Winterize your TAB 400, Avia, or Cirrus trailer without anti-freeze!
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 15 ธ.ค. 2024
- It's that time of year again! With temps dipping down below freezing, don't risk bursting pipes in your RV... winterize! In this video, Kendrick will walk you through 10 quick steps to winterize your TAB 400 (the same steps also work for the Avia and Cirrus)... but, we do it a bit different. We prefer to use vodka rather than anti-freeze. Vodka will only allow you to go down to temps around -16 degrees F, but we prefer this all natural, easy to to clean method. Happy winter camping!
See all the steps typed out in our blog:
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Am so impressed by the use of Vodka, antifreeze is such a blight on the planet....THX
Yep, give it a shot!
only thing is you can not mix a drink on the out take! especially from the toilet!
Nice job, Kendrick! Very easy to follow.
Thanks for your video. Just did another successful winterization on my tab.
Great! It gets easier each time!
Hi Mandy & Kendrick; today I went back to see your video on how to winterize the TAB 400. ***** Your video deserves five *****, it is very easy to follow. I would recommend this process to all our fellow TAB400 owners. I did use the pink RV antifreeze instead of the vodka. Our TAB 400 (Chico) is ready for winter ✅Thanks guys!
Thank you so much! I'm so glad you got all set!!
Thanks for the video.... I mentioned to Dan at Santa Fe RV where I bought my T@B 320 S almost a year ago that I was considering winterizing with vodka and he reminded me that if they did the work they would be responsible. So no Vodka until my warranty is over. Cheers!
That was excellent!!! You show and explain every step while manufactures skip little steps and don't show all the lines and valves just assuming we can figure it out....NuCamp should put this video on their site instead of the half way done one they have. Thanks Kendrick and Mandy...One important thing you mentioned is that the Aldie heating will still work..is that right?
Thanks Rodney! Yes, you can still use the Alde while it is "bypass" mode for heat - but not for hot water.
good and easy to follow. Will be winterizing our Tab for the first time this week. Big thumbs up 👍 TJ & Red
Have fun!
Excellent step-by-step "How-To" dialog, details, & video.
Thanks for checking it out AZ!
Hi ! Just wanted to say I just did this here in Colorado as we had our 55 degree temperature plummet in September 😂. I hope I followed your directions well! Thank you for sharing this!
Perfect! I am hearing about the sudden freeze! It's good you remembered to do it in time :)
Another great video! Super job friends.
Thanks Patrick :) You already knew all of this! Can't wait to see ya again.
That's very interesting! I've never heard of using vodka before. Thank you for sharing!
You're welcome Paul!
When you drain, can you recapture the liquid and store for next year? Low point drains?
You can certainly capture drained liquid in a bucket under the drains. I'm not sure what the lifetime/potency of antifreeze is over time.
Thank you, Kendrick! I wish we had an easy disconnect under the sink of our T@G... Last year, we emptied the tank (as much as possible tilting the T@G) & used an air compressor to blow out the pump ... Then, we stored Cozy Nest in the garage...we had no problems even though we live in upstate, NY where the temps went below 0º on occasion...
This year, however, we will be using our T@G for Christmas - our house will be overflowing and Chris and I may need to backyard camp =) I will be revisiting Mandy's T@G winterization video. Would she recommend anything different these days for a T@G? Thanks ~ Maria
Cool idea ! Like the lack of probably-unhealthy-commercial-antifreeze normally used in the freshwater supply side of the RV.. Good job with the instructions and video.
Us too! Thanks for watching!
thanks so much for great info. glad you can still use your heater. You must use large water containers and heat water to wash dishes or self?
Yes, we boil water for coffee in the morning, and we can do dishes with very little water..
Great idea to use vodka and also a very informative video. Unfortunately won't work in northern Vermont where it gets to -30. Next year I will definitely use the direct pump method vs putting antifreeze in the fresh water tank. This was a learning year with my new Tab 400.
Just brilliant. Knowledge gained
So glad we could help out!
