de-winterizing question - Montana Owners Club

captbanjo · 12-31-2004, 02:28 AM

It's a little early for this but we have never de-winterized the Montana. Is there a basic procedure that is laid out somewhere? Also, we will be leaving the northeast for two weeks in FL and the south in mid-March. Assuming it's warm enough, we'll probably de-winterize the rig here but is it possible/practical to de-winterize somewhere along the way?

CmdrDewey · 12-31-2004, 02:57 AM

Make sure the water heater electric is shut off before you turn on power to the rig! Assuming the rig was winterized properly there is nothing to it. Plug into city water or fill your tank, turn on the water, both hot and cold, at the lavatory faucets and run until it is clear, do the same with the shower, kitchen, washer if you have one and outside shower if so inclined. Then change over your water heater by-pass, fill your hot water tank, turn on the hot water and you are done.

Of course if you put anti-freeze in the supply tank you have to fill and drain, fill and drain and maybe fill and drain a third time to get the stuff out of the tank. If you didn't use the bypass it is the same procedure for the water heater.

kdeiss · 12-31-2004, 03:02 AM

Just hook up yhe hose and flush out the Pink Stuff. Flush your freash water tank with a mixture of bleech and also run that mixture through the lines. Check your manual for mix ratio.

sreigle · 12-31-2004, 08:47 AM

I always did as above but didn't use the bleach when de-winterizing. I did use the bleach whenever I felt the need to sanitize the tank, I assume Ken's doing a little sanitizing while dewinterizing. Keep in mind if you use RV antifreeze it's non-toxic. It won't hurt you to drink it. So if you find a little pink still coming out the faucet when you're on that first trip, it won't hurt you. I still don't like to see it, though. Psychological thing I guess.

2007dura · 12-31-2004, 02:10 PM

We took ours out this week. We waited until we got to campground. I had put the anode in at the house, and also made sure heater was off. At campground, hooked up water, then ran water at galley, shower, bedroom sink, commmode, then outside shower. Then flipped by-pass at water heater and filled it. I let air out of heater by pressure valve outside, then ran hot faucet in kitchen to get all air out of tank, before I turned the tank on. Total time, about 10-15 minutes.

BillyRay · 12-31-2004, 04:50 PM

I usually flush the fresh water tank even though I don't winterize it...just to rinse it out.

ken · 12-31-2004, 05:56 PM

you don't want to dewinterize your trailer until you ge into warmer weeather. I usually leave the antifreeze in until i hit warmer weather each time we head for Florida. It's no problem flushing it out. It would be harder to replace water lines because they froze on the way down because there was no heat in the RV. See you in Florida in Feb.
Ken and Velda Taylor
Dahlgren VA
2003 3655FL Montana/Ford F350 diesel

sreigle · 01-01-2005, 06:53 AM

I think Ken's advice is good and most people probably do it that way. However, we're fulltiming in and spend the holidays near our kids, where it often gets subfreezing (and even subzero once this season). We will leave here Tuesday for warmer climes. As in the past, I don't want to winterize this thing just for a few days if it's not totally necessary. In the past we've just let the furnace run at 45 degrees while running down the road and never had a problem with freezing even though we were driving in subfreezing weather. And we didn't use an inordinate amount of propane, either, from what I can tell.

Since you are already winterized I'd recommend what Ken said, wait until you get to a warmer area. I just wanted to point out that if you're not already winterized then there's another option. Some folks are not comfortable with furnace running while going down the road but we've never found it to be a problem. From prior discussions, others do this, too.

jerryb · 01-01-2005, 12:02 PM

Steve, do you shut off the furnace when fueling? I do the same as you, I don't winterize, when I'm home the Montana is inside, when on the road I run the furnace. I have forgotten to shut it off when fueling, my fuel filler is on the otherside and diesel fumes are not very explosive but there could be gas fumes from somwone else.

sreigle · 01-02-2005, 12:40 PM

Usually our daily distances are short enough I don't need to fuel while on the road. I'll wait until unhitched and then go fill up. Those few times we did need fuel while the furnace is turned on I did shut it off. I do not shut off the fridge but do try to take a pump where the Montana is hanging out as far as possible from the pumps.

rames14 · 01-02-2005, 02:14 PM

This is the first time I can see an advantage to the remote controlled thermostat. In order to get to our furnace in the 3400 to turn it off, we would need to put the slides out. I always store the remote in the cuby hole for the cell phone charger. Also, once you are dewinterized, we were told that we could withstand low 20's for several days without the furnace running or being winterized as long as it was getting above freezing during the day. But, just from a convenience standpoint, it would be more comfortable doing the dewinterizing where its warmer. Good luck on your trip.

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