Winterizing

[GrayGhost]

Just thought of another question.  I assume that if 4-5 gallons of antifreeze is drawn into the fresh water tank, there would be some residual antifreeze left in the tank after getting the faucets to run "pink".  Rather than leave residual antifreeze in the fresh tank for the season, is there any reason why we shouldn't open the fresh water tank drain and let the excess antifreeze out into antifreeze container(s)?

[Vector - Lanham]

Nice post.  I used this Power Graphite Lube on my locks and I also silicon lubed the hinges on my doors, the basement, etc.  They opened and closed smoother than when i got it from the factory actually.  Keep a rag handy, the graphite/power lube stuff (got at Home Depot) does leave a little dark residue.

There is a valve lube liquid that you pour into your gray and black tanks, i've been meaning to do that, but haven't yet.  Have you done that?  guess it keeps the dump valves in good shape.

Our Ollie is stored in covered storage, but no power.  i'd just gotten the solar stuff on in the middle of the summer. when i stored it I flipped the sea dog breaker and the solar switch, but there was still parasitic power being used (and some of the indicator lights were still on..).  I don't know if that is normal if something was bypassed, guess i'll find out in the Spring.

BTW, did you use the normal hot water heater or get the on-demand variant?  i've been pretty happy w/ my normal hot water heater, but didn't know how those on-demand variants were working out.  i won't be getting a new one for a long time i hope :)

Cool.  thanks.

 

[Vector - Lanham]

I just used my old 25 Gallon Craftsman, i set the regulator around 40, but then i used a rag to form the "seal", figured i'd get 5PSI of blow back (not a NASA-grade calibration move here folks, but i figured life experience counts for a notch or two :) ).  I used a normal air gun attachment (for cleaning off the workbench, and just held the rag around it..props to my deceased father, this is the sort of thing i learned around him as a kid, painting cars for extra cash).

 

But, anyway, nice.  Leanring how these Ollies work is part of the fun (well, electrical isn't my strengh :) ).

 

 

 

 

[KarenLukens]

Instead of using the pink rv antifreeze people also use vodka in place of it inside the lines and have been doing this for decades. Back in the day when we had the old copper lines in our rv's and boats, the rv antifreeze would corrode and react with the copper, so people started using the vodka instead. You won't get a bad after taste with vodka and old sailors would even add green food coloring to it so that you could see when the now green vodka was finished coming out of the lines and the fresh water started. This was all done in the Spring time and thus the green food coloring would add to the fun on Saint Patrick's day when the sailors would line up to flush the water lines in the boats and they would all drink the green vodka until it ran out :)

 

You still want to use the rv antifreeze or coconut oil down the drains and toilet to keep the seals fluid. Our Olli will be finished in February and we will be picking it up shortly after it's ready, so I don't have any hands on experience with an Olli yet but I never had a problem using vodka in my old 1989 Pace Arrow motor home and I didn't need it in the Casita because it drained perfectly on its own. Living in California, we don't get the sub zero temps but it does get down to 10°f at least once or twice sometime during the winter, so the Casita was easy because the lines are straight. I simply drained everything, then lowered the front jack down a few inches and let it set for 4 minutes, then raised it up past level and left it open for the winter with no problems in the 2 winters we owned it. You can probably do the same with Olli but I won't know until I have seen it and tested it in person. You most definitely want to straighten out the shower hoses both inside and out and leave them open to drain. It was removable on the Casita and I just left it off for when we weren't using it. I realize that I'm chiming in really late to this thread but hopefully it will help keep some of that bad taste out of our mouths :)

[ScottyGS]

Reed & Karen,

 

Great Suggestion.... Hope you don't mind if I bypass running the vodka through the plumbing system and just consume it direct from the bottle.  OK... maybe put it in a glass.  :-)

 

Scotty

 

Flying Sea Turtle - Hull # 145

[ScottyGS]

Final Winter Bed Down

 

Yesterday was warm and sunny here in NJ and I took that opportunity to take care of the final bed down for the FST.   We had a lively discussion on avoiding flat spots on tires and I was seriously considering using jack stands to get the tires off the ground.  After reading about other Ollie owners experience and doing a bit of research I decided on the following:

Boards under tires to insulate from the ground temp

Over-inflate tires to 90 psi

Cover the tires

Take just a bit of weight off the  tires with the jack stands

The jacks did a nice job of raising the trailer so I could slide the boards under without having to hitch up.   So, she is all bedded down for a long winter nap.  Next trip should be the Oliver rally in May.  Hope to see many of you there.

 

Scotty

 

And the Flying Sea Turtle, Blue Whale and of course... Donna

[Try2Relax]

I would purchase some white bags to go over those black ones, the heat they can generate during the day can quickly cause moisture build up with a transition to cold night and the sweaty result, to the wheels/caps/hardware may not be pretty come spring.

 

If it's not in an area where you'd worry about them getting stolen, you might just want to get some of the as they would be good for summertime use too. They're what I put on mine.

 

https://www.walmart.com/ip/5375531?wmlspartner=wlpa&adid=22222222228010289231&wl0=&wl1=g&wl2=m&wl3=40839631592&wl4=aud-261800281660:pla-61457140462&wl5=9002340&wl6=&wl7=&wl8=&wl9=pla&wl10=8175035&wl11=online&wl12=5375531&wl13=&veh=sem

[ScottyGS]

They are not plastic bags. They are tire covers. Here is the link.

 

http://www.campingworld.com/shopping/item/elements-black-double-tire-cover-27-29-/84957

 

Would that still cause a problem?   In hindsight I would get either the next size up as these fit a bit too tight or the single tire covers.

 

Scotty

 

 

[Try2Relax]

Oh, my apologies then, looking on a phone they looked like bags, I wouldn't think there would be a problem then as that is what they are designed for, so they should breath. Disregard the earlier post...

[ScottyGS]

No worries Randy.

 

Exchange of information and ideas are what make this forum valuable to all of us.  Appreciate that you took the time to comment.

 

AND... you did give me the thought that white single tire covers may be the way to go next time.  I got these on super sale at CW for about $20 for both.  But, they are a bit small.  Will do for this season, but I will probably replace if / when the next sale goes off at CW.

 

Thanks and have a great New Year.

 

Scotty