space at your water pump this is an easy DIY install with full instructions included with the kit.

-   PLASTIC WINTERIZING HAND PUMP KIT

This is distributed by several RV accessories companies. They are all the same with the exception of color. If you cannot install the water pump converter above you can winterize with just this. With the pump converter, you will also want this as you will see in the winterizing steps below.

-  8" ADJUSTABLE WRENCH
The wrench is to remove and replace the cap on the water pump converter valve as shown above.

 Before you begin here is one preliminary step - 

CLEAN THE FLOOR OF YOUR ROADTREK AROUND THE SHOWER DRAIN TO AVOID ANY DIRT GETTING WASHED INTO YOUR WASTE TANK.

NOW - You are ready to BEGIN!

1. IF YOU HAVE A 190 OR 210 (Models with two fresh water tanks) MAKE SURE YOUR TANKS ARE SET TO SUMMER MODE. 

2. OPEN THE INSIDE SHOWER DRAIN BY REMOVING THE DRAIN SCREEN/PLUG. For an aisle shower remove the plate on the aisle floor and the shower drain is inside. For the permanent bathroom, remove the shower drain screen/plug from the floor.

3. OPEN ALL FAUCETS INSIDE AND OUTSIDE. FLUSH TOILET.  Water pump OFF! Put your inside shower head down on the floor right at the drain to catch the water that will come out. Remove any water filters that you may have on your faucets first.

4. DUMP YOUR WASTE TANKS - BLACK AND GREY. Flush your black tank with clean water to full and dump again.  For convenience this can be done at the end of your last camping trip of the season. As long as it is done before you start winterizing.



5. REMOVE THE FRESH WATER TANK FILL CAP(S) IN THE DOOR FRAME(S).

6. DRAIN YOUR FRESH WATER TANK(S). Newer Roadtreks have a cap on a drain under the chassis at the rear, lower corner of the driver's door that must be unscrewed and removed. Some older Roadtreks will have a turn valve in the same location. Other older Roadtreks have other methods to drain the fresh water tank. For 190's and 210's, the rear interior tank will drain into the front exterior tank with the outside drain if your are set to Summer Mode as per Step 1. WAIT FOR ALL OF THE WATER TO DRAIN OUT. This may take some time. It will come to a slow drip and then stop. If you want to be sure, leave the drain open for 24 hours or more to allow the inside of the tank to dry out.

7. CLOSE ALL FAUCETS INSIDE AND OUT.

8. CLOSE THE FRESH WATER TANK DRAIN.

9. KEEP THE FRESH WATER TANK CAP(S) OFF FOR A FEW DAYS TO ALLOW THE TANKS TO DRY OUT BEFORE PUTTING THEM  BACK INTO THE DOOR FRAME(S) HOLE(S).

10. OPEN THE HOT WATER HEATER OUTSIDE PANEL. Turn the white plastic ring so that it matches the slit and grab the top of the panel pulling up and out.

11. OPEN THE HOT WATER PRESSURE RELEASE VALVE. This is the small handle in the middle of the photo above on the top of the compartment. Pull up gently on the metal handle. STEP BACK AND OUT OF THE WAY! Water will come rushing out with some force. Leave this open. Wait for the water to stop coming out before going to the next step.

12. OPEN THE HEX HEAD BOLT USING THE 1 1/16" SOCKET AND RATCHET WRENCH. This is seen in the exact middle of the bottom of the compartment in the photo above. This will be hard to turn at first. This hex bolt is the head of the ANODE ROD. Once completely loose pull out the Anode Rod by pulling out the head of the bolt you just turned open. ALL OF THE WATER WILL RUSH OUT OF THE HOT WATER HEATER. YOU JUST DRAINED THE HOT WATER HEATER TANK. SOME WATER WILL REMAIN IN THE BOTTOM OF THE HOT WATER TANK. Y9U CAN LEAVE THIS OR LEAVE IT OPEN FOR A FEW DAYS TO LET IT DRY OUT.

13. INSPECT THE ANODE ROD FOR CONDITION. It's purpose is to corrode. If it's diameter is less than a pencil it needs to be replaced. Replace with a new one now or make a note to replace when you de-winterize.  THIS IS A GOOD TIME TO FLUSH THE HOT WATER TANK OF ALL SEDIMENT - FOLLOW THIS ARTICLE TO SEE HOW.

