Not Winterizing - One Strategy...

[ScottyGS]

We have a large unheated garage that we store our trailer in.  We are in the WNC mountains about 2200 feet asl.  It can get cold here in the winter and we have had a week of night time temps ranging from 13 to 35 degrees.  Previously I have winterized and that was fine.  But.. we are planning a late December into January trip so I did not winterize.  

So, here is my strategy for your consideration if you find yourself in similar circumstances.  

Outside temps dropped to 13 degrees by morning.  The garage temps are usually 15-20 degrees warmer.   A Sensor Push was placed close to the pipes that go to the outside faucet.  All hatches were open and a Delonghi oil filled heater, set to 50 degrees  was placed in the camper.   See photos.  

In the morning this was the result.    Outside Air Temp = 13 degrees.   Inside Garage Temp  = 33 degrees.   Inside camper = 55 degrees.   In the hatch where the outside faucets are = about 42 degrees.   

So, I am thinking this is a pretty good plan going forward and may not winterize again ... Unless I have to be away from home.   If the trailer was stored outside and the inside temp was still holding 42 degrees vs. 13 outside... hmmm... don't know if that would work.   It's going to be about the same temp tonight so I've already set the heater temp up.  

BTW... the Sensor Push is pretty awesome.  Provides a lot of comfort knowing what happened temp wise inside the trailer. 

Happy Camping,

Scotty

 

[jd1923]

Looks good to me @ScottyGS! I just used my compressed air method since we had a full 2 months, no travel plans 'til Feb 1. When it's just a few weeks, I have often set the Oliver furnace (and other RVs) to about the same 50F, leaving beds and basement doors alone. We keep our 30# LP tanks full at all times. Here we only get below zero for a few hours near dawn so very little LP is actually used. I also have a Ruuvi sensor right below the water lines in the rear basement. The Delonghi is a rather safe heater. Your plan looks very good to me. 😂

[ScottyGS]

2 hours ago, jd1923 said:

compressed air method since we had a full 2 months, no travel plans 'til Feb 1. When it's just a few weeks, I have often set the Oliver furnace (and other RVs) to about the same 50F, 

Thanks JD ...  I used to do the compressed air method.  Might go back to it.  I set the furnace to 45 if the trailer will be out below freezing but in the garage  it's not an option.    Happy Camping! 

[Carleton]

Separate topic, but I also use Sensor Push to monitor temps in my Oliver, for both heat and cold, and I've also used their Gateway in other uses so I can monitor remotely. I'm working on a system now for the Oliver w/ a Hotspot so I can do the same. Great product, been using for years.

[Geronimo John]

5 hours ago, ScottyGS said:

We have a large unheated garage that we store our trailer in. 

From Mr. Google:  The record low temperature in Asheville, North Carolina for winter is -16°F, which was recorded on January 21, 1985. This was part of a wave of frigid temperatures that affected much of the state, including Mount Mitchell, which recorded a record low of -34°F.

Scotty Some Observations:  For sure these hatches also should be opened up, as well as the bathroom door.  If you store any liquids in the upper cabinets, they too need to be open.

           

Your above post indicated that you are only one deep in heat sources with the nice oil filled radiator heater.  Suggest setting your Suburban heater to on at a bit lower temp in case you lose power and are away from the area by choice or emergency.

You are making some assumptions that can not 100% of the time for every winter be assumed.   Just one time you  got caught away, or utilities went out you could get into a plumbing nightmare.  On the other hand, the OTT specified winterization process is pretty much an absolute. 

Me personally I would not risk it.  But then some others likely would take the gamble.  I would at least use the air method that JD mentioned so as to reduce the risk.  

One other thought, hopefully you have a sensor point inside the street side rear area where the plumbing problems seem to crop up during Ollie Freeze-ups.

GJ

  

 

[ScottyGS]

23 minutes ago, Geronimo John said:

You are making some assumptions that can not 100% of the time for every winter be assumed.

