Winterizing question...

[kandl]

Originally Posted by BriaBeck

Hmmm... not sure which one you are referring to... which pic, which pipe?

Pic 1, the pipe with the 90 elbow and about four or so inches running horizontally.

[BriaBeck]

Ahh, that's the FW Tank Overflow. As delivered from the factory.

[kandl]

Originally Posted by BriaBeck

Ahh, that's the FW Tank Overflow. As delivered from the factory.

Like I said... we is learning!

[BriaBeck]

Originally Posted by kandl

Like I said... we is learning!

[youroo]

Originally Posted by Loganskt

I also have a 16BHS and was confronted with the same questions as the OP. I ended up buying and installing the brass bypass valve seen in the pic. With the hose included in the valve kit I'm able to draw the antifreeze straight from the bottle and run it through the water lines using the water pump. . That way there is no doubt about residual water in the lines or toilet valves. Attachment 184678

No 2 RVS are plumbed the same, so the Only 100% positive freeze protection is "Anti-Freeze "! To tell a Member "Just Blow your Good to Go"is just plain wrong! Youroo! !

[kandl]

Originally Posted by youroo

Only 100% positive freeze protection is "Anti-Freeze "!

That's not true. Eliminating the H2O fm the plumbing with air is also 100 percent effective.

Originally Posted by youroo

To tell a Member "Just Blow your Good to Go"is just plain wrong!

It can't be wrong because nobody said that. Blowing the system out has been suggested as an effective alternative to filling the plumbing with pink stuff but requires that one is aware of any peculiarities associated with said plumbing.

[K2Kevin]

Originally Posted by kandl

That's not true. Eliminating the H2O fm the plumbing with air is also 100 percent effective.






It can't be wrong because nobody said that. Blowing the system out has been suggested as an effective alternative to filling the plumbing with pink stuff but requires that one is aware of any peculiarities associated with said plumbing.

Using air to winterize can be 100% effective, if done 100% correctly for your rig. I personally can’t count on air doing the job with the route my plumbing takes through the system.

Let’s not even mention the rigs that have a washing machine, or dishwasher.

[camiam]

I've been winterize ING my different RVs for 25 years. In Manitoba winters are very cold. This always works. Get a cheap weed sprayer, adapt it to your water inlet, pump RV antifreeze through the whole system and run through the water pump as well. Fill the traps with the remaining RV antifreeze. Put some into the toilet without flushing. Takes about 2 gallons tital. Good to go. Flush the system in the spring. Simple, cheap.

[WolfPup2018]

Originally Posted by Loganskt

I also have a 16BHS and was confronted with the same questions as the OP. I ended up buying and installing the brass bypass valve seen in the pic. With the hose included in the valve kit I'm able to draw the antifreeze straight from the bottle and run it through the water lines using the water pump. . That way there is no doubt about residual water in the lines or toilet valves. Attachment 184678

How does this exactly work on a wolf pup 16BHS? You installed the valve but wheee does the antifreeze get sucked in? I don’t understand how to avoid getting antifreeze in the fresh water container.

[Alben]

I blow out the water lines with a compressor. Then I suck out the water in the P trap with with a shop vac. Then I suck in antifreeze from the winterizing T. Pretty much have it covered!

[Jan Gerstner.]

I think "kandl" said it best. I installed a bypass just before the water pump in our Forest River Forrester. It is not hard to do and the parts are cheap. The water pump then sucks in the antifreeze and pushes it through out your systems.



As kandl said, do not fill the fresh water tank. Don't put any in it. Be SURE to remove all water filters because the anti-freeze will stay in them and you'll wind up throwing them away. The antifreeze will fill up the filter canisters, so allow for that in your quantity purchase. We blow out the entire system, being sure to keep pressure below 40psi, as mentioned. I bought a valve cap for the fresh water fill neck so I can blow air through the tank.



Open the low-point drains. Drain your water heater, too. You don't need or want antifreeze in it. Once emptied you don't need to fill it and you'll save 6 gallons of antifreeze. You should have a tank bypass valve. Position it for bypass and you will be able to blow out the hot water lines. We pull out the tank plug that has the anode on it to completely drain it, and leave it out until spring.



We then fill all lines - don't forget the outside shower if you have one, put some in the p-valves - the traps under your sinks and shower. Be sure to run the antifreeze through your toilet and, after draining the black tank, leave an inch or two on top of the valve. Drain your holding tanks thoroughly. We then put a gallon of antifreeze in each one. Might not be necessary, but the stuff's cheap. Blowing out the lines and also using antifreeze may be belts and suspenders, but we weren't thorough on one thing one year - the toilet, and had to replace a lot of stuff, including the toilet.


After you've drained your fresh water tank be sure to close the drain valve. Bugs love to nest in them. Our unit also has a low-point hot water drain. It does not drain the hot water heater.


I set aside one day to do all this along with sanitizing the fresh water tank and the holding tanks. That way I have to dump only once. If you're going to dump in a campground, ask first whether it's OK to dump the antifreeze. I've heard that some don't allow it, but we have never been turned down by the ones around us.