14. REPLACE THE ANODE ROD AND TIGHTEN IT IN WITH THE SOCKET WRENCH. Use Teflon pipe tape or pipe sealant paste on the threads of the hex bolt.

15.  CLOSE THE PRESSURE RELIEF VALVE BY JUST GENTLY PUSHING IN THE HANDLE YOU PULLED OUT.

16. REPLACE THE HOT WATER HEATER PANEL. Put the bottom in first lining up the two points on the bottom frame with the two holes in the door. Push in with the plastic ring going through the slot. TURN THE PLASTIC RING TO LOCK.

GO INSIDE THE ROADTREK 

17.  BYPASS THE HOT WATER HEATER. Newer Roadtreks have three valves on pipes in the middle of the hot water tank inside in a cabinet. The hot water tank is covered in foam and is easy to identify. Older Roadtreks may have one valve. Roadtrek Ranger's have a very different process to drain the hot water tank and there is only one valve for the bypass.

You see above the three valves that you need to turn to bypass the water heater. The foam box behind the pipes is the hot water tank. There is a valve on the top pipe, one on the down (middle) pipe, and one on the bottom pipe. In this photo these valves are in NORMAL HOT WATER USE POSITION. TURN THEM IN THEIR OTHER DIRECTION and you have bypassed the hot water heater!   What you are doing is closing the valves on the top and bottom pipes and OPENING the valve on the down pipe. This is a bit confusing, but if you think about what you are trying to accomplish - cutting off water from the hot water tank and sending water around it, it starts to make sense as that down pipe once opened will send water around the closed connections. When in bypass water still comes out of the hot water faucets - it will just be COLD water - and that is what is should be when the hot water heater is bypassed.

18. PLUG IN YOUR ROADTREK OR TURN ON YOUR GENERATOR IF YOUR COACH BATTERIES ARE NOT FULLY CHARGED. You will now be using your water pump and you don't want to run out of battery power. If your batteries are charged, just use your batteries. TURN ON YOUR BATTERY DISCONNECT SWITCH.

19.  TURN ON YOUR WATER PUMP WITH THE SWITCH ON THE WALL.

20. OPEN AND CLOSE ALL FAUCET HANDLES INCLUDING THE SHOWER HOT AND COLD AND FLUSH THE TOILET UNTIL NO MORE WATER COMES OUT. The water pump may run on because it is now sucking air from the empty fresh water tanks.

21. TURN OFF THE WATER PUMP WITH THE SWITCH ON THE WALL. 

22. OPEN THE TOILET LID AND POUR ONE HALF GALLON OR MORE OF ANTIFREEZE INTO THE TOILET AND FLUSH IT DOWN INTO THE BLACK TANK. Doing this step now prevents the loss of antifreeze that you put into the toilet lines if you do this step later. This is to keep the black tank wet all winter with antifreeze so that it does not dry out and also puts antifreeze in that you will use later to protect the macerator. Do this even if you don't have a macerator. 

GO OUTSIDE THE ROADTREK

23. CONNECT THE HOSE ON THE ANTIFREEZE HAND PUMP ONTO THE CITY WATER INLET CONNECTION. Make sure that the CITY WATER VALVE IS SET TO USE WATER AND NOT TO FILL THE FRESH TANK(S).

24. SOMEONE NEEDS TO GO INSIDE THE ROADTREK TO THE SINK FAUCET, WHILE YOU STAY AT OUTSIDE WITH THE HAND PUMP. Open a door or a window or use a walkie-talkie so that the two of you can communicate.

25. PERSON INSIDE OPEN THE SINK FAUCET ALL THE WAY TO COLD.

26. PUT THE OTHER END OF THE HAND PUMP INTO AN OPEN, FULL ANTIFREEZE BOTTLE.

27. PUMP THE HAND PUMP UNTIL THE PERSON INSIDE SEES PURE PINK ANTIFREEZE COMING OUT INTO THE SINK FROM THE FAUCET. As soon as the person sees pink antifreeze and no water coming out and tells you, they should CLOSE THE FAUCET and YOU STOP PUMPING.

