WARNING ⚠️ - 7:44 - before you let antifreeze come out of the check valve on the city water connection, turn off the water pump and bleed some pressure with the outdoor shower. You don’t want the system fully pressurized or you will knock the o ring loose very easily. th-cam.com/video/jbV38I1b7IA/w-d-xo.html Also one step you want to do while emptying your fresh water tank is to draw up your fresh water through your hose in that tank with the pump. There will be water in that line too. Run the sink with pump on until it’s air before doing antifreeze.
I have a Minnie Winnie of the same size, but different model and have searched all over for clear info on winterizing and your video is the the most straightforward. Thank you.
Thank you! 🙏 We have a 1700BH and I’m so glad I found this video. So straightforward and simple to follow. I was feeling lost on what to do, but you made it so easy. You have my subscription to your channel. Thanks again and happy camping!
Great video thanks! I found putting some antifreeze in the toilet and black tank when the trailer is parked in its winter spot helps save the seals in the bowl as well as the valves down below.
In hindsight I have learned that you DO NOT want to push in on that outside city water connection check valve when it is under pressure like I do in the video. A better method would be to give a couple pumps into it from the outside like the black tank flush. 00:00 | How to Winterize Travel Trailer 00:34 | Tools You Need 01:19 | Empty Low Point Drains 02:16 | Empty the Fresh Water Tank 02:31 | Empty Hot Water Heater 03:54 | Water Heater Tank Bypass Valves 04:54 | Water Pump Bypass Valves 05:51 | Pumping the Anti-Freeze 08:37 | Adding Extra Anti-Freeze to the P-Traps 08:52 | Dump the Holding Tanks 09:08 | Disconnect and Store Batteries 09:51 | Cover the Tires
Very similar to the Micro Minnie 1700BH. Drain valves and water heater bypass are under front bench for table. From there reach up under the bed for the drain valves. Pump is behind screw-on panel under the sink. I would add that you should remove the shower head/hose, sink aerator, and outside shower head. I am not sure why, but I had a lot of minerals break loose and clog them half way through winterizing. This is also a good opportunity to clean them each year. Two gallons were plenty for the 1700BH. Thank you for the video... best one out there!
I did mine like In the video But when I got to the city water connection I pushed the button And something snapped Now it won't reseal And Anna freeze keep Running out Now I'm not sure what to do now
Thanks for this! We just a bought a new Micro Minnie 2108TB. Cost me $7.00 in antifreeze and a couple of hours of time to winterize ours. I was a little apprehensive about doing it myself, but after watching your video, it was SO simple. It's amazing that we all have to rely on fellow rv'ers to find out how to maintain our rigs versus the manufacturers. Found our hot water heater under the bathroom sink after removing a couple of other panels. We love the layout of the TB model, in that the bed can either be set up as king or two twins. The two twin set up makes it so much easier to get out of bed without disturbing your partner. The bathroom has a lot of storage also. Not good for you I'm sure with two kids, but for just two people it is perfect. We are planning to hit the road in January from Pennsylvania, going south and then west. Hoping to be gone for at least 3 months.
Just finished and while I did turn off the water pump I did not open a faucet prior to pushing in the city water thing. I didn't hear anything pop. I hope all is ok. two questions. I am new at this and am a 72 yo female. I was so happy to find this video. 1. How do you run antifreeze through the low point drains? Isn't this part of your process or is it something not covered in the video? 2. The water pump valves, when you are done, should both be returned to the beginning position? That would be, following the open ended black hose the first valve perpendicular to the hose and the second valve parallel to the hose?
This is a big help! Our first winter is coming for a 2108TB and the exact process to winterize is not overly clear. Your video fixes that. It is very well done, concise, fast-paced and comprehensive for the newbie.
I'm wondering if I should bypass the water Heater before opening the lp drains. I opened the drains and then it took me a while to find my tools to open the water heater plug. Once I opened it, no water came out. I think it drained out while I was looking for my tools. I know it was empty because I couldn't syphon any out.
I found your video very very helpful up until the last part where you say you blew the o-ring. Please take this video down and redo it telling us newbies how to do it the right way. I don't know if I blew out the o-ring or not but I will follow your other video to fix it if I did. Other than that I thought your video was excellent
Could you update this video to turn off the water pump before doing city water release? I’ve blown out the o-ring two years in a row following this now. I forget and then watch your other video about how to fix the o-ring.
Great video except please edit video to prevent viewers from repeating the same mistake you did with the city water check valve o-ring being blown out of position due to water pump on. That’s what happen to me after following your video instructions without seeing the warning posted in the comments.
This was sooooo helpful. Thank you for posting. We have the same camper and are first time camper owners and were really disappointed with the lack of instruction included with the camper to do this kind of stuff. This is very helpful!
Thank you for making this video! We have the exact same model and it was awesome having a walkthrough with everything being identical. Great vid. Subscribed!
i think we need to add a TPMS repeater to mine because we keep dropping signal. problem for us is that our battery is in the back of the trailer, not in the front. helpful video.
hmm - yeah that repeater has helped out a bit for us. Its one that came with the kit. I think you will just want to find a DC wire you can tap into near the front of your trailer to place it and maybe use alligator clips so its easy to connect or disconnect so it doesn't drain the battery at all when stored.
