extended subfreezing temperatures

[Taranwanderer]

To the original poster: what I would do is stop doing what you're doing now and read. And then read again. And then read some more. Then maybe look at some YouTube videos. This site is a wealth of knowledge if you have the time and the patience to read through it. You will find answers to just about all of your questions, ways to do things, and ways not to do things. I understand your concern about possibly damaging your unit. Nothing damages a unit faster then an owner armed with insufficient knowledge. I'm not trying to be funny or snarky, I'm just trying to save you some of the headaches that we've all been through ourselves.

[cllecr]

Originally Posted by Taranwanderer

To the original poster: what I would do is stop doing what you're doing now and read. And then read again. And then read some more. Then maybe look at some YouTube videos. This site is a wealth of knowledge if you have the time and the patience to read through it. You will find answers to just about all of your questions, ways to do things, and ways not to do things. I understand your concern about possibly damaging your unit. Nothing damages a unit faster then an owner armed with insufficient knowledge. I'm not trying to be funny or snarky, I'm just trying to save you some of the headaches that we've all been through ourselves.

I agree. I spend more time reading than doing, by far...(ask my husband!) I have dug through lots of conflicting viewpoints here on many topics, printed out diagrams and lists of advice and wished for a direct line to help at times.

Unfortunately as we discovered during this dilemma, when all else fails...even RV service centers and manuals can't be relied on for good advice when things don't work the way you expect... but sometimes you have to go with what you've got.

One thing I am learning more slowly is to sift advice here... Perhaps it is better to inquire directly or search specifically for info from particular knowledgeable, trustworthy people than to search by topic and read exhaustively through conflicting advice. Sometimes I don't even know what questions to ask and I often leave more confused than I began.

Glad for this resource, sorry to be so ignorant and relentless...right now I am just exhausted and discouraged by the turn of events over the past couple of weeks. Que sera.

[paulmlac]

Originally Posted by Taranwanderer

To the original poster: what I would do is stop doing what you're doing now and read. And then read again. And then read some more. Then maybe look at some YouTube videos. This site is a wealth of knowledge if you have the time and the patience to read through it. You will find answers to just about all of your questions, ways to do things, and ways not to do things. I understand your concern about possibly damaging your unit. Nothing damages a unit faster then an owner armed with insufficient knowledge. I'm not trying to be funny or snarky, I'm just trying to save you some of the headaches that we've all been through ourselves.

With all due respect, and IMHO, that's not a fair comment. The OP stated that they followed the instructions in the owners manual. Granted, it may not be the way that some folks on here winterize. But it wasn't necessarily done with what should be considered insufficient knowledge.

[Herk7769]

I read the instructions in his manual sent to me by the OP.

He did it exactly right by his manual. That his manual is written for "the least common denominator" is not his fault.

If you put 6 gallons of PINK in the fresh water tank; bypass and empty the water heater, and run the battery pump while opening the faucets and flushing the toilet, it will certainly do the job.

What is missing is "reversing the procedure." How long you will have to flush out the system to get the taste of PINK out of the water, etc...

[ATVer]

Originally Posted by cllecr

These are the instructions provided in the Forest River manual. Is this procedure not safe? Certainly there should be something warning us if that is so!

WINTERIZING WITH RV APPROVED ANTI-FREEZE
Purchase 4-6 gallons of RV approved, non-toxic antifreeze.
1. Drain all tanks, fresh water, and sewage tanks.
2. Turn water heater bypass valve to ‘bypass’ position. (See picture on previous page.)
3. Drain water heater.
4. If you have a water filter system installed, remove the filter from the assembly and discard. (You
will need to purchase a new one and install it when dewinterizing your unit.)
5. Fill the tank above minimum water pump operation level with the RV antifreeze. (Use of a long
funnel may be helpful.)
6. Turn the pump switch ‘ON’ and open the cold water side of all faucet fixtures. Leave the faucets
open until the antifreeze, (generally pink in color), flows out of the faucets. Repeat for the hot
water side.
7. Flush toilet until antifreeze is visable inside the bowl and pour one gallon of antifreeze down the
toilet to winterize the black holding tank.
8. Pour antifreeze down each shower/tub, lavatory sink and kitchen sink to fill p-traps.
9. To winterize gray tank(s), pour one gallon down each related sink drain.

I agree the original poster did nothing wrong and followed directions as best they could.
If these are the only provided directions they are not adequate in my opinion and miss critical details needed especially for someone who has never done this before. It never mentions the hot and cold line drains at all, which if opened with all the faucets left closed, may unseat the backflow valve and draw the water out of the dead ended city water connection I discussed earlier in this post. I wouldn't trust that this would work but I could give it the benefit of the doubt.
How to drain the water heater is not mentioned.
The design of these instructions appear to be to protect the lines by using the antifreeze to push the water out, not draining the lines and refilling them with antifreeze. Using the instructions as is without opening the line drains definitely would cause a problem since those drains are also dead end stubs that would never be protected with antifreeze using the steps as written. There is no mention of black or gray tank flushers (not all units have them) which also need to be protected by some action.