Winterization question.... little giant as well

[joeynbgky]

My extended van won't fit in the garage....... space heaters a hassle.......

If I decide not to use the tm and van this winter can I?
Run a 50/50 antifreeze mix threw the little giant pump and all my hose. Will it mess anything up? Like the hose? Coils of lg?
And if I do this can I leave it outside with no heater and not worry about damaging or anything freezing?????

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[Chris A]

You cant winterize your pressure guage, so youll have to deal with that. Also dont forget your fw tank and transfer pump if you have it.

 

[ACE]

:!: Use RV Antifreeze it's cheaper, less toxic and works great.

 

[daniel@procarpet]

So what do you do about the pressure gauges?

 

[joeynbgky]

What's a fw? I have a cat 290 so no transfer pump.. I thought that liguid in the gauges was freeze proof

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[Chris A]

Fw=fresh water tank. Im not 100% on the pressure guage but I think the stuff inside expands and throws off the needle, thats happened to me but Ive never had one crack.

 

[Jtuseo]

I use window washer fluid every year. Unfortunatley you are going to have to buy new pressure gauges because they will freeze and break.

 

[joeynbgky]

Guess I should just keep the heater in it.. It uses alot of energy... its ok for now cause we use it during the day. But its starting to get cold so I am sure I will only be using one van till spring

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[dgardner]

Use the antifreeze full strength to start. Each time you use it, it will get more and more diluted until it's not usable. Diluting it to start will just hasten the process. (says the guy from Phoenix...)

 

[dday]

Use an air compressor to blow clear the system of all water, then remove gauges until Spring.

 

[Becker]

:!: Use RV Antifreeze it's cheaper, less toxic and works great.

RV antifreeze is best.

I agree with above, remove pressure gauge, hoses, tools, liquid chems, freshwater pump will have a little water in it, blow it out, or run the pink stuff though it, or remove it.
Make sure the APO is dry and not sitting in water.

Personal I'd rather run RV antifreeze though the machine than hope I got all the water out.

I can winterize my machine in just a few mins and do so anytime I go out of town in the winter months.

 

[Eric Valentine]

I tried RV antifreeze last year, and it DID NOT WORK. My Little Giant coils froze and split on me. LG heaters have the inlet and outlet at the TOP of the coil (the coils are basically 2 pipes with 3 spiral coils between them). You can't blow all the water out of them either. This year, I simply remove the drain plug from the bottom of the coil, use a compressor to clear any hoses, and run the pump dry for a few seconds.

 

[John Olson]

:!: Use RV Antifreeze it's cheaper, less toxic and works great.

I do not know what your lows are there but do not do that. Why risk thousands of $$$$$ to save $4? As for your little giant just blow it out with your air compressor.

 

[floorguy]

I tried RV antifreeze last year, and it DID NOT WORK. My Little Giant coils froze and split on me. LG heaters have the inlet and outlet at the TOP of the coil (the coils are basically 2 pipes with 3 spiral coils between them). You can't blow all the water out of them either. This year, I simply remove the drain plug from the bottom of the coil, use a compressor to clear any hoses, and run the pump dry for a few seconds.

buddy of mine just had that happen...WTF???

 

[floorguy]

Guess I should just keep the heater in it.. It uses alot of energy... its ok for now cause we use it during the day. But its starting to get cold so I am sure I will only be using one van till spring

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here is a quick guide.....tweak it to your cost per kilowatt

Cost to Operate

The cost to operate a space heater will vary depending on the type of space heater you use and the room you are heating. A good general formula for calculating cost is Kilowatts x Rate x Time = Cost.
Kilowatts - Setting the heater will run on. (Divide watts by 1,000 to get Kilowatts per hour.)
Rate - The cost of electricity per kilowatt hour. This can be determined for your area by contacting your utility company.
Time - Amount of time you will be running the heater.
For example, a 1,500 watt space heater running for 10 hours at a rate of $.10 per kilowatt hour will cost $1.50.
Kilowatts x Rate x Time = Cost
(1,500w/1,000) x .10 kWh x 10 hours = $1.50

double or triple that....$5 a day roughly.....how much you make a mth??? $150 per mth to make sure $1000s are ok....

