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Old 10-20-2011, 06:07 PM   #21
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do not put antifreeze in your fresh tank ! it will most likely take 5 or 6 gallons to even get the pump to pick it up !
use the antifreeze/winterization hook up with a short piece of garden hose .
if you put the antifreeze in the fw tank you will have to clean/disenfect it next spring .
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Old 10-20-2011, 06:58 PM   #22
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So you are saying that my pump stayed on due to the fact that it had no 'value' because the taps were all open?

Which means that since they left all the taps 'on' and the water pump 'on', and the low point caps 'off'......there probably is no antifreeze left in my system...... (except in the grey water tank).

With the low point drains left uncapped, it would not matter is the taps were open or closed. All of your RV antifreeze would run out the open low point drains eventually. Taps open... very fast. Taps closed... one low point would drain, while sucking air through the other till the pipes were empty. Net result either way, you got hosed.

And yes your pump would "run" pumping nothing till it overheated and shut down. When it cooled enough it would start up again. Repeat until battery dead.
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Old 10-20-2011, 07:39 PM   #23
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I think that your final outcome is that you got your pipes drained of water and subsequently antifreeze. And how much did you pay for this non service?
LOL, $80.23 to be exact..........
I knew I should have done it myself.......
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Old 10-20-2011, 07:43 PM   #24
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do not put antifreeze in your fresh tank ! it will most likely take 5 or 6 gallons to even get the pump to pick it up !
use the antifreeze/winterization hook up with a short piece of garden hose .
if you put the antifreeze in the fw tank you will have to clean/disenfect it next spring .
Hmmmm, that may be a better option. I would hate to dump that much antifreeze in the FW tank only to find out that the pump really IS broken.

If I use the hose, it just won't suck up any antifreeze from the jug when I turn the pump on....a much easier way.
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Old 10-20-2011, 07:48 PM   #25
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Since I winterize by myself, I cheat.

I pull the fuse at the motor and turn on the pump switch inside.
That way I can control the pump with the fuse and suck out of the gallon jug. I used exactly 1 gallon to winterize my rig this year. LAST year it was 3 gallons and a BIG mess. Live and learn.
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Old 10-20-2011, 07:48 PM   #26
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And yes your pump would "run" pumping nothing till it overheated and shut down. When it cooled enough it would start up again. Repeat until battery dead.
So, there is a possibility that it is not broken/burned out?
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Old 10-20-2011, 07:51 PM   #27
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So, there is a possibility that it is not broken/burned out?

Honestly, I don't know. If you supply power to it; it should run; water or not. If it does not check the 15 amp fuse right next to the pump.

If that fuse checks good with a meter and you have 12 VDC there; the pump motor is bad.
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Old 10-21-2011, 05:40 PM   #28
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Ok, I found my thread!!!!

This might be a long one so everyone get comfortable.

Tuesday we brought the TT in to get winterized and the roof inspected. When we dropped it off we used the power jack to unhitch it, with no problems.

Picked it up on Thursday and when we got to it, I went in to check it out and noticed that the battery was completely dead, and the pump switch was on.
I asked them to charge it, so they brought a portable charger, attached it, and I also attached the TT to my truck via the cord. There was 2/3 in the battery when I checked it at that time.
I turned on the pump switch again, to see if it still worked but I did not hear any noise from it, so I turned it off.
We used the power jack to hitch up the trailer again, still attached to the portable charger and my truck.
While checking out the TT I noticed these things:
My gray tank was 1/3 full
The caps were off the low point drains and put in the sink
The taps were on as well as the water pump switch
There was water in my shower head nozzle (which they had obviously missed so I unhooked it and dumped the water from it outside)

We drove to the storage place and while driving my DH noticed that the running lights kept coming on and off everytime he used the windshield wipers.(idk if that is normal or not)
Then, I had to leave the TT power/brake cable attached to the truck so I could use the power jack to unhitch.

When I got home, I called the trailer place and told them my concerns about the pump, they said they would replace the pump if it was broken, but the tech there said that since it only works on demand, it would not have stayed on the whole time thereby draining my battery.

Went back today to get the battery (to put it in a charger at my dads), while I was there at the storage place I plugged in the TT to the truck again to see if I could get any power so I could check if my pump motor turned on or not; I did not get any power to the TT from the truck, and not even the lights worked, so I could not ascertain if the pump worked or not.( don't know if it is normal to not get power from truck)

I got home and called the trailer place and left a message for the owner with a list of the concerns I mentioned above.

Got a call back from him a couple hours later and the owner thanked me for the call and said he would do anything he could to rectify the problem for me, and he had played my message I left him for his service guy so they would know what my issues were as the owner himself is somewhat service-defunct and does not understand any type of trailer tech talk.
Hour later I get another call from the owner, on speaker phone with the service tech that worked on my TT also present, they seem to have solved the mystery of what happened to my TT.

