North West BS Thread

Did I hear knives?
Knives?

got my attention!

 

Get some rest Ray!

 

Nothing much. I rinse the sewer hose really well when I do the final dump. I always drain and dry the freshwater hose so that just gets tucked away. I’ll probably soak it in something come spring.

Atta boy

 

Favorite so far.

 

Do you pull your battery or just disconnect it?

 

Neither actually, as I have a disconnect switch. Kinda like a boat. So I charge it up, flip the switch and let it go. I'll plug it in every few months for 2-3 days to top off.

 

I have a disconnect too with a dual battery setup. Since I have it in storage offsite I’ll need to pull the batteries on occasion or go over and plug in the truck and let it idle for a bit.

 

I'm not a battery nerd, but I've always thought the charge off the truck was pretty slow/low and won't make much difference in a short period. I have twin 6Vs, but when we went on a two-week trip a few years ago without service, I didn't see much of a change in charge even after a 60 min drive between camps. I like to keep mine charged up in case we need to use it during the winter (say the house is w/o power and we need heat), but I bet your batteries will be fine for 3-4 months if they don't have any of the parasitic draws on them.

 

Not that you asked, but I'll give you my routine.

I've got dual 6V Trojan batteries, I like to pull them over the winter and store them in the garage. Mostly because we can see negative temps here for part of the winter. My garage stays in the 40-50°range and I'll trickle charge them a couple times in the off-season.

 

I’ll take all the help I can get! This is my first trailer so trying to avoid completely screwing things up.

 

The best way to learn is to not do anything in the fall, just park it somewhere under the maple trees. Then, next summer, when you are ready to go camping you make a list of all the stuff that broke. That’s what I’ve always done, lol.

 

Hard to completely screw up the batteries unless you have a draw on them all winter. Like @Green Thunder said, top them off and switch your disconnect off. Worthwhile to check the water level too before you walk away from them.

 

Solid advice!

 

Expensive but effective

 

I’ll do a brain dump…
- If you drain the water for the winter, find the pump and empty the filter catch (where @NWPirate found the shavings). It doesn’t self-drain even when you blow air through the system. It will freeze and crack very easily.
- If you add the anti-freeze stuff, don’t get cheap. I put a full gallon thru the hot water heater to displace all water. Once I drained the holding tanks I pour a full gallon into each. I’d rather spend a few extra bucks now than pay a Tech to chase a leak in the spring. Used 6 gallons total for my small trailer.
- Cover your RV if you can during the winter. It will look much better come spring and be easier to clean
- I put 5 gallon bucket’s on the roof between the vents and a/c to hold a peak in the middle of the cover. Then I leave my vents open to encourage airflow. This seems to stop mildew under the cover, especially on the roof.
- Check the desiccants every few weeks. They seem to be empty for a month and then full within a few days.
- Batteries are tough…. But we have already covered that.

 

This is good stuff. I appreciate the input @Green Thunder and @NWPirate! Rather source tips here then on YouTube or some other source.

 

No problem.
Don't forget to flush the toilet if you are using antifreeze or air to blow out the lines. I forgot once on my last trailer, had to replace the valve.

 

Generally speaking, never forget to flush the toilet. And another thing I’ve noticed is, “how often does she leave the seat up for you?”

 

Not enough!

 

Just trying to level the playing field

 

Glad to see you online. I assume you are in the mend. Hope your wife is holding steady too

 

Definitely in and out of it

 

Anyone else see the northern lights?

 

It's been a long time since I have. Pretty awesome.

 

Me too, wife took this picture. I didn't feel like getting out of bed.

 

Nope, cool picture.

 

Nope. We looked but didn't catch them. Cool pic though!

 

My RCI skid showed up today, I ordered it during their sale and they got it here in in 5 weeks. Damn good pack job also, zero damage.

 

From this side of the state? Haha. No. But that is top five on the bucket list. Ideally when I’m staying at an ice hotel in the far North drinking a coffee cocktail.

 

That would be an epic time!