 

[Becker]

I tried RV antifreeze last year, and it DID NOT WORK. My Little Giant coils froze and split on me. LG heaters have the inlet and outlet at the TOP of the coil (the coils are basically 2 pipes with 3 spiral coils between them). You can't blow all the water out of them either. This year, I simply remove the drain plug from the bottom of the coil, use a compressor to clear any hoses, and run the pump dry for a few seconds.

buddy of mine just had that happen...WTF???

Has got to be a matter of diluting, stuff I buy you use straight. Or not getting the fluid all the way though all the system.

I have a hose I connect at the HP connection on the front of the machine, fire it up routing water into a bucket till it turns pink, then into the water box. I let it circulate for awhile, Then connect to the next port, then force bypass open to run it though there.

This is after draining the machine.. Even though it is amazing how much clear water comes out before signs of the antifreeze.

So be sure you have antifreeze in all areas water could be..

 

[bob vawter]

plumb the pressure gauge to a QD and just pop it off every nite...
cause you'll NEVER get the anti-freeze up the capilary tube to protect the gauge....

 

[ACE]

John Olson" data-source="" class="bbCodeBlock bbCodeBlock--expandable bbCodeBlock--quote js-expandWatch">

:!: Use RV Antifreeze it's cheaper, less toxic and works great.

I do not know what your lows are there but do not do that. Why risk thousands of $$$$$ to save $4? As for your little giant just blow it out with your air compressor.

I have used RV Antifreeze with lows near zero. RV antifreeze is made to winterize plumbing. I always leave a valve open on the solution side to allow for any expansion.

 

[Bob Foster]

Since you have a Little Giant that means you have propane available. You can get a little propane heater that will keep it warm and not be dependent on power. Also there are different types of propane heaters that some are safer than others. Some can produce significant amounts of moisture and others very little. All you would need is to adapt the outlet of your propane fittings to T off of the propane line between the propane tank and the LT regulator. Or if you are using a propane grill tank then just use a second one for just your heat.

 

[Becker]

I'd no way use propane for anything more than a night or weekend of storage.

the RV antifreeze I use is rated down to -50. $5.00 per gal. so I think TM well protected into possible -10 or 15 ( wind chill would have zero effect so don't go tossing that in)

I've yet to see any hint of slashing etc.

Non toxic, safe for aluminum rubber brass etc.

If you use standard antifreeze you can surely reuse it and let it dilute or mix more with water, and test it between uses. But store it properly dogs cats and maybe kids like the taste of death.

 

[joeynbgky]

I was told if I used a proppane heater my windshield would ice up

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[Eric Valentine]

John Olson" data-source="" class="bbCodeBlock bbCodeBlock--expandable bbCodeBlock--quote js-expandWatch">

:!: Use RV Antifreeze it's cheaper, less toxic and works great.

I do not know what your lows are there but do not do that. Why risk thousands of $$$$$ to save $4? As for your little giant just blow it out with your air compressor.

Taking an air compressor to a little giant will only remove about 1-2" of water from the top of the coil assembly. The inlet and outlet for the coils are on the top. There is a lot of water left in the coils, and RV antifreeze will be diluted a LOT. The best RV antifreeze here froze solid in the jug when diluted to 66% strength, and it was sitting beside the 3HT, with a 1500 watt forced air heater blowing on it from less than 18" away.

 

[John Olson]

I have had more the One person bring in a frozen machine that used rv anti-freeze. Just not worth the risk for us.

 

[SMRBAP]

Antifreeze run through the system from front to back, (where fresh water enters your system, clear to where cleaning solution comes out), pull liquid filled gauges, stabil in the gas tank, add any other things you might consider depending on your level of anal, test the vans antifreeze, etc, and call it a season.

Skip the heater;

- risk of fire dependant on the type used, even though likely low, why take risks you can avoid
- lose power at your home for even an hour and it's really cold, you'll find out how much it sucks to let a TM freeze over
- will cost you more for the season overall
- consider popped breaker, heater failing, etc - again, low risk, but why take any risk

If I had to store outside, it's antifreeze/winterize and sleep well through the cold months.