Winterizing made easy

blowout valveThis blowout plug made winterizing a breeze. Drain the water heater and fresh water tank. Hook this up to the fresh water connection, set the compressor regulator to 30-40 pounds, open the taps and let the water blow out. So much easier than trying to get antifreeze in the lines. And easier to de-winterize next season. About $8 from any supplier makes it cheaper than antifreeze, too.

Still waiting for parts

I found out yesterday that the part we need for replacing the wheel well liner (also known as a wheel tub) is not an off the shelf part. Winnebago is probably digging around the back of some dusty warehouse looking for a 15 year old mold to re-manufacture the part. It will take three more weeks just to get parts. It makes me wonder if this one could have been plastic-wielded or epoxied or something faster. But the part was already ordered before I knew it. I guess that’s one more thing to keep in mind.

If we had been full-timers we could have had a temporary repair and stayed in the area. As it is, we will get the RV back sometime in the end of September. That’s okay though, that is when things start getting cool enough to go out again.

I’m also wondering if the RV would have been unusable would an insurance company pay to put us up somewhere for two months. Another thing to add to the list of questions.

Lessons Forgotten

Years ago we lived in a house that had galvanized pipes for the plumbing. Every time the water was shut off and later restored we would have to clean the aerators on the faucets because they would get clogged with flakes. But we have lived in houses with PVC plumbing for a while and that lesson had been forgotten.

This spring when it came time to de-winterize the RV, my kitchen faucet clogged and quit working. I removed, disassembled, reassembled and reinstalled it. It worked now, except I hadn’t put the aerator back on. When I put the aerator back on the faucet it quit working again. Oh, no! That’s all it was! Now my faucet leaked. I probably ruined an O-ring taking it apart and the whole thing will need replacing.

Hopefully, I’ll remember this next year.

Toilet Seal Repair

I don’t know anyone who likes to work on toilets. I don’t like to. But I do like saving money when I can, so work on a toilet I did. My Thetford Aqua Magic IV had a leaky blade seal. It wasn’t too bad. When we were out camping the bowl would hold water well enough. But parked in the driveway, it would all leak out in a day or so. The seal was dried out and beyond saving by the end of the winter storage season. I did a little research and found it was a fairly simple fix. Read More