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Old 08-27-2018, 11:45 PM   #1
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Winterizing question...

Seems sad to already be asking this, but I live in WI so in a couple months camping is over[emoji22] Anyway, I'm a new TT owner (Wolf Pup 16bhs Limited) and since the water pump doesn't have any bypass to suck in Antifreeze I was thinking when I winterize I would use a compressor (low psi) to blow out the water in the lines and then put Antifreeze in the freshwater tank and use the pump to fill the lines to the fixtures. Is this crazy? Is there a reason to not do this besides wasting some antifreeze? Like I said I'm new to this so all feedback is good...
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Old 08-27-2018, 11:56 PM   #2
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Best to purchase the winterizing kit. I think it was around $10-$20 and took 5 minutes to install.

I would never fill your fresh water tank with antifreeze, it will take a lot of antifreeze then a lot water and flushing to get that taste out of the tank next season.
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Old 08-28-2018, 12:04 AM   #3
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Best to purchase the winterizing kit. I think it was around $10-$20 and took 5 minutes to install.

I would never fill your fresh water tank with antifreeze, it will take a lot of antifreeze then a lot water and flushing to get that taste out of the tank next season.
Are you talking about a kit that adds a valve and tube to the pump so you can pull in Antifreeze that way or a kit that uses a hand pump via the city water input?
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Old 08-28-2018, 01:13 AM   #4
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Please do not put antifreeze in your fresh water tank. It can take forever to get the residual stuff out when the next camping season arrives. Employ your compressor to thoroughly blow the lines out and fill the p-traps with antifreeze. Don't forget to put some in the potty too - keeps the seal lubricated. Our freezing hell is somewhat worse than Wisconsin's and the plumbing (p-traps excepted) has never been filled with antifreeze during storage. It works very well and saves ya the effort of flushing it all out in the spring.
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Old 08-28-2018, 01:21 AM   #5
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Are you talking about a kit that adds a valve and tube to the pump so you can pull in Antifreeze that way or a kit that uses a hand pump via the city water input?


The kit that adds the valve and hose to water pump, works flawlessly.

I’ve never used air, I’m worried it might leave a pool of water in a low pipe.
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Old 08-28-2018, 01:36 AM   #6
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Just as a reminder, some toilet flush valves need 1/2 tsp of water to freeze and crack them. It's not the pex water lines you need to worry about but the valves, elbows, tees, p-traps, filter housing and water pump.
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Old 08-28-2018, 01:36 AM   #7
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I’ve never used air, I’m worried it might leave a pool of water in a low pipe.

Properly employing compressed air to eliminate H2O from an RV's plumbing will not leave a pool of water in a low pipe. Additional, residual moisture that remains is not an issue. To wit: Campgrounds throughout North America that get real winters will prep the site's plumbing for said winter by... blowing it out. It works!
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Old 08-28-2018, 02:26 AM   #8
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Just as a reminder, some toilet flush valves need 1/2 tsp of water to freeze and crack them. It's not the pex water lines you need to worry about but the valves, elbows, tees, p-traps, filter housing and water pump.

Indeed! That's why, when employing compressed air (keep it under 40 psi), one needs to ensure that every plumbing appliance is left open long enough to expel the H2O from the inner workings of that appliance. And don't do it just once. Make the rounds at least twice, opening and closing each appliance. It takes less than an hour to winterize with compressed air and that includes removing the onboard water filter and subsequently removing the filter bowl that will partially fill with water being ejected from the pump. And don't forget about the low point drains and if applicable, the outside shower. Thereafter, one needs only to displace the water in the p-traps with some antifreeze and submerge the ball valve in the potty with same. We get tortured annually with weeks of -20C with wild swings to near -40C. The air thing has stood the test of these frozen events.
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Old 08-28-2018, 03:09 AM   #9
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I also have a 16BHS and was confronted with the same questions as the OP. I ended up buying and installing the brass bypass valve seen in the pic. With the hose included in the valve kit I'm able to draw the antifreeze straight from the bottle and run it through the water lines using the water pump. . That way there is no doubt about residual water in the lines or toilet valves. Click image for larger version

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Old 08-28-2018, 03:13 AM   #10
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That way there is no doubt about residual water in the lines or toilet valves.

