I would like to leave my black tank with water in it during winter months, to avoid any leftover solids from drying and causing problems the next season.
Is there a damage consideration from freezing within any plumbing that I should consider if doing this? Is this a good idea, to leave water in the black tank?
So far, I have just tried to clean the tank up well before resting the coach for the winter, but it seems that I have sensor problems come spring, which takes effort to remidy, when I should be having fun on my first couple of trips.
* This post was
edited 03/16/07 07:03pm by TnTtravelers *
Tim and Tina (kudo too)
Livin' good, while the livin's good!
2005 Ford F350, 4x4, Crew Cab, Short box
2007 Everest 295TS 5th Wheel, Superglide hitch
JT Stabilizers (awesome)
Firestone Air Suspension System
The only problem I could see is if you tried to dump while frozen...lol. Should be plenty of room for expansion. Of course you could use the pink stuff or windshield wiper fluid instead of water. I like to leave the tank with some liquid in there.
I would think the tank would have room for expansion, BUT I would be concerned about the plumbing down to the dump valve. If you're concerned, get a black tank rinse unit of some sort and give the tank a good cleaning before you drain it for the last time.
I don't think it's a good idea to use water. If you must put something down, I'd put a couple of gallons of RV antifreeze.
~Rick
2005 Georgie Boy 3625 DS on a Workhorse W-22 (Class A)
Rick, Gail, 1 girl (13-Angel, Lexi96.org), 1 girl (8), 2 boys (9 & 6).
2001 Honda Odyssey, Demco Aluminator tow bar & tow plate, SMI Silent Partner brake controller.
It gets cold enough in your part of the country to even winterize??
Robert, Anne Marie & Joey
One spoiled Labrador, Max
Warren, MI
2004 Holiday Rambler Savoy 27RLS 5er
2008 Ford F250 Super Duty Crew Cab XLT, 6.4 PSD, 4x4, long box
2005 Mercury Mariner
HRcampers wrote: It gets cold enough in your part of the country to even winterize??
Well, it never usually gets below -10 at my elevation in the Sierra Mountains. Once in a while it will, but usually stays up above the negative teens. However, being that water service to homes need to be burried 3 feet below surface level, I would assume that my rv might have problems at that temperature too. But that's just an assumption.
Thanks for the advise. It would be nice if you were correct, as I would like to be able to not have to worry about winterizing in the fall. Also, I would rather be a year 'round camper, climate permitting, but the icy roads and snow just make it such a hastle. I just park the trailer in the winter and "jones" until it starts to warm up. If you really think my winter temps are not a concern for my climate out here, please advise me if I am overkilling on prevention. But I am pretty sure it is necessary, unfortunately.
Happy Camping, and thanks for the positive thoughts.
* This post was
edited 03/16/07 11:12pm by TnTtravelers *
Antifreeze is a good idea. And I think I like the cheap windshield washer fluid idea even more.
I have been cleaning my black tank pretty well before parking the rv for the winter (at least i thought i was cleaning it well), but it still seems to get crusty come spring. I just read on another thread and noticed that I might not be using enough water in the black tank after draining while in use during the summer. I usually only add a couple of gallons after draining, and from what I read, I need quite a bit more in there for the stuff to keep from building up. Also, there was some discussion on using calgon, that it would help keep build up on the walls and sensors.
Thanks for all the helpfull advice gang.
Happy camping! T
TnTtravelers wrote: ...it never usually gets below -10 at my elevation in the Sierra Mountains. Once in a while it will, but usually stays up above the negative teens. However, being that water service to homes need to be burried 3 feet below surface level, I would assume that my rv might have problems at that temperature too. But that's just an assumption.....
The reason that you need to winterize the RV (and bury the house lines) is that water expands when it freezes, which will burst the pipes, hoses, faucets, etc. Most of this expansion occurs between 30 and 34 degrees. In other words, a period of 30 degree temps that's long enough to freeze everything will wreck your plumbing just as badly as temps below zero.
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