Trailer/Camper question

[ExtraSlow]

I haven't winterized mine yet either. Last year, i broke one thing, and discovered two other things that were wrecked when i tried to winterize it, so I ended up having hobo camper country winterize it for me while they fixed it up. I can't recall what the cost to winterize was, but I'm pretty sure it was less than the $80 mentioned.

I plan on doing it myself this year, and if I do it right, should be 8L or less of antifreeze. I also have access to an air compressor this time, but somehow, seeing that pink stuff come out the taps is reassuring.

[spikerS]

I still gotta winterize mine. Any places got a good deal on anti-freeze?

[codetrap]

Originally posted by spikers
I still gotta winterize mine. Any places got a good deal on anti-freeze?

http://www.canadiantire.ca/AST/brows....jsp?locale=en

['93 SR-V]

Originally posted by spikers
I still gotta winterize mine. Any places got a good deal on anti-freeze?

Crappy tire has the 10L jugs of Prestone for $12.XX right now.

[C_Dave45]

Originally posted by '93 SR-V


Crappy tire has the 10L jugs of Prestone for $12.XX right now.

You need "RV antifreeze". Totally different product.

*edit* my bad. Didnt realize Prestone made plumbers angifreeze.
Good deal indeed.

[ExtraSlow]

Did the winterization on my rig today. Just a heads-up the 10L jugs of $12 aren't a great deal since the 4L jugs are $4.50.
I did my small trailer with less than two 4L jugs. Probably could have done it with one 4L, but I'm a bit sloppy.
Lugged the battery into my basement, fuck me that thing is heavy, it's the biggest motomaster Nautilus battery they make, and it must be good, because it weighs about 50 lbs. I always think the flimsy little handle is going to break off, but it hasn't yet.

My solar setup never fully charges that battery, so I'm charging it properly before putting it to bed for the winter. If I had some more give-a-shit, I could probably re-wire my solar setup to more closely follow the recommendations that someone recently posted posted, but I'm not terribly energetic. That and I never run out of charge, since my rig has very few things that use power, just the lights and furnace, no TV, no stereo, no AC or microwave.

Anywhoo, anyone out there who hasn't done this yet, better get at it before you run out of nice weather.

[SJW]

Originally posted by ExtraSlow
Did the winterization on my rig today. Just a heads-up the 10L jugs of $12 aren't a great deal since the 4L jugs are $4.50.
I did my small trailer with less than two 4L jugs. Probably could have done it with one 4L, but I'm a bit sloppy.
Lugged the battery into my basement, fuck me that thing is heavy, it's the biggest motomaster Nautilus battery they make, and it must be good, because it weighs about 50 lbs. I always think the flimsy little handle is going to break off, but it hasn't yet.

My solar setup never fully charges that battery, so I'm charging it properly before putting it to bed for the winter. If I had some more give-a-shit, I could probably re-wire my solar setup to more closely follow the recommendations that someone recently posted posted, but I'm not terribly energetic. That and I never run out of charge, since my rig has very few things that use power, just the lights and furnace, no TV, no stereo, no AC or microwave.

Anywhoo, anyone out there who hasn't done this yet, better get at it before you run out of nice weather.

I have two of those damn batteries to haul in. I feel the same way about the handle. Winterizing my boat tomorrow and i'll haul out two more of them. I could run the house on 4 of those damn things.

[hedge]

I have dual 6v's I think they are even heavier with the heavier plates.

[spikerS]

here is a question. If I leave my trailer plugged in over the winter, do I really need to remove the 2 6v batteries since they will always be charging? Or is it still better to bring them into the house?

[C_Dave45]

Originally posted by spikers
here is a question. If I leave my trailer plugged in over the winter, do I really need to remove the 2 6v batteries since they will always be charging? Or is it still better to bring them into the house?

As long as they're kept charged like this, you don't need to bring them in. I keep my trailer plugged in all winter.
You don't bring your car battery in, right?

[spikerS]

Originally posted by C_Dave45


As long as they're kept charged like this, you don't need to bring them in. I keep my trailer plugged in all winter.
You don't bring your car battery in, right?

That was my logic too. But then again, this is my first experience with 6v setups and keeping the trailer plugged in, so figgured it was best to ask first. LOL

[ExtraSlow]

If it was my trailer, and I had the option to keep it plugged in, I would still bring the batteries in.
Outside, if for any reason, your charging system fails or get turned off (power outage, circuit breaker trips etc) then the batteries will slowly loose charge and could freeze. Not to mention, you are wasting eelctricity to keep the battery charger running 24/7 for 8 months. Even if it's only 0.5A or something, that's still a decent amount of energy.

Inside, the battery can stay on the charger, or you can charge it once in the fall like me, and no matter what happens, the battery won't freeze if something goes wrong.

Maybe I'm paranoid, but I've frozen a few car batteries in my life, and I just don't want to go through that ever again.

[Cos]

.

[hedge]

I take my batteries out of the trailer and put them on my work bench. I then charge them once a month. I pesonally would never trust the trailer charger enough to leave them plugged in all winter.

A charged battery won't freeze but if it does drop it's charge it can freeze. I also take them off so they don't get stolen, especially on a travel trailer where they sit out in the open. Mine's a 5th wheel but I guess I just got in the habit when I had the TT.

[C_Dave45]

Originally posted by ExtraSlow
If it was my trailer, and I had the option to keep it plugged in, I would still bring the batteries in.
Outside, if for any reason, your charging system fails or get turned off (power outage, circuit breaker trips etc) then the batteries will slowly loose charge and could freeze. Not to mention, you are wasting eelctricity to keep the battery charger running 24/7 for 8 months. Even if it's only 0.5A or something, that's still a decent amount of energy.

Inside, the battery can stay on the charger, or you can charge it once in the fall like me, and no matter what happens, the battery won't freeze if something goes wrong.

Maybe I'm paranoid, but I've frozen a few car batteries in my life, and I just don't want to go through that ever again.

That's not bad advice, and my wife still harps on me about doing that.
I may....our trailer sits in the driveway, so either way is no hassle.
The first winter, I bought two brand new Trojan T-106's ($400) Left them on the trailer, but DIDN'T plug it in. Yup...burst both batteries!
So I bought two more (yes another $400) but since then, I've kept it plugged in all the time. No problems. But she still wants me to bring them in this year.

[AndyL]

Solar panels and charge controller... Top off the cells at winterizing - quick verify in January's inevitable week long chinook to make sure they don't need a top off...

It works for me

[C_Dave45]

Someone on here had swapped the OEM stereo for a nice audio deck into their trailer. (Can't seem to find it).

My question is; how did you hook up the power to the deck? Since the power leads are always "hot", and the newer decks don't really have a "power off" switch, just a "stand by" switch...the deck is always completely lit up. Did you put in an axillary switch for power?

[spikerS]

Originally posted by C_Dave45
Someone on here had swapped the OEM stereo for a nice audio deck into their trailer. (Can't seem to find it).

My question is; how did you hook up the power to the deck? Since the power leads are always "hot", and the newer decks don't really have a "power off" switch, just a "stand by" switch...the deck is always completely lit up. Did you put in an axillary switch for power?

If I was installing it into a trailer, I would just wire an inline switch on the power line, but most decks have their own power buttons.

[C_Dave45]

Ah ok, that's what I was going to do. I thought there might've been some sort of trick to accomplish the same thing.

The deck I put in there is a JVC and it is either on or "standby" and the whole faceplate is completely "lit up". Even if I take the faceplate off, there's still lighting to the CD eject button. I'd rather not have any current going through there at all.