Thank you for your videos. There is one thing I am really confused about on winterizing/dewinterizing the Micro Minnie. I have a 2108DS 2021. I am unsure what to do at the low point drains, with valves located under the bathroom sink. First, in winterizing you say to use the push-button valves, but mine are traditional valves located under the bathroom sink. I am assuming I run them parallel to the lines to empty. THEN do I leave them in that position, or do I return them to the closed position and close up the compartment. You do NOT mention them at all in the dewinterizing. THanks - this will really help. We're Coloradans too, live in the mountains, and are in the middle of this process for the first time. Sue
Save yourself rv antifreeze.hook a air adapter 35 psi and a compressor and 35 lbs into city water fill and black tank flush. This will purge most of the water and only takes one gallon of rv antifreeze to cycle through the system include drains
Yep - air is another solid way of doing it and if you do both its even more thorough which I love. I might get a compressor one of these days, I figure for now I can spare $2.50 a gallon from walmart though.
Thanks for the succinct video! We have a new 1700BH and I’ll be winterizing shortly here in NM. I don’t see how any antifreeze makes it’s way into the fresh water tank, with your technique. Is that a problem? Maybe not assuming it is well drained? Someone else’s video mentioned opening the low point drain for the fresh tank before driving to your winter storage location to make sure all pooled water get sloshed out - I like that idea.
Hey Ben, thanks for commenting - Correct, no antifreeze needs to go into the fresh water tank and driving with it open for a little ways is a good way to ensure it has all dripped out. One thing I regret not showing in this video though is that you do need to pump your fresh water out (using the water pump) to make sure you get the water out of the hose that runs from the fresh water tank to the pump. It is okay to let the faucet run open until its air for a few seconds or minute. This clears those hoses. After this is all cleared out you can change your valves on the fresh water pump and bypass the water heater to siphon antifreeze through the inside of the rig.
@@ChadwickFamilyFilms very helpful I did it all. My tanks were pretty empty and lines drained nicely. I only needed x2 antifreeze. As a female doing this on her own you were helpful 💯 thanks. I have the 1800bh.
Hypothetically, yes. But with the type of batteries that campers use and come with, it’s best to never let the battery drain down to being completely dead. It can degrade the battery and sometimes will even kill it completely if you fully drain it. So it’s best to recharge before it ever gets to that point. But yes, hooking your trailer up to the truck and driving around does recharge it.
I don't use the freshwater tank. I hook up to city water. Should I keep that valve closed at all times? Which position is closed? If the knob is parallel to the hose is that open? If the knob is turned to cross the hose is it closed?
Do you know what tender/charger I should get for an SRM-24 battery. I live in Maine and I didn't take the battery out last year and had no problem after winter. But maybe I was just lucky.
Thanks so much for posting this. We purchased a Winnebago Minnie this summer. This is our fourth travel trailer and we have never used a siphon hose before. The winterizing instructions in our manual never even mentioned it. With your detailed video we were able to complete this task very easily. Thank you for posting.
Handy video, right up to the point where you show me how to break the pressure valve. I get that you put a comment below. That is not OK. Re-do your video showing how to properly winterize without showing how to break things. The rest of the video was superb.
For the battery I would take a picture with your phone to see what cables are going where and then just rebook it up that way when you camp again. Positive cable connects first when connecting and last when disconnecting just like jumping a car. Store in a room temperature room at your home and ideally buy a $30 battery tender to keep it topped off in the winter.
Glad it was helpful! Just watch out on the step regarding the outside city water connection. I didn't make this clear but you don't want the water pump on for this step or you can blow off the o-ring on that check valve. Bleed some pressure and turn off the pump first.
Again, my fault for not checking your other videos for a fix for the "displaced O-ring" but wonder why no link posted here "right-at-the-top"? th-cam.com/video/jbV38I1b7IA/w-d-xo.html I still vote for replacing the video containing the error situation! Not all of us enjoy working on our campers as much as you! ;-) Could you please post the "Winnebago or Third Party" part number for the "male threaded" version that your Micro Minnie used?
I apologize. That was my mistake. This is the part I got that matches the original, but I did not need to use it. It was basically placing the o ring back into place which I learned can be done on our rig without even detaching it from the trailer because of where the access is at. JR Products 321-B-36-A City Water Dish, 1/2", Black www.amazon.com/dp/B002XLGRFQ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_fabc_cIxUFbFDVEW5Y?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1 The others thing that I did not show but in hindsight should was pumping the fresh water tank dry before using antifreeze. Again, sorry about the mishap. I’ll make sure the o ring video card pops up when I show this step since I can’t do an annotation.
Quick questions - should you run antifreeze through the low point drains. What happens if I dont put antifreez in the black water flush valve... IS it really necessary?
Yes. You definitely should run antifreeze through the low point drains. And yes, I recommend putting it in the black tank flush too. We had a friend who ruined his black tank flush when he forgot to put antifreeze in. I guess if you don’t use it, it’s maybe not an issue, but better to be safe than sorry. You will need a hand pump for both of those.
Great video, we just purchased a 2301 BHS and this helps a lot. Not everything is in the same place but helpful. When you take the hot water tank plug and keep it off, are you not worried about something crawling back in their over the winter?
Good question. Once I know everything is totally dried out, like several weeks later, I do lightly screw it back on for this very reason. I think it’s best to leave it off if you can, but I share this concern with you so that’s what I do.
@@ChadwickFamilyFilms ...but perhaps the downside of this is that there would be more of a spattering when the antifreeeze purges the air out of the faucets. Also, would it be better to open the low-point drains after we pump the antifreeze into the freshwater lines, and then antifreeze would be in the line all the way to the low-point drain valve...?
