To blow out or not to blow out, that is the question

[mikeyk101]

I just winterized mine a couple days ago. I drained everything, bypassed the HW Tank, blew out the lines which probably would be good enough but for peace of mind, added the rv antifreeze in the lines as well as the traps. During the process, I had made sure the blank tank was fully empty and rinsed it real good. But after getting home, I realized that I did everything except blow out the black tank flush! Luckily it hasn't reached freezing temps in Southern WI just yet so the next time I get up there, I will remember to do that.

Just trying to give a reminder to make sure and do EVERYTHING needed. My small mistake should not be a big deal as I will correct it before it becomes a problem.

[NXR]

I blow the lines and then pump antifreeze. As soon as I open a faucet the pink stuff comes out. No waiting.

Dometic pedal toilets are infamous for having cracked flush valves when dewinterized if even a tiny bit of water got left inside.

It also depends on your equipment. I also have a Tecma macerating toilet and a Splendide combo washer/dryer. Both of those require that antifreeze be used. There is no air option.

Ray

[TTnewbie]

Originally Posted by mikeyk101

I just winterized mine a couple days ago. I drained everything, bypassed the HW Tank, blew out the lines which probably would be good enough but for peace of mind, added the rv antifreeze in the lines as well as the traps. During the process, I had made sure the blank tank was fully empty and rinsed it real good. But after getting home, I realized that I did everything except blow out the black tank flush! Luckily it hasn't reached freezing temps in Southern WI just yet so the next time I get up there, I will remember to do that.

Just trying to give a reminder to make sure and do EVERYTHING needed. My small mistake should not be a big deal as I will correct it before it becomes a problem.

What do you mean by blow out the black tank flush? Do you mean draining the toilet or getting water out of the black tank all together?

[Willbur]

Just my 2 cents worth here but i have never blown out my lines. Here in central NY we have very harsh winters with many sub-freezing weeks. After our last trip of the year at pump out I drain the h/w tank and switch by-pass,open the low point drains and open all faucets for trip home. Two gallons at most of anti freeze and all set. Remember to go out and push in your city water needle valve when under pressure to get out any water trapped there.

[Iwritecode]

Originally Posted by bzac1954

NEVER clip the air nozzle in place.

They make blow out plugs that screw into the inlet and connect to the air compressor hose. It's not gonna hurt anything.

[Magdeep]

Just use antifreeze. I've never blown out the lines. Open the low water drains until the water stops then replace the caps. Drain the water heater and open the bypass valves. Use the water pump and run every faucet, flush the toilet until only antifreeze is coming out. Don't forget the outside shower. Good to go.

[NXR]

Originally Posted by TTnewbie

What do you mean by blow out the black tank flush? Do you mean draining the toilet or getting water out of the black tank all together?

Getting rid of any standing water in that line. There's usually an anti-siphon device somewhere and water could be pooled in the line, freeze, and crack the line. I do the same thing and also the fresh tank fill. Hook the compressor up and give it a short blast of air.

Ray

[NJBreeze]

I don't bother blowing it out, kind of a wasted step. Don't trust it.

One year the weather caught me blind sided since I was out of town. Water Pump, toilet and sink sprayer froze.

Lots of plumbing these days is plastic and it will crack easily when freezing.

I drain water and then run anti-freeze through everything. Outside shower, Washer hookups, ice maker in fridge, ---everything. Probably about 3 gallons.

Then I drain the anti-freeze. Not sure you want that crap sitting in there.

[mikeyk101]

Originally Posted by TTnewbie

What do you mean by blow out the black tank flush? Do you mean draining the toilet or getting water out of the black tank all together?

NXR explains it. There is a hose connection on outside near the black tank labeled Black Tank Flush. A hose hooks up to and this and it does a great job of rinsing down the inside of the black tank. I did a final rinse and drain of the black tank while I had drain hooked up to a macerator pump just to make sure that the black tank was cleaned out real good. But because I used that hose connection, I should have blown that out to make sure the line was emptied of any water and just plain forgot to.

[fella10]

Originally Posted by TTnewbie

.........

