Winterizing My '84 13' Scamp

[Lil M.]

Fall's chill is in the air. Nighttime temps are dipping very close to freezing. I need to think about winterizing LilScamper.
In the plumbing department, it has only a water tank, small 12v water pump (see pic below), 12v single spout faucet (see pic below), and outside drain plug. I've been reading some past posts on winterizing and am wondering if I need to put antifreeze in the water tank. How much? And what kind? I'm assuming it's gotta be safe for human consumption. I'll need to run the pump until it comes out the faucet and fills the sink trap, right?
What other things should I do to prepare it for winter? I have a cover, but I'm wondering if it would be a good idea to attach a couple swim noodles to the underside of the cover to allow some air circulation over the trailer roof.
I'll also take out all the food, linens and bedding, and spread around some dryer sheets so I don't encourage mice to make a home in there.
Anything else I should do?
If I decide to do some winter camping, can I still use the sink but not the faucet or pump? It'll be like tent camping, but much warmer!
Then, in spring, how do I get all that antifreeze out of the water tank?
Thanks so much for your wisdom and help.

[Carol H]

Lil with your set up its pretty easy. Just buy a gallon of RV anti freeze - its none toxic and Walmart sells it. Open up your tap drain and your fresh water tank drain to make sure any water in them drains out. Close up the drain and tank and dump some of the anti freeze into your water tank - just enough to run through the pump and the pipes to the taps. Turn on the pump and the tap until you see only the pink anti freeze run out - the first bit that runs through may be deleted by water sitting in the pipes. Turn off the tap & open up your tap drain again to let the anti freeze in it drain out and then close it. All done!

You should be able to use your water system winter camping as all your pipes are inside. You would only need to worry about the hose you are using for the tap drain - best to disconnect it when not using so it doesnt freeze.

To clean the anti freeze out of the system just put fresh water in the water tank and run it through the system until it runs clear. You could add a little bleach to the water tank to help clean it out. But if you add the bleach you will need to fill the tank a couple of more times to clear it out of the system as well.

[Lil M.]

Thanks Carol! That's a big help!

[Thomas G.]

Originally Posted by Lil M.

Thanks Carol! That's a big help!

Make sure you get the pink stuff. The green stuff will kill ya.

[UncleDuke42]

Where are these "tap drains" and "fresh water drains" located?

[Byron Kinnaman]

Rather than put stuff into your system that will need a lot of flushing drain out all the water you can. Freezing water only hurts your system when there's no room for expansion. Make sure that pump is empty. Then it's easy to refill and go in the spring. RVs and cabins have used the water removal system for years with a lot of success. Then along comes antifreeze to take your money and waste water flushing.

[Raz]

Some sinks have a trap. If you use your sink in the winter, the trap may need refilling. Raz