Winterizing kit-- DIY or Camco??

toshu · 10-26-2011, 06:09 PM

I need to winterize my TT, and have read a lot of helpful posts here.

Since my TT is a 2011, it has the HW bypass and the water filter. What it does not have is an adapter for adding Anti freeze. I see that Camco makes an inexpensive kit but have read folks complained about the hose length(too short) and the small ports on the 3 way valve.....

Soooo.... I was wondering, does anyone have a parts list for a DIY kit, or is the Camco kit OK and worth buying????

TURBS · 10-26-2011, 06:13 PM

I did my own with pex push lock fittings and took no time at all .
It cost more but I do nothing the cheap route !

but the camco kit will serve you just fine to .

Do what you feel you can handle and afford

toshu · 10-26-2011, 06:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by f1100turbo

I did my own with pex push lock fittings and took no time at all .
It cost more but I do nothing the cheap route !

but the camco kit will serve you just fine to .

Do what you feel you can handle and afford

On Amazon, the kit is only about 13 bucks, however, I plan on camping during the winter months, therefore I will be doing the winterizing cycle more than once a year and want it to be relatively easy and fool proof.

TURBS · 10-26-2011, 06:32 PM

easy and fool proof ................ buy the kit

even easier would be to un hook fresh water supply line to the pump put a simple 1/2 pipe to hose barb fitting in its place then attach a 1/2 hose to it then suck antifreeze from the bottle . reverse procedure when done

toshu · 10-26-2011, 06:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by f1100turbo

easy and fool proof ................ buy the kit

even easier would be to un hook fresh water supply line to the pump put a simple 1/2 pipe to hose barb fitting in its place then attach a 1/2 hose to it then suck antifreeze from the bottle . reverse procedure when done

That sounds good BUT....my plumbing is in the storage area of the TT and I crawled in there yesterday...Ugh...
I figure something permanent/once and done, like a 3 way valve set up that can stay there would be the best in my situation. The Camco kit does that, but I have heard folks complain that the ports/flow are too small on the valve....dang...nothings simple.

TURBS · 10-26-2011, 06:52 PM

lol . sorry !
short of me doing it for you thats what I have to offer !

I think if you take your time and do it right and think out all the possibilities you will be happy in the long run .

I am sure you'll get more answers and maybe better solutions to your question .

hold on tight the Calvary will come !

by the way other than the time rounding up parts my install diy took an hour .
I can reach inside my cubby hole and turn valve then hook up my hose to my antifreeze and suck away in 15 seconds or less

Titleguy · 10-27-2011, 11:18 AM

I just installed the camco kit from amazon. I can't say for sure because I have only run the antifreeze since installing it, but it flowed out of the taps as fast as water normally does, so I did not notice a decrease in flow.

toshu · 10-27-2011, 11:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Titleguy

I just installed the camco kit from amazon. I can't say for sure because I have only run the antifreeze since installing it, but it flowed out of the taps as fast as water normally does, so I did not notice a decrease in flow.

Ok, thanks for that note, maybe Camco addressed the problem. I will go ahead and order it.

Big Dawg · 10-27-2011, 11:52 AM

Just bought the Camco last night. I had to buy a couple of fittings to make it work, and have to install it. I will let you all know how it works.

Jsr9878 · 10-27-2011, 08:39 PM

All you need to do is pour your antifreeze in your fresh water tank, close the HWH valves turn on your pump and run through you system. Very easy !!

ken0042 · 10-28-2011, 12:29 AM

^^ Very easy to winterize; but sounds like a pain come spring time. You would need a fair amount of water to flush the antifreeze out the tank.

Titleguy · 10-28-2011, 10:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jsr9878

All you need to do is pour your antifreeze in your fresh water tank, close the HWH valves turn on your pump and run through you system. Very easy !!

I think the point of the winterizing kit is to avoid pouring the antifreeze into your fresh water tank. 1) you use less antifreeze and 2) you don't have to try and flush it all out of the fresh water tank next spring.

Jsr9878 · 10-28-2011, 01:23 PM

Nope very easy to flush out. I only use 3-4 gallons of antifreeze. It's easier than tapping into the plumbing system and having more clamps to worry about coming loose, and the time and cost to do it. Besides you really should sanitize and flush your fresh water tank anyway.

Titleguy · 10-28-2011, 01:41 PM

I guess we can agree to disagree on a couple of points. My RV pump converter winterizing kit cost me $12.52 from Amazon and it only took 1 1/2 gallons of antifreeze to winterize the whole trailer. I have one more fitting, but no more clamps than the original set up so additional clamps are not an issue.

I do agree that you need to sanitize and flush your fresh tank though (although I don't think anti freeze is the product to do it with).

Jsr9878 · 10-29-2011, 06:04 AM

You stick a hose in the tank with the drain open a few times, then you put a little bleach in the tank set for a couple of hours then flush again. To each his own I guess!