@@RodneyRutherford honestly I'm not sure if it matters all that much because the pressure is released from the system when you are emptying the hot water heater and leaving that plug out the whole time, prior to bypassing it. I've also seen some people try to pump the last bit of fresh out of the hose after it's been drained. Regarding the low-point drains being open with anti-freeze running - it's not a bad idea but i'm not sure if it's necessary. It would certainly come through fast! My understanding is once everything is closed and it comes to pressure that it does put antifreeze right up to those low-point valves. Is that maybe not correct? Curious if anyone else has some thoughts on it?
@@RodneyRutherford Great point, thanks. I'm deciding between air blowout and antifreeze, but either way I see your point as the low-point drains effectively being another faucet that need to be purged of water.
No. Because you still want it in bypass mode for the beginning of the dewinterization process. But I did flip the water pump bypass for the fresh water tank back to its original position.
It’s optional whether you do that step or not, but I prefer not to leave standing antifreeze in my tanks all winter long. So I just drain that last little bit out of the tanks.
It is pretty much just that. However, a friend of ours here in Colorado had to have his replaced from water freezing and expanding in there so we have been advised to give it a couple hand pumps.
Great video, especially for this newbie. Just finished winterizing my 2100BH and found this very helpful. The only issue I had was trying to pump a bit of anti freeze into the black tank flush. I removed the screen from the opening but the anti freeze would not go in? Any thoughts? Thanks
Hmmm…are you sure it was the black tank flush and not the fresh water inlet? There shouldn’t be any pressurization causing the black tank flush not to be able to freely add antifreeze. But the fresh water line is pressurized so I could see this issue happening there. If it is the fresh water inlet, you’ll have to open the low point drains and then you can add antifreeze to it.
@@ChadwickFamilyFilms It is in fact the black tank flush. I think the problem is that I don't have the threaded end to make a secure connection. If I just place the siphon hose in or try to use a funnel, the anti freeze comes right back at me. I've ordered the correct fitting and hope I'm not too late as it's been pretty cold here in Maine recently. The good news is that we the camper was used only 6 or 7 nights this year and I've never used utilized the black tank flush. My other question is the fresh water holding tank.......many suggest putting a few shots of anti freeze in for the winter. All I've done is open the valve and let it drain, then closed the drain when finished? Appreciate your help as the dealer really leaves us on our on out here!
It’s a lot like a car battery. Just disconnect the black and red wires and you can take it out of the box/holder. I suggest taking a picture of the wiring with your phone before you do though so you have record of what it should look like when you hook it back up. And I use and recommend a trickle charge over the winter when it’s not in use. We just store ours in the basement so it’s not so cold and hook it up to the trickle charge.
We’ve never really used an air compressor to winterize so I don’t have video of it. You generally either do the antifreeze method shown or the air compressor method. You can do both but not sure it’s necessary. If you do an air compressor, just make sure to open up all of your faucets.
I was trying to pump some antifreeze into the black tank flush using the same method as you, but there seems to be something inhibiting the flow, as most of it is just leaking back out, and the pump hose eventually came off from the pressure buildup. I removed the screen before doing this. I don't believe I am pumping too quickly. Is there something I should do to open that flush line up to take the antifreeze, or does it take just a small amount to fill the line going to the tank?
I’m sorry to hear this Bobby, the connection should just take a couple pumps and I don’t think this is pressurized. Are you certain you are going into the flush and not the city water connection?
If you drain your fresh water tank and now turned the valves so you're putting antifreeze through the water pump the clear water that comes out first the water that is originally sitting in the lines. Correct? Because I know you're not supposed to run the water pump unless there's water in the freshwater tank.
Correct. There actually is about another gallon just in those lines between the fresh tank and faucet. You really want to let the pump go until it’s just air then stop it and suck the anti freeze through. The pumps in rvs don’t burn up like a traditional water pump from my understanding and can be on for for a bit of time without water. Just let it burp it all up.
My fault for not first reading your right-up-at-the-top "In hindsight..." but since the "displaced O-ring" situation is a bit serious I'd like to encourage you to replace the existing video with a new one stressing the important step of removing the pressure (i.e. open a faucet with the water pump turned off) BEFORE pressing the one-way-valve on the city water hookup. The rest of the video is great though! Here are some details about the "displaced O-ring" phenomena: (www.escapeforum.org/forums/f9/repairing-the-city-water-check-valve-2864.html - from 2013, so you'd think we would all have this figured out by now - shame on Winnebago for not giving us this critical information!) "...As part of winterizing press the check valve in. Otherwise surface tension can hold a bit of water in your city water line. But don't do it when the system is pressurized! Specifically, there is a little rubber O-ring on the check valve. If you press the valve in while there is pressure in the system, this O-ring can become unseated and won't seal properly. From that point, when your system is pressurized, the city water hookup will leak." If anyone can suggest some "add on parts" to fix my 2017 Minnie Winne 2500RL I would appreciate it. I ordered an "Amazon.com: Camco 23303 1/2" Back-Flow Preventer - Lead Free" without learning that the "garden hose connection" is not 1/2-inch - so I'll need to either get some adapters or just find similar with both the correct connections size and the correct direction of the connections. My 2500RL uses a "R&B labeled housing containing the city water input (female garden hose connector) and I've seen something similar on Amazon but the threaded connector on the "inside the trailer end" scares me about trying to replace the whole thing.
Great video. Thank you for all the detail. It sounded like that hot water heater was draining quite well via the rear low point drain before you opened its drain plug. You might be able to get 90+% of the water out of that trailer just by opening the low point drains and all the faucets while the tongue of the trailer is just a bit high. Running all the pipe at floor level and putting the drains in a back corner is a very nice design.
Steven D that’s a great idea about living the tongue up a bit. I’ve never thought of that. I’ll be winterizing again this fall after a couple more trips and will give that a go. And yeah I forgot to open the faucets while it was open. That would be smart too. Thanks for the encouragement and comment!
