Winterizing Your RV

Today's topic is : "Winterizing Your RV"

Nobody wants to admit it , because let's face it ... nobody wants to see the cold weather arrive . But for some of us , that time of year is here . Another year of camping has come to an end , and now it's about time to winterize your RV . So today , I'm going to discuss a few steps to take when winterizing your RV .

We'll start off with Step #1 :

Drain all of your tanks – If you have anything in your black , gray , or water tanks , then take your RV to your local waste station and completely drain your black, gray, and water tanks .

Step #2 : Make sure you drain the water from the hot water tank - Whatever you do , "DON'T DRAIN THE HOT WATER TANK WHEN IT IS HOT , OR UNDER PRESSURE" . You'll usually find the lever for draining the hot water tank located at the bottom of your tank .

Step #3 :  It's very important to make sure to get all of the water out of your lines , so drain all the pipes by turning on all of the hot & cold water faucets in your RV , and flush your toilet ... and for those of you that might have an outside shower , be sure to turn that on too . If you want , you can use an air compressor to help blow out the water in the lines ... and also use what is known as a “blow out plug” . Which can be found fairly cheap at any RV dealer . I've also seen them in the RV section at Wal-mart too . But if you're going to use this process , then please make sure you set your compressor to 30 psi , with a maximum air pressure of no more than 50 psi . Also, when using an air compressor make sure to walk around your RV and open up all your water valves one at a time .

Step #4 : Locate and open all low point drain lines . There will be a hot and cold water line . You can use the water pump to help drain , but make sure to turn it off as soon as the system is drained .

Step #5 : After you've drained all your lines , then go back and make sure to close all your drains and faucets .

Step #6 : Make sure to by-pass your water heater . It's not important , but if you don't by-pass the water heater , it will fill up with antifreeze before it goes through the water lines , which will waste 6 to 10 gallons of antifreeze. .

Step #7 : Put the RV antifreeze through your water lines – Newer RV's already have a valve with a tube , which makes it easy to pump antifreeze through your water system , if your RV doesn't already have this feature , then you can have one installed . This allows your water pump to draw antifreeze directly from the bottle . If your RV doesn't have this feature , then you can use the existing hose from your water pump , and attach a short piece of hose to it so it can reach into the antifreeze bottle .
Once you have the hose on the water pump ready , turn on your water pump which will suck the antifreeze out of the bottle and into the water system . Starting with the closest faucet , slowly open the hot and the cold water valves, one at a time, and let it flow until you see the pink antifreeze. Close the valves after you see pink . Watch the antifreeze level in the bottle and do not let it run dry . Replace the antifreeze bottle with a new bottle as needed .

Step #8 : Keep opening each faucet (from closest to farthest away) until each one has antifreeze coming out of them. Also, flush your toilet until antifreeze appears. Remember, if you have an outside shower to open the valves and run antifreeze to it.

Step #9 : Turn off water pump . Open a faucet to release the pressure , then close the faucet again .

Step #10 : Pour a few cups of antifreeze down each drain. Also, pour some antifreeze into the toilet and flush into the holding tank

Step #11 : If you have an electric heating element on your water heater , make sure it is turned off .

Step #12 : Double check and make sure all of your faucets and valves are closed .

Step #13 : If your RV has an ice maker , a dishwasher , or a washing machine ... then consult your owner’s manual to winterize those features.



There you have it , you are now done ... and your RV is winterized .

Good HF antennas for RVing , or Field Day

I'm gonna start off by talking about a good HF antenna for RVer's to use while they're parked , and camping .

I had seen that a lot of people had recommended the "Alpha Antenna" , which makes a decent Military grade antenna , which only takes about 5 minutes to put together and get it up in the air .  When I'm looking to buy something , I always do my best to research what I can about it , read reviews , and base my opinions about purchasing that item on what I've learned through research .

With that said ... I researched the Alpha Antenna , and discovered that there is another company called Chameleon Antenna that also makes a Military grade antenna ... which is also quick & easy to put up . So with that said , my research has shown me that when put against one another , the "Chameleon MPAS" "Cha MPAS (Modular Portable Antenna System)" is a better antenna to go with ... it's built a little better , and performs better .... so if you've been looking into purchasing one of these antennas for your travels , you have a better idea as to which one to go with .

They're both good for Field Day activities ... but the Chameleon is better for weather conditions , and communications . That's what I've got from my researching , if you have any ideas or comments ... feel free to leave them below . Thank you for looking , and have a great day .

An Introduction

Hi everyone ... I'll start off by welcoming each and every one of you to my blog page .

I've began this page for a few reasons :

First , I love to be outside ... to travel , and experience the world around us ... and I'm lucky enough have a beautiful Foretravel motorhome to do that with . So I'll be talking about some of my travels , some of my life experiences , and a few of my other daily activities ... as well as giving tips about how to care for your RV , and other topics that pertain to RVing . My long term goal , is to be what is known as a full-timer ... a person that lives in their RV all year round .

2nd ... I have been a licensed Amateur (Ham) Operator for over 12 years , and I love to talk about my radios , my experiences , what the band conditions are like , who (or where) I've recently talked with , and what the newest , or best , equipment is to using out there on the market . I love old tube equipment , and the newer transistor stuff right up to the present day equipment ... so the equipment I'll talk about could vary from day to day .

I'll also take a few minutes to discuss what Nets there might be , and where they'll be at what time .

So there you have it ... this blog will be about RVing , and Ham Radio

So once again , I'd like to welcome each and every one of you to my blog page , and thank you for taking the time to stop by and visit .