May be a dumb question

[Jhuntington]

I searched forums without success. We just bought a 2006 wildwood 392FLFB park model. I bypassed the 20gal water heater and so far have used 5 gallons of Rv antifreeze to fill the lines and looks like need more because shower and hot water lines have not had the pink flow through yet. I see folks using 2-3 gallons. Am I missing something? Water heater is empty and nothing coming out of camper.

Will the pump cut off once all lines are filled with RV antifreeze

Thanks for help
Jeff

[BandJCarm]

Sounds like you did not bypass the WH.

Don't ask me how I might know this.................

[TitanMike]

Originally Posted by Jhuntington

I searched forums without success. We just bought a 2006 wildwood 392FLFB park model. I bypassed the 20gal water heater and so far have used 5 gallons of Rv antifreeze to fill the lines and looks like need more because shower and hot water lines have not had the pink flow through yet. I see folks using 2-3 gallons. Am I missing something? Water heater is empty and nothing coming out of camper.

Will the pump cut off once all lines are filled with RV antifreeze

Thanks for help
Jeff

You may have longer water lines in your unit than many others but 5 gallons sounds like a lot. You might check the water heater to make sure your bypass valves are all in the correct position. If you have "pink" in the hot water tank you are still trying to fill it.

Did you empty inline filter (usually mounted near water pump), drain canister and remove filter? Not a big amount of water or anti-freeze stored in it but you get full anti-freeze through faucets quicker if no water remains in filter when you start.

I personally like to blow the water system out first if I'm going to winterize with antifreeze. This makes it easier to make sure you are getting antifreeze from a faucet rather than water and antifreeze. I blow the system out well enough that I can leave it without worry about freezing and can then just run fresh water into system when I get ready to take off during the winter (like I plan on doing in 22 days) Doing this I have no worries if I should use antifreeze that it's in all parts of the system. It's the only liquid there.

[rracer5]

Originally Posted by Jhuntington

I searched forums without success. We just bought a 2006 wildwood 392FLFB park model. I bypassed the 20gal water heater and so far have used 5 gallons of Rv antifreeze to fill the lines and looks like need more because shower and hot water lines have not had the pink flow through yet. I see folks using 2-3 gallons. Am I missing something? Water heater is empty and nothing coming out of camper.

Will the pump cut off once all lines are filled with RV antifreeze

Thanks for help
Jeff

What method are you using? Suction hose directly to the antifreeze bottle or dumping the antifreeze into the FW tank?

Either way, the pump should stop once all the air is out of the lines & all the faucets are closed.

What if anything is coming out of the hot water lines when the pump is running?

[Adrian Gordon]

Originally Posted by Jhuntington

I searched forums without success. We just bought a 2006 wildwood 392FLFB park model. I bypassed the 20gal water heater and so far have used 5 gallons of Rv antifreeze to fill the lines and looks like need more because shower and hot water lines have not had the pink flow through yet. I see folks using 2-3 gallons. Am I missing something? Water heater is empty and nothing coming out of camper.

Will the pump cut off once all lines are filled with RV antifreeze

Thanks for help
Jeff

Are your low point drains closed? Have you looked to make sure you're not pumping antifreeze out onto the ground?

[45RPM]

Are you sure that you're NOT filling your fresh water tank with antifreeze??

-Rich

[Skip12]

Originally Posted by rracer5

Either way, the pump should stop once all the air is out of the lines & all the faucets are closed.

OP, be sure to do this before you open any faucet. If the pump doesnt stop, the antifreeze is freely going somewhere it shouldn't (water heater, fresh water tank or ground are all possible scenarios). That needs to be addressed first.

Good luck!

[Swampy]

Originally Posted by Jhuntington

I searched forums without success. We just bought a 2006 wildwood 392FLFB park model. I bypassed the 20gal water heater and so far have used 5 gallons of Rv antifreeze to fill the lines and looks like need more because shower and hot water lines have not had the pink flow through yet. I see folks using 2-3 gallons. Am I missing something? Water heater is empty and nothing coming out of camper.

Will the pump cut off once all lines are filled with RV antifreeze

Thanks for help
Jeff

Jeff, How are you getting the AF into the system? If you are drawing it out of the jug directly with the pump, it has to be going someplace else. If you have the WH bypassed correctly, you probably should have had AF flowing out at well under a gallon sucked into the pump. Check the low point drains, and outside shower. If you are pouring the AF into the FW fill, it will take many more gallons to fill up the tank and then you have to deal with the bad taste in the spring when you throw it all away and drain it.

