When Mother Nature Laughs at Your Plans

Well folks, here's a plot twist I didn't see coming.

We're settled into sunny Florida for a few weeks, and I'd planned to store the fifth wheel down here to avoid the whole winterizing dance again. You know the drill: easier to leave it in the south, where freezing temps are about as common as a polite conversation about politics.

But here's the thing. One of the worst winter storms in decades is barreling toward the mid-south, and while our little spot in the panhandle isn't expected to see snow or ice, the forecast shows temps dropping well below freezing each night for several days next week.

And that's all it takes.

Here I am today near Gainesville, basking in nearly 70-degree weather, about to winterize tomorrow anyway. Because a few hours of hard freeze is all your RV plumbing needs to turn into an expensive science experiment. Water expands when it freezes (thanks, physics), and that expansion doesn't care about your convenience or your plans. It'll crack pipes, split fittings, destroy pumps, and turn your fresh water system into a very costly repair project.

So I'm choosing safety over convenience. The pink stuff (antifreeze) is going in.

Sometimes you just have to laugh and roll with it. That's the RV life, right?

Stay warm out there, friends. And if you're anywhere near this storm's path in normally temperate mid-southern states, don't gamble with your plumbing. A little antifreeze and an hour of your time beats a flooded rig any day of the week.

Mike

P.S. - Better to winterize twice than repair once. Trust me on this one.