@@ChadwickFamilyFilms It's obvious you put a lot of effort and thought into your films. Keep up the great work! You might consider making your life even a bit easier by adding an access panel for the low point drains. I've included a link here to an example (done by someone else) in a 2306BHS. www.winnieowners.com/forums/f267/bunk-house-model-drain-line-access-357591.html
I discovered that the fresh water holding tank on my 2100BH drains more with the tongue low, so drain that tank first before raising the tongue to get the low point drains.
Great how-to video! The first winter we had our TT I did it the same way you did. This past winter I blew out the lines and put antifreeze in the drains. Of course we live in Georgia where it doesn't tend to get as cold for as long as it does in your neck of the woods. 👍
Thanks Brandon! I think blowing with air could work up here in Colorado. I just don’t own a compressor other than my viair for my tires without the winterization kit so I figure this antifreeze only method will work good too and it’s accessible for anyone who can buy a couple gallons. I appreciate you watching!
@@ChadwickFamilyFilms During the PDI on our 2100BH last month, the dealer thought that via the low-point drain you could get all the water out of the system except for the water pump filter which is a little 1" cup at the water filter. Remove that and dump it. (I'd still want to use a compressor and blow everything, just to be thorough.) Either way, you'd still need to add antifreeze to the P-traps. I have notions of driving south from Colorado's winters, and in that case may be winterizing multiple times, and thus am trying to figure out what's easier--anti-freeze or blowout... Thanks for the super-helpful video.
At what point do your turn all the valves back to the original position? How do you de-winterize? I saw you said in a comment that you flip the pump bypass. Do you leave all the other valves turned till you run fresh water through the lines?
Think of it this way. There are 2 main bypasses, one for the hot water tank and one for the pump to use antifreeze. After your have drained your fresh water tank and pumped your fresh out of it then and drained your hot water tank then it’s time to change the valves on both. You don’t want antifreeze in your hot water tank so this stays in the bypass position until after you have flushed clean water through it all in the spring. To save time though I do return the pump bypass back into the normal mode that lets me draw fresh water from the fresh water tank in the spring since that’s one of the first steps I’d need to do then anyways. To answer more simply, yes you have the right idea.
WARNING ⚠️ - 7:44 - before you let antifreeze come out of the check valve on the city water connection, turn off the water pump and bleed some pressure with the outdoor shower. You don’t want the system fully pressurized or you will knock the o ring loose very easily.
th-cam.com/video/jbV38I1b7IA/w-d-xo.html
Also one step you want to do while emptying your fresh water tank is to draw up your fresh water through your hose in that tank with the pump. There will be water in that line too. Run the sink with pump on until it’s air before doing antifreeze.
I have the same camper with little information from Winnebago on where these items are located. Thank you so much for this tutorial.
I have a Minnie Winnie of the same size, but different model and have searched all over for clear info on winterizing and your video is the the most straightforward. Thank you.
Glad it is helpful! Thanks so much for watching and commenting.
Twice a year, this is my favorite video!
lol agreed
Thank you! 🙏 We have a 1700BH and I’m so glad I found this video. So straightforward and simple to follow. I was feeling lost on what to do, but you made it so easy. You have my subscription to your channel. Thanks again and happy camping!
Great video thanks! I found putting some antifreeze in the toilet and black tank when the trailer is parked in its winter spot helps save the seals in the bowl as well as the valves down below.
Oh that’s a good idea I hadn’t thought of. I’ll save a bit to add next time we park it for the winter.
In hindsight I have learned that you DO NOT want to push in on that outside city water connection check valve when it is under pressure like I do in the video. A better method would be to give a couple pumps into it from the outside like the black tank flush.
00:00 | How to Winterize Travel Trailer
00:34 | Tools You Need
01:19 | Empty Low Point Drains
02:16 | Empty the Fresh Water Tank
02:31 | Empty Hot Water Heater
03:54 | Water Heater Tank Bypass Valves
04:54 | Water Pump Bypass Valves
05:51 | Pumping the Anti-Freeze
08:37 | Adding Extra Anti-Freeze to the P-Traps
08:52 | Dump the Holding Tanks
09:08 | Disconnect and Store Batteries
09:51 | Cover the Tires
To flush out anti freeze can I just hook up to city water and turn on each faucet until the water is clear. I don't need to use the fresh water tank.
Let me add another thank you to the pile. 1800BH and first time doing this.
Clear, concise, perfect. Thanks!
Very helpful thanks
Very similar to the Micro Minnie 1700BH. Drain valves and water heater bypass are under front bench for table. From there reach up under the bed for the drain valves. Pump is behind screw-on panel under the sink. I would add that you should remove the shower head/hose, sink aerator, and outside shower head. I am not sure why, but I had a lot of minerals break loose and clog them half way through winterizing. This is also a good opportunity to clean them each year. Two gallons were plenty for the 1700BH. Thank you for the video... best one out there!
Excellent! First time winterizing this was super helpful.
Aweomse. Glad we were able to help!
I did mine like In the video But when I got to the city water connection I pushed the button And something snapped Now it won't reseal And Anna freeze keep Running out Now I'm not sure what to do now
Thanks for this! We just a bought a new Micro Minnie 2108TB. Cost me $7.00 in antifreeze and a couple of hours of time to winterize ours. I was a little apprehensive about doing it myself, but after watching your video, it was SO simple. It's amazing that we all have to rely on fellow rv'ers to find out how to maintain our rigs versus the manufacturers. Found our hot water heater under the bathroom sink after removing a couple of other panels. We love the layout of the TB model, in that the bed can either be set up as king or two twins. The two twin set up makes it so much easier to get out of bed without disturbing your partner. The bathroom has a lot of storage also. Not good for you I'm sure with two kids, but for just two people it is perfect. We are planning to hit the road in January from Pennsylvania, going south and then west. Hoping to be gone for at least 3 months.
