The Blog is Back - RV is DE-Winterized

(Editor's Note: Not an April Fools Joke)

As you look at the home page you will notice the most recent posts I did are gone .... not sure why? A week or so ago I decided to delete my blog, get out of blogville so that is where I've been. At times it bothers me with the amount of personal information that is online. Also soon to be retired the question kept bugging me on how much or how many commitments do I really want after I retire. Will more followers/readers require bogging on a more frequent basis. Would I want unexpected visitors while traveling, like I have read recently on other blogs.

So the easy way was to just delete the blog and forget it. Still there are times I do enjoy writing. It's kind of like a journal for my whole process of "bad brain" thinking and at the same time a source of information for others that are looking for trailer info, towing info, motorhome info and traveling with dogs. So maybe all of my gibberish may help someone in the future if it hasn't already.

As of today and for the future the blog is back and I'll try to blog on a regular basis. I just find it hard to post since the weather has FINALLY changed for the best here in the Midwest plus I am not traveling yet.

So there are many days I don't have anything I feel would be interesting to my readers to put on the blog.

Last Saturday it rained most of the morning with a good weather forecast tarting last Sunday. My 10 day forecast looked like the over night freezing temps were over for the year, so I decided to de-winterize the RV.

Since I have been paying for road side service via insurance (too high), I decided to call and have them come out and repair the flat tire I had from sitting in the winter. I am glad I did because the lug wrench would not have worked. He used an impact wrench to get the lug nuts off and had the spare installed with the valve extensions, without a problem. He then aired up the flat tire because I had told him it sounded as if the loss of air was from the extended valve. 24 hours later the tire still the full amount of air in it, so it is a bad extended valve that caused the flat.

Sunday I started early with the de-winterizing process and It took less time than the process of winterizing. Then I pulled the chalks, fired it up, headed down the narrow drive with just enough room to miss the corner of my house and headed to the local air pumps to bring the tires up to the required weight. I took about a 12 mile test drive and the rig rode smooth and quiet. I wanted to keep going without going back to the house, it was that enjoyable.

So the blog is back, the rig is ready to hit the road and the weather has been great for a change.

Just Sitting Winterized and a Flat Rear Tire

How many have changed their own flat tire on a Class C?

All of my tires were filled to 65lbs in November, the day I winterized the rig. Since November, temperature highs have ranged from low 40's to -9. After a couple of major snow storms with a lot of snow stacked on top of the Coachmen, I would check the inside for leaks, water stains on the walls or any water drops on the floor ... all good, nothing leaking.

Luckily the flat tire is on the outside. I put in around 30lbs of air but when I turned off my air compressor I thought I heard a hissing sound. Within 15 minutes that 30lbs of air was gone.

I have some blocks of wood to set my 6 ton jack on, I do have a spare tire fully aired but the ground was already saturated from the melted snow and it's been raining all afternoon and tonight with another snow storm predicted tomorrow.

It could be another week before the weather breaks before I can attempt the tire change.

Low Temps and Lots of Snow

Winter came early this year to the "tropics" of Southern Indiana. Consistently 12" of snow.

At least we were warned and there were no surprises, except for one.

Last summer/fall, when I was downsizing and taking all kinds of stuff to the goodwill I really thought I'd be out of here by November 15 and snow boots were no longer needed. So this past Saturday I was buying some very nice boots to keep the feet warm and dry as I worked removing snow. The mail carrier will not deliver mail unless he has a cleared path for him, on the shoulder of the road to the mailbox. Also the Basset Hounds have a hard time relieving themselves when the snow is deeper than they are tall. So, with a new pair of North Face Snow boots and my handy shovel, Saturday afternoon was spent removing as much snow as possible with more forecasted on Tuesday.

I started a different job a few weeks ago. Same building, same department just a different area but back with the same people I worked with for a couple of years prior to my change in 2013. It's a great change as far as working but I am still planning on retiring in May 2014 and hitting the road. I will have a good system for them to use by the time I leave and that was what they wanted.

