De winterizing

[Terry Jones]

I just purchased my first travel trailer. It is a 2008 Salem Le. I bought it from a lady who's husband passed away unexepectedly. She told me he had winterized everything before it got cold. He had left to panels off during the process. Looking in one of them I see the hot water heater and see two valves cut off. Looking at the one under the refrigerator I see a small electric pump with one valve cut off. Can someone tell me about this one? It appears that beside the cut off valve there is a piece of clear tubing hooked to it. The thing I dont understand is that one end of the tubing is open. What does it do? What is the electric pump for and what happens if I open the valve at the tubing?

[TURBS]

the valve with tubing is to winterize it . that tube goes into a gallon of rv antifreeze and the pump sucks it out .
the other two valves are your hw heater by pass so antifreeze does not enter your hw tank.

[Herk7769]

Originally Posted by Terry Jones

I just purchased my first travel trailer. It is a 2008 Salem Le. I bought it from a lady who's husband passed away unexpectedly. She told me he had winterized everything before it got cold. He had left to panels off during the process. Looking in one of them I see the hot water heater and see two valves cut off. Looking at the one under the refrigerator I see a small electric pump with one valve cut off. Can someone tell me about this one? It appears that beside the cut off valve there is a piece of clear tubing hooked to it. The thing I don't understand is that one end of the tubing is open. What does it do? What is the electric pump for and what happens if I open the valve at the tubing?

At the input for the water pump, the original owner installed a winterizing valve.

When switched one way (normal), it sucks water from the fresh water tank and feeds it through the system. The open tubing is cut off and not used.

Switched to the other direction, the fresh water tank is cut off and the pump sucks on that open tube. If you put that tube into a gallon of RV type antifreeze, it will suck it out of the gallon jug and winterize your water system.
The other

[Terry Jones]

Do I need to do anything other than open the two valves at the hot water heater? Would there be any more that will have to be opened?

[RvBill3]

There should be three valves at the water heater. The pipe going in and out of the tank should have valves turned in line with the pipe. There should be another pipe that connects between the in and out of the heater (the bypass). That valve should be turned perpendicular to the pipe. Before changing those it is a good idea to flush any antifreeze out of the system. No sense letting any of that get in the water heater.

[PrairieBoy]

There isn't necessarily 3 valves. I had 2 3-way valves on my trailer. It was a kit that I installed myself on my old Bantam lite

[Herk7769]

And as we have seen with Willey's camper there are one valve bypass systems out there.

[pbrackney]

The one valve is true. My first trailer only had one valve and my current trailer has three.

[Terry Jones]

Thanks everyone for the help. I am sure as I get started there will be some more questions. Terry