Dumping Protocol

[vickster]

This first time northern "snowbird" has a question. Is it acceptable to dump the antifreeze and flush out the water system in the sewer at our site at the RV park? Thanks.

[steves]

As long as you are using the RV (non toxic) antifreeze I would say yes. It seems that's the best place to put it in lieu of dumping it on the ground.

[NJ Hillbilly]

No reason why not, I usuaully dump mine on the groung at home. If I kept (and could find in Spring) the containers, some could be caught through the low point drains.

John

[sreigle]

We didn't have a dump facility when we had our stick home so just ran it into the Montana's tanks. So it went out with the next dump. It's non-toxic (assuming you use RV antifreeze as mentioned above) so I wouldn't think it would hurt anything.

[foggyb]

Hi Food for thought. It might be "non toxic" but it kills grass. I don't think the grass agrees with the "non toxic" lable. Winterizing the lawn sprinkler syestem taught me that. Dan

[GordonR]

Dan, I agree about the grass. When I drained our antifreeze this past spring, I let it run down the driveway. Some ran into the grass. Same effect as Roundup! It's also a LOT cheaper. Hmmm... may be a new trend in weed control!
Gordon

[Glenn and Lorraine]

Definition-
antifreeze, an·ti·freeze; wintering in Florida

[Northstar]

I think that I would like to an-ti-freez in Florida too. Happyrving......

[vickster]

Thanks everybody. When we arrive in Texas next month it is good to know that we will be able to de-winterize Monty at our RV site. Yes, hubby did use the non-toxic stuff. Thanks for the heads-up that this "stuff" makes for good weed control. Will remember that if and when we ever de-winterize at our home.

Glenn and Lorraine - I agree that anti-freeze could be spelled F-L-O-R-I-D-A, or T-E-X-A-S or maybe even A-R-I-Z-O-N-A!! Look at all the fun (and work) your missing!!!!

[sreigle]

Vickster, if you're going to be spending nights in the Montana on your way south, you might consider de-winterizing before you leave. When we leave Kansas City in early January we'll not be winterized because we've been living in the thing. We'll not drain the lines or anything. We'll just set the furnace at 45 and let the furnace run while on the road. We've done this two winters with no problem. And it's not really used a lot of propane.

You're a bit farther north so maybe yours would run a bit more. Last January, if I recall, the temperature was in the low twenties when we left.

No guarantees. With my luck you'd do this and blow out a line to freezing or something. Just wanted to pass this on. Food for thought.

[vickster]

Steve - As this is our first year with Monty and heading south next month, we don't feel comfortable de-winterizing before we leave Wisconsin. December can be very cold here with temps not only below freezing, but below zero, along with that wonderful fluffy stuff, aka snow.

We are planning, if possible, to stay in Monty on our way down to Texas. On another thread, I think it was Mel that suggested turning the furnace on with temp set about 45 while crusing down the ol' highway and, carrying a gallon of water along with extra anti-freeze to use in the cammode. So at this point that is our plan.

This raises another interesting question .... will we be able to find a place to park over night while in the colder climates. But then I guess there always is Wal-mart.

This is going to be a whole new experience for us, but one that we are looking forward to. Hopefully, after this season, I will be able to change our signature from "newbee" to "novice"!

I still like Glenn's idea the best -- head south before the cold sets in! Oh well, maybe next year.

[CountryGuy]

Vic,

Get out your trusty RV campground book. Read carefully, but there are campgrounds that stay open all year. NOT a lot up our way, but I know there is one just north of Indianapolis, for example.

We don't load up with water before we leave either, January 2004 it was 3 degrees above zero the morning we left Tipton. The thought of even trying to get the hose unwound at that temperature is, WOW, wild. And to turn on the outside water and then have to turn it all off, nope, we are just way too lazy for that.

We carry 3 or 4 gallons of water for flushing the toilet. Unless your black tank is FULL before you leave home, you are not gonna fill it in a couple of nights. Rinse with just a little water. You have a 38 gallon black water tank, if you add 3 or 4 gallons of water and a little waste, you won't have enough in there to freeze and bust out that tank.

We never travel with the heat on, and have not had any trouble using the black tank this way.

We watch the weather reports CAREFULLY, cause we don't want to deal with snow or worse yet (common in the states south of us) ICE! We watch for a 2 to 3 day time frame when we can get out of here and head south as fast as we can to get somewhere a little warmer. This is one time we drive as far as we can get in a day, did 380 miles one time, we were whooped, but the next day we were south enough to put water in the rig.

One hint, baby wipes! You can use them to clean the counter tops, wash your face, and even do a "sorta shower". Work good for cleaning dogs too, sometimes. They make 2 days without water "do-able" for us.

If worse came to shove, you can stay in a motel overnight. We don't, cause of the "kids", but have seen a lot of rigs parked at motels in January in the north country!

If we were in a position to dump the stick built house we would do like Glenn, HEAD SOUTH EARLY!! Maybe some day.

Carol

[vickster]

Carol - Thanks for all the good information.

Question: Since you travel without the furnace running, does it take a long time to heat up Monty when you stop for an overnighter? Do you have any problem with condensation forming going from extreme cold to warmth? Also do you have any problem with food (like can goods) freezing or does it not get below freezing in Monty.

Great idea on the baby wipes. Thanks. Will be sure to add that to our stack of things to take that already is forming in the spare room in our stick house. Vic

[CountryGuy]

Vic,

Yes, it can take a while to warm up, since we have the 4 kids, we have not done the "Wall-Mart" stops. We find a campground, with power!

