winterizing, low drain pipes

buckmolly · 09-28-2017, 03:58 PM

hi,, this is the first year I am going to winterize myself. Have a 2006 3100 SS Sunseeker Class C. I got the kit for winterizing, and am reading up on it, and last year, when I went to the RV dealer, he had me help,,,one thing he did not do, or has anyone ever, winterizing, was to open the two low drain pipes underneath the RV. They always seem to have pink fluid in them. Never been an issue with freezing etc, always fine. So my question, is it necessary to open these? I understand all other proceedures, drain hot water tank, etc, and run fluid through. Hoping for lots of opinions.

Awilson · 09-28-2017, 04:02 PM

I’m a little OCD so I would always drain them even though they have pink in them. You never know when the mix could get watered down and freeze. I had to do a major remodel in an antique Airstream one time because of a low point under the bathroom floor. Never again! No, no, no!!!

gmacklem · 10-01-2017, 04:30 PM

The pink stuff is not supposed to expand when frozen, which is why we use it. But I have drained it after doing everything else too. Guess it can't hurt.

markb5900 · 10-01-2017, 04:35 PM

First I drain all the tanks, then I open up the low point drains and let them run dry.

Then I get the blow out plug, get the DW and we open ever faucet/shower in the trailer and blow them out.
Then do the low point out drains again.
Then I put about a cup of RV antifreeze in every drain/trap.
Then close it up.
3 motorhomes, two bumper pulls and a 5er and have NEVER had a leak in the spring.
Been doing this since the 70's and have never pumped antifreeze into my systems. But you have to do your "blow out" with care.

CedarCreekWoody · 10-01-2017, 04:51 PM

Any water left in the pipes dilutes the antifreeze, lowering it's effectiveness, even though it is still pink. Best to drain all that you can.

Garrette · 10-02-2017, 09:48 PM

I use blowout method as well. Try not to exceed 30psi. Your toilet can be a bit of a pain to blow out. Just keep cycling the foot valve to get the water out. Remember your outside shower. Easy to forget. I remove the hose and blow out. Water filter should be removed and the canister put back before the blowout. After you are satisfied that all is good, remove the water filter canister and just leave it in the bay. Water in the threads can freeze and crack your water filter canister.

buckmolly · 10-03-2017, 11:41 AM

I located THREE!! low drain pipes....one by the outside shower, two together, by the battery box on the opposite side. What ticks me off is that they have NEVER been drained with two different RV places that did my winterizing....one by the shower opened easily, and OMG so much water came out!! the other two took a bit more elbow grease being careful to not damage, etc, but got them off and drained water and pink fluid....I am sure I had a horse shoe up my patoot and didn't have an issue with lines breaking for the 10 years I had my rv winterized. Thankyou to all for all the help!!

Underdog · 10-03-2017, 12:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Garrette

I use blowout method as well. Try not to exceed 30psi. Your toilet can be a bit of a pain to blow out. Just keep cycling the foot valve to get the water out. Remember your outside shower. Easy to forget. I remove the hose and blow out. Water filter should be removed and the canister put back before the blowout. After you are satisfied that all is good, remove the water filter canister and just leave it in the bay. Water in the threads can freeze and crack your water filter canister.

That is a very good point that Garrette made about removing the water filter canister. I had found mine cracked off below the threads and sitting on the bay floor in the spring, and wondered how that happened.

JayArras · 10-03-2017, 08:11 PM

Do all TTs have the lower drains? All I see on my 21DS is the drain for the fresh water tank. What do the lower drains drain anyway?

benagi · 10-04-2017, 12:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Underdog

That is a very good point that Garrette made about removing the water filter canister. I had found mine cracked off below the threads and sitting on the bay floor in the spring, and wondered how that happened.

Same thing happen to ours the first time I winterized it. Now we always make sure to take the canister off after we blow it out and leave in the bay . Lesson learned.

**Mr. Dan** · 10-04-2017, 05:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JayArras

Do all TTs have the lower drains? All I see on my 21DS is the drain for the fresh water tank. What do the lower drains drain anyway?

Generally speaking, units have what are normally called "low point drains". The blue one drains water out of cold lines in the unit. The red drains hot water lines.

JayArras · 10-04-2017, 08:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mr. Dan

Generally speaking, units have what are normally called "low point drains". The blue one drains water out of cold lines in the unit. The red drains hot water lines.

Do you mean some units? Because I don't have those.

eye95 · 10-04-2017, 08:23 AM

Hence “generally speaking”.

Norm1382 · 10-14-2017, 03:51 PM

Very interested in this thread. I was hoping to live in the motorhome during winter. Do I have to take any precautions?

Garrette · 10-14-2017, 09:12 PM

Temperature sensors in the, at risk bays, will alert of freezing temps, giving you time to do something. On my Sunseeker, the gas furnace will divert heat to the bay's but, I still use these temperature sensors to monitor my water pump and dump bay. I use the other sensors in the freezer and fridge.
If it gets really cold, fill your water tank and disconnect your water hose and dump hose. [ATTACH]

Gidyupgo · 10-30-2017, 06:07 AM

Filter housing - I found that dropping a 20oz water bottle into the filter housing after removing the filter before beginning to pump the pink reduces the amount of pink you need to use to get it coming out the faucets. Simple.

RamblerGuy · 10-30-2017, 07:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gidyupgo

Filter housing - I found that dropping a 20oz water bottle into the filter housing after removing the filter before beginning to pump the pink reduces the amount of pink you need to use to get it coming out the faucets. Simple.

I wonder how many people have read this suggestion in the past and put a water bottle in the cannister with the bottle full of water.

Gidyupgo · 10-30-2017, 07:54 PM

Yes, that is how it works. I happened to be drinking a bottled water while looking for a way to avoid having to fill the empty filter housing with pink and dropped the half full bottle right into the housing to take up space.

**RedLdr1** · 10-31-2017, 07:14 AM

Peel the label off the water bottle before you use it...or plan on cleaning gooey paper out of the filter housing come spring. I only needed to make that mistake once...

RamblerGuy · 10-31-2017, 07:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gidyupgo

Yes, that is how it works. I happened to be drinking a bottled water while looking for a way to avoid having to fill the empty filter housing with pink and dropped the half full bottle right into the housing to take up space.

You present a fun question for a high school science test:

"If you place a bottle of water inside a container of antifreeze and the temperature goes below freezing for a long time, will the water in the bottle freeze?"

So what did you find when you dewinterized it? Did the water bottle burst, allowing the water and antifreeze to mix when it thawed?

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