Hey John,  Thanks for the comments.   Yes.. I did forget some hatches.. will remedy that on colder nights.  And, yes 100% of the time is a big ask.  But, I monitor things pretty closely and adjust accordingly.  The garage even though it's not heated usually stays above freezing.  Last night it was right at that number but only for an hour or two.  Can't run the heater because it's indoors.   And hopefully the power stays on but if not I will have to haul the trailer out and fire up the furnace.... then make a fire in the wood stove to keep the house warm.   If I am away I would winterize, and may wind up doing just that when we get back from our trip in mid January.  

This seemed like the best alternative for short periods and is serving me pretty well.  At least it seem to be manageable so far.   Thanks for the suggestions.. no matter how well we think we plan.. there is always something.  At least the garage is in my back yard so easy to get to if something unplanned for happens. 

Scotty 

[jd1923]

3 hours ago, Geronimo John said:

You are making some assumptions that can not 100% of the time for every winter be assumed.

Please GJ, what you wrote here is not at all related to the premise of the question! No place for fear and weather stats going back 40 years! 🤣

The premise as stated is for the next 3 weeks, while monitoring temp sensors, which have showed a low of 42F to date, is he good ?

My answer is yes, YES, he’s is good! No Ice Age happening’ in the next 3 weeks and if temps get too cold, all @ScottyGS has to do is set the space heater temp up a few degrees! NP.

 

Edited December 6 by jd1923

[topgun2]

9 hours ago, jd1923 said:

No place for fear and weather stats going back 40 years! 

That's what many in the Asheville area sadly said before Helene roared through killing over 100 people. 😢

[Patriot]

Here in the NC in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mtns, we are risk adverse and just spend 15 minutes to winterize. If nothing else, we sure sleep better.

The Truma AquaGo makes winterizing a breeze.  😄🥶

Edited December 6 by Patriot

[Rolind]

I’ve have tried to extend   our “season” to thanksgiving by not winterizing and running the Truma for heat. I quickly found that my anxiety was more expensive than the time and materials it took to winterize. The other issue is the weather and temps you will encounter when you pull out for your late Dec trip.

[Geronimo John]

In June a couple of years ago I was heading to Medford OR.  Stopped at a huge parking area and decided it was a perfect place to spend the night.  it was 74 degrees.

Set up the BBQ and grilled some burgers.  Hit the sack around 9:30 and slept like a log.  Until I woke up at 3:00 and Ollie was 40 degrees inside.  Turned on the heater and looked out in the morning to 4" of snow and 24 degrees.  Sure was glad I had not gone off down a logging road to boondock  Getting back up to the snow machine parking lot would have been dicey. 

Point is, sometimes  we get curve balls tossed into our chili pot!     

[jd1923]

1 hour ago, Rolind said:

The other issue is the weather and temps you will encounter when you pull out...

Just turn your Delonghi heater up to 70F the night before you're leaving.
It's NOT like you're leaving from the Yukon or the Twin Cities!

Am I the only forum member here that is giving @ScottyGS confidence in his extremely thoughtful plan? (Yes)

You guys with your pink stuff, I've never have used it and never will. Lately most of you have found your winterizing is signaling your CO Monitor! 🤣 Really? You can do better.

Big Pharma, Big Food, Big Chemical, Big Gov, we don't use ANY of it, although we are stuck with the last one! Hopefully much of that is corrected soon!

Scotty, God Bless you and your family and Merry Christmas. Let us know later that all was fine. Have a great trip!

Edited December 7 by jd1923

[ScottyGS]

Having a grand old time reading all the posts.   No need for controversy.   Not even seeking advice... although I always appreciate the comments and alternate views from the brain trust.  This was just one strategy for keeping the pipes from freezing in some very particular circumstances.    I thought to share it in case someone was in similar circumstances and would benefit.  
I do have one observation for everyone  that read this post and took a look at the picture I attached.   NOT ONE OF YOU! ...   Not one...   Not even me and I took the picture...    Noticed what was lurking outside the window of the trailer.   Look again! 