[ColoradoRick]

It must be fall as the winterizing questions start...always make me sad.


I also installed a kit and it's really not hard but a tip is to make that hose that goes to it a couple of feet long as those bottles of RV antifreeze aren't small and if your trailer is like my old one I had to set the bottle on a stool outside of the camper (it wouldn't fit in the compartment.)


Finally, be sure you turn the cut-off valves to the water heater before pumping the antifreeze else you'll get that junk into the water heater.


While you don't have to, blowing air through the lines is extra protection against lines freezing (it can get 20 below here in Colorado so I want ALL water out of there.) Some just blow air through the lines, don't use antifreeze, but I'm not that brave.

[jacques1543]

It gets real cold up here in Canada and when i winterize the one thing that keeps me worried is if i forget to turn of the water heater bypass valve... don't you forget it.....

[kandl]

Originally Posted by Harkrader

After you've drained your fresh water tank be sure to close the drain valve. Bugs love to nest in them. Our unit also has a low-point hot water drain. It does not drain the hot water heater.

One nice thing (subjective) about the hellish winters in these parts is that there are no (zero) bugs.

[kandl]

Originally Posted by jacques1543

It gets real cold up here in Canada and when i winterize the one thing that keeps me worried is if i forget to turn of the water heater bypass valve... don't you forget it.....

Indeed! And once you isolate the water heater, pull the anode (if applicable) and flush out all that gunk.

[Chuck_S]

What Kandi said back in message #4.


Winterization is nothing more than getting rid of anything that will freeze in the trailer's water and sewage system. Good excuse to buy a $90 compressor at Harbor Freight. Will be useful for keeping the bicycle tires up to pressure, the camper tires, and blowing out the water lines in the camper every fall.


Do this, of course, after manually draining the water heater and fresh water tank. Put a towel over the sink faucets as they'll chatter and spray when just blowing air.


Residual water in the freshwater tank can harmlessly freeze. Same for the sewage tanks. A little ice on the bottom of any of them has expansion room. Ice in the water lines has no room for expansion and is the danger.


Drain. Blow. Done.



For those who prefer overkill: Drain. Blow. Pump RV antifreeze via a bypass, not the fresh water tank. Blow that out. Done. Overkill always works. First blow-out prevents the antifreeze from getting diluted, second gets rid of the antifreeze as it displaces any remaining water.


-- Chuck

[Comanchecreek]

I used to put the Pink in the tank, but it would take 8 gallons to be enough to get it to pump through. Never had an issue rinsing it. Just drained it then filled and drained several times with water. That being said I added the fittings to pump out of the bottle and only took 1.5 gallons to do the system. I would then pour some in each of the traps, enough to get into the holding tanks and displace any water in them, (yes I have seen cracked holding tanks because of no antifreeze), and lastly pour some in the water tank to displace any water, (yes I have seen cracked water tanks because of no antifreeze. Pink stuff is cheap and easy to use. Much cheaper and much easier than fixing plumbing. Rinsing is easy in the spring and should go along with a chlorine disinfection of the system as well. I also let some pink into the water heater, just NEVER fire it up with pink in it. RV antifreeze is a sugar derivative and it will cook to the bottom, but again it is cheap protection from a cracked tank because of freezing. I also leave the plug out. Don't forget about outside showers, or washing machine hookups both for winterization, and rinsing. A lot of that stuff never gets used so we forget about it. Air doesn't get the holding tanks, or the water tank, and it only takes a little to bust a fitting.

[ColoradoRick]

This reminds me to pick up 3 bottles of RV antifreeze at Wally World. When we get our first freeze in Colorado, they run out quick!!

[BriaBeck]

Originally Posted by BriaBeck

OK, I just took some pics of my FW tank...


How are you supposed to get the water out of that line, without either:

(1.) cutting the line, and putting a coupler in it so that you can get it to drain that way, or...

(2.) Removing the line at the pump, and blowing it out with compressed air...


First Pic, you can see all three, Tank Drain, FW supply to the Pump, and FW tank overflow.


2nd pic is the supply to the pump,



3rd pic you can see the supply line running to under the kitchen where it goes up inside the camper and then to the pump.


As you can see, the water pump is above the tank, but the line to the pump comes out UNDER the tank... Draining the tank will not empty that line.

Forest River finally called back today (after I "REPLY ALL"'d them to remind them they needed to get back to me)...


They said... "It'll be fine." I said, "OK, it will be a warranty repair then next Spring to replace all the plastic fittings after they crack from freezing... there is no way to get the water out of that line... the PEX tubing will be OK, but those plastic fittings are going to crack." "It should be fine" he said.


We'll see...

[herbike]

Originally Posted by ColoradoRick

This reminds me to pick up 3 bottles of RV antifreeze at Wally World. When we get our first freeze in Colorado, they run out quick!!

AGREE! Was at WallyWorld, they had it for $2.58/gal so I got 3 gallon. Don't know just when we will winterize but thought as ColoradoRick says, at first freeze it disappears off the shelves fast!