Why the doubt?
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Old 08-28-2018, 05:59 AM   #11
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air will probably work and is fine for many users. But you can't be sure for all.

If you do use air how do you protect the water pump? I used air in an old class C one time and destroyed the pump.

I suggest adding the kit and using anti freeze. the only time I would use air is if there was a few nights slightly below freezing before another trip.
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Old 08-28-2018, 08:46 AM   #12
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Why the doubt?
When I blow air through the lines I get as much water out of each faucet as I can. But no matter how long I blow the air through, it still spits a little bit of water out every time I open the faucet. So it's nearly impossible to get 100% of the water out of every single line with air only.

Water in the pex lines themselves isn't so bad, but the fittings are much more prone to failure if even a little bit of water gets into them and freezes.

Adding AF only take a few extra minutes, a few extra dollars and provides a huge piece of mind that all the water has been pushed out.
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Old 08-28-2018, 08:50 AM   #13
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Another option that seems to work fairly well is to simply use a submersible water pump and a bucket full of AF. My parents have a TT and my dad has winterized his for years using this method. Just put the pump into the bucket, attach the hose to the city water connection and turn it on. Done.
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Old 08-28-2018, 08:59 AM   #14
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I've used just air in both my Roo and my Mini Lite for 6 years. AF only in drain traps. Had one winter a couple years ago where the temperature never rose above -10 deg F for about 2 weeks. No issues.

As kandl said, you need to blow out each line several times.
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Old 08-28-2018, 10:54 AM   #15
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I've used just air in both my Roo and my Mini Lite for 6 years. AF only in drain traps. Had one winter a couple years ago where the temperature never rose above -10 deg F for about 2 weeks. No issues.

As kandl said, you need to blow out each line several times.


I certainly have nothing against using compressed air to clear your lines, I just find a winterizing kit works best for me and only takes 5-10 minutes and I know the pump, lines, and traps are protected.

When I tried using the compressed air method, it took over an hour, and I still had water spiting out. The next day I tried again, and more water was spitting out. I just didn’t feel convinced I got enough out of some of the low points of the system.

My grandfather used compressed air on his coach for many years, until water trapped in the pump caused it to fail. Leaks from a seal that froze over the winter.

As with most things in life, whatever you feel comfortable with and works for you.
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Old 08-28-2018, 02:53 PM   #16
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So what I am taking away from this is antifreeze in the fresh water tank is a bad idea so I will avoid that! Just my own comfort level tells me to use antifreeze though since it is cheap and I'd rather be safe that sorry! Thanks for all the great feedback!
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Old 08-28-2018, 03:24 PM   #17
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I added a winterizing kit to my previous TT so I could draw rv antifreeze out of the bottle. I'm sure air works also if done correctly. I've never put antifreeze in my fresh water tank.
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Old 08-28-2018, 08:26 PM   #18
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Loganskt View Post
I also have a 16BHS and was confronted with the same questions as the OP. I ended up buying and installing the brass bypass valve seen in the pic. With the hose included in the valve kit I'm able to draw the antifreeze straight from the bottle and run it through the water lines using the water pump. . That way there is no doubt about residual water in the lines or toilet valves. Attachment 184678


Don’t you love how they wired and placed the pump.... lol

I’ve been waiting for the day I move the pump and wire it without crossing all the wires.
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Old 08-28-2018, 10:52 PM   #19
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If you do use air how do you protect the water pump? I used air in an old class C one time and destroyed the pump.

I don't blow out the water pump. I simply run it to expel any water that may be within the pump or in its upstream circuit. The pumps typically employ a downstream check valve, which prevents water from getting back into the pump when the plumbing is pressurized. How did you determine that it was air pressure that destroyed the water pump in your old class C?
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Old 08-28-2018, 11:02 PM   #20
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When I tried using the compressed air method, it took over an hour, and I still had water spiting out.

That's normal and is what I referred to as "residual moisture." It will not damage the plumbing or the fixtures.
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