28. REMOVE THE HAND PUMP FROM THE CITY WATER HOSE CONNECTION. The pump is full of antifreeze and will spill so get both ends of the hose into the bottle quickly and empty the pump. 

29. CAP THE CITY WATER HOSE CONNECTION IF YOU HAVE A CAP.

GO INSIDE THE ROADTREK YOU ARE FINISHED WITH THE HAND PUMP. YOU HAVE JUST PROTECTED THE CITY WATER HOSE VALVE AND THE PIPES THAT GO INSIDE THE ROADTREK.

YOU ARE NOW GOING TO USE THE WATER PUMP CONVERTER VALVE. IF YOU DO NOT HAVE A WATER PUMP CONVERTER VALVE INSTALLED YOU CAN USE THE HAND PUMP BY FOLLOWING THE NEXT STEPS WITH THE HAND PUMP STILL CONNECTED AND ONE PERSON INSIDE AND ONE PERSON OUTSIDE PUMPING ANTIFREEZE INTO THE PLUMBING USING THE HAND PUMP.

30. REMOVE THE WATER PUMP CONVERTER VALVE CAP. You may need the 8" adjustable wrench to do this if the cap is on tight. 

31. CONNECT THE WATER PUMP CONVERTER VALVE ANTIFREEZE HOSE TO THE VALVE BY SCREWING IT ON WHERE YOU REMOVED THE CAP.

32. OPEN THE VALVE. Turn the brass valve to point toward the antifreeze hose (across the valve).

33. PUT THE END OF THE HOSE INTO THE ANTIFREEZE IN THE BOTTLE.

34. TURN ON THE WATER PUMP.

35. TURN ON THE KITCHEN SINK FAUCET TO COLD ALL THE WAY. In a few moments the pump will pull the antifreeze from the bottle and into the water pump, through the pipe and out the kitchen sink faucet.

36. TURN OFF THE FAUCET WHEN YOU SEE PURE PINK ANTIFREEZE ONLY COMING FROM FAUCET INTO THE SINK. First there may be a burst of air, then maybe, but unlikely water, and then antifreeze with some water, and then pure pink antifreeze. Let it go down the sink drain.

37. REPEAT STEPS 35 AND 36 FOR THE

                      KITCHEN SINK HOT WATER

                      INSIDE SHOWER COLD WATER

                      INSIDE SHOWER HOT WATER

                      OUTSIDE SHOWER HOT WATER

                      OUTSIDE SHOWER COLD WATER
                    

      IF YOU HAVE A PERMANENT BATH WITH A SINK THAT IS NOT THE SAME FAUCET AS THE SHOWER FAUCET:

 

                      BATHROOM SINK HOT WATER

                      BATHROOM SINK COLD WATER

                       QUICKLY OPEN AND CLOSE THE HOT WATER HEATER BYPASS VALVES TO ALLOW A LITTLE RV ANTIFREEZE TO FLOW INTO THE VALVES TO PROTECT THOSE. CLOSE THOSE VALVES ALMOST IMMEDIATELY!

38. FLUSH THE TOILET AND HOLD THE VALVE OPEN UNTIL YOU SEE PURE PINK ANTIFREEZE COMING INTO THE TOILET.

39. ALLOW SOME ANTIFREEZE TO REMAIN IN THE TOILET COVERING THE RUBBER FLUSH FLAP/DOOR. If there is none remaining after you flushed the antifreeze, then just pour some from an antifreeze bottle into the toilet and let an inch or so sit over the flush flap.

**** UPDATE/ADD IN -

Having followed my own directions for several years now to winterize my Roadtrek, I have found one step that needs to come at THIS POINT and not later. That step is winterizing the macerator pump. IF YOU DO NOT HAVE A MACERATOR SKIP NOW RIGHT TO STEP 49. IF YOU DO HAVE A MACERATOR, do these steps NOW.


40. POUR A HALF GALLON OF ANTIFREEZE INTO THE KITCHEN SINK DRAIN. This is to put some antifreeze into the Grey Tank.

41. TURN OFF THE WATER PUMP. LEAVE THE SETUP WITH THE A/F BOTTLE AND THE WINTERIZING VALVE IN PLACE.

 GO OUTSIDE THE ROADTREK

41. PREPARE TO DUMP THE BLACK TANK WITH THE MACERATOR.

42. POINT THE MACERATOR HOSE INTO A BUCKET AND OPEN THE BLACK TANK VALVE. RUN THE MACERATOR UNTIL PURE PINK ANTIFREEZE COMES OUT. 

