How often to use low point drains

[OldCoot]

Used them for the first time in Mar when they forecast below freezing temps for over 8 hrs. So once in 6 yrs on this 5er.

[Mountainmanbob]

We leave the water in our unit.

When we get back from a trip I get a water bottle and put a couple of tablespoons of bleach in it with some water squirted into the water tank and then run some of that treated water through all the faucets and toilet then I turn off the system, water seems to stay fresh.

Also I occasionally take apart the faucets in sinks and shower and grease them. Keeps them nice.
M-Bob

[bikendan]

Originally Posted by W5CI

Once a year when I Winterize

Ditto!

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[Wolverine 1945]

Originally Posted by CoMaddMax

I live on well water and my well is 600 ft deep in the CO plains just east of Denver. We do nothing to our water and I fill my tank after winter and it can sit up to a month. Because of this thread, I just went out and drained the low point of my Fresh water tank that I filled up half way, at the end of March. The water was crystal clear and I tasted it. It was warm (it's been 100 degrees the lat 2 days) but not even a slight taste to it. SO, I will do mine in the fall, I am a lucky guy though so let your senses be your guide!

Glad I did not have to pay for your well !!!

[johnbryanpeters]

I only drain when winterizing, sanitize with bleach when getting everything working in the spring.

On sulfur smell in water: Solving rotten-egg odor in water heaters with aluminum/zinc, powered anodes

[Nail56]

Hmmm... that's new to me... where would you find the bypass valve on a Georgetown?

[NHHorseman]

I've been camping since 1971. I add an ounce of chlorine to my fresh water tank and about 15 gallons of FW. Since I mostly always use the campground water for camping, I almost never use the FW so the Chlorine doesn't bother me. The only time I really use FW is when setting up the black tank again after dumping. Now, in my FW tank I have abundant chlorinated water to run through my pipes before or after two or three weeks of storage. I only use the low point drains in the Fall. Just my system!!

[MNtraveler]

The problem of crud from the water heater running into the hot water lines can be avoided by draining the water heater before opening the low point drains.

[itat]

Originally Posted by grumpy0374

To those of you that drain your tanks and lines everytime you come home, even if it's only for a few weeks, remember, you will never truly get all the water out of your lines. And to go one step further, if your rig has a water filter, do you change that out each time you return home and replace it with a fresh filter. If not, than you can drain your lines till the moon turns to cheese, cause your new fresh water will be filtered by the remaining water in your filter. Filter will retain all the little "nasties" you think are there and will immediately contaminate your "fresh" water.
To each his/her own, and do what you feel comfortable with. But unless you fully sanitize all the lines, tank and W. Heater, there will always be some "old" water in your system.
Grumpy

I drain the HW tank, then drain the water lines and then remove the filter. The filter dries out and gets put back in before we head out on our next trip. I verified with the seller (RVWaterFilterStore.com) that that is the proper thing to do with my particular filter because it doesn’t contain KDF