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Old 10-26-2012, 11:47 AM   #1
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What am I missing? FW Tank draining

Can anyone give me a nudge back on the correct path here? I still have the water in my FW tank that sits below the water tank valve. I was assuming the pump would siphon it out but this is not working at the moment. Any thoughts?
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Old 10-26-2012, 12:02 PM   #2
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If it's below the pipe for the pump, like 1/2" of residual water on the bottom of the tank, it'll be fine. The challenge will be remembering to add bleach and thoroughly flush it in the Spring. Mine is designed that way, there is always about 1/4" of water left....
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Old 10-26-2012, 12:06 PM   #3
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Doubtful you can get that little bit out. The water should have room for expansion when it freezes, but if you aren't comfortable with that, put some RV antifreeze in it. It will be diluted by the existing water of course, but it should be fine.

I quizzed Gary and he said that you could probably watch it (through the opaque side of the tank) as you add RV antifreeze. You should be able to tell how "pink" the holding tank water is getting. The pinker it is, the more RV antifreeze is present.

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Old 10-26-2012, 12:37 PM   #4
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Gotcha! The service guy at my dealer said I could park it on the side of a hill and empty it if I wanted to.

When d-mo was talkin' bone dry, I was thinkin' BONE DRY.

So a cup of AF in the sink and a few cups in the FW tank for that pesky little residual couple of gallons. Almost there!

LM
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Old 10-26-2012, 12:43 PM   #5
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I doubt a small amount of water left in the tank with plenty of expansion space will not hurt anything. Just open the petcock drain and make sure the water IN THE VALVE is gone.
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Old 10-27-2012, 02:56 PM   #6
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Is that valve the one under the sink or is that on the tank itself? Haven't found my tank yet for sure, but havent crawled under it either. I have a Flagstaff 2012 T12DDST.
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Old 10-27-2012, 04:28 PM   #7
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Just went and looked under the trailer and lo and behold a petcock! And the tank is full.
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Old 10-28-2012, 07:39 PM   #8
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Originally Posted by loganmartin View Post
Can anyone give me a nudge back on the correct path here? I still have the water in my FW tank that sits below the water tank valve. I was assuming the pump would siphon it out but this is not working at the moment. Any thoughts?

LM, I think this appropriate to your question/comment.

We went to a great camping area near your "neck of the woods" this weekend that had absolutely no potable water.

I wasn't sure about the water as I prepped Rocko and only partially filled the tank. After running out 5-6 gals the pump started sucking air.

I checked the tank -- nearly a full inch was showing. I guess if I could have reset my unit's level, more water would have been available. However, I was too lazy to try to do this so I confiscated my wife's 1.75gal of emergency drinking water to be able to shave and brush my teeth.

I know that the bottom drain valve will drain most of the water out. Now I know that the suction line on my unit leaves a significant amount of water in the tank. In the future, I guess that I'll be less stingy about loading water.

BTW, this rated as one of our best trips this year. Cold/crisp, beautiful fall colors, great food. Love this time of the year!
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Old 10-28-2012, 07:46 PM   #9
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I called FR on this issue earlier this summer (I have a thread about it somewhere). End result, the water remaining is not a winter issue, the sag in the tank is as designed.

Bugs the hell out of me, though

Make sure to sanitize well first thing summer with bleach solution and then flush a few times with fresh water.
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Old 10-28-2012, 08:27 PM   #10
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LM, I think this appropriate to your question/comment.

We went to a great camping area near your "neck of the woods" this weekend that had absolutely no potable water.

I wasn't sure about the water as I prepped Rocko and only partially filled the tank. After running out 5-6 gals the pump started sucking air.

I checked the tank -- nearly a full inch was showing. I guess if I could have reset my unit's level, more water would have been available. However, I was too lazy to try to do this so I confiscated my wife's 1.75gal of emergency drinking water to be able to shave and brush my teeth.

I know that the bottom drain valve will drain most of the water out. Now I know that the suction line on my unit leaves a significant amount of water in the tank. In the future, I guess that I'll be less stingy about loading water.

BTW, this rated as one of our best trips this year. Cold/crisp, beautiful fall colors, great food. Love this time of the year!
Cool deal! Yeah, most of our camping trips/availability happen to fall in the Spring/Fall seasons. We made one trip around the 4th but that was it for our summer excursions. I kind of stopped checking in here 'cause it reminded me of not being able to camp.

I see you have named your camper. I like it! Where did you stay?

LM
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Old 10-29-2012, 12:32 PM   #11
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If you have the time .. open up the fresh water spiggot/thingy and take your trailer for a little drive around the neighbourhood. This will empty out any residual water that is left. Most of us do this when leaving the campsite ... and on the drive home ... no water is ever left in my tank ..

d-mo
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Old 10-29-2012, 01:59 PM   #12
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If you have the time .. open up the fresh water spiggot/thingy and take your trailer for a little drive around the neighbourhood. This will empty out any residual water that is left. Most of us do this when leaving the campsite ... and on the drive home ... no water is ever left in my tank ..

d-mo
That's a great idea. I'm headed out this weekend so I'll try give it a whirl.

LM
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Old 11-06-2012, 10:35 AM   #13
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If you have the time .. open up the fresh water spiggot/thingy and take your trailer for a little drive around the neighbourhood. This will empty out any residual water that is left. Most of us do this when leaving the campsite ... and on the drive home ... no water is ever left in my tank ..

d-mo
I performed this manuever this weekend...worked like a charm! Seeing that trail a FW left behind while heading to camp was a beutiful thing. Once again, D-mo, you-da-man.

LM
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