**KyDan** · 10-29-2011, 06:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Titleguy

I think the point of the winterizing kit is to avoid pouring the antifreeze into your fresh water tank. 1) you use less antifreeze and 2) you don't have to try and flush it all out of the fresh water tank next spring.

What HE said!!

Antifreeze leaves a slight taste and makes the water foam at first in the
spring. It goes away in a couple days use of the water system.
I definitely don't want the extra taste and foam from putting antifreeze in
my fresh water tank. And I'm a tight wad. I also can do the job with
less than 2 gallons by not putting any in the fresh tank.

I open my fresh tank drain valve when I'm coming home the last trip of the
season and it sloshes pretty near totally empty that way.

ken0042 · 10-29-2011, 11:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jsr9878

Nope very easy to flush out. I only use 3-4 gallons of antifreeze.

As others have said- that is a LOT more antifreeze than I use. This was my first winterization so I ran the taps a little longer than I think I needed to; and only used 1-1.5 gallons.

As for the "easy to flush out" part; I would think to get all of it out you would need 10-15 gallons of water to flush the system out. That is quite a bit of water going into the grey tank; and that needs to be dumped before the first camping trip in the spring. Last year my de-winterization only put a couple of gallons; which I was able to dump into a Home Depot bucket.

I suppose if you have easy access to dump your tank after de-winterizing your idea is OK. I do also like having the syphon available in the plumbing. Last year I had to try and "MacGyver" a way to put water into the fresh tank when boondocking. Now having the syphon there it would be easy to draw water right from a portable water container.

TURBS · 10-29-2011, 11:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ken0042

As others have said- that is a LOT more antifreeze than I use. This was my first winterization so I ran the taps a little longer than I think I needed to; and only used 1-1.5 gallons.

As for the "easy to flush out" part; I would think to get all of it out you would need 10-15 gallons of water to flush the system out. That is quite a bit of water going into the grey tank; and that needs to be dumped before the first camping trip in the spring. Last year my de-winterization only put a couple of gallons; which I was able to dump into a Home Depot bucket.

I suppose if you have easy access to dump your tank after de-winterizing your idea is OK. I do also like having the syphon available in the plumbing. Last year I had to try and "MacGyver" a way to put water into the fresh tank when boondocking. Now having the syphon there it would be easy to draw water right from a portable water container.

I used 5 gallons ....... and this is what you may not understand , campers of different lengths have longer or shorter plumbing .
Also my camper for example has and outside kitchen "extra sink and plumbing" I also have an outside shower as well as the normal toilet inside sink and inside shower .

ken0042 · 10-30-2011, 01:07 AM

Yes, I am aware that different trailers will use different amounts; especially if you have extra fixtures. I just can't see his method using less than the syphon method; and most likely more.

tom50mg · 10-30-2011, 08:11 AM

fIRST I DRAIN ALL OF THE FRESH WATER,EMPTY THE FRESH WATER HOLDING TANK,I REMOVE THE WATER FILTER AND REMOVE THE WATER AND REINSTALL,THE PREVIOUS OWNER TOOK THE ELEMENT OUT,NO SEDIMENT IN THERE IN MY CASE,TAKE THE DRAIN OUT OF THE WATER HEATER [AT THIS TIME YOU CAN CHECK AND REPLACE THE SACRIFICIAL ANNODE] RUN THE WATER PUMP FOR A FEW SECONDS WITH ALL OF THE TAPS OPEN,AND THE SHOWER OPEN AS WELL,BLOW OUT ALL DRAINS OR P TRAPS,I MADE A FITTING THAT FITS IN THE WATER HEATER DRAIN WITH A QUICK CONNECT FOR MY COMPRSSOR HOSE,BLOW OUT LINES WITH LOW PRESSURE,30 SECONS OR SO SHOUL DO IT, REMOVE AIR BLOW OUT PUG FROM WATER HEATER NOW,CLOSE ALL THE TAPS NOW,RE-INSTALL THE ANNODE,CLOSE WATER TANK DRAIN,CLOSE THE BY-PAS VALVE ON THE WATER TAK,INSIDE OF TRAILER USUALLY,I MADE A FILL PUMP WITH A SPARE WATER PUMP I TAKE WITH ME ON TRIPS IN CASE I SHOULD NEED A PUMP,ANYWAY HOOK THE HOSE YOU MADE TO CONNECT TO THE FRESH WATER SUPPLY AND SYCK THE R/V ANTIFREEZE RIGHT INTO THE TRAILER PLUMBING,OPEN 1 TAP AT A TIME TO ENSURE YOU HAVE ANTIFREEZE AT THAT POINT...THATS IT,YOU WILL BE SAFE...TOM OH YA DON,T FORGET TO EMPTY THE GRAY WATER AND BLACK WATER HOLDING TANK,S...USE SOME HOLDING TANK ADDITIVE TO KEEP THE DRAIN VALVES LUBRICATED.

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