Leaving Trailer on Site with Electric and Water

Question: We have bought a new travel trailer (destination type) and will be parking it in a spot in a park, to remain there. We will be going to the park probably only on weekends, maybe every two weeks, until July and then every other week during the summer.

What I was wondering is, if we go up for a weekend and then are leaving and not coming back for a week or two, do we have to drain all the water from the tanks and turn off the electric power? If so, I am most concerned about having to turn off the fridge because I’ve read that it takes at least six hours for it to reach a cold temp so arriving on a weekend and only staying for two days, the fridge is not going to be operational at the beginning. A real pain.
Thanks so much, this looks like a great forum.

Answer: I would be tempted to leave the electricity on for various reasons. One, you mentioned in your question, is the hassle of the refrigerator start up. Another is that if your new trailer has house batteries and it came equipped with a charger you would want the charger to remain on to maintain the batteries. The only reason to turn off the power to the trailer is to save on the cost of electricity.

As for the tanks, I would always empty and flush the grey and black water tanks and just drain the fresh water tank. If you had not thought of it, shut off the fresh water supply to the trailer and turn off your water pump. You never know when some part to the water system might break and cause a leak while you are away.

Other opinions welcome.

Comments for Leaving Trailer on Site with Electric and Water

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Nov 17, 2013 How do you drain water lines
by: Anonymous


Does anyone know where the water plugs are on a 1998 Coachman Catalina 5th wheel? We need to drain the lines for the winter months.


Apr 15, 2012 Thanks for the reply
by: rh


This sounds reasonable, although I was hoping to avoid having to do the drain thing every time. But certainly I don’t want to risk a leak while we’re away. Thanks for your advice!


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