First time out water setup on storage questions

[dbledan]

First time out and had some questions about how to store for about a month.

I left the park after draining my tanks black then grey. They showed empty after washing out black tank.

Once I got back i was checking the tanks and black shows 2/3 full. I had dumped a small amout of water (half gallon) and some rid-ex before driving to storage so I am assuming maybe some lost tp got washed over the sensor maybe? Does this make sense or do I have bigger issues?

I also drained and bypassed hw heater, filter and opened all faucets then pulled low water drain. Is this adequate or should I blow it out?

I checked weather, it will not be below 40 here before I go back out. Am I good or did I miss something?

Side question for bonus points does anyone know kitchen faucet hole measurements on 26RLWS? DW organized cabinets and I drove like a bat out of hell causing high level pots to come down breaking kitchen faucet [emoji27] Now I have to replace it as I am assuming warrenty doesn't cover bonehead issues.

[Kimber45]

As long as night time low temps dont go below freezing you are fine. Even right at freezing you would prob be ok as long as it warms up during the day. Any long term below freezing temps and I would add rv antifreeze.

Any standard faucet should replace and no warranty does not cover damage or we would all be in great shape.

[doc73]

Originally Posted by dbledan

First time out and had some questions about how to store for about a month.

I left the park after draining my tanks black then grey. They showed empty after washing out black tank.

Once I got back i was checking the tanks and black shows 2/3 full. I had dumped a small amout of water (half gallon) and some rid-ex before driving to storage so I am assuming maybe some lost tp got washed over the sensor maybe? Does this make sense or do I have bigger issues?

I also drained and bypassed hw heater, filter and opened all faucets then pulled low water drain. Is this adequate or should I blow it out?

I checked weather, it will not be below 40 here before I go back out. Am I good or did I miss something?

Side question for bonus points does anyone know kitchen faucet hole measurements on 26RLWS? DW organized cabinets and I drove like a bat out of hell causing high level pots to come down breaking kitchen faucet [emoji27] Now I have to replace it as I am assuming warrenty doesn't cover bonehead issues.

Black tanks never seem to read right. Many will post different methods (geo and such). I've tried them and they work until you dump again or move... I just wait until it looks filled and then dump anymore.

For draining of anti freeze (if thats what you meant).. I just open everything up and run water to flush it BEFORE letting anything into the HW heater. Not the end of the world but anti freeze is a pain to get out of the heater all the way.

As for the faucet.. They are all usually cheap plastic. Many if not all can be replaced by any one at the local home depot or such. I've done this to all my trailers so far without any needs to change holes or piping.

[dbledan]

Thanks for the quick response.

I got anti-freeze out ok without any in water heater or filter. Campground hosts were awsome! Better than my PDI.

I was more concerned about what to do with plumbing when in storage and not expecting a freeze. Did I do everything right? Did I miss any steps? Should I just leave it full of does it matter?

[doc73]

Leave what full? IF THERE IS NOT A FREEZE I just leave everything filled up. You got the heater by pass put back to the not winter spot.. That usually gets everyone at least once when they come on with no or little warm water. Just watch the weather. Here is is 55 one day, 27 the next then 64 the following.

[BooHyde]

First of all, the tank monitors rarely work very well. Sometimes all they need is enough water splashed up on the nodes while driving to read funny. Don't rely too much on those monitors. As you gain experience you will get a feel for the coach and have a good idea of when to dump the tanks regardless of the monitor readings. Second, as long as you don't get a hard freeze your water system will be fine. If you have a night or two that is going to get into the twenties then I would at least blow out the system. Third, the kitchen faucet most likely has an 8" spread. Most any home improvement or hardware store will have one that will work.

[dbledan]

Perfect. Thanks everyone!

[pmsherman]

As already said in previous responses, if it's not going below freezing there's no need to drain everything. IF you do decide to drain, there's a few considerations you should ve aware of.

1. Pex tubing (your water lines) is rated to not break if water in it freezes. Tests done show that a length of pipe freezing as a unit will survive but if you freeze it starting at one end with the other end sealed, the pipe will break.
2. Draining out the water through the low point drains should leave some water in the pipes at low points.
3. Any non pex component of the water system that has water in it that freezes can break. Water heaters with an electric heating element in them are frequently damaged by turning on the electric element before refilling them, a common problem when in a hurry to start travelling after dewinterizing..

I've always done a few things to prevent problems when blowing out the water lines.
1. Blow out both the fresh tank fill point and the city water connection.
2. Put antifreeze in the water pump and the manifold (pipe connection area) just before the pump.
3. Put antifreeze in all of the drain traps and some into each of the waste tanks.

The drain traps are my primary concern. These are hard plastic designed to trap water in them and are difficult to replace, especially under the shower. When I dewinterize, the antifreeze in the pump area drains into the filter canister and can be dumped, preventing it entering the water lines.

Phil