winterizing question

[Ratracer]

Hi all,

While I am not new to campers and RV's, I am new to this Sunseeker 2860 DS class C. Living in Central Florida Idid not think it would be necessary to blow out and drain the water lines. However, the weather guesser's are already saying there is a potential for a hard freeze Christmas week! If they are talking about it a week ahead of time, it is going to happen! I learned that with Hurricane Nicole!

I watched a video on YouTube, of a dealer winterizing a 3150 and I thought I was doing things the same. I opened the blue drain tube valve after blowing out the lines, draining the hot water tank, and opening all of the faucet valves and the toilet. I thought I was done, but after reopening the blue drain line valve, a lot of water drained out. I doubt there is that much pex piping in the camper to hold the amount of water that drained! Does this blue line also drain the fresh water tank?

There is a 3" dump valve coming from under the camper, right under location of the fresh water tank, which I am assuming was to drain the fresh water tank. Is that that drain for something else, as there are both a grey and black water valve in the Utility service bay!

Anyone or all who have a 2860 and go through the winterizing process, I would appreciate your help.

Thanks, Bill

You can Email me at bgblu67vette@gmail.com

[BehindBars]

On our Sunseeker, the blue drain line IS the fresh water tank drain; it is not the plumbing low point drain.

By “3” dump valve”, do you mean 3” length or 3” diameter? Pictures of you rig would sure help. If I’m not mistaken your unit has an outside kitchen and a second grey water waste tank.

Right in the Forester and Sunseeker forum, there is a sticky thread about winterizing class Cs. Have you checked out the link(s) yet? It may not be model specific but it’s a start.
https://www.forestriverforums.com/fo...cs-241674.html

Since you’re asking model specific questions, perhaps the thread might be better moved to the Forester and Sunseeker forum.

[Ratracer]

We bought this 2860 DS a year ago this past Sept. It was used, with 4000 miles on it and a current model year 2021. I have not read in the sales literature that it has a second grey tank.
There are two low point drain lines exiting the bottom of the camper, The blue one I mentioned, which is teed to the line coming off the water pump, has a valve in it which according to the video I watched drains the cold water lines. Next to it is the low point drain line, Red, for the hot water side.
It could be, if there is no check valve on the input side of the water pump, water from the fresh tank could drain out through the pump and this line.
In all honesty, I have not found either the plumbing, or the electrical in this camper to be very well thought out, simply for expediting the build process, not for the customer convenience!

[bikendan]

Moved thread from the General Community Discussion section to the Forester and Sunseeker sub-forum since the OP is asking for model-specific information and not a general question.

[kenandterry]

Originally Posted by Ratracer

We bought this 2860 DS a year ago this past Sept. It was used, with 4000 miles on it and a current model year 2021. I have not read in the sales literature that it has a second grey tank.
There are two low point drain lines exiting the bottom of the camper, The blue one I mentioned, which is teed to the line coming off the water pump, has a valve in it which according to the video I watched drains the cold water lines. Next to it is the low point drain line, Red, for the hot water side.
It could be, if there is no check valve on the input side of the water pump, water from the fresh tank could drain out through the pump and this line.
In all honesty, I have not found either the plumbing, or the electrical in this camper to be very well thought out, simply for expediting the build process, not for the customer convenience!

It’s wintertime here so I’m not about to crawl around in the snow underneath.
However……

I have a drain line (can’t remember what colour) hanging down, directly underneath my fresh water tank, and the valve to open and close it, is right beside the tank ,inside, under the bed.

Underneath my kitchen sink cupboard, behind a removable panel, is the rear access to my water heater, and the 3 bypass valves for winterizing or normal use.
Below all that, I have two more valves on red and blue lines for my hot and cold low point drains.

Both of my waste dump valves are inside an exterior cargo compartment door on the driver’s side near the rear. The actual 3” or 4”waste pipe, is hanging from the undercarriage directly below that, and accessible from outside.

There are no other water/waste related pipes, valves or other hanging down from the undercarriage.

[fobagbob]

On my 2017 2861 (should be same as OP's 2860), the blue line drains the cold water plumbing and the fresh water tank, the drain is on the outlet side of the pump so the fresh water flows through the pump to drain. The red line drains the hot water plumbing.


There are 3 waste holding tanks:

The main grey and black tanks are drained via the dump valves in the utility bay.

The 3" dump valve hanging below the side of the RV below the bedroom window drains the galley sink grey tank, nothing else goes into that tank.

[Ratracer]

Hi Ken,

Boy, I can understand winter. I grew up in Buffalo, and Rochester, NY. Moved to Florida in 2019 and hard to believe, there is a part of me that still wants to live in the north. I would have been very happy to be a snow bird for four or five months when we had our fifth wheel, but my wife would not hear of it.

Our uit is a 2021, 2860 DS. My grey and black valves are inside a cubby and the hose access them through a large covered hole in the floor of the cubby.
Maybe, because our uit has the large outside kitchen, we do have another grey tank,which would account for the additional 3" waste line and valve
The other drain lines are located on the right side of the camper in the back of a cubby where the water filter is located and the water pump. Once I level the camper again in my driveway, and run the slides out,I will raise the bed and take another look at the water tank and try to find the water ines.
When hurricane Ian was coming through, in September, I tried filling the fresh water tank. It did not seem to take much water! Maybe it was full, as today, when I was draining the blue line, quite a bit of water came out. A lot more than I would expect to be in the water line alone.
There is so much to learn in operating and servicing this camper compared to the ones we had previously. If we had a Forest River dealership that sold the Sunseekers, I would be very tempted to drive the unit there and watch them winterize it, or at least drain and blow out the lines!