43. REPEAT STEP 42, BRIEFLY OPENING THE GREY TANK VALVE. 

44. STOP AND PUT AWAY THE MACERATOR HOSE.

YOU HAVE JUST PROTECTED THE MACERATOR.    

 GO INSIDE THE ROADTREK

45. GO TO THE TOILET AND OPEN THE TOILET FLAP. POUR AT LEAST ONE HALF GALLON OF RV ANTIFREEZE DOWN THE TOILET INTO TH BLACK TANK. When you push the flush pedal you may see pink antifreeze coming from the toilet water opening even though the water pump is OFF. This is OK. This is the antifreeze sitting in the toilet valve and pipe under pressure. We will replace that NEXT.
 

46. TURN ON THE WATER PUMP AND GO BACK TO THE A/F BOTTLE AND WINTERIZING VALVE. MAKE SURE THE HOSE IS IN THE BOTTLE.

47. HAVE YOUR PARTNER PUSH DOWN THE TOILET PEDAL ALL THE WAY UNTIL PINK ANTIFREEZE FLOWS STEADILY OUT OF THE TOILET WATER OPENING INTO THE BOWL AND DOWN INTO THE BLACK TANK. STOP (FOOT OFF THE PEDAL) AS SOON AS IT FLOWS.  

48. CHANGED STEP --- 9/2024 -  WE NOW NEED TO KEEP THE RUBBER SEAL IN THE BOTTOM OF THE TOILET BOWL MOIST FOR THE WINTER.  IN THE SUMMER WE DO THIS WITH WATER. FOR THE WINTER I RECOMMEND THAT YOU GET THIS PRODUCT - OR USE THE PROPYLENE GLYCOL RV ANTIFREEZE THE PRODUCT I AM RECOMMENDING FOR THIS STEP IS THETFORD TOILET SEAL LUBRICANT AND CONDITIONER. THIS USE IS RECOMMENDED ON THE BOTTLE IN ADDITION TO THE OTHER THINGS IT IS USED FOR WITH THE TOILET SEAL. PER THE BOTTLE POUR 1/4 OF THE CONTENTS OF THE BOTTLE (6 OUNCES) ONTO THE TOILET FLAP AT THE BOTTOM OF THE BOWL WITH THE BLACK RUBBER RING AROUND ITS EDGE.  THIS WILL COVER THE FLAP UP TO THE TOP OF THAT INDENT IN THE BOWL.  IF YOU USE THE RV ANTIFREEZE INSTEAD THEN PUT 6 OUNCES OF THAT ON THE SAME WAY.  THIS PRODUCT IS NOT EASY TO FIND LOCALLY.  IT CAN BE FOUND ONLINE. IF THERE IS AN RV DEALER WITH A PARTS SHOP TRY CALLING THEM TO SEE IF THEY HAVE IT. I TRIED TWO - ONE DID NOT AND THE OTHER WAS ABLE TO GET IT FOR ME THE NEXT DAY TO COME AND PICK UP. (I am in no way related to the Thetford company and I am not receiving anything in return for mentioning this product.)

 

*49. TAKE THE HOSE OUT OF THE ANTIFREEZE BOTTLE.

50. TURN ON THE KITCHEN SINK AND LET ANTIFREEZE RUN OUT INTO THE SINK.

51. TURN OFF THE WATER PUMP.

52. TURN THE WATER PUMP CONVERTER VALVE HANDLE TO POINT TOWARD THE WATER PIPE (AS SHOWN IN THE PHOTO ABOVE). 


53. UNSCREW THE HOSE FROM THE WATER PUMP CONVERTER VALVE.

54. PUT THE CAP BACK ON THE WATER PUMP CONVERTER VALVE. Make sure the cap is on tight. Use the wrench but don't over tighten. You want to be sure that no air can leak into your water pump plumbing from here when you go to use your Roadtrek next Spring. 



