My son just purchased a 1993 14X70 mobile home here in New York . He will be living on the west coast till next spring and we need to winterize the home for him .
We drained the electric hot water tank and shut that off . The pipes under the home do have heat tape on them and are working .
We have to put antifreeze in the toilets and sink traps right ? Do we have to use the RV antifreeze or can we use regular car antifreeze ? How do we do this ?
Is there anything else we need to do for the winter ?
He will be heating it by keeping the thermostat kept on 50 . Is that a good temp ?
Never done this before so any tips you have would be appreciated . Thanks ~~~~~~~Vickie~~~~~~~
Winterizing
Moderators: Greg, Mark, mhrAJ333, JD
NO car antifreeze that is against the law. Use RV antifreeze full strength. It is the pink stuff at the store.
I use a wet and dry vac to suck all the water out of the toilet and tank then put a gallon or two of the pink stuff in the tank and flush the toilet.
We use a Jockey pump to put the antifreeze in the plumbing of the house. We hook it up to the outside faucet and run the pump to pressure the pink stuff in while we open the faucets till the pink stuff comes out. This way you have most of the water lines in the belly of the home winterized. Next take a pour some pink in all the traps under the sink and vanity. Do not forget the washer trap is you have used the washer for cleaning clothes.
Leaving the heat on is a great idea and that is what I do but do not trust the heating completely for weatherization. power outages and furnace break down can lead to a false sense of security.
I am sure I forgot something here but the others who post on this board will chime in.
I use a wet and dry vac to suck all the water out of the toilet and tank then put a gallon or two of the pink stuff in the tank and flush the toilet.
We use a Jockey pump to put the antifreeze in the plumbing of the house. We hook it up to the outside faucet and run the pump to pressure the pink stuff in while we open the faucets till the pink stuff comes out. This way you have most of the water lines in the belly of the home winterized. Next take a pour some pink in all the traps under the sink and vanity. Do not forget the washer trap is you have used the washer for cleaning clothes.
Leaving the heat on is a great idea and that is what I do but do not trust the heating completely for weatherization. power outages and furnace break down can lead to a false sense of security.
I am sure I forgot something here but the others who post on this board will chime in.
God, grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
the courage to change the things I can;
and the wisdom to know the difference.
to accept the things I cannot change;
the courage to change the things I can;
and the wisdom to know the difference.
-
Palomino
Make sure you keep some water in the pipes (if you dont use anti-freeze) where the heat tape is installed espcially if the piping is plastic. You dont need or want to have the water at full pressure I partially drain the water out of the pipes so that there isnt enough water pressure in the pipes for a pipe to burst if it does freeze. If there is no water in the pipes at all I believe it can sometimes cause the heat tape to overheat for some reason.
What is a Jockey pump?
I have a similar situation.
House in Northern Adirondacks where 30 below is common.
Power outages do occur. Most of the time they a brief
but can last 24 hours from time to time.
I have a shallow well pump with a pressure tank under
the trailer. It has a permanent foundation and is insulated
pretty well. The pump has an additional enclosure that
is also insulated.
I was going to drain the hot water tank, hook a hose to
a faucet type valve by the pump and let the water drain
after I open all the valves on the faucets etc.
Afterwards I was going to close all the valves on all the fixtures
and open one valve at a time and hook a wet vac to that hose
by the pump. This should remove any water there.
I'll close and open the fixture valves as needed so I'm
pulling suction one fixture at a time.
I'll put in the pink stuff in all the traps and the toilet bowl.
I'll still leave the heat on at a very low temperature.
Does it sound like a plan?
The only thing that worries me is the pressure tank.
It's on it's side and I won't be able to fully drain it.
I do think that the shape of it and the fact that it will be only
partialy be filled will keep it from bursting.
I might stick a 400 watt oil filled heater into that insulated
enclousure where the pump is or stick some heat
tape onto the pressure tank but that might not
be a good idea since that will probably shorten the life of
the bladder.
I just have to figure out how do I strap a vac to my
motorcycle and a roll of insulation on a 18 mile trip
from the home center in Malone.
I have a similar situation.
House in Northern Adirondacks where 30 below is common.
Power outages do occur. Most of the time they a brief
but can last 24 hours from time to time.
I have a shallow well pump with a pressure tank under
the trailer. It has a permanent foundation and is insulated
pretty well. The pump has an additional enclosure that
is also insulated.
I was going to drain the hot water tank, hook a hose to
a faucet type valve by the pump and let the water drain
after I open all the valves on the faucets etc.
Afterwards I was going to close all the valves on all the fixtures
and open one valve at a time and hook a wet vac to that hose
by the pump. This should remove any water there.
I'll close and open the fixture valves as needed so I'm
pulling suction one fixture at a time.
I'll put in the pink stuff in all the traps and the toilet bowl.
I'll still leave the heat on at a very low temperature.
Does it sound like a plan?
The only thing that worries me is the pressure tank.
It's on it's side and I won't be able to fully drain it.
I do think that the shape of it and the fact that it will be only
partialy be filled will keep it from bursting.
I might stick a 400 watt oil filled heater into that insulated
enclousure where the pump is or stick some heat
tape onto the pressure tank but that might not
be a good idea since that will probably shorten the life of
the bladder.
I just have to figure out how do I strap a vac to my
motorcycle and a roll of insulation on a 18 mile trip
from the home center in Malone.