A quick answer to your first question is "Yes", if you pump enough AF into the system until full, the pump will turn off after the plumbing gets up to pressure.

Unless you are filling the WH tank with AF, or running AF out on the ground, something is not as it should be. My TT is 33 ft, with kitchen sink, lavatory, tub/shower, toilet, outdoor shower, and WH. I made a blowout plug adapter with a hose fitting and a 1/4" quick connect air line. I have been blowing my plumbing out for the last 5 years and only pouring a little AF into the toilet and each P-trap ... In fact, I am still using my first gallon of AF! Of course the climate down here in SE Louisiana doesn't generally get below 25 degrees F for more than a few days each season, that is low enough to freeze any water and crack the plumbing..... never an issue, yet!

Best of luck finding out what is going on with your plumbing. If you find something wierd, please post an update.

Good Camping .... Swampy

[groomn]

Do you have an in-line water filter under the bathroom or kitchen sink. We forgot to take this out once and used a lot of antifreeze before realizing what was wrong!

[Jhuntington]

Thanks for all the replys. Great information. I’ll update when I get to it this weekend

[BobHanke]

After pumping almost 3 gallons of antifreeze into our motorhome with water heater properly bypassed, we could not get any out of a faucet. As soon as we put plugs back into the low point drain hoses, everything worked correctly but we never found the missing 3 gallons. We park on a cement pad at home so the antifreeze did not sneak into the ground unseen.

[CAT-RN]

Washer?

Russell

[Swampy]

Originally Posted by BobHanke

After pumping almost 3 gallons of antifreeze into our motorhome with water heater properly bypassed, we could not get any out of a faucet. As soon as we put plugs back into the low point drain hoses, everything worked correctly but we never found the missing 3 gallons. We park on a cement pad at home so the antifreeze did not sneak into the ground unseen.

BobHanke, Just an idea here, but could it have escaped through the tank rinser into the black tank? If so, no harm done, just the loss of the AF. It had to go somewhere!... Swampy

[Wolverine 1945]

I use to winterize Mobil homes, with 2 or 3 gallons of antifreeze !!!
After blowing all lines out, and bypassing WH !!!

[Jhuntington]

Update and cause to using over 5 gallons of Antifreeze. Turns out the AF was going out the city water connection. I put a hose splitter on it with the ball valve and it help pressure and filled with AF quickly

But should there be a check valve or something to prevent this?

Thanks for everyone’s reply’s and direction

[rockfordroo]

Originally Posted by Jhuntington

Update and cause to using over 5 gallons of Antifreeze. Turns out the AF was going out the city water connection. I put a hose splitter on it with the ball valve and it help pressure and filled with AF quickly

But should there be a check valve or something to prevent this?

Thanks for everyone’s reply’s and direction

The fresh water connection should have a check valve in it. If it has a screen, you need to get something small like a needle to remove the screen and see the check valve. You can then move the check valve itself. Sometimes they get crud in them and don't back seat.

[rracer5]

Originally Posted by Jhuntington

Update and cause to using over 5 gallons of Antifreeze. Turns out the AF was going out the city water connection. I put a hose splitter on it with the ball valve and it help pressure and filled with AF quickly

But should there be a check valve or something to prevent this?

Thanks for everyone’s reply’s and direction

X2. There is a spring loaded valve just inside the connector. Sometimes just pushing in the center of the valve & letting it go will reseat it.

[Hawksclaw]

There is a saying in the refining industry I worked in for 30 years. Check valves hold when you don’t want them to and don’t hold when yuh want them to.

[dacheedah]

Blow air first, Put a valve between water tank and pump so you can switch to pumping in antifreeze , kind of the same idea as bypassing water heater. Once done move your selector back and you are good for the spring

[Philandterry]

Originally Posted by Jhuntington

I searched forums without success. We just bought a 2006 wildwood 392FLFB park model. I bypassed the 20gal water heater and so far have used 5 gallons of Rv antifreeze to fill the lines and looks like need more because shower and hot water lines have not had the pink flow through yet. I see folks using 2-3 gallons. Am I missing something? Water heater is empty and nothing coming out of camper.

Will the pump cut off once all lines are filled with RV antifreeze

Thanks for help
Jeff

I did the same thing once. It took sooooooooo much antifreeze. Be sure to drain and rinse your WH first when you de-winterize. It will make it much easier. No harm/ no foul though other than having to buy extra antifreeze.