55. POUR A CUP OF ANTIFREEZE SLOWLY INTO THE KITCHEN SINK DRAIN TO FILL THE TRAP.

56. POUR A CUP OF ANTIFREEZE SLOWLY INTO THE SHOWER DRAIN TO FILL THE TRAP.

57. PUT THE SHOWER DRAIN STRAINER/CAP ON BUT LEAVE IT LOOSE.

58. IF YOU DON'T HAVE A MACERATOR AND DID NOT DO THIS STEP ABOVE, POUR SOME ANTIFREEZE INTO THE TOILET TO COVER THE TOILET FLAP AT THE BOTTOM OF THE BOWL TO KEEP IT FROM DRYING OUT OVER THE WINTER.

59. TURN OFF THE BATTERY SWITCH ON THE WALL!

60. IF YOU PLUGGED IN FOR POWER UNPLUG OR TURN OFF THE GENERATOR.

61. IN A FEW DAYS, PUT THE DOOR FILL CAP(S) BACK INTO THE HOLE(S). 

 YOU HAVE JUST WINTERIZED YOUR ROADTREK!

 
When you are going to winterize your Roadtrek print these step by step directions out and cross off each step as you complete it. This will be far better than trying to use a checklist with brief and confusing wording of items. Here you have it complete and simple. 

If you do not wish to use the "toys" that make this job simple as shown in the photos at the beginning, you could just pour gallons and gallons of antifreeze down into the fresh water tank and let the water pump bring it out and into the pipes following the steps above. This method uses far more antifreeze than is necessary. With my directions you will not need more than three gallons of antifreeze, maybe less. I would rather not have the antifreeze in the tanks for my drinking water. Yes, it is in the pipes and is is non-toxic, but why have all of that antifreeze sitting in your fresh water tank(s) all winter.

Do not be concerned about the fresh water tank(s). If there is any water left in the bottom of the exterior tank at all it will be so little that it can cause no problems in a freeze. The problems come when water freezes in small places such as pipes and valves. The water when it freezes expands and has no room to go so the pipe or valve bursts. The large tanks have plenty of room for water expansion as long as they are as near empty as possible. In all of those small places you have replaced the water with antifreeze!


If you plan to travel with your Roadtrek winterized, NEVER TURN ON THE HOT WATER HEATER SWITCH. Doing so on an empty hot water tank will burn out your hot water heater and can be very dangerous. There is a wire cable coming out from the top of the foam tank that connects with a small circuit board plug to a socket on the wall to the front right of the hot water tank. By pulling that plug gently out you will prevent the hot water wall switch from operating. Just remember that you did this when you de-winterize.

Don't forget that you still need to go into your Roadtrek all winter. You must run the generator under load (in the winter this means connect an electric heater to put the half load needed on the system) for two hours every month to keep it running properly.Start the Roadtrek engine. Take a drive, but avoid roads with salt for ice and snow as the salt will corrode the under carriage and what is located there of your Roadtrek

An RV shop will charge you $50 or more to do what you just did for the price of three bottles antifreeze, a one time only investment in the water pump converter valve and the antifreeze hand pump, and less than two hours of time. The actual process goes quickly. It is the moving from spot to spot, getting things out and putting things away that take most of the time.


 

 

Our Most Recent Roadtrek Trip

I have not written about our trips in the Roadtrek for awhile. We have taken three trips since our Fourth of July week trip that I chronicled in 8 parts and perhaps the length of that article has been a factor in why I have stayed away from trip articles - and perhaps because the how to articles are much more popular. Since Fourth of July, we took a trip of 16 days in August, a trip of three days in September, and our most recent trip was for my wife's birthday at the end of August which we almost did not take (and perhaps shouldn't have).

