Winterization of 378XL residential Frig?

[wvphil]

I've read a few postings of ideas of how to properly winterize the residential Frig on the internet and even have contacted Forest River and still am not clear. Last year I apparently was not successful in winterizing as I discovered a frozen cracked input water control valve assembly after hooking water up this spring. (water running out door of coach) The Frig is very difficult to remove from the tight space in the wall to gain access to the rear of the frig (and I can find no access panels from outside wall or underneath) and forest river indicates in their instructions they emailed me to hook compressed air or nitrogen to the water inlet of refrigerator and then operate water dispenser until all water is blown out, then run ice maker through a manual cycle to blow water from the ice maker fill lines. (have no idea how to manually cycle this ice maker) Then they say to remove the water filter and replace with a new one. I telephoned nearest Forest River Dealer in Huntington WV and they said to call Forest River as they had never done it???? I have been told by a local independent RV dealer they use antifreeze in the whole system and allow system to cycle on its own for around a day and they know once ice maker drops pink liquid in ice bucket system is winterized??? I'm sure this will work but not looking forward to getting the antifreeze flushed from the system next spring! Has anyone been successful purging the frig of water by just hooking up compressed air to water hose inlet of motorhome and allowing icemaker to cycle say for 24 hours? I'd appreciate some advice from someone who is experienced and have been successful in purging their system in a simple way without having to pull the refrigerator out or having to use antifreeze in the refrigerator water/icemaker system. (Id classify success as those whom stored their motorhome last winter in temperatures near 0 degrees F last winter like I experienced here in WV last winter. Id like to avoid another disaster next spring and cold weather here in the hills is right around the corner.

[double D]

Had the same situation, first time new rig. Fortunately I was at dealers camp site when I winterized.
If you open outside door directly under fridge, look up, right hand side you will find a black cover. Remove screws and you will find shut off valve and small tube running up to unit.
Having already drained rv, I removed water filter from fridge, unscrewed small tube below and opened tap, water drained out.
Had wife push fresh water and ice bar to make sure no vacuum was created. Wiped out ice maker and that was it.
Had no leaks this summer works just fine, just make sure small tube has a brass washer which will fly off if not careful....have fun
Just a note the hot water turn off is behind right rear tire. You have to get down and remove white disc and there it is..
Not where manual says.......

[wvphil]

I will look in am when some light. I was able to find the hot water bypass last year but not the fridge line to drain. I did find the white access cover in the storage cabinet mentioned in a few internet posts to access the line going to the frig but no connections to purge ect. that I can find. I'm still foggy on cycling the icemaker. Mine does not have an arm like the one in my house. This thing makes small cubes and see no way of turning on or off on ice maker itself. The front panel on the door of frig has a button to turn off icemaker. Curious, is your unit a 2013 378xl also? Thanks for the info. I'll let you know tomorrow what I find.

[VinceU]

Originally Posted by wvphil

I will look in am when some light. I was able to find the hot water bypass last year but not the fridge line to drain. I did find the white access cover in the storage cabinet mentioned in a few internet posts to access the line going to the frig but no connections to purge ect. that I can find. I'm still foggy on cycling the icemaker. Mine does not have an arm like the one in my house. This thing makes small cubes and see no way of turning on or off on ice maker itself. The front panel on the door of frig has a button to turn off icemaker. Curious, is your unit a 2013 378xl also? Thanks for the info. I'll let you know tomorrow what I find.

Is that a residential model? As mentioned earlier, just open supply to water dispenser and have someone else hold open the cup dispenser. Mine had a cooler inside the box to cool the water but that drains with the dispenser. As to the ice cuber, must drain water to cube fill system, as to the freezer portion it's made to make and hold ice right? I just left it go.

[wvphil]

Yes it is a residential double door model with freezer slide out drawer on bottom. Electric only. Runs off its own dedicated inverter.