Awesome! Glad the video was helpful. Your trip in January sounds wonderful. Enjoy!
Thank you for doing this! It’s absolutely perfect!
I really enjoyed your video. My only comment is the my water heater needed a 1 1/16 socket not 15/16 inch. Thanks for creating this video.
Love it Chadwick 😀. Yes getting outdoors is the best. Nice video
Just finished and while I did turn off the water pump I did not open a faucet prior to pushing in the city water thing. I didn't hear anything pop. I hope all is ok.
two questions. I am new at this and am a 72 yo female. I was so happy to find this video.
1. How do you run antifreeze through the low point drains? Isn't this part of your process or is it something not covered in the video?
2. The water pump valves, when you are done, should both be returned to the beginning position? That would be, following the open ended black hose the first valve perpendicular to the hose and the second valve parallel to the hose?
This is a big help! Our first winter is coming for a 2108TB and the exact process to winterize is not overly clear. Your video fixes that. It is very well done, concise, fast-paced and comprehensive for the newbie.
Glad it was helpful! Congrats on the new 2108TB! :)
I'm wondering if I should bypass the water Heater before opening the lp drains. I opened the drains and then it took me a while to find my tools to open the water heater plug. Once I opened it, no water came out. I think it drained out while I was looking for my tools. I know it was empty because I couldn't syphon any out.
I found your video very very helpful up until the last part where you say you blew the o-ring. Please take this video down and redo it telling us newbies how to do it the right way. I don't know if I blew out the o-ring or not but I will follow your other video to fix it if I did. Other than that I thought your video was excellent
Could you update this video to turn off the water pump before doing city water release? I’ve blown out the o-ring two years in a row following this now. I forget and then watch your other video about how to fix the o-ring.
Thank you Chadwicks for this great video! Would’ve been a much tougher job without this great walk through.
Thanks! So glad it was helpful.
Great video except please edit video to prevent viewers from repeating the same mistake you did with the city water check valve o-ring being blown out of position due to water pump on. That’s what happen to me after following your video instructions without seeing the warning posted in the comments.
Fantastically clear and concise instructions. Very much appreciated
Thanks for watching!
This was extremely helpful, and I really appreciate the video! Saved me a whole lot of pain.
Eventually, I will hopefully remember how to do this.
This was sooooo helpful. Thank you for posting. We have the same camper and are first time camper owners and were really disappointed with the lack of instruction included with the camper to do this kind of stuff. This is very helpful!
Thanks, Mary. Glad it was helpful.
Thank you for making this video! We have the exact same model and it was awesome having a walkthrough with everything being identical. Great vid. Subscribed!
You’re welcome! I’m glad you found it useful. It’s a fun camper. Let us know if you have ideas or questions on anything about.
do you always have water in the fresh water tank? Or is that the one you fill for boondocking?
How come you drain the anti freeze out of the gray and black tanks?
i think we need to add a TPMS repeater to mine because we keep dropping signal. problem for us is that our battery is in the back of the trailer, not in the front. helpful video.
hmm - yeah that repeater has helped out a bit for us. Its one that came with the kit. I think you will just want to find a DC wire you can tap into near the front of your trailer to place it and maybe use alligator clips so its easy to connect or disconnect so it doesn't drain the battery at all when stored.
Thank you for your videos. There is one thing I am really confused about on winterizing/dewinterizing the Micro Minnie. I have a 2108DS 2021. I am unsure what to do at the low point drains, with valves located under the bathroom sink. First, in winterizing you say to use the push-button valves, but mine are traditional valves located under the bathroom sink. I am assuming I run them parallel to the lines to empty. THEN do I leave them in that position, or do I return them to the closed position and close up the compartment. You do NOT mention them at all in the dewinterizing. THanks - this will really help. We're Coloradans too, live in the mountains, and are in the middle of this process for the first time. Sue
Mine are like yours. He says they need to be turned to stop the flow again before winterizing.
Save yourself rv antifreeze.hook a air adapter 35 psi and a compressor and 35 lbs into city water fill and black tank flush. This will purge most of the water and only takes one gallon of rv antifreeze to cycle through the system include drains
Yep - air is another solid way of doing it and if you do both its even more thorough which I love. I might get a compressor one of these days, I figure for now I can spare $2.50 a gallon from walmart though.
Thanks.. I have a micro Minnie 1808. Didn’t realize the water pump was behind a screwed in panel under the oven. Thanks for the video.
You’re welcome, yeah I sure wish they made all these parts more easily accessible.
Thanks a bunch for this! We have the 1800BH and in Chicago it’s almost that time.
Glad it will be helpful! It’s certainly simple enough to do yourself. Too bad about those cubbies. Maybe next year!
Just bought the winnebago hike 171DB this weekend that is a bit different from my previous trailer helpful video as my trailer is the same, well done
Thanks for the succinct video! We have a new 1700BH and I’ll be winterizing shortly here in NM. I don’t see how any antifreeze makes it’s way into the fresh water tank, with your technique. Is that a problem? Maybe not assuming it is well drained? Someone else’s video mentioned opening the low point drain for the fresh tank before driving to your winter storage location to make sure all pooled water get sloshed out - I like that idea.
Hey Ben, thanks for commenting - Correct, no antifreeze needs to go into the fresh water tank and driving with it open for a little ways is a good way to ensure it has all dripped out.