Bill

[BehindBars]

Originally Posted by Ratracer

We bought this 2860 DS a year ago this past Sept. It was used, with 4000 miles on it and a current model year 2021. I have not read in the sales literature that it has a second grey tank.

In the thread linked below, the FR rep confirms that the 2860DS has two grey water tanks.
https://www.forestriverforums.com/fo...nk-259551.html

[bubbles]

Originally Posted by fobagbob

On my 2017 2861 (should be same as OP's 2860), the blue line drains the cold water plumbing and the fresh water tank, the drain is on the outlet side of the pump so the fresh water flows through the pump to drain. The red line drains the hot water plumbing.

So, you have to run the pump to drain the holding tank? Most unusual and never heard of.

[bikendan]

Originally Posted by Ratracer

There is so much to learn in operating and servicing this camper compared to the ones we had previously. If we had a Forest River dealership that sold the Sunseekers, I would be very tempted to drive the unit there and watch them winterize it, or at least drain and blow out the lines!



Bill

Look for a Forester dealer since they are the twin brand of Sunseeker.

[BehindBars]

Originally Posted by fobagbob

On my 2017 2861 (should be same as OP's 2860), the blue line drains the cold water plumbing and the fresh water tank, the drain is on the outlet side of the pump so the fresh water flows through the pump to drain. The red line drains the hot water plumbing.

This is unlike my 2020 Sunseeker. I’d be interested in seeing a photo of how your 2861 water pump is plumbed.

[fobagbob]

Originally Posted by fobagbob

On my 2017 2861 (should be same as OP's 2860), the blue line drains the cold water plumbing and the fresh water tank, the drain is on the outlet side of the pump so the fresh water flows through the pump to drain. The red line drains the hot water plumbing.

Turns out I am wrong about the blue line, I went out and checked and the blue line is on the inlet side (not the outlet) of the pump where the fresh water tank is connected. It only drains the tank, not the cold water plumbing.

Fortunately, I have never had to winterize. Appears that to winterize, I would remover the water filter housing and that would drain the cold water plumbing.

Sorry about my misinformation!

[BehindBars]

Originally Posted by fobagbob

Turns out I am wrong about the blue line, I went out and checked and the blue line is on the inlet side (not the outlet) of the pump where the fresh water tank is connected. It only drains the tank, not the cold water plumbing.

Fortunately, I have never had to winterize. Appears that to winterize, I would remover the water filter housing and that would drain the cold water plumbing.

Sorry about my misinformation!

That makes more sense. I have a blue fresh water tank drain and a red low point drain. The one red low point drain in a way drains most of the hot and cold plumbing system since the water heater tank is essentially just a fat spot in the pipe. Nonetheless I did add an additional cold water line low point drain when I permanently removed my water filter housing, plus I added another cold water low point drain under the kitchen sink when I installed the 2 gallon pressure tank.

[Ratracer]

Here again it would be nice if the factory would put a plumbing schematic/ plan of each camper in the information packet that comes with the camper. The other item would be a wiring schematic.
I added some switches for the awning and awning lights in a more appropriate location. It took me several attempts, but finally I got help from the factory for electrical color coding. Made the wiring and installation much easier!

If any of you want pictures, please send me your email addresses and I will end the pictures to you.

Bill

[Reverse_snowbird]

Have you seen this YouTube video? It shows how to drain the fresh water tank, but it doesn't show the red and blue low point drains.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0umKwISArWE+

[Ratracer]

Yes, that was the one I watched. It helped, but because it was a different model camper, it did not show all of what I needed to know.

[bikendan]

Originally Posted by Ratracer

Here again it would be nice if the factory would put a plumbing schematic/ plan of each camper in the information packet that comes with the camper. The other item would be a wiring schematic.

Well, since you have a Motorized unit, you might be able to get a plumbing schematic. The Motorized divisions seem able provide such documentation, that the Towable divisions can't or won't.

[ChrisParise]

Originally Posted by bubbles

So, you have to run the pump to drain the holding tank? Most unusual and never heard of.

2006 Sunseeker 2860DS.

To drain my fresh water tank I must take the cap off the low point drain directly below the water pump and turn on the water pump. There's no other way to drain the fresh water tank on this model year.

Forest River changes the plumbing at their discretion. Not a bad thing. Each owner model year has to learn their plumbing configuration

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[ChrisParise]

Just a quick update.

I've exchanged a couple emails with the OP and although we don't have the same plumbing configurations in our 2860DS's his main question appears resolved.

He sent me a picture of his wet bay and I am pretty sure I identified one flexible (curved to fit in the wet bay at about 2' long) white low point drain line with a screw-on cap and one rigid vertical blue plumbing line down through and below the bottom of the wet bay with a valve on it. It appears his water pump is adjacent to the blue line and may be connected to it (but going from memory now)

I've suggested the blue line is a fresh water drain line fed by gravity and while he noted alot of water drained from it without the water pump on, I suggested turning the water pump on after the blue water line valve is opened MAY hasten emptying his fw tank (that's the only way I can empty mine but it's through a rigid translucent low point drain line with a screw-on cap)

All in all if Forest River managed to plumb all water lines to one common low point drain - kudos to FR - because I've got 4 low point drains on my 2006 2860DS

I mentioned the OP might want to look around for other low point drains just to be sure

Chris


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[poppytoymaker]

I live in Central Florida and on my 2nd classC since 2015 and I never had to winterize my RV's. We get some freezing morning bu it usually warms up in the afternoons. May last a few days but generally above freezing and I'm living here 18 years, don't bother covering my plants either.