If I blow the system out and then fill it with antifreeze then what is the point of blowing it out in the first place? Am I missing something? Or do people blow out their system and leave it "dry"? .......

I have always blown out the lines and let it go with that, .... we use our trailer as often as possible during the winter months and I don't want to fool with putting antifreeze in and then having to get it out every time as often as we go and then come back home for a week or so before we go again, .... and also, I'm of the opinion that if it ain't there it can't freeze, but doing that does require getting it all out of every line(the outside shower is easy to overlook) or suffer the consequences, ....

[RookieRV]

Originally Posted by TTnewbie

Yeah, every question asked on this site gives you a plethora of answers and opinions.

If I blow the system out and then fill it with antifreeze then what is the point of blowing it out in the first place? Am I missing something? Or do people blow out their system and leave it "dry"? This is the first time that I am doing this.

From what I understand, if I open up the drain valve and use the water pump to get the antifreeze in the system it will fill all of the lines. Will the water that is in there already get pushed out of the drain valve in the process? Is it better to blow it out completely and then fill the lines?

I called my local RV dealer and they charge $150 to winterize a TT. I find that to be an astronomical price for the few gallons of antifreeze involved.

That's because it takes 1 person to do the work and 3 others to stand around, so there's 4 'workers' @ $120/hr...

[Larry-NC]

Originally Posted by Trawlerphil

I open the petcock on the fresh water tank, empty black and grey water tanks and then blow the lines clean slowly gradually increasing the air pressure. Next, I put some antifreeze in anything that has a trap and the most important thing which is to remove and drain the heads from the galley sink hose and the shower heads.

Lastly, I remove the anode and flush the hot water heater completely. I sand the anode a bit to expose new zinc and wrap it for next year. If the electrode is failing, now in the time to replace it.

Surely you bypass the water heater before you blow the lines clean, even though you didn't mention it.

[shadows4]

The one year I just blew out the lines I had a valve on the HW heater crack. So I now blow the lines and add the anti freeze. Been doing it that way for the last 20+ years. My Dad never blew out his lines. Always just pumped in anti freeze. I have always been afraid of diluting the anti freeze. So I would say do it how ever you are comfortable with and what works for you. Good luck.

[stsimmer]

I live in Minnesota. We have stored our Forest River Wolf Pup in an unheated building for six winters. I follow the directions in the manual that came with our trailer.
Drain all the tanks. Drain the water heater by removing the anode. Set the water heater lines to their bypass positions. You will leave the water heater dry. Turn on the trailer water pump and a faucet until it is pumped dry. Screw a blow-out fitting to the "city water" inlet. Attach an air compressor to the fitting, set to not exceed 30 psi. Turn it on then open water faucets (including the toilet flush and shower head) one at a time and blow until they no longer spit water. Repeat until all water lines are clear. Turn off and disconnect the air compressor.
Finally, use a gallon or two of RV antifreeze by pouring it into all sink and tub drains to fill the p-traps. I make sure there is enough antifreeze in the gray and black tanks to contact the sewer drain valves. I leave the fresh water tank dry.
This method has worked well for six years.
There is nothing wrong with the anti-freeze method, but it takes 5-7 gallons and has to be flushed out in the spring. Since I already had an air compressor, I find the blow-out method to be cheaper and equally effective.

[TTnewbie]

Originally Posted by stsimmer

I live in Minnesota. We have stored our Forest River Wolf Pup in an unheated building for six winters. I follow the directions in the manual that came with our trailer.
Drain all the tanks. Drain the water heater by removing the anode. Set the water heater lines to their bypass positions. You will leave the water heater dry. Turn on the trailer water pump and a faucet until it is pumped dry. Screw a blow-out fitting to the "city water" inlet. Attach an air compressor to the fitting, set to not exceed 30 psi. Turn it on then open water faucets (including the toilet flush and shower head) one at a time and blow until they no longer spit water. Repeat until all water lines are clear. Turn off and disconnect the air compressor.
Finally, use a gallon or two of RV antifreeze by pouring it into all sink and tub drains to fill the p-traps. I make sure there is enough antifreeze in the gray and black tanks to contact the sewer drain valves. I leave the fresh water tank dry.
This method has worked well for six years.
There is nothing wrong with the anti-freeze method, but it takes 5-7 gallons and has to be flushed out in the spring. Since I already had an air compressor, I find the blow-out method to be cheaper and equally effective.

