Just Winterized

[Zeus1972]

We just winterized our Roo over the weekend (already ready for spring) and upon doing it for this our first time discovered there is a bypass for our hot water tank which we realized after we started so now there is a small amount of antifreeze in the hot water tank. We don't use our water for drinking only for dishes and the toilet of course. Is this small amount of antifreeze going to be any kind of issue if left in there.

[Iwritecode]

Originally Posted by Zeus1972

We just winterized our Roo over the weekend (already ready for spring) and upon doing it for this our first time discovered there is a bypass for our hot water tank which we realized after we started so now there is a small amount of antifreeze in the hot water tank. We don't use our water for drinking only for dishes and the toilet of course. Is this small amount of antifreeze going to be any kind of issue if left in there.

It shouldn't really hurt anything but it might take a little bit of effort to flush it all out in the springtime. The bypass is there because:

1. You'll end up using A LOT more anti-freeze than you really need if you don't bypass it. Most water heaters hold about 6 gallons.

2. Anti-freeze doesn't smell great when it's warmed up.

Just remember when you un-winterize it to fill it up and flush it 2 or 3 times to try and get all the AF out of it. At this point that's about the best you can do.

[Zeus1972]

Originally Posted by Iwritecode

It shouldn't really hurt anything but it might take a little bit of effort to flush it all out in the springtime. The bypass is there because:

1. You'll end up using A LOT more anti-freeze than you really need if you don't bypass it. Most water heaters hold about 6 gallons.

2. Anti-freeze doesn't smell great when it's warmed up.

Just remember when you un-winterize it to fill it up and flush it 2 or 3 times to try and get all the AF out of it. At this point that's about the best you can do.

I am hopeful that we caught it early enough that it didnt get a lot in there but I am making notes and will add to my list to drain the hot water tank a few times to clear it out completly. Thanks for the insight. We are truly enjoying camping and cant wait for next year.

[5picker]

Originally Posted by Zeus1972

I am hopeful that we caught it early enough that it didnt get a lot in there but I am making notes and will add to my list to drain the hot water tank a few times to clear it out completly. Thanks for the insight. We are truly enjoying camping and cant wait for next year.

If you now have your water heater in bypass... did you also remove the drain plug or remove the anode rod (depending on make/model) to drain the water heater and flush the deposits from it?


Most folks do this when winterizing. If you haven't, now is a good time to do it because you don't want water in there and if a small amount of antifreeze went in you can easily flush it with the drain plug/anode rod removed. If you have the model with an anode rod, now is a good time to replace it if necessary as well.

Here's a great tool to do the flushing...
Water Heater Tank Rinser