winterizing residential fridge

[gasman94]

How have you guys been doing this? I have taken the filter out and plan to fill a glass with antifreeze pumped in and then turn on the icemaker until I see pink. Good plan?


Rich

[CT Camper]

Yes, just make sure to use the blue filter plug or bypass to allow the antifreeze to pass through.

[-lenny-]

As we did not use the icemaker in our last 5th wheel, I am new to this as well. I have been told to hook up compressed air, blow the lines out through the water dispenser, then remove the filter and call it a day. Seems simple enough, just hope it is sufficient.

[gasman94]

Originally Posted by -lenny-

As we did not use the icemaker in our last 5th wheel, I am new to this as well. I have been told to hook up compressed air, blow the lines out through the water dispenser, then remove the filter and call it a day. Seems simple enough, just hope it is sufficient.

Blew out the system, but no air came through when pushing switch like it did when opening faucets.


Rich

[KennyGolub]

Last year, I put the air compressor on (low pressure) and turned the ice maker on and waited. When it cycled, I waited to hear the air. Then I opened the water dispenser until air came out. Removed the filter and done.

My biggest concern this year is getting water out from the lines and trap in the clothes washer. I only see a small wooden panel for access. I haven't looked yet, but not very hopeful I will be able to get at the trap from there. I hope to get lucky though.

[gasman94]

Thanks all. I did my blowout at 50 psi. I will just try to get the pink stuff through the fridge. Also, do I need to drain the water heater (Girard on demand)? I just figured that the hot lines would run the AF through it while I was pumping it through hot and cold sides.

Rich

[5456Mich]

Originally Posted by gasman94

Blew out the system, but no air came through when pushing switch like it did when opening faucets.


Rich

Same here also Rich. I couldn't get any air through the the water dispenser. Not even sure if it's hooked up but it must be.

Did you have any luck with it ?

[Ford Idaho]

Originally Posted by 5456Mich

Same here also Rich. I couldn't get any air through the the water dispenser. Not even sure if it's hooked up but it must be.

Did you have any luck with it ?

Is there a water filter in the R" fridge?

[5456Mich]

Originally Posted by Ford Idaho

Is there a water filter in the R" fridge?

Well there was, but not installed. I opened where the filter goes and the blue plug that everyone talks about was in place where the filter goes. I was sort of relieved, didn't think I had one.

[gasman94]

Originally Posted by 5456Mich

Same here also Rich. I couldn't get any air through the the water dispenser. Not even sure if it's hooked up but it must be.

Did you have any luck with it ?

Joe, I was able to run pink stuff (AF) through the water dispenser. Then I turned on the fridge with the icemaker turned on and left it on for a couple of hours, hoping it would attempt to make cubes and flow the antifreeze through the system. I do have the blue plug in.


Rich

[15berkxl]

Originally Posted by gasman94

Joe, I was able to run pink stuff (AF) through the water dispenser. Then I turned on the fridge with the icemaker turned on and left it on for a couple of hours, hoping it would attempt to make cubes and flow the antifreeze through the system. I do have the blue plug in.


Rich

Rich I really question your idea to put pick stuff through the ice maker you see the antifreeze will not freeze until -50 below so the pink ice will not freeze and come out as frozen anything. This means you will never be able to flush it out come spring.
The best idea is to blow water out of the feed line door water fill and the ice maker. Then shut the valve on the feed line.
Remember water in the ice maker will not hurt it after all it's an ice maker designed to handle ice.


Wayne

[gasman94]

Originally Posted by 15berkxl

Rich I really question your idea to put pick stuff through the ice maker you see the antifreeze will not freeze until -50 below so the pink ice will not freeze and come out as frozen anything. This means you will never be able to flush it out come spring.
The best idea is to blow water out of the feed line door water fill and the ice maker. Then shut the valve on the feed line.
Remember water in the ice maker will not hurt it after all it's an ice maker designed to handle ice.


Wayne

Wayne, I see what you mean. The problem with just blowing out the water dispenser line is that I couldn't get any air to come through so I flowed the pink stuff through. That's how the dealership had done it the last couple of years. I don't think that the AF actually ran through the ice maker and I agree that it should not freeze in an environment that it was created for. Since I'm done with it now, I'll see what happens in the spring. Now I need to get my home sprinkler system blown out

Rich

[gordonsick]

On the weekend, I used the Pink antifreeze to winterize my Whirlpool residential fridge. The issue, as noted by others, is that you have to run the fridge for a few hours to get it into the mood of making ice cubes. And at the same time, you have to keep the pressure up on the Pink antifreeze so that it comes up the line on each ice cube cycle.

I finally applied pressure from my air hose. If you want to keep the air hose from being stolen while you do this overnight, drop it to the ground from the generator compartment and route it back to the water bay, coming in on the hose entry doors.

After this exercise, I realize that I didn't need the Pink at all. All I had to do was keep the air pressure on for a day or so while I ran the refrigerator.

There are two gotchas in this procedure.

1. FR likes to put the ice maker line on the bathroom sink rather than the kitchen sink. This makes it a very long line, so the procedure will take longer, even assuming that you blew out the bathroom taps already. I finally cut the line and installed a female garden hose-to-1/4" compression adaptor under the kitchen sink and blew into the much shorter hose. In the Spring, I'll move the water takeoff from the bathroom to the kitchen.

2. When you apply air pressure on the system (even only 50 psi) with no filter in the FR1 water filter housing, the housing tends to unscrew itself and blow off with an explosive effect. This has been noticed elsewhere, and I might have to swap out that filter housing next year. If you are only blowing air and not Pink, you can leave the filter in, and it never blew off for me with a filter in it. For this year, my solution was to blow air directly into the 1/4" ice maker line, as noted above.

[5456Mich]

Originally Posted by KennyGolub

Last year, I put the air compressor on (low pressure) and turned the ice maker on and waited. When it cycled, I waited to hear the air. Then I opened the water dispenser until air came out. Removed the filter and done.

My biggest concern this year is getting water out from the lines and trap in the clothes washer. I only see a small wooden panel for access. I haven't looked yet, but not very hopeful I will be able to get at the trap from there. I hope to get lucky though.

Kenny were you successful at all getting anything into the washing machine trap ?

[gordonsick]

Originally Posted by 5456Mich

Kenny were you successful at all getting anything into the washing machine trap ?

I don't know about Kenny's success, but I just put a good dose of Pink Antifreeze in the washing machine and ran the Spin/Drain cycle to get it into the trap.

I also have a hole in the closet of my 34QS to access a cleanup for the washing machine drain, but I assume that is only for situations where the drain gets plugged somehow. The idea of pouring antifreeze in my carpeted closet on a yearly basis seems pretty dangerous to me.

[5456Mich]

Well today doing odds and ends I managed to get the washer to draw in the pink stuff and then found the drain cycle and let 1/2 gal or so drain out so I'm satisfied now that the trap is set as well as the washer lines. I looked around the other day and I have no access hole to get to the back of / trap to the washer. Hope this works !!

[dan-nickie]

Do you should find the access hole with the wardrobe slide out and a bedroom door closed.

[5456Mich]

My bad. Not sure how we went from residential fridge to washing machine, but getting back to the fridge figured out why I wasn't getting anything out of the water dispenser. Out of the blue I checked under the vanity in the half bath and low and behold the shut off for the ice maker line was shut. I'm wondering if the previous owners ever even used the dispenser or ice maker. The gas cook tops never been used. Well looks like the only appliance not mentioned is the microwave. Long story short, everything's winterized.