Apparently when they went to work on my TT the battery was drained completely, so they plugged my TT into the auxillary on the back of the John Deere tractor (7 pin?) they had to give it power.
He blew out the lines added anitfreeze etc......but the tech said that he always drains the antifreeze out of the lines because it can dry up and harden in the lines and block them up.
He also always leaves the low point drain caps off just because thats how he was taught to do it.....
So, he did not turn the pump switch off because they just unplugged my TT from the tractor and since the battery was dead, it just shut off anyways.......

I told them that I never heard of antifreeze drying up in lines over a winter, and told him that the low points would drain out all my antifreeze and asked them why if they knew my battery was dead, they would not have charged it up for me, or told me about it. The owner then said that they could have done that, but that is not something they necessarily are obliged to do.

So apparently, it is my fault because the battery was dead, it is normal to put antifreeze into the lines then let it drain all out again, normal to leave the low point drain caps off all winter, and basically that if anything is wrong with my pump, it is not their fault because the battery was dead so it could not have run and burned out.

Ok, I am in need of constructive comments........what should I do now.....????
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Old 10-21-2011, 05:48 PM   #29
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Oh, my...
(I know that was not constructive, but wow)

Was this a "dealer" or a local shop?
IE Do they reoutinely work on travel trailers?

It sounds like a local automotive repair shop "that also inspects trailers"
Nothing wrong with that. I am looking for one myself to hang the PA sticker in the window.
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Old 10-21-2011, 05:54 PM   #30
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Sorry for the length, but I wanted to tell all the details.

It is a place that sells trailers, cars, motorcycles etc....(Tilbury Auto Sales)

Is there anything wrong with how they winterized my TT?
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Old 10-21-2011, 06:00 PM   #31
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Kim, I have to tell you, that what you have described is not how I was taught to winterize an RV. I am suspicious (as you apparently are) that they were not "up" on how to do it properly since there was clear water in your shower heads. I wonder if they flushed out the city water check valve, turbo flush check valve, outside shower head, filled the drains and what did they do to your water heater? Did they remove and inspect the anode?

Lots of questions.
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Old 10-21-2011, 06:05 PM   #32
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???What???

I sure know what "I'd" do, but spending time in the local slammer is not my idea of a fun weekend.....Partner, you got jerked, big-time, in my opinion. Those slick-talking Willies are trying to baffle you with BS so they don't need to stand-good on their commitment.

How about we all become pro-active as a group and send this shade-tree-mechanic a little note. First we need to know the name of the outfit and the city/state.

Lou, what is a, "PA sticker?"
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Old 10-21-2011, 06:10 PM   #33
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LOL, now THATS the spirit!!!

And in answer to Herk, they apparently put some antifreeze in the WH, but took out the anode and left it inside the compartment.
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Old 10-21-2011, 06:40 PM   #34
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Pennsylvania requires an annual trailer inspection.
It is a "sticker" in the window. Only certain PA inspection stations are authorized to inspect trailers.

"Some" antifreeze? WTH does that mean?
They removed the anode and left the hole open?
Those threads will rust if left open for very long.
(also critters can get in there and they are hard to get out.)

I am sorry, but I would be looking for a lawyer and get your money back.
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Old 10-21-2011, 06:47 PM   #35
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Camco has a great instruction pamphlet on how to do it.
It says $2.98 on the cover or I would scan and post it.

www.camco.net
1-800-334-2004

Maybe you can get your own copy.

http://www.thecampingsource.com/item.../category.aspx

This thread is just as good. (and free)
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Old 10-21-2011, 07:12 PM   #36
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Actual cash out for service is 80.23, not even worth going to small claims court, cost of water pump.... well maybe the two items combined would be worth small claims court, but rather just talk with the service shop and ask for your pump replaced (working or not) and ask for your money back.

Winterizing a trailer is quite simple, multiple ways to be accomplished, however, the way your's was performed was not adequate, with the things you have already found to be wrong, I would not trust any of it to be "winterized", I would pull it home for the weekend and take a few hours to learn it for yourself. Next time will take less than an hour, and after that it gets even quicker.

Be on the safe side and do not leave it in storage without making sure it is winterized properly.
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Old 10-21-2011, 07:20 PM   #37
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Yes, they removed the anode and left the hole open. I'm not sure if there is still antifreeze in the WH or not .........but I am sure it would have drained out when he took the anode out.
I will probably wrap the plug threads with teflon tape and reinsert anode into WH.
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Old 10-21-2011, 10:12 PM   #38
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I would flush it out first. Most likely there are bits of anode and calcium deposits in there. Then wire brush the threads in the hole and the anode; teflon tape the threads and torque.
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