Frozen water pipes and everything...

The magnitude and full impact of the flood created a domino affect that went on for weeks.

The sidewalks stayed frozen for days

Not only did we have to remove our skirting and relocate, but our water pipes froze one last time.  It was all our poor water filter housing could handle and it cracked in two pieces.

I ordered a replacement and that lasted all of a month before cracking again.  This time, I went to Home Depot determined to either rip the whole thing out or replace the housing with something cheaper.  I found it!  A household water filter that cost $20 with all the trimmings instead of $45 for just the bottom portion.

We also decided that when the weather went below 10 degrees, we would shut off the fresh water and empty the pipes so it wouldn't and bust something again.

Well, my mom came to visit and in my rush to get out the door, I couldn't figure which way to turn the bathroom sink off.   I hoped for the best and left.  When Bill and I got back that evening, water was gushing out from under our front door.  Literally pouring out by the gallons.  Evidently, I guessed wrong.


After shutting the water off (I couldn't figure out why someone hadn't spotted it and shut it off for us.  They had done so in the past over something very stupid...), we mopped up everything we could.  But the sub flooring was wet and mushy for days.  We were scared that there had been permanent damage.  Luckily, they dried out and became as solid as ever (though not as flat...).  Thankfully, we came out fine and survived that mishap.

Then, the water filter broke again, this time it cracked at the top where it's screwed into the lines.  I used the replacement I had and fixed it up good. 

Creek flooded right to our doorstep.

How I longed for growing green things and mild weather to replace the cold...

One last bit of impact we had from the extremely cold temperatures in February.  It got so cold that our fridge stopped working.  The coolant in the back couldn't function correctly. It took about a week of good weather before it started up again.

In the end though, spring came and brought new life and fresh hope!

Dewinterizing the fresh water tank.

      So my husband is preparing for his annual trek to Starfest.  A science fiction and fantasy genre convention geared toward Star Wars, Star Trek and other costuming geeks.  As his first official outing as a professional photographer (meaning small business expenses), we had to set aside the house preparations to get him ready.  I decided the kids would enjoy staying in the camper overnight while he was gone.  Up until then, they had treated the trailer like their personal play house. 

RV antifreeze for fresh water tanks

     However, I refused to stay in it until we could use the bathroom.  So dewinterizing the trailer became my priority.  Once Bill left in a chaotic flurry, we loaded up and headed to Walmart for a long potable water hose (to be used only for fresh water). 

     A stop at the Hudson library delayed us for a good hour because the LEGO man was there with all his cool Star Wars and other LEGO models.  We still had to get ready for the Homeschooling potluck meeting that night.  So I raced home in a fury (within the driving limit of course) and immediately started watching the videos we’d taken of the salesman explaining the process.  I dug out all the manuals and even looked up information online. I wanted to make sure I knew exactly what I was doing before I started. 

     As I glanced at the fresh water tank, I saw a big sticker that said I needed to sanitize the tank.  This added another step in the process.  Every time we put the RV in storage for a long time, bring it home for the first time or every three months, the fresh water tank should be sanitized.  A half cup of household bleach diluted in a gallon of water (never, ever pour it straight into the tank) went into the tank.  I made up two batches of the solution so as to hurry the process along.  It supposed to sit for at least four hours, but I wanted to shorten it. 

     I had my DS turn the water on and began filling the tank.  Then turned on the water pump.  But nothing was happening, so I ran to each valve and made sure it was turned on right (after studying the manual again).  Turns out I didn’t have the right valve opened on the water pump…  Go figure.   Getting the pink antifreeze out of the tanks went fast.  I added another gallon of chlorine solution for good measure and then we jumped in the truck and zoomed off to the meeting (an hour late…).

     We got home too late to empty the tanks, but at least I could flush the toilet!