One thing I regret not showing in this video though is that you do need to pump your fresh water out (using the water pump) to make sure you get the water out of the hose that runs from the fresh water tank to the pump. It is okay to let the faucet run open until its air for a few seconds or minute. This clears those hoses.
After this is all cleared out you can change your valves on the fresh water pump and bypass the water heater to siphon antifreeze through the inside of the rig.
Winnebago needs to make instructional videos for all us noobs. Just like this. Include it in a cd or usb or whatever with your manuals.
I like that idea. Now just need someone at Winnebago to see this and hire us to do it 😉
@@ChadwickFamilyFilms very helpful I did it all. My tanks were pretty empty and lines drained nicely. I only needed x2 antifreeze. As a female doing this on her own you were helpful 💯 thanks. I have the 1800bh.
Enjoyed from Texas!
Thanks for not telling us about your chicken coop and staying focused.😷👍
🤣
Really helpful video for those of us in the great white north! Just finished my 2108DS. Thanks!
Glad it helped! It sure is nice not having to deal with taking it anywhere to get 'er done.
If the battery is dead will it get charged up enough by hooking it the trailer up to the truck and driving for a certain amount of time?
Hypothetically, yes. But with the type of batteries that campers use and come with, it’s best to never let the battery drain down to being completely dead. It can degrade the battery and sometimes will even kill it completely if you fully drain it. So it’s best to recharge before it ever gets to that point. But yes, hooking your trailer up to the truck and driving around does recharge it.
Why do you need to heat hot water? :) Just kidding, great video. Thank you!
Haha!! Thanks for watching.
I don't use the freshwater tank. I hook up to city water. Should I keep that valve closed at all times? Which position is closed? If the knob is parallel to the hose is that open? If the knob is turned to cross the hose is it closed?
Not sure which specific valve you are referring to so I don’t have an answer for you. Sorry.
Thank you!
Again thank you very much for another awesome video. I’ll have to this soon, maybe in Nov.
Thanks for the kind words AJ. 👍🏻
My black hose doesn't seem to be long enough to reach to the bottom of the antifreeze jug without laying the jug on its side.
Yes. We have to eventually lay the jug on its side too.
Do you know what tender/charger I should get for an SRM-24 battery. I live in Maine and I didn't take the battery out last year and had no problem after winter. But maybe I was just lucky.
This is the one that has worked well for us so far - amzn.to/3F2DZsZ
I was looking at that but didn't know if it would work.
Thanks
lol, a frozen black tank seems about the most awful thing ever :)
What, you don’t like a good “poop”cicle? 😂
Very usefull tks
This is super helpful!
great . thanks!
He said " do do "......🤣😂🤣😂
😂 cleaner than poo poo
I’ve also got the micro minnie and I watch your videos every time I winterize/de-winterize. Thanks
Thanks so much for posting this. We purchased a Winnebago Minnie this summer. This is our fourth travel trailer and we have never used a siphon hose before. The winterizing instructions in our manual never even mentioned it. With your detailed video we were able to complete this task very easily. Thank you for posting.
Excellence.
Handy video, right up to the point where you show me how to break the pressure valve. I get that you put a comment below. That is not OK. Re-do your video showing how to properly winterize without showing how to break things. The rest of the video was superb.
I don't understand anything about the battery or how to safely do it.
For the battery I would take a picture with your phone to see what cables are going where and then just rebook it up that way when you camp again. Positive cable connects first when connecting and last when disconnecting just like jumping a car.
Store in a room temperature room at your home and ideally buy a $30 battery tender to keep it topped off in the winter.
Thanks so much for this! We’re considering buying a Micro Minnie 2108TB and will be coming back to your channel for more tips!
Glad it's helpful! We are having a lot of fun with our Micro :)
Thank you for the video. It was very helpful
🌈🎁🌈🎁🌈🎁🌈🎁🌈🔥
I'm not sure what this means but it seems nice :)
I'm curious - where is your hot water bypass and water pump located on your RV?
Micro minnie 2108 tb, under kitchen sink and bathroom sink
Excellent! Thank you!
Glad it was helpful! Just watch out on the step regarding the outside city water connection. I didn't make this clear but you don't want the water pump on for this step or you can blow off the o-ring on that check valve. Bleed some pressure and turn off the pump first.
Great video! Thanks for taking the time to give us the info!
$2.50 for a jug of antifreeze. The same antifreeze here in Canada is $13. What a joke.
That’s insane!
So much info that is helpful to new Rv users
Again, my fault for not checking your other videos for a fix for the "displaced O-ring" but wonder why no link posted here "right-at-the-top"?
th-cam.com/video/jbV38I1b7IA/w-d-xo.html
I still vote for replacing the video containing the error situation! Not all of us enjoy working on our campers as much as you! ;-)
Could you please post the "Winnebago or Third Party" part number for the "male threaded" version that your Micro Minnie used?
I apologize. That was my mistake. This is the part I got that matches the original, but I did not need to use it. It was basically placing the o ring back into place which I learned can be done on our rig without even detaching it from the trailer because of where the access is at.
JR Products 321-B-36-A City Water Dish, 1/2", Black www.amazon.com/dp/B002XLGRFQ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_fabc_cIxUFbFDVEW5Y?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
The others thing that I did not show but in hindsight should was pumping the fresh water tank dry before using antifreeze.
Again, sorry about the mishap. I’ll make sure the o ring video card pops up when I show this step since I can’t do an annotation.
Love it man you have come far Pilgrim !
Quick questions - should you run antifreeze through the low point drains. What happens if I dont put antifreez in the black water flush valve... IS it really necessary?
