Broken water filter canister

[jeffreymhardy]

So somewhere along the way in my winterization steps, I apparently neglected to get all the water out of canister that holds my water filter out. I did remove and discard the actual filter, left the canister empty but screwed back on. Today I went to "un" winterize for a weekend trip and discovered the canister cracked wide open. I think I know the answer to this but...does this mean I can't use any running water inside my rig since all the water gets filtered through that canister and there is none there now?

[A32Deuce]

Unless you bypass the filter housing, No! You can just buy the part that split. Must dry the housing before putting back together.

[jeffreymhardy]

Thanks Deuce...I actually found a couple people who had the same thing happen, not because of freezing temps but because of the way the filter housing is attached. I'll see if I can figure out how to bypass it.

[Fozzy]

Did you blow your system out? I was lazy one day but new the temps where dropping fast. Pulled the filter and blew everything out. Next weekend went to pump antifreeze in the lines and the filter was almost full again. I was almost content leaving it blown out. Glad I decided to use antifreeze.

[Airbornemp]

I did my first de winterizing last night to get ready for this weekend. Are there any tips I should be aware of to prevent this from happening?

[KyDan]

I'll admit I'm not familiar with your exact set up but.... over the years this
comes up here over and over!

Many folks permanently bypass their on-board water filter and use an
external one. IE: one that is connected to the fresh water hose
at the spigot or at your outside city water connection.
Think what would have happened if your filter had cracked while the city
water was on and you were away!
Plus you don't have to worry about spilling contents and making
a mess inside when you're winterizing or changing the filter.

My 2¢

[jeffreymhardy]

That's a good idea...I don't want to have to worry about this next winter.

[fonzie]

Lots of people remove water filter and use it outside instead.....including me

http://www.forestriverforums.com/for...ter-22288.html

[dmax36]

In our RV, blowing out the lines will not empty the filter canister. We must blow out the lines THEN empty the filter canister.

[jeffreymhardy]

dmax36: I did what you said, and I still ended up with water collecting in the bottom (apparently) of that canister. Obviously I did not blow the whole system completely out. I'm just hoping nothing else got damaged that I don't know about yet. I'm camping now, but not using water since I had no easy/quick way to bypass that canister and test it.

fonzie: That's a great idea and thanks for posting the link for me

[A32Deuce]

First I drain the FW tank, then run the pump to empty filter housing. Relieve pressure and remove filter from housing and replace housing. Next blow air through the lines. I blow the lines out three times waiting about ten minutes in between letting any water settle out. When I'm done, no mist from spikets. Then drain housing and dry inside and out plus the threads. Pour pink in traps. Done. Gets pretty cold here in Jersey. Only had a problem once, I was in hospital and could not winterize. Only broke housing and sediment housing by the water pump.

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[jeffreymhardy]

Well that makes me feel better Hopefully it's just that canister. I'm going to bypass the damned thing when I get home and just use one of those externals.

[A32Deuce]

If the sediment filter leaks, you will find out when you fill FW tank. Easy to replace if necessary. Did it in the parking lot at CW. Took longer to find then fix!

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[jeffreymhardy]

I haven't yet filled the FW tank...never been dry camping yet but I guess I should test it out to make sure. Never used the water pump either

[A32Deuce]

When we travel, I put about a third of a tank of fresh water in to use bathroom, wash hands/ dishes etc. rather than use public facility's.

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[brokenaxle]

We had a lot of them crack last year in our campground. what people did was winterize and leave the pink stuff in the housing and it froze and cracked them. But it was a brutally cold winter last year here in Mi. The dealer said to always drain the pink stuff out of the housing.

[biznsa]

I blow all my lines, remove the canister and wipe dry, and replace. I then blow all lines again. I do this until I get nothing coming out of any line. I then remove the canister and take it in the house for the winter. I also put antifreeze in the sink, shower and toilet.

[BobHanke]

A tip from the shop that services our motor home. Take out the filter and just engage enough thread to keep the canister on. It was likely some water in the threads that froze and cracked that holder. While RV antifreeze can actually freeze, the important thing is that it does not expand while doing so.

[jeffreymhardy]

As far as I can tell, that canister version of a water filter is more trouble than it's worth. I'm just going to bypass it and filter another way

[D. J. Schuler]

Same setup as water heater bypass, no muss no fuss.