This last trip was planned for months. We were going to Lancaster, PA which is our home away from home. We have been going to Lancaster for our birthdays since we got married so many years ago. Because of when my birthday falls, we can't take the Roadtrek as it is still winterized and while we could go "waterless", we just do a car trip for the day and back.  We don't travel overnight any other way than with the Roadtrek. Meryl's birthday is Halloween - and that is the reason why our birthday trips started. Meryl hates that her birthday is Halloween. When other kids had birthday parties with colorful balloons and festive decorations, Meryl's birthday was filled with orange and black, witches and goblins, and a party that involved trick or treating. I can't blame her for not liking this and it was never her idea to do this but something her parents decided would be "nice" - every year. Yes, there are somethings that one can honestly blame the parents for. (They meant well, but just didn't ask or hear when displeasure was expressed about the annual "celebration".) Anyway, since we have been together I have tried to provide Meryl with a birthday without Halloween and that has not been easy. When we were first together, I would take Meryl out for dinner on her birthday and no matter how nice or fine a restaurant I picked, inevitably we would walk in and a witch would take our coats and a zombie would come over to be our waiter. I recall one such dinner in what at the time was considered a "very fine" restaurant that our waiter had body pieces hanging from him and was well covered in stage blood. That was it for trying to find a place to go for her birthday around here. One thing that has been almost certain (though in recent years this as not been as certain as it once was) in Lancaster is that this Amish/Mennonite religious community downplays Halloween - and we both enjoy just being there no matter what time of the year it is. We have to date never encountered a restaurant among the many local restaurants that we go to there with any employee in costume or decorated beyond a Fall theme for Halloween. So this is where we spend Meryl's birthday. Last year this trip was cancelled thanks to Tropical Storm Sandy which hit our area hard and prevented travel anywhere from here.

This year there was a different type of problem. I got sick a few weeks before we were scheduled to go and then Meryl caught it and she was sick just before we were supposed to go. She was hacking and coughing so bad and was so congested that I knew we should not be going on the trip - and she agreed. We decided that since we could cancel the campground reservation right to the day before, we would wait and see how she.. and I... were feeling. As usual with our trips the weather was not cooperating and the end of the week that we were to be away it was going to rain. That added another complication - and I certainly not want either of us outside at the end of the trip having to do all that we need to do to dump the tanks,  etc in the pouring rain. It was looking pretty much that we were not going. It was Monday, Meryl was still congested and hacking and coughing - and I was not too much better myself - and we were to leave in two days. We talked about it again. The next three days were supposed to be good weather. The trip was set from Wednesday through Saturday. Friday and possibly Saturday there was to be heavy rain. Meryl suggested that we call the campground right away and ask if we could arrive a day earlier - Tuesday, the very next day. We would then leave on Thursday which was Meryl's birthday and spend the day there before driving home after dinner that night. Unfortunately, this idea did not come up until 4 pm that day. We called the campground and got the answering machine saying the office was closes at 5 p (but it was just after 4). We called several times and then just left a message asking that someone would call us back. We went out at 5 pm and started to do what we need to do before we can leave on a trip - fill the water tanks, make the bed, and pack the cabinets with what we will need that comes from the house. And we would do this with both of not wanting to get the other one sicker. It was a joint effort with Meryl avoiding breathing on whatever I would use. I thought to myself, what was the difference since for the next three days we would be in very tight quarters inside the Roadtrek breathing on each other with the temperatures cold outside. It took a few hours but we were ready to leave in the morning - providing we could then reach the campground to be sure there would a place for us a day early.

It may seem odd to some for us to wonder why a campground would be crowded at the end of October in Pennsylvania, but Halloween is a big campground day all over. When I made the reservation our usual favorite site was booked and I made the reservation months in advanced. No, Halloween week and day is not a day to just expect to drive into any campground that is open - and that is another key - many campgrounds in the North East and Middle Atlantic close for the season in October - some right after Columbus Day and some the day after Halloween. This campground stays open until January. Most others there are closed or will be closed the next week.

We got a call back from the campground the next morning. There was no one in our assigned site that day and we could come on down. Leaving two days early would be no problem. We grabbed our clothes that we packed in clean laundry bags to bring out at the last minute, along with a bag full of cough and flu medications, and were off still hacking and coughing.

The temperatures outside were colder than they had been all month but not below 40 degrees. We had our Fall coats on that convert to winter coats with a lining and we were prepared for the rain if it should come early. We had little traffic driving out off Long Island, out of New York and into New Jersey. It was a delight to see that gasoline in New Jersey on the Turnpike was $3.17 a gallon which was 40 cents less than it was at home. We stopped and filled up as we were not sure what we would find for gas prices in PA which are usually somewhere between the price per gallon in New Jersey and New York (they turned out to be $3.29 - still nice). Anyway, we were on our way despite how we both were physically feeling.