Yes. You definitely should run antifreeze through the low point drains. And yes, I recommend putting it in the black tank flush too. We had a friend who ruined his black tank flush when he forgot to put antifreeze in. I guess if you don’t use it, it’s maybe not an issue, but better to be safe than sorry. You will need a hand pump for both of those.
Great video, we just purchased a 2301 BHS and this helps a lot. Not everything is in the same place but helpful. When you take the hot water tank plug and keep it off, are you not worried about something crawling back in their over the winter?
Good question. Once I know everything is totally dried out, like several weeks later, I do lightly screw it back on for this very reason. I think it’s best to leave it off if you can, but I share this concern with you so that’s what I do.
The low-point drains will probably drain faster if you open the faucets, right?
absolutely
@@ChadwickFamilyFilms ...but perhaps the downside of this is that there would be more of a spattering when the antifreeeze purges the air out of the faucets. Also, would it be better to open the low-point drains after we pump the antifreeze into the freshwater lines, and then antifreeze would be in the line all the way to the low-point drain valve...?
@@RodneyRutherford honestly I'm not sure if it matters all that much because the pressure is released from the system when you are emptying the hot water heater and leaving that plug out the whole time, prior to bypassing it. I've also seen some people try to pump the last bit of fresh out of the hose after it's been drained.
Regarding the low-point drains being open with anti-freeze running - it's not a bad idea but i'm not sure if it's necessary. It would certainly come through fast! My understanding is once everything is closed and it comes to pressure that it does put antifreeze right up to those low-point valves. Is that maybe not correct?
Curious if anyone else has some thoughts on it?
@@RodneyRutherford Great point, thanks. I'm deciding between air blowout and antifreeze, but either way I see your point as the low-point drains effectively being another faucet that need to be purged of water.
Thank you! I took notes!
Karen Cobb you’re welcome! 👍🏻
Did you turn the water heater valve back to original position after you finished pumping the antifreeze?
No. Because you still want it in bypass mode for the beginning of the dewinterization process. But I did flip the water pump bypass for the fresh water tank back to its original position.
After putting the antifreeze, why do you empty the gray and black tank?
It’s optional whether you do that step or not, but I prefer not to leave standing antifreeze in my tanks all winter long. So I just drain that last little bit out of the tanks.
Should do low points last
Thank you for your helpful info. You make everything seem so easy to follow. Love your family 👍❤️
Thanks for watching and for the kind words.
Great job! Thanks, I've watched a few times, 1st try at this.
Glad it’s been helpful for you. Don’t hesitate to reach out if you have questions.
Great step by step instruction. I watched this to see the positioning of the valves during winterizing to help me reverse it during de-winterizing.
Glad it was helpful. We do have a few intermixing video too, so be sure to check that out!
Isn't the black water flush just a open eneded peice of hose in the tank? Should just be fine without doing that?
It is pretty much just that. However, a friend of ours here in Colorado had to have his replaced from water freezing and expanding in there so we have been advised to give it a couple hand pumps.
Nice video. I have an 1800 BH so should be the same.
It should at least be very similar!
Great video, especially for this newbie. Just finished winterizing my 2100BH and found this very helpful. The only issue I had was trying to pump a bit of anti freeze into the black tank flush. I removed the screen from the opening but the anti freeze would not go in? Any thoughts?
Thanks
Hmmm…are you sure it was the black tank flush and not the fresh water inlet? There shouldn’t be any pressurization causing the black tank flush not to be able to freely add antifreeze. But the fresh water line is pressurized so I could see this issue happening there. If it is the fresh water inlet, you’ll have to open the low point drains and then you can add antifreeze to it.
@@ChadwickFamilyFilms It is in fact the black tank flush. I think the problem is that I don't have the threaded end to make a secure connection. If I just place the siphon hose in or try to use a funnel, the anti freeze comes right back at me. I've ordered the correct fitting and hope I'm not too late as it's been pretty cold here in Maine recently. The good news is that we the camper was used only 6 or 7 nights this year and I've never used utilized the black tank flush. My other question is the fresh water holding tank.......many suggest putting a few shots of anti freeze in for the winter. All I've done is open the valve and let it drain, then closed the drain when finished? Appreciate your help as the dealer really leaves us on our on out here!
How do I remove the battery? What do I hook it up to when not being used?
It’s a lot like a car battery. Just disconnect the black and red wires and you can take it out of the box/holder. I suggest taking a picture of the wiring with your phone before you do though so you have record of what it should look like when you hook it back up. And I use and recommend a trickle charge over the winter when it’s not in use. We just store ours in the basement so it’s not so cold and hook it up to the trickle charge.
Can you show how to add the step if an air pump is used at
the city water hookup to blow the water out of the pipes?
We’ve never really used an air compressor to winterize so I don’t have video of it. You generally either do the antifreeze method shown or the air compressor method. You can do both but not sure it’s necessary. If you do an air compressor, just make sure to open up all of your faucets.
I was trying to pump some antifreeze into the black tank flush using the same method as you, but there seems to be something inhibiting the flow, as most of it is just leaking back out, and the pump hose eventually came off from the pressure buildup. I removed the screen before doing this. I don't believe I am pumping too quickly. Is there something I should do to open that flush line up to take the antifreeze, or does it take just a small amount to fill the line going to the tank?
I’m sorry to hear this Bobby, the connection should just take a couple pumps and I don’t think this is pressurized. Are you certain you are going into the flush and not the city water connection?
@@ChadwickFamilyFilms Yep I'm going into the flush. I'll do a little more research and I'm sure I'll figure it out. Thanks for your reply!
