Another Fresh Water Tank Question - Winterizing

[MartyQ]

Realizing it is not possible to completely drain the fresh water tank on our 2017 XL 40A, what do you do with the short tube that runs between the side outlet of the fresh water tank and the water pump? This short section of tubing will remain filled with water. I'm thinking of using the levelizing jacks to tilt the coach draining as much as possible from the fresh water tank. Hopefully getting the remaining water level in the fresh water tank below the tank outlet (to the pump). Ideas welcome.

[JayArras]

If you run your pump, any remaining water in the tube should purge. Alternately, you can disconnect the inlet tube to the pump and let it drain or suck it out with a wet-vac.

[TheWolfPaq82]

Originally Posted by MartyQ

Realizing it is not possible to completely drain the fresh water tank on our 2017 XL 40A, what do you do with the short tube that runs between the side outlet of the fresh water tank and the water pump? This short section of tubing will remain filled with water. I'm thinking of using the levelizing jacks to tilt the coach draining as much as possible from the fresh water tank. Hopefully getting the remaining water level in the fresh water tank below the tank outlet (to the pump). Ideas welcome.

I disconnect that line and attach a tube and use it to suck up antifreeze into my lines. No water in pump.

[MartyQ]

Tilting the coach with the leveling jacks worked very well. Most of the water drained from the fresh water tank. Thanks all!!

[CHICKDOE]

you can attach an adapter to it where you would attach the fresh water hose and use an air compressor to blow it out (and all water lines). use low pressure such as around 20 psi of air. they make adapters with a male hose connection on one side and a tire valve stem connection on the other. just screw it in and attach the compressor to the tire valve stem. I do this and open all the low point drains before I pump any antifreeze in.

[Jim in Halifax]

ON MY LAST CAMPING TRIP BEFORE THE "COLD" WEATHER SETS IN I OPEN THE LOW POINT DRAINS,FRESH WATER DRAIN AND ALL THE TAPS IN THE 5er AND USUALLY THERE ISN'T MUCH LEFT IN LINES BY THE TIME I GET HOME......

[JayArras]

Originally Posted by Jim in Halifax

ON MY LAST CAMPING TRIP BEFORE THE "COLD" WEATHER SETS IN I OPEN THE LOW POINT DRAINS,FRESH WATER DRAIN AND ALL THE TAPS IN THE 5er AND USUALLY THERE ISN'T MUCH LEFT IN LINES BY THE TIME I GET HOME......

You'd be surprised. I wouldn't trust that method.

[Jim in Halifax]

Originally Posted by JayArras

You'd be surprised. I wouldn't trust that method.

Oh NO!!!
I still winterize!!!!!!!!!

[markb422]

Our MH came with quick connects on both sides of the pump. For a winterizing kit they gave me a length of white hose with a quick connect on one end. To do antifreeze you disconnect the suction hose quick connect from the fw tank and replace it with the winterizing hose and suck the antifreeze.

[jimmoore13]

GENERALLY,
If you run the pump until it no longer draws water, you'll both clear water from the pump chamber and evacuate enough water from the line between the fresh tank and the pump inlet to be safe. Once you shut off the pump, water in that line should gravity flow back into the essentially empty fresh tank, and there it should be able to freeze without causing damage. Remember that I said GENERALLY. There are exceptions to every situation. It's best to know your system's design before making this assumption.
I use air to winterize, and I've had no freezups using this assumption for 4 winters with my current rig.

It's the expansion of ice that causes the damage, of course, and to cause damage, the ice needs to be contained in a "brittle" spot where the ice can apply pressure on all sides. If a hard plastic fitting has a bit of water in the bottom of the fitting, and the fitting is round, the ice will simply lift itself from the floor of the fitting into the larger space, because of the taper of a round fitting. Similarly, a bit of water in the bottom of your fresh tank is unlikely to split the tank because it has room to expand, and the rounded corners of a molded tank don't give the ice "purchase" on the side walls of the tank. A bit of water in the low point belly in a PEX line might freeze and expand, but the PEX is flexible and will stretch rather than split...as does a garden hose. Ice cracks hard things and stretches soft things. But there needs to be enough water in a round "hard thing" so that the ice can press against all sides. Water laying in the bottom of a square "box", however, could press against the sides of the box and split it.

Again...all generalizations that must be checked against your particular water system configuration. The simple systems in my PUP and a bit of good luck in the design and routing of PEX and fittings have made it easy and safe to winterize with air, but every RV is different.

[JayArras]

Excellent summarization, Jim!

[Oscarvan]

I'm a "pink all the way" guy. Several gallons, mixed 50/50 into the fresh tank LIBERALLY run in all sinks, shower, washer and all toilets until the pump runs dry. If you use it, don't forget the ice maker....(mine is shut off under the sink with pink trapped in it, we don't use it).

Takes very little time and now I KNOW that there is pink EVERYWHERE water could sit/sat including supply lines, faucets, all traps, drain lines and holding tanks, with some sitting against the dump valves.

Buy it on sale at Wallymart......Use about 5 gallons diluted to 10......$10

Over a decade of RV'ing in 5 different units..... including in and out of freezing weather at home with multiple winterizations, sometimes on the road heading north before hitting the cold and (knock on genuine simulated wood) never a problem.

Easy, quick (15 minutes) and thorough. I sleep better this way.

[geoff270ssf]

You are right - there's always a little water in the tank and no matter how well you drain the system that hose will fill back up with water unless you do this: disconnected that hose from the pump and elevate that end of it so that any water that does enter it drains back into the mostly empty tank. Easier than tilting the whole rig.

It's always bugged me that the freshwater tank can't be drained completely because the exit bulkhead is on the side of the tank rather than the bottom where it belongs. If the manufacturers put the bulkhead on the tank's bottom and located the pump beneath the floor, you wouldn't be carrying around as much "undrainable" water and winterizing would be much easier. Or they could mount the tank at a slight tilt, but then they'd have to brace against the tanks tendency to slide. A better solution would be a tank with a slight v-shaped bottom that would balance the sideways forces and help keep the tank in place even more firmly than current methods.