I would love to say that when we reached Pennsylvania and all through the stay we felt wonderful. We probably both got a little worse while we were away. We were out in the cold night air that we would not have been in at home where we had no need to be outside at night. There were pollen alerts in Lancaster (while at home and for some time the pollen counts were zero) and that did not help me any. But despite how we felt we made the best of it - and enjoyed ourselves between the hacking and the coughing.

The Roadtrek gets nice and warm inside with the heat pump (the air conditioner is also a heat pump) and that works as long as the outside temperatures are over 40 degrees F. When we settled in at the campground each night, I put the heat pump on and it warmed down the inside of the Roadtrek fairly quickly. In fact, I had to adjust the thermostat several times to keep the heat off more than it was on because it was getting too hot inside to be comfortable. We rarely turn on the propane, but for the end of October I always turn on the propane when we get settled for the night at the campground. If the temperatures should drop below 40 outside, it will be needed for the furnace, and while we don't need hot water in the summer when the temperature is near 100 and the water in the fresh water tanks get close to that temperature on its won.  we do want hot water in the hot water tank when it is cold outside and the water coming from the sink feels it.

What I did find with the hot water heater on, is that the water in the tank gets VERY hot and the hot water tank is very well insulated. The water about twenty minutes after starting the hot water heater was so hot that it could not be turned on unless mixed with cold water without feeling burned. When I found that, I shut the hot water heater switch off - and the water stayed hot in the tank all night. I suppose that has we used a lot of hot water at one time, then the cold water replenishing it would have needed the hot water heater switch on to reheat it, but every night of this trip we did fine putting the hot water heater switch on for twenty minutes and then shutting it off and the hot water stayed very hot all night and the next morning.

We were able to prop up the pillows enough for both of us to keep the congestion down while we slept. The king bed in the 190 as we have it made up is very comfortable and keeps the warmth in. It is also large enough for us to sleep without breathing on each other. Not an issue when all is well, but we were both still sick. We had an extra blanket for each of us if we needed them but they were not needed. The heat pump stays set to on all night and turns on and off keeping the inside of the Roadtrek nicely warm.

I will not get into what we did and where we went because you have heard most of that about this area before from us. We have a routine that we enjoy when we are here and we go out to all of the places that we enjoy spending time at. The original trip was to include Green Dragon Farmer's Market on Friday and since we would not be in PA on Friday now, and we arrived on Tuesday, we went to Root's Farmers Market, enjoying that instead. I did head into some farm roads, encountered horse and buggies always going up a hill blind to traffic coming up over the other side, and even found a road to get lost on and hoped that I would not encounter anything that the Roadtrek was too large to handle (close but we were fine).

As occurs more often than we would like, this trip was not without a problem with the Roadtrek. On the last night of the trip, I heard the water pump start running very briefly for no apparent reason. I thought perhaps it was topping off the hot water tank as there were no faucets open. A little while later I heard it again and I started to investigate checking that the sink faucet was completely off and that the toilet was not running. Then I reached around the back of the toilet where the valve connects to the water pipe and it was wet. The pipe connection was screwed tight. I then felt on the floor behind the toilet and it was wet. We had some things stored on the sides of the toilet and I moved those to find that on one side of the toilet they were wet on the bottom and seemed to have been wet for some time. I then saw the water coming out from under the edge of the toilet where the base meets the floor. This has happened to us once before we we had first gotten the Roadtrek and that time it happened in early October when we had the heat on inside and the hot water heater on as well - same conditions as this. At that time it was a bad toilet valve that needed to be replaced. This time, I started to wonder if it could be condensation but the water pump would not run from condensation. No, very likely the toilet valve was leaking again and would need to be replaced again. I shut down the water pump, mopped up the floor around the toilet that turned out was a lot more water than I had first realized and we spent that last night turning the water pump on only when we needed water and then right off again. What to do about this was the question. We were an hour and a half away from dealer/service and it would be a lot easier to go the next day if they could take us to fix this than to make the whole trip to PA again - in the Spring because as the weather was turning colder I needed to winterize within the next week or so. But the next day was Meryl's birthday and I was not going to have her spend her birthday in the service center waiting room - and besides, the weather report now was changing it was to rain on Thursday as well as Friday now - so this was no time to be outside around dealer/service if this took all day while we were both still sick. We would go home with the leak, winterize, and next Spring make the trip to have the toilet valve replaced - again.  We had had the opposite problem with the toilet valve during our trip in August. The night we arrived the toilet had no water pressure to flush. The toilet valve was clogged and was like that for almost eight days until the clog seemed to work its way through and clear. Another unexpected and unpleasant surprise on what is supposed to be relaxing. We are on a first name basis with the people at the service center. They are wonderful but I really would rather not see them as often as we seem to have to do.