If you drain your fresh water tank and now turned the valves so you're putting antifreeze through the water pump the clear water that comes out first the water that is originally sitting in the lines. Correct?
Because I know you're not supposed to run the water pump unless there's water in the freshwater tank.
Correct. There actually is about another gallon just in those lines between the fresh tank and faucet. You really want to let the pump go until it’s just air then stop it and suck the anti freeze through.
The pumps in rvs don’t burn up like a traditional water pump from my understanding and can be on for for a bit of time without water. Just let it burp it all up.
Great. Thank you for your quick reply. 🙂
Very helpful. Thanks
Glad it was helpful! It's easier than most people realize.
What about the bathroom sink? How do I know when the freshwater tank is turned off or on as well as the black hose?
I don’t have a bathroom sink but yes for sure you want to pump it dry and then run antifreeze siphoned through just like the kitchen sink.
The fresh water tank is just controlled by the water pump being turned on or off.
My fault for not first reading your right-up-at-the-top "In hindsight..." but since the "displaced O-ring" situation is a bit serious I'd like to encourage you to replace the existing video with a new one stressing the important step of removing the pressure (i.e. open a faucet with the water pump turned off) BEFORE pressing the one-way-valve on the city water hookup. The rest of the video is great though!
Here are some details about the "displaced O-ring" phenomena:
(www.escapeforum.org/forums/f9/repairing-the-city-water-check-valve-2864.html - from 2013, so you'd think we would all have this figured out by now - shame on Winnebago for not giving us this critical information!) "...As part of winterizing press the check valve in. Otherwise surface tension can hold a bit of water in your city water line. But don't do it when the system is pressurized! Specifically, there is a little rubber O-ring on the check valve. If you press the valve in while there is pressure in the system, this O-ring can become unseated and won't seal properly. From that point, when your system is pressurized, the city water hookup will leak."
If anyone can suggest some "add on parts" to fix my 2017 Minnie Winne 2500RL I would appreciate it.
I ordered an "Amazon.com: Camco 23303 1/2" Back-Flow Preventer - Lead Free" without learning that
the "garden hose connection" is not 1/2-inch - so I'll need to either get some adapters or just find similar
with both the correct connections size and the correct direction of the connections.
My 2500RL uses a "R&B labeled housing containing the city water input (female garden hose connector)
and I've seen something similar on Amazon but the threaded connector on the "inside the trailer end"
scares me about trying to replace the whole thing.
Great video. Thank you for all the detail. It sounded like that hot water heater was draining quite well via the rear low point drain before you opened its drain plug. You might be able to get 90+% of the water out of that trailer just by opening the low point drains and all the faucets while the tongue of the trailer is just a bit high. Running all the pipe at floor level and putting the drains in a back corner is a very nice design.
Steven D that’s a great idea about living the tongue up a bit. I’ve never thought of that. I’ll be winterizing again this fall after a couple more trips and will give that a go. And yeah I forgot to open the faucets while it was open. That would be smart too.
Thanks for the encouragement and comment!
@@ChadwickFamilyFilms It's obvious you put a lot of effort and thought into your films. Keep up the great work! You might consider making your life even a bit easier by adding an access panel for the low point drains. I've included a link here to an example (done by someone else) in a 2306BHS. www.winnieowners.com/forums/f267/bunk-house-model-drain-line-access-357591.html
That access panel looks great! I might have a good project to do later this fall. I’ll be sure to document it when we do it.
I discovered that the fresh water holding tank on my 2100BH drains more with the tongue low, so drain that tank first before raising the tongue to get the low point drains.
Great how-to video! The first winter we had our TT I did it the same way you did. This past winter I blew out the lines and put antifreeze in the drains. Of course we live in Georgia where it doesn't tend to get as cold for as long as it does in your neck of the woods. 👍
Thanks Brandon! I think blowing with air could work up here in Colorado.
I just don’t own a compressor other than my viair for my tires without the winterization kit so I figure this antifreeze only method will work good too and it’s accessible for anyone who can buy a couple gallons.
I appreciate you watching!
@@ChadwickFamilyFilms During the PDI on our 2100BH last month, the dealer thought that via the low-point drain you could get all the water out of the system except for the water pump filter which is a little 1" cup at the water filter. Remove that and dump it. (I'd still want to use a compressor and blow everything, just to be thorough.) Either way, you'd still need to add antifreeze to the P-traps.
I have notions of driving south from Colorado's winters, and in that case may be winterizing multiple times, and thus am trying to figure out what's easier--anti-freeze or blowout...
Thanks for the super-helpful video.
At what point do your turn all the valves back to the original position? How do you de-winterize?
I saw you said in a comment that you flip the pump bypass. Do you leave all the other valves turned till you run fresh water through the lines?
Think of it this way. There are 2 main bypasses, one for the hot water tank and one for the pump to use antifreeze.
After your have drained your fresh water tank and pumped your fresh out of it then and drained your hot water tank then it’s time to change the valves on both.
You don’t want antifreeze in your hot water tank so this stays in the bypass position until after you have flushed clean water through it all in the spring.
To save time though I do return the pump bypass back into the normal mode that lets me draw fresh water from the fresh water tank in the spring since that’s one of the first steps I’d need to do then anyways.
To answer more simply, yes you have the right idea.
How to DeWinterize a Travel Trailer - Winnebago Micro Minnie
th-cam.com/video/-h5vxNCyGnw/w-d-xo.html
Dewinterizing here ☝🏻
@@ChadwickFamilyFilms thanks so much!!! Just watch the new video. Sorry. Following you guys now :)