I always use antifreeze due to being in Canada and our winter's can get pretty cold. After I run the antifreeze through the system I bleed the pipes again so all that's left in the pipe is trace amounts of antifreeze so even in the event of it getting close to the RV antifreeze freezing point there isn't much in there to freeze
Hi am a new follower . Just curious why do you guys not use the toilet ? What do you guys use ? Please enlighten me thanks
Excellent video! I had a 320 Boondock until recently and winterized last year with vodka, no problems. But as a critic of how to
Videos this was the best. Showing where the valves are and how to open and close them is soooo helpful.
So glad you enjoyed it! You're welcome!
I wish I had watched this yesterday! Now I have pink stuff in. We do sometimes get -30 with wind, though. Next year, vodka!
Well done guys!
Thanks DL ;)
Just found this, great vid thank you
No problem!
Great “how to”! Thanks.
I winterize myself quite often... even in middle summer.
I prefer bourbon when winterizing myself, though :)
Very good point Berny!
So what temps can your Tab take before you need to winterize? Was thinking about a 400 and one of the things I was hoping to do was take it up to Massachusetts for Christmas. We've rented motor homes for the trip and not had a problem.
There’s been so much talk of winterizing and I’m curious about how much I really need to do. I live in S. TX and this is actually prime camping season for me. It rarely gets down to 32 degrees and when it does freeze that’s usually just overnight and heats up into the 40’s or 50’s during the day. Is it okay if I just empty out all the water so there’s nothing to freeze in there? Should I clear out all the lines, drain the tanks and the Alde system? Then when I want to camp just fill up again?
Hi JP, I'm dealing with the same thing. I live in Phoenix, AZ and the dealer I purchased my 320S from told me I don't even need to bother, but with all of these videos and forum posts, I'm wondering if I need to do this as well. ;)
@@reenieg3019 Hi! I was at my dealership, Princess Craft, in January to get a new battery and solar panels and I asked them about winterizing. They said the same thing yours did. There’s no need to do this in our area, especially since I use it the most from October - April. It very rarely, barely freezes down here and I just drain everything between uses, especially if I’m not planning to use it for a month or so. I do plug it in and run the fan every couple of weeks during the summer to air it out help prevent any growth of mold. I think that’s in the owner’s manual. Best of luck and I hope to see you down the road!
Why don’t you use the 400’s bathroom? Something wrong with it?
Nothing wrong with it at all! Since we are full time, and young, Kendrick and I just made the decision that it makes a better closet.... and we never have to clean the black tank :)
Hey now, could you use EVERCLEAR VODKA to travel through really cold climes , like colder than -16? (Since It has a freeze point of -173 degrees Fahrenheit (-114C!).
You could, but you want to be careful because too high proof can start to deteriorate rubber seals
The only time we winterize our vans is when the go into storage, as we empty the water out of taps and leave them open so air circulates through and before use we do a flush through before using the taps again and our water tank is inside under a seat locker and we do not have a grey or black water tank as our toilet is a cassette loo where we slide out and take it either a public toilet and for the grey water we have like a aqua roll outside to collect and empty anywhere have a sink etc. Thanks for sharing and stay safe 🙂
OK, NOW I know what the Vodka teaser pic from a few days ago was all about. Safe travels.
Haha, you got it!
I would have thought that the water system could cope with low temperature, especially considering that yours is a liveaboard travel cabin, inhabited all year round.
To have neither cold nor hot water available in winter seems really odd as yours is a top quality brand.
I can understand owners draining the systems down when long term storing their trailers throughout winter months, but didn't think it should be necessary for those owners whom liveaboard all year round.
This must be really quite inconvenient!
Thanks guys - BTW: Do you use and, therefore, need to drain and flush the outdoor shower?
Yes we did use it! We did drain it with everything else but I guess I forgot to throw that shot in there...
Thanks.
You're welcome
So why Vodka? Can you choose everclear or regular rubbing alcohol?
Vodka is cheaper than Everclear. So, as long as you're not planning to be below -16 degrees F then it will do. I would NOT use rubbing alcohol... The alcohol that people drink (vodka, everclear, etc) is called ethanol. Rubbing alcohol is isopropyl alcohol. Consuming small amounts of rubbing alcohol can have very ill effects.