Anyway, Meryl spent her birthday in Lancaster. We went to dinner at one of our favorite restaurants there - Shady Maple Smorgasbord - which on your birthday gives you a free dinner. After dinner we drove through the rain home. All through the trip we had thought that if the weather report had changed we might stay over one additional day on Friday and go to Green Dragon, but all reports were heavier rain on Friday until the mid-afternoon. On Thursday before we left the campground and while the rain had not yet started, we dumped the tanks, filled with water in case we needed water before we got home, and the left for a last day in Lancaster and dinner that night. The rain did not start until almost 4 pm - right on schedule as predicted by weather.com.  Traveling in the Roadtrek when sick is not really that bad but not something that I want to make a regular thing... And when we arrived home, the entire interior of the Roadtrek got a good spraying with Lysol disinfectant.

Fast and Easy Way To Add Shelves to a Roadtrek Wardrobe Cabinet

In our 2011 190 Popular Roadtrek we have a wardrobe cabinet behind the driver's seat. It is set up with an RV "rod" to hang hangers from. Not many articles of clothing will fit in this cabinet if one tries
to hang them on hangers. It is possible to carry a more than a week's clothing in this cabinet by adding shelves.
 

The fastest way to install shelves is to purchase a soft-sided hanging shelf or "cube" unit from a closet or home store. These are found in almost every discount store, department store, linens store, etc. We looked at several before we found one that was going to fit just right inside the Roadtrek cabinet.

One thing to be aware of is that any of these that you buy will be too long for this short cabinet, but that is not a problem. Once inside the excess shelves will fold flat at the bottom. The one we selected, shown in the photo above, fits the width of the cabinet. As you look at the photo, you are seeing the rear dining table leg through the translucent vinyl back of the unit. We don't use the rear dining table, but if you did, it is no problem to get it out past the soft shelves. The unit did not come with the boards that you see on our shelves. I added these. Without the boards the shelves do sag down under the weight of the clothes and will limit the space that you can stack in on the shelf below. All I did was measure the soft bottom of each shelf, and cut out a piece of thin fiber board to those measurements. Now our shelves have solid bottoms.

To use the shelves, just fold and stack your clothes. Everything comes our nice and neat with no wrinkles. And we can put over a week's clothing on the four shelves that you see here.

One thing that made this particular soft shelf unit best were the two hangers that it hangs from. These make it stable in side the cabinet and it does not move around while driving. There is no noise from this unit while traveling - even with the fiberboard shelf bottoms.

We found this unit at Target. We had purchased two others at other stores. This is the only one that had two hangers and the only one that fit the space perfectly.  Some units like this have a soft tube to put around the closet rod - this type will not work with the RV closet "rod".

This method of adding shelves is inexpensive and all it takes to install it is hang it up. If you decide that you want to hang from hangers, all it takes is to take this out and let it fold flat to store.

Now, this works well, but I have been thinking about more permanent shelves in this cabinet. To do that I want to have shelves that are adjustable in height. I also want to be sure that the shelves do not move while the Roadtrek is traveling. With all of the shakes and rattles that you get when driving on even some of the smoothest roads, I don't want to add another source of noise with shelves bouncing with every bump in the road. To do this I have been looking at hardware that would let me sandwich a shelf in-between a top and a bottom clip on each corner. This is not that hard to find and stores like Home Depot and Lowes do sell systems that will let you do this (though they are not intended to use two clips in this way). Since we don't use the rear table we have been considering removing it all together and eliminating the pole in this cabinet which would limit the size of the shelves that could be fit in. One option is to cut the shelf around the pole. This is a project on the list of things to do in the Roadtrek "at some point". In the meantime the soft shelves work just fine.