Want to winterize my abandoned Casita.

[whoot]

How do I winterize my Casita SD17? 9 months ago I had to move to across the country, and left my Casita in a friends driveway near Augusta GA. I assume the battery is dead, and probably the new tires I had put on it. I never drained the hot-water tank, maybe it froze last February and cracked it. I have no idea what condition it is in, other than it hasn't been stolen. I want to prepare it for another year of sitting in their driveway. Do I drain everything, blow out the water with an air-pump, and disconnect the battery? Or maybe I should try to power it up on house power, and run some water through it, then blow out the water. No idea. I left the manuals with it, so I have some googling to do. Next week I will have about 4 days to do everything I need to, so I am trying to plan what to do.

[Daniel A.]

If you have a small air compressor that's the easiest way, you can get an adapter that fits on the water connection with an air fitting just for that.

Don't use more than 30 pounds of air.

[thrifty bill]

+10 take a compressor with you, along with a fitting to hook air up to the water inlet. Will also need to pull the hot water heater anode. You will need a 1/2 inch ratchet and the appropriate size socket. You might have gotten lucky weather wise.

The coldest weather during your timeframe was last week where it dipped to 30F overnight.

Google weatherizing Casita, you will see plenty of good threads.

[Captleemo]

! 1/16th inch socket for anode.

[Stubbs]

Disconnect the battery and check the water level, add if needed, charge it and if you can put it in their garage or take it with you. Put RV antifreeze in all the traps and toilet.

[Byron Kinnaman]

In Augusta GA I wouldn't do a thing. It doesn't get cold enough for long enough to freeze solid enough to cause damage. Annual temperature chart for Augusta, GA https://www.visitaugusta.com/plan/weather/

[thrifty bill]

Averages always look good. It’s when you get that cold snap that things don’t look as good. Still the last nine months have looked good. No guarantees this winter.

[stude]

Originally Posted by Daniel A.

If you have a small air compressor that's the easiest way, you can get an adapter that fits on the water connection with an air fitting just for that.

Don't use more than 30 pounds of air.

no stay around 15#'s that is enough air to get the water moving and out, maybe pull the HWH and check it out to see if you did freeze it up last year, sometimes you can weld the tank but find a good Aluminium welder if cracked.

[whoot]

I disconnected the battery, and am able to remove it. Is it safe to put in the back of my pickup and take cross country?



I know anything about it, other than it is probably dead, and can explode. It sat for 9 months, probably powering the propane detector, until it died. If it is salvageable, I could get a trickle-charger, and keep in my apt until I need it again. I just don't want to carry around something that might be hazardous,

[Steve Hammel]

You may want to lift it up and put it on blocks or jacks to protect your axle and tires.

[LarryB.]

In Southern Ohio, this is the process I used to winterize my 17' Casita Spirit Deluxe:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xxqWov7tjEQ

using a blow out plug and a tire air compressor/inflator
(https://www.amazon.com/Camco-36153-B.../dp/B0006IX68O)
(https://www.sears.com/craftsman-120-...p-02875117000P)

Step by step the process is:
Drain fresh water tank
Drain water heater:
Open pressure relief valve
Remove anode
When water flow stops, close pressure relief valve
Set bypass valve to closed/bypass position
Connect blow out plug and air pump (20 lbs pressure)
Open/close lines individually:
bath cold
bath hot
toilet
kitchen cold
kitchen hot
outside shower cold
outside shower hot
Set bypass valve to open/flow
Check water heater for additional water
Set bypass valve to closed/bypass
Repeat open/close lines (above)
Place towel under water pump
Disconnect water pump output (line blows out)
Disconnect blow out plug & air pump
Insert water heater anode & close up water heater
Close up outside shower
Water pump:
Disconnect input
Remove filter
Remove filter screen
Blow out filter screen & filter
Reassemble filter
Blow back fresh water input line
Run pump for 2 or 3 seconds
Reconnect filter to water pump
Reconnect input & output lines
Set bypass valve to open/flow
RV Antifreeze (one or two cups):
Kitchen sink
Bath sink
Toilet

[Henry N]

I live a little north of Augusta and I have never winterized my campers. Once when it was going to be below freezing for more than 24 hours I put a small heater in it. It would be best to empty the water out of the water heater but otherwise it will usually be fine.

[computerspook]

Originally Posted by whoot

How do I winterize my Casita SD17? 9 months ago I had to move to across the country, and left my Casita in a friends driveway near Augusta GA. I assume the battery is dead, and probably the new tires I had put on it. I never drained the hot-water tank, maybe it froze last February and cracked it. I have no idea what condition it is in, other than it hasn't been stolen. I want to prepare it for another year of sitting in their driveway. Do I drain everything, blow out the water with an air-pump, and disconnect the battery? Or maybe I should try to power it up on house power, and run some water through it, then blow out the water. No idea. I left the manuals with it, so I have some googling to do. Next week I will have about 4 days to do everything I need to, so I am trying to plan what to do.

Sounds like time to get rid of it ;-)

[thrifty bill]

+100 Time to sell it. Casitas hold their value well, sitting across country in a friend's driveway is not a really good plan. Take the money and when you reach the point where a trailer fits your lifestyle, buy one then. RVs don't do well sitting idle in a driveway, not under cover, for several years.

We reached that point earlier in our life. We moved cross country, and brought our fifth wheel with us. There it sat, used maybe once or twice in six years. Should have sold it before we moved cross country. We ended up selling it six years later (for a lot less money of course) before making another long distance move.

In my case, at least we could keep an eye on it, do maintenance or whatever.

Low temperature in Augusta, GA this year: 19 F January 2018. That date, the temperature was below freezing for most of the day. Averages are fine, its the cold snap that gets you. All time record low in Augusta? -1F. Even northern and central FL can see some really low temperatures.

[whoot]

Originally Posted by thrifty bill

+100 Time to sell it. Casitas hold their value well, sitting across country in a friend's driveway is not a really good plan. Take the money and when you reach the point where a trailer fits your lifestyle, buy one then. RVs don't do well sitting idle in a driveway, not under cover, for several years.

We reached that point earlier in our life. We moved cross country, and brought our fifth wheel with us. There it sat, used maybe once or twice in six years. Should have sold it before we moved cross country. We ended up selling it six years later (for a lot less money of course) before making another long distance move.

In my case, at least we could keep an eye on it, do maintenance or whatever.

Maybe I will sell it, I would love to get a Class B or Cargo van, so I can drive across country on short notice, and also use as a daily driver. Casitas last a long time, so for now, I will hang on to it. I just cleaned it inside and out, got all the water out of the HW heater, put trashbags in all the propane exhausts, put some giant DampRids in it, and put a cover over the whole thing. It's in better shape now, than it was. Maybe this summer I will decide what I will do with it.



The only damage it has is to the paint job. I used clear shipping tape to secure Reflectix to the outside, and it doesn't come off without ripping off the paint. I can sometimes get it off by using warm water, and will try again this summer. One day I will probably get the whole thing redone on the outside, no idea how much that will cost. This was my one mistake so far.

[thrifty bill]

The outside of a Casita is not painted. So if it is original, then use of a solvent that is agreeable with fiberglass gel coat is your solution.

[John in Santa Cruz]

re the battery, I would get a Battery Tender or similar, and ask if you can't leave the battery in a corner of their garage with the BT plugged in. it will only use a few watts once the battery is fully charged, but about once a month the BT will wake up and run through a charge cycle to maintain the battery in peak condition.