Proceedure, we turn the furnace on as soon as we can get to it. Even before we are "set up". We are usually pretty busy for a while, moving around keeps us warm. When we get the slides open we grab the electric heaters, have 2, one for the bedroom, one for the main living area. Get em running ASAP.

By the time we get organized and the kids are fed, it is usually warming up. I dress in layers, shed the outer layers as it warms up.

Condensation is handled by opening 2 roof vents, EVER SO LITTLE! Oh, say, 1/4 inch, maybe a tad more. Leave those vents open all night.

Remember, we camped with older units for a number of years, and heard a lot of nightmare stories about running down the hard road with the furnace running, and of people dying from carbonmonoxide poisoning from not having ventilation in the unit at night. Safety first is our cry! The open vents give us the ventilation we need/want and allow the moisture to escape.

We still might have some condensation in the extreme cold, and if I find I have some in the AM, I usually wipe the windows down (aka, cheaters window washing, they get clean as I get rid of the moisture)

When we load the rig, we run the heat. First, I don't want to work in that much cold, brrrr. At night we keep the heat about 45, just enough to keep any CAN GOODS, from freezing. About 12 hours before we leave, we turn the heat up even more to hopefully warm up the slides and mechanism.

We ran Tipton, 380 miles via Indianapolis, last January, was 3 above when we left here, got to about 40 or 50 on the ride south (day light hours). I had can goods in the RV. I think I had all the bathroom necessities loaded in the rig. The stuff that would have been in the basement that would freeze was inside the closet. Several gallons of water in the rig. Nothing froze.

You can always open the cabinet doors (which I do when I run the heat at 45) to let the warmth inside the cabinets. Of course, it will take longer to warm the rig up, but better that than freezing the can goods.

Something we had happen when we winter camped years ago, not sure it would happen now, but a heads up, as they say: When it is REALLY cold in the rig, and I mean REALLY cold, be careful running the microwave. It can be hard on them. That said, in the rig we were using then, the microwave was INSIDE a cabinet, so, we learned to open the door when we first got there and let the heat get to the microwave as well. Seeing that our microwaves are NOT inside cabinets in our Montanas, this might not be a consideration, but if you use it when really cold and it sounds different, if it sounds as if it is running very slow, haha, cause it probably is, ya might want to not use it?? I won't use if it is that cold.

Oh, I think I am jealous, you are already starting the "pile". I barely got the stuff out of our rig for winterizing. In fact, it is still in the garage. I won't start my "pile" till January 1st. SIGH

Carol

[sreigle]

Vickster, your approach is probably a wise one, given the potential extreme temperatures.

Carol gave you some very good advice.

A tip for Al, if he shaves with canned shaving cream. Put that can somewhere where it can stay reasonably warm. The medicine cabinet is not the place. Very cold shaving cream does not come out of the can very well and doesn't foam up well, either. Or just don't shave until warmer weather!

As Carol said, there are plenty of parks that stay open all year. If you don't see that statement in the directory listing, check their ad if they have one. It usually will say there. I assume your truck will charge the battery in the Montana when driving down the road so you shouldn't have any problems if you don't want to hook up the electric cord and water hose.

I don't think you'll have any trouble if you want to carry maybe 1/3 full water tank. If it does freeze there's plenty of room for expansion. I've seen a lot of people stop overnight and put water in their tank then put the hose away. We always carry water on the road no matter how cold. But then we run the furnace on the road so there's some heat going into the belly, too.

We've had no problems with condensation in cold weather. If the weather is to be above freezing we don't run the furnace until we get to the park. It does take awhile to heat up. Electric heaters to augment the furnace helps but not, of course, if you're not hooked up to shore power.

[CountryGuy]

Steve, I'll tell Al. Usually he does not shave till we put the water in the unit, about Georgia.

Might be interesting this year, as not sure the route we will take, every other year we have run due south. Not sure we will be going that way, hmmm, something to contemplate. Get out the maps Al!

God willing and the creek don't rise, we hope to be heading south about January 15, 2005!

[sreigle]

I meant to add that while carrying water on the road it's unlikely to freeze just because it's sloshing around in the tank. I suppose it could but it would have to be almighty cold.

Carol, for our run south I usually plan two or three different routes then pick the one I'm most comfortable with after hearing the weather forecast. We like to take different routes when we can but will repeat a route if the weather dictates.

[Strange]

I read somewhere that the RV antifreeze needed to be dumped into a sewer system, not on the ground because it is toxic to animals such as cats.

[BB_TX]

https://www.ecocampor.com/blog/how-t...rv-antifreeze/

[DutchmenSport]

According to that article, it's OK to dump down a City system because its "treated" at the treatment plant. But, its not OK to dump on the ground or into a septic tank, because both result in the same thing... it eventually makes it way to the water table.

I say .... hog wash! EVERYTHING, absolutely EVERYTHING eventually makes it way back to the ground. Everything! What happens to the "nasties" at a city treatment plant. The water is extracted. The waste is turned into fertelizer???? Even if it's incinerated, smoke and ash goes in the air and eventually resettles ... yep ... on the ground. And that which remains? where does it go?

https://www.livescience.com/where-does-poop-go.html

"It turns out that the stuff we flush down the toilet is surprisingly useful. A significant portion of flushed poo, in fact, ends up fertilizing crops that we eventually eat, said Daniel Noguera, a civil engineer at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Some of our poop gets used as fuel, heating the very facilities that process our waste. And the rest eventually reaches landfills. But before the fate of your poop is sealed, a long series of steps ensures it's free from disease, and safe for farms and waterways."

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I think it's OK pour RV antifreeze on the ground. After all, it is OK to drink it. It might taste horrid, but it is safe. Otherwise, we'd all be at a horrible risk putting in in our water systems to begin with.