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brad plomer · 11-14-2017, 10:27 AM

Hello all. New to us, '04 Jayco Jayflight 31BHDS. Parked in Cottonwood Az without cover. Winter temps occasionally reach freezing or slightly below. I know winterizing is discussed a bunch in posts here but I felt my situation is different enough to warrant a thread.

Will be taking several winter trips to areas that rarely, if ever, experience freezing (southern AZ, Tex, Cali, etc). Don't want to winterize but neither do I want frozen lines. Looking for best cost effective options such as draining and blowing out lines, heat taping, insulating undercarriage???

60sumtin · 11-14-2017, 11:38 AM

Blowing the lines is easiest but if daytime highs are above freezing its unlikely to get cold enough inside at night to freeze the water lines. This is what happens here in the shoulder season and I've never had inside frost issues. Beside you'll likely have the furnace on if you are using it. If you have prolonged day and night temps a few degrees below the freezing point then it would be a good idea to blow things out but other than that you should be good. Pex water lines are quite forgiving when frozen and usually don't burst. ABS drains and the HWT are not.

brad plomer · 11-14-2017, 12:14 PM

TY 60sumtin. Not worried when in use, it's the storage time when heat will not be on. Your post was helpful as day time temps here are very rarely at or below freezing, just early am when it hits coldest and those times are not common. According to what you've said I could drain & blowout lines then run a small interior heater or two when nighttime lows call for freezing.

Dropthejacks · 11-15-2017, 05:18 AM

Antifreeze doesn't cost that much, time you run a heater all the time to prevent freezing you spend more in electricity. If you've installed a winterization kit, it takes what, 5 minutes? I don't think its worth the risks to avoid a simple task, but that's just my opinion. I'll do ours 3-4 times over the course of the winter as we make runs to southern destinations and then back home.

brad plomer · 11-15-2017, 05:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dropthejacks

Antifreeze doesn't cost that much, time you run a heater all the time to prevent freezing you spend more in electricity. If you've installed a winterization kit, it takes what, 5 minutes? I don't think its worth the risks to avoid a simple task, but that's just my opinion. I'll do ours 3-4 times over the course of the winter as we make runs to southern destinations and then back home.

I've heard some complain of the residue taste after anti-freeze but considering we won't be drinking house water you have a good point.

60sumtin · 11-15-2017, 08:24 AM

The anti-freeze is only in the pipes, not the HWT or holding tank so it doesn't take much rinsing to remove any after taste. A bleach solution added to the fresh water tank takes care of it quickly and sanitizes everything in the process.

Dropthejacks · 11-15-2017, 09:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by brad plomer

I've heard some complain of the residue taste after anti-freeze but considering we won't be drinking house water you have a good point.

We just flush the lines with water when we get to our first stop. There isn't any antifreeze in the white tank or water heater, and we've never noticed a residual taste. Generally we use bottled water for coffee, ice, etc.

keymastr · 11-16-2017, 12:07 AM

Don't get the cheap antifreeze made from ethanol and water with a little Propylene glycol. The stuff separates and leaves a waxy plastic layer which is hard to rinse out and tastes terrible for a long time. Get the slightly more expensive stuff which is pure propylene glycol. Rinses easy and does not leave a bad taste or waxy chunks. Also will not dry out seals like the alcohol kind does. The good stuff is about a dollar a gallon more and says good to -75. Cheap stuff says -50.

tuffr2 · 11-16-2017, 05:24 AM

You want to be ready if you get a hard freeze. For those cases just run some heat from the furnace with the cabinet doors open.

Other than that a soft freeze where temps are just below freezing for a few hours then sun comes out and warms things up, the pipes do not freeze in those cases.

renegade · 12-17-2017, 12:30 PM

Use air to blow out your line and leave all faucets open afterwards. I only use RV antifreeze in the sink traps and toilet with some in the black tank so the sludge doesn't dry out if there is any left. No antifreeze in the water heater or drinking water tank or fresh water lines. I have been servicing RV's up here in MN. for 45 years and have never had any problems with freezing.