I can't say I have any urge to travel this winter. It's the normal "hibernation season" with me, happens every winter. I am sure by the time the weather changes in March I will be ready to get the Coachmen ready for some weekend road trips.

Still reading the blogs from the list on the left, sounds like it is colder than normal everywhere. I see where Chinle had a scare recently while towing her trailer. When she mentions a Class C, I have offered to sell mine to her since she likes it a lot. One issue that prevents it, her Toyota FJ Cruiser does not tow wheels down even with a manual transmission.  Al and Kelly have had some unexpected colder temps in their beautiful house in Arizona.

That is about all from the "tropics" of Southern Indiana". Not a lot going on, more ballgames than I have tv's, more snow than I want and fighting through the annual winter blahs.

Winterized

Recently the temps have been dropping at night to 30 degrees and I no longer wanted to push my luck, with forecasts of 18-25 degrees overnight lows this week before jumping back up to low 40's after that. Typical Indiana weather.

As I read about winterizing and watching YouTube videos this past month, I kept thinking it wasn't that hard of a process. I drove to Bloomington this morning and picked up a pump winterizing kit at a local RV parts and repair shop I found a few weeks ago. That place saved me 150 miles of driving to Camping World in Indy.  I didn't need the whole kit, just the plastic tube and connector to the Antifreeze Connection in the upper right.

I made a few mistakes at first. I didn't drain the fresh water tank because I couldn't find the low point drain valves. Mine were not where all the YouTube videos showed them. I also didn't change the shut off valves on the water heater tank.  Next I had drained my water heater  and adjusted the valves on the Water Works panel that Coachmen has to "make it easier" to winterize with out all the manuals, still I had problems. In my first attempt I had used about a gallon of antifreeze but didn't have any come out of the faucets. I had a pretty good idea where the antifreeze was going but I did not see any coming out of the water heater drain, so I was confused.

I called Coachmen customer service and they took time out of their busy day to find my specific rv model in their computer and then directed me where my low point fresh water valves were. both my fresh water tank and hot water tank is under the bed. Draining the fresh water tank probably took longer than the whole winterizing process.

After that drained I started the process over for feeding the antifreeze into the water system and had the pink stuff running out of the faucets, shower head and toilet. I also pushed the center button of the city water connection outside and had some pink stuff shoot out like it was suppose to.  Just for my own piece of mind I put a little antifreeze in all the sink traps and the toilet.

Since the RV would be sitting on grass for the winter, I bought some leveling blocks and after a few tries got that beast on the blocks centered and off the grass. That yard would become very saturated after the snow and ice melts this winter so the blocks should help keeping the tires off the ground.

Just as I finished and picked up all the tools, empty containers, hoses etc....it started raining....perfect timing. The biggest challenge of the day was getting the bloodhound into the house, she doesn't care that it rains and besides that she was on a scent in the back field and was oblivious to my yelling her name.

So I believe I'm good for the mid-teen temps this winter and single digits.

It took a while but I am glad I figured that out for my own experience. Although I hope this will be the last and only winter I am doing the winterizing process. I still plan to go out on weekend trips but during the winter I will take my own water and revert to my tent camping ways and leave the rv winterized.

Winston's Vet Visit

Winston came out of the vet visit in good shape and some prednisone, 20mg for his back. He had dropped a couple of pounds since last year's check up and shots. He was told he is in great shape for a 9yr old basset. His back problem is just a stage of getting older, maybe tweaked it and is inflamed. The prednisone will calm it down a little bit and then some buffered aspirin after that on a daily basis.

We are hitting record lows tonight in southern Indiana, high 20's. It's times like these I wish I were in warmer country and traveling. The thoughts of Arizona and Borrego Springs Ca always come to the surface when it gets cold.

What do traveler's do to prevent freezing damage while they are traveling and can't winterize their rigs? You could be headed south and hit below freezing temps for an over night stay, with full or partially full tanks. Asking that question shows you how much of a rookie I am in the RV game.

As it gets colder, I realize it's nice to have a home base with heat and long hot showers available.