That makes sense. Its been a long time since I have bought a bottle of everclear! My husband was wondering, are you worried that it is flammable? Maybe if you are driving through the winter to get to the warmer spots.
If I start living in a camper year round then when would I winterize my camper? Do I have to be plugged in indefinitely to keep it from freezing? Thanks
First to use a camper year round you need to have an all seasons design rated camper which is insulated underneath and has heated pads on the tanks and has hot furnace air blowing through the under belly. Very few campers are built for this, Arctic Fox being one which is. And yes you need to be plugged in or have ample battery power and or solar to keep heat running to prevent freezing. Many people who park for long periods of time during winter skirt the underbelly and place a low power heater under camper to prevent freezing. There are options here to use small propane heaters that will not put off enough carbon monoxide to seep in and kill you. A carbon monoxide detector can be got cheaply at Target, Walmart or Amazon. I use one when I sleep in my suv with heat or air running all night.
If you want to use your water system through the winter then you would have to have a 4-season camper. HOWEVER, you can easily live in your camper and simply drain the water for the months where the weather will be below freezing. This is what we do. Our camper is only a 3-season camper, but we simply winterize our camper and use indoor water jugs for the weeks where it is too cold.
@@DAVIDTATLITUG Oliver Travel Trailers is another 4-Season rated product. Keeping water from freezing in an RV requires QUALITY Engineering/Design & installation of Insulation/sealants.
Not using a toilet or shower & not keeping water in underbelly storage tanks is an alternative to the much more expensive 4-Season option/feature. Even better is simply moving to a warmer climate.
@Vantasticdreamer - I have plenty of golden delicious gold that will keep us warm in our campers throughout the cold.
@@azclaimjumper Moving to a warmer climate is what I see from alot of the videos of the nomads that RV full time! ;)
I don't think this applies to me. But I really need to learn. Do you have one for a T@B 320 Boondock?
I don't, but there is one on the nuCamp channel!
What do they make the red rv antifreeze from? I heard it was a beet juice, but that could be a nickname...
you had me at Vodka
so... no winter camping videos?
We'll still do winter camping, but without a fresh water tank. So, we just have jugs of water that we keep inside of the camper where the heater is running.
Of course! Still full-timing...
@@MandyLea Awesome !!
I've heard of using vodka before, but never saw anyone show the steps.
Same steps as using anti-freeze, just a different ingredient!
Already have the beard back? vodka on tap I like it!
Ahahaha. It grows fast, but not THAT fast :)
exelent!!
Thanks Kay!
I never knew there were so many valves.
Just depends on the camper... It really isn't that many...
@@MandyLea Perhaps the Vodka I drank to keep my pipes from,,whatever made a difference. It's 10 degrees here and I feel perfectly warm.
Mandy and Kendrick. I’m about to winterize my little Jayco. But first I’ll go to the liquor store. I had a favorite dog that died from licking the neighbor’s antifreeze. I’d rather use a safe vodka instead.
Good call! Inexpensive too!
Hendric, you have your nose red!!!! It's too cold there!!! Come to Argentina!!! Today is 30°!!!!😍
I will have me a vodka shower in the Spring hicup.
LOL! Sounds like a fun party!!
Checkout TABBERT DAVINCI 380 TD 👍much better than AMERICAN CAMPS 👎
Haha vodka costs about $60 per gallon here.. so yea RV antifreeze it is!
Oh wow! Where are you? We can get a 1.75L for $9.99
I am in NS Canada. We met you last year at the Tampa show. (Melanie and Keith)
It boggles my mind how cheap booze is in the US. It’s sooo expensive here!
Thanks for wasting my time with that irrelevant slow motion ad. Moving on.
We all have to make a living and I can't control which ads pop up before the videos. You always have the option to skip them after a few seconds. Cheers.
What are you talking about? I found this very helpful and informative.. what was the ad? If you are referring to youtube ads, the same happens for 99% of youtubers worth watching. It’s how creators are able to pay the bills and continue make great content.