[LittlePM]

Originally Posted by double D

Had the same situation, first time new rig. Fortunately I was at dealers camp site when I winterized.
If you open outside door directly under fridge, look up, right hand side you will find a black cover. Remove screws and you will find shut off valve and small tube running up to unit.
Having already drained rv, I removed water filter from fridge, unscrewed small tube below and opened tap, water drained out.
Had wife push fresh water and ice bar to make sure no vacuum was created. Wiped out ice maker and that was it.
Had no leaks this summer works just fine, just make sure small tube has a brass washer which will fly off if not careful....have fun
Just a note the hot water turn off is behind right rear tire. You have to get down and remove white disc and there it is..
Not where manual says.......

Thank you for the info we have the GT 378, and will need to do this soon. In our last 5th wheel, we had a residential frig, and didn't do it right, now we know.

[wvphil]

Well today I again searched for the shut off valve in the compartment by the steps and I did find a black cover that I removed but no pluming there, looks like a terminal block of some sort and some wiring. My waterline that feeds the fridge runs through the wall from the bathroom. In the small storage compartment in front of the toilet there is a white screw off access cover and the line is hooked up in there. Even if I were able to get the line loose there would be no place for the line to drain other than in the wall. Looks like the report of line running up to frig from bottom in compartment by door must have been a change in design after mine was built? I'd be interested in hearing from others with a 2013 378XL to see how you have winterized your unit. Very disappointed apparently Forest River installed this refrigerator in my unit without thinking about how it was going to be able to be winterized. Even after contacting Forest River three times the only instructions I've gotten requires the refrigerator to be removed from the wall and to hook air up to where the line connects to the refrigerator to purge. I'll be thinking about a way of plumbing in a tee and a way to run a line that would be easy to hook air to purge or maybe a way to drain? This will require some thinking and planning before starting this project as I'm no engineer but there has to be a better solution than pulling frig out of wall every year.

[VinceU]

Originally Posted by wvphil

Well today I again searched for the shut off valve in the compartment by the steps and I did find a black cover that I removed but no pluming there, looks like a terminal block of some sort and some wiring. My waterline that feeds the fridge runs through the wall from the bathroom. In the small storage compartment in front of the toilet there is a white screw off access cover and the line is hooked up in there. Even if I were able to get the line loose there would be no place for the line to drain other than in the wall. Looks like the report of line running up to frig from bottom in compartment by door must have been a change in design after mine was built? I'd be interested in hearing from others with a 2013 378XL to see how you have winterized your unit. Very disappointed apparently Forest River installed this refrigerator in my unit without thinking about how it was going to be able to be winterized. Even after contacting Forest River three times the only instructions I've gotten requires the refrigerator to be removed from the wall and to hook air up to where the line connects to the refrigerator to purge. I'll be thinking about a way of plumbing in a tee and a way to run a line that would be easy to hook air to purge or maybe a way to drain? This will require some thinking and planning before starting this project as I'm no engineer but there has to be a better solution than pulling frig out of wall every year.

If you plan on draining out the water system anyway, why not just add a air purge connection to the water inlet? They are available in WM for about two dollars. Just secure all you're drains and admit about 20 psi air pressure to the system and with a large glass in place, blow out the water dispenser. Somewhere on that icemaker there must be a threaded connection for the supply, with towel in place blow that out too. Blow out all your fixtures while you have air connected and you'll to remove low pockets of water.

[DennyH]

I just got a '14 377 and have no access under the fridge for the water line ?!?!? Pumping the "pink stuff" thru fridge is an alternative, but... Come on FR, lend a voice here!!!


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[speedjester]

I have always blown out the lines with compressed air .... Just cycle the ice maker a few times until no more water comes out .. Same on every fixture .. Only time I ever had a problem is using the pink stuff ( rv antifreeze).. But if you rather use the anti freeze .. I would blow out the lines then then run the antifreeze through the system .. Be sure to cycle ice maker..

[speedjester]

To cycle ice maker .. Some have a button and some you will need a piece of wire to bridge a contact .. Instruction for particular units can be found online .... Either way very simple ..