Scotty

[Geronimo John]

On 12/6/2024 at 1:56 PM, Rolind said:

I’ve have tried to extend   our “season” to thanksgiving by not winterizing and running the Truma for heat. I quickly found that my anxiety was more expensive than the time and materials it took to winterize. The other issue is the weather and temps you will encounter when you pull out for your late Dec trip.

For sure on both accounts! 

For an hour of my RoF time, and about $7 dollars of RV antifreeze, I can easily do the full monte winterize.  At what someone is willing to pay for my time, say $2 an hour or one of Art's fantastic home brew's (Priceless), it would only take two hours of anxiety caused sleep loss to amortize my time and materials rate. 

But for me, and many of those reading this, our anxiety is worth less than five minutes of time to cover the cost.  Especially if we pull in to our boondock heaven, and CINC - House is stepping into the bathroom for a hot shower for happy time to follow.  But she discovers our tanks are empty due to a frozen pipe the night before thawing. 

Now that alone is enough to make a man weep.   😢

So JD go right ahead and gamble you are right every time.  But for me, "I just don't feel that lucky".  LOL~

GJ

Edited December 9 by Geronimo John
Added LOL to clarify that this was all in jest.

[Geronimo John]

5 minutes ago, ScottyGS said:

I do have one observation for everyone  that read this post and took a look at the picture I attached.   NOT ONE OF YOU! ...   Not one...   Not even me and I took the picture...    Noticed what was lurking outside the window of the trailer.   Look again! 

NOW I know why someone would not want to open the barn doors and run the Suburban heater!

LOL.  Well played!

GJ

 

[Ollie-Haus]

This will only be our second winter owning the Oliver in Indiana. Temps here can be all over the map through the winter season. For that reason I thought it would be a fun experiment to install several sensors throughout the camper to have a running data log of seasonal temps in key areas. 
 

I also like the idea of being ready to camp year round, even if locally, if the weather is going to be decent say on holidays. I have winterized both winters at this point, but also leave a heater running in the camper set at around 50 degrees. Our camper sits in the driveway under the Calmark cover, and even when we have experienced temps in single digits and occasionally below zero, the basement spaces have always maintained above freezing with the access covers open. It’s nice if I decide to driveway camp in a snow storm just for the thrill of it, and go out to a relatively warm camper. Turn on the furnace and everything is toasty in 10 minutes.
 

If/when we get the garage modified to make room for the camper inside, I would be very confident in doing as @ScottyGS has described without doing a full winterization. After all. If the power goes off at home in the winter, the house would be as big a concern as the camper, and we have contingencies for that in place. 

BTW, I’m using the Yolink brand of sensors with WiFi hub, and an older IPhone that stays permanently in the Oliver as a hot spot for monitoring. It adds only thirty dollars per month to our phone plan and has proven very reliable for this system. Anyway, my long winded $.02 of saying I like the way @ScottyGS is thinking.

Edit: For anyone interested this is the system we’re using. It’s very effective for the price, and you can add as many sensors as you like. I have seven sensors including the cabin, basements, battery compartment, front under sink, refrigerator and outside under the propane cover. You can export the data every two months if you want to keep a permanent record. 
https://a.co/d/fjmAmBD

Edited December 7 by Ollie-Haus

[Geronimo John]

On 12/5/2024 at 10:44 AM, ScottyGS said:

BTW... the Sensor Push is pretty awesome. 

Many of us RoF's would love a separate (new) thread about this and other systems for monitoring temperature in and around our OTT's.

GJ

[TxMN2020]

Yes, for us son to be owners, it would be a very informative discussion. 
 

[Geronimo John]

18 hours ago, TxMN2020 said:

Yes, for us son to be owners, it would be a very informative discussion

Welcome to the Ollie Family!

[Cameron]

The RUUVI tags work very well. I got four after reading about them on this forum. I have one in the fridge, one in the cabin next to the thermostat, one in the battery compartment and one in the basement. They seem to be very accurate and allow me to know what's going when I'm in the TV or walking around outside.