May 2021 - Big Guy Tiny Trailer

Ready to Dewinterize the T@B 400

So, you winterized your 400 and allowed it to rest during the cold weather. Perhaps, you read my post, Winterized our Camper Water System. Now, you are ready to get out there and go camping again. Fortunately, it is quite easy to dewinterize the T@B 400. For the water system, you basically just flush out the antifreeze.

Adding Water to the System

The 400 was thoroughly drained to winterize, but now is the time to add water back to the system. First, ensure the drain to the fresh water tank is closed. (It is located under the camper, near the wheel on the driver’s side.) Fill the fresh water tank about half full. The tank holds 30 gallons, so half filled is approximately 15 gallons. Do not leave the camper unattended while adding the water as damage can occur if it is overfilled.

It is best to flush the antifreeze using the water holding tank and pump because it enables the identification of leaks in the system. If the pump continues to run while faucets are closed, there is a leak somewhere.

Flushing the Antifreeze

Next, turn on the pump. Then, one at a time, turn on each water source and let it run till you can no longer see any pink antifreeze. Start with the cold water faucets in the kitchen and bathroom sinks, shower, and outside shower. Then flush the toilet until pink antifreeze is no longer visible. Lastly, turn on the hot water in kitchen sink, then bathroom sink, shower, and outside shower.

Once clear water flows through all water sources, you have flushed the antifreeze from your fresh water system. The antifreeze is now in the black and grey holding tanks and is ready to be dumped into a sewer or dump station. Do not allow it to drain into your lawn as it will kill plants.

Adjust the Bypass valve

The last step for the fresh water system is to adjust the bypass valve. It kept the antifreeze away from the hot water heater on Bypass. It needs to be set to normal to fill the hot water heater. Move the lever on the Bypass Valve from “Bypass” to “Normal”.

Other Steps to Prepare for Camping

The detailed steps above merely addresses preparing the water system for camping. Owners should also check tires, battery, propane tank, condition of safety chains, tightness of the hitch, proper seating of windows and doors, and condition of the camper exterior.

Additionally, wheel bearings should be lubricated once every year or at least every 10,000 miles. See our post, Wheel Bearing Maintenance-A Safety Necessity.

Lastly, NüCamp recommends owners to sanitize the fresh water system annually. A good time to do this is during dewinterization. A link to the nüCamp manual follows, T@B 400 Manual. The section on sanitation of the water system is on page 23.

We have Dewinterized the T@B 400

You are now ready to get out there camping in your T@B! Enjoy!

Artichokes

I selected artichokes as the focus of this week’s Good Friends Good Food salad. We like them at our house, but I don’t serve them very often. I had thought that it might be an opportunity for fresh artichokes, something I have never prepared. However, this was not a good week at our house for extra effort. The canned ones worked very well though.

Artichokes in a Pasta Salad

I often make a pasta salad where I throw together a variety of vegetables. It is usually quite good, but I don’t have a specific recipe. For this salad, artichokes was a given and I thought hearts of palm would be another good addition. If you look at the photo of ingredients below, you might want to call it everything but the kitchen sink pasta. Though there are quite a few ingredients, it is really easy to make. While the pasta is cooking, the dressing can be made and the vegetables can be chopped. This makes a really big bowl of pasta salad.

Recipe

Ingredients

Dressing:

1/2 c. Olive Oil
2 teaspoons Dried Oregano
2 teaspoons Garlic , minced
3 Tablespoons Wine Vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste

Rotini Pasta, 14.5 oz

Vegetables:

Artichokes, 14 oz, well-drained and roughly chopped
Hearts of Palm, 14 oz, well-drained and sliced
1 cup Grape Tomatoes, halved
1/3 cup Red Onion, chopped
1/2 cup Kalamata Olives, sliced
1 medium Red Bell Pepper, chopped
3 Large Radishes

Add When Serving:

Lemon Juice
Worcestershire Sauce
Mozzarella Cheese, Shredded

Directions

Combine ingredients for dressing and allow flavors to blend while preparing other ingredients.

Meanwhile, cook pasta in salted water per instructions on box. While pasta is cooking, chop vegetables and put in a very large bowl. Drain pasta and rinse in cook water. Add pasta to vegetables and then add the dressing. Stir well.

Serve in individual bowls and add as much cheese as you like. Sprinkle with Worcestershire and squeeze lemon juice over individual salads and stir to combine flavors.

In Conclusion

In short, it was a good pasta salad. Perhaps not my best ever, but quite tasty. I was shooting for some of the taste of the 1905 Salad at Columbia Restaurant. It wasn’t the same, but I liked the addition of the lemon and Worcestershire. My husband had two generous servings, so it must have been pretty good.

Artichokes and Hearts of Palm Pasta Salad

Good Friends Good Food

Check out other Good Friends Good Food dishes with the links below. Lastly, my page, Vegetables with Good Friends, Good Food, has links to other vegetables we have previously prepared.