Thanks for the info. Everything you stated is exactly what I plan on doing. Only question is about the grey and black tanks. Do you mean that I should pour in enough antifreeze so that there is some sitting at the valves for each tank? This is the first time that I hear about doing this.

[stsimmer]

Yes. Those tanks never seem to empty completely. It's just a precaution in case water gathers behind the slide valves at the dump pipe. I feel some antifreeze there will prevent ice from crystalizing and damaging the valves. May be overkill, but the cost and effort are minimal. I use just a gallon.

[SailorSam20500]

Originally Posted by TTnewbie

Thanks for the info. Everything you stated is exactly what I plan on doing. Only question is about the grey and black tanks. Do you mean that I should pour in enough antifreeze so that there is some sitting at the valves for each tank? This is the first time that I hear about doing this.

My opinion, if you have emptied your tanks and there isn't enough residual water to completely or nearly completely fill the drain pipes, adding anti-freeze to the tank is unnecessary. A minimal amount of liquid at the dump valves won't be enough to cause a problem. A full pipe can freeze and split the pipe.
You do need to put a substantial dump of anti-freeze down the drains to fill the traps though.


An additional task if you use electric to heat your water. Every few years, it isn't a bad idea to treat the water heater with a 50/50 water/vinegar solution. Scale builds up in the tank and on the heating element. Scale can break off and clog faucet screens and lowers the efficiency of the heater. To do this, drain the water heater leaving your valves in the normal "in-use" position, replace the anode or WH drain plug. Open the pressure relief valve on your water heater. Using your antifreeze port suck in 1/2 the volume of your water heater (3 gallons in my case) of cheap, common white vinegar. With all other plumbing fixtures closed, all the vinegar will go into the water heater. Then suck in enough clean water to fill the water heater (water starts coming out the relief valve). You then have 2 options. Let this mixture sit overnight or turn on the water heater and heat the water and let sit for 1-2 hours. If you closed the pressure relief valve OPEN IT BACK UP! (ask me why ). Drain and rinse the water heater thru the anode or WH drain plug. Put your water heater valves into the winterize position and complete your winterization.

[Larry-NC]

Originally Posted by stsimmer

Yes. Those tanks never seem to empty completely. It's just a precaution in case water gathers behind the slide valves at the dump pipe. I feel some antifreeze there will prevent ice from crystalizing and damaging the valves. May be overkill, but the cost and effort are minimal. I use just a gallon.

The other option is to wait until after the rig is parked for the winter. Then open the drains once more. You can drain the gray tank residual onto the ground and the black tank into a bucket you pour into your residential toilet.

What we do is slightly different. We (and some of our neighbors at the resort) hook up the sewage tote and open the gray valve and maybe the black valve. We do this because we leave the dehumidifier running in the shower all year. The guarantees that water won't collect at the valve.

[TitanMike]

There are two methods that work if done correctly. Blow out with air or use antifreeze--- pick one and do it right.

Some have always blown out water system with air and it works great in the coldest if weather.

Some use antifreeze and it too works.


If there is a failure in either method it wasn't the method that failed, it wasn't performed correctly.

Air blow down done properly takes time. Antifreeze may be quicker at first but you have to add in the springtime drain and flush required to get out any residual antifreeze. In the end they both take about the same amount of time. Antifreeze is an additional expense and flushing can create a mess unless water goes into a drain.

Pick one that fits YOU.

[CamperDougie]

Originally Posted by John Hendrick

I have been blowing out the lines for years without any real problem. The only place I use the anti-freeze is in the traps, using about one gallon total in five traps. I also take the filter bowl off my water pump as I had it crack one year from residual water.

I have heard you can not get ALL the water out of the toilet valve with air. a couple of drops could run back to the valve and freeze and crack valve. I do as told above but I poor antifreeze into the flush holes around top of bowl. Just a simple precaution.