Winterizing in Michigan.

We are discussing taking the trailer to the In-Law's in Bad Axe, MI at thanksgiving, staying in it for about a week, winterize it and come back home to Oklahoma. We would go back in March/April and pick it up. It would save us the fuel of dragging it back home and then back up. (2200 Miles). Any pros/cons to this especially winterizing it. What do you pro's know and I know I see a bunch of Wolverines on this site. Anything special because the snow gets deep. We are going to buy a cover if we do it.

We store ours outside in the deep snow in winter and have no problems. I would recommend that you do NOT put a cover on your camper; they often cause condensation problems. Be sure to either take the battery home with you or provide a regulated trickle charger; we have a battery disconnect switch with a regulated solar panel connected direct to the battery. It keeps the battery 100% even in the snow.

Thanks, we will keep that in mind.

Definitely drain all water and plenty of anti-freeze. Don't forget the traps and the ice maker.

Hastey said:

Thanks, we will keep that in mind.

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I leave mine outside, uncovered, during the winter. I do cover the tires, though. Before leaving our seasonal site, I give the black tank a thorough flushing via the tank flush and the HydroFlush attachment. At the storage yard, I use a small compressor to blow the water out of the lines (I also have low point drains) and then pump antifreeze in via the UDC hookup. Pour some into all of the drains to fill the P-traps and get some to the tank valves. If you have a washer/dryer, pour some into the drum and run a short spin cycle (per the instructions). Don't forget to drain the fresh water tank if you used it. And drain the water heater, as well. Remove all food stuffs, too.

I also inflate the tires to their rated max. and then pull the battery out and store in the garage at home. In my area, I find I also need to remove the televisions and anything else of value.

If you store it in a public storage lot I would suggest you put a sign on the door stating "All TV and Electronic devices have been removed. Nothing of value inside" This might prevent a thief from doing damage to the rig getting in to find nothing is in it.

We will be storing at the in-laws farm. Do we need to remove the flat screen televisions? I would that LED would be fine but liquid crystal?

jmgratz said:

If you store it in a public storage lot I would suggest you put a sign on the door stating "All TV and Electronic devices have been removed. Nothing of value inside" This might prevent a thief from doing damage to the rig getting in to find nothing is in it.

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As stated, be SURE and remove any LCD...they will freeze..ask me how I know?


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I do the same, as most have said. I am able to keep my Bighorn next to my house, so I do not take out the TV. Just make sure you drain all of the water out of the lines and hot water heater. Remove all food, batteries for remotes and smoke detectors, and any personal hygiene products that would not want to freeze. If you can leave the trailer plugged in, I woulde just leave in the battery. If it will be unplugged, take the battery with you to keep the charge up. If you have any other questions, you can p.m. me. Ernie

We go in and out of MI all year long. Stacy and I met in Iraq (both of us in the Army) and she got out and moved to Oklahoma. I take her as much as I can back home. Thanks for all the info and keep it coming.