Can winterizing be done too early

[raising4daughters]

Our family is done camping for 2022. Youngest back in school, 3rd daughter getting married in 4 weeks, too much going on.

I'd like to pump the antifreeze in this weekend even though it'll still be hot for a few weeks. Could the antifreeze spoil or lose effectiveness if I don't wait 'til, say, October?

 

[BikeNFish]

Your antifreeze will NOT lose effectiveness. Go ahead and winterize.

Contrary to the name "RV Antifreeze", RV antifreeze does freeze, but it does not expand like water does until it gets to -50* F.

I prefer to winterize when the temperature is warmer just for my comfort level while working on winterization process.

Some RV service centers recommend to run the antifreeze through the system like you would with a normal winterization process, then drain out the antifreeze. I would assume that this would apply to only regions (Canada, Northern US) where the temperatures can drop below -50*F and there is a chance that the antifreeze could expand in extreme cold.

 

[J Starsky]

I reuse my RV antifreeze each year. I lose a gallon or so to the process in my TT. I never worried about if it went bad over the summer. No issue in MN reusing that stuff annually.

 

[jmkay1]

Left mine winterized for two seasons straight. Never bothered using the water system when I camped. No issues. Although I did sprinkle more antifreeze on the toilet seal on my cassette.

 

[tombiasi]

Your antifreeze will NOT lose effectiveness. Go ahead and winterize.

Contrary to the name "RV Antifreeze", RV antifreeze does freeze, but it does not expand like water does until it gets to -50* F.

I prefer to winterize when the temperature is warmer just for my comfort level while working on winterization process.

Some RV service centers recommend to run the antifreeze through the system like you would with a normal winterization process, then drain out the antifreeze. I would assume that this would apply to only regions (Canada, Northern US) where the temperatures can drop below -50*F and there is a chance that the antifreeze could expand in extreme cold.

It only rarely gets to -50°F in the arctic.

 

[BikeNFish]

It only rarely gets to -50°F in the arctic.

Hmmm. Then Minnesota must be in the arctic!

It hit -60F* in 1996 near Tower, MN while it only got down to -39*F in my neighborhood. It gets a lot colder than that not too far North of the Canada border. And they have a few winterized campers up there.

In 2019 it got to -36*F in my yard and the extreme cold caused my two year old driveway pavement to crack. In Northern MN it hit -56*F that night.

Last winter in Ely MN, it got down to -50*F.

I don't have time to check all of the times the wind chill gets below -50*F. That seems to happen every year somewhere in MN.

No doubt that RV antifreeze will protect you almost anywhere, but there are places here in the US and Canada that will push that -50*F limit.

 

[tombiasi]

Hmmm. Then Minnesota must be in the arctic!

It hit -60F* in 1996 near Tower, MN while it only got down to -39*F in my neighborhood. It gets a lot colder than that not too far North of the Canada border. And they have a few winterized campers up there.

In 2019 it got to -36*F in my yard and the extreme cold caused my two year old driveway pavement to crack. In Northern MN it hit -56*F that night.

Last winter in Ely MN, it got down to -50*F.

I don't have time to check all of the times the wind chill gets below -50*F. That seems to happen every year somewhere in MN.

No doubt that RV antifreeze will protect you almost anywhere, but there are places here in the US and Canada that will push that -50*F limit.

Then get minus 100 antifreeze.

 

[generok]

Don't overthink, just pump in some pink.
Put it to bed, and don't worry your head.
Drain it in Spring; enjoy using that thing!

 

[Lug_Nut]

Contrary to the name "RV Antifreeze", RV antifreeze does freeze, but it does not expand like water does until it gets to -50* F.

Some RV service centers recommend to run the antifreeze through the system like you would with a normal winterization process, then drain out the antifreeze. I would assume that this would apply to only regions (Canada, Northern US) where the temperatures can drop below -50*F and there is a chance that the antifreeze could expand in extreme cold.

Makes sense to me..
Water freezes and expands at 32F, so push the water out with RV antifreeze.
RV anti-freeze expands at -50 if you say so, so push out the antifreeze with air.
Air has a much lower freezing point than antifreeze, and doesn't expand as it does so.

Winterizing "too early"? The alternative is too late? After the piping has split?
Nope, "too early" is not a problem. Oh, you might decide to make one more trip and have to de-winterize, but that's less of a problem than "too late".

 

[freshme4t]

I had my dealer winterize it the day I picked it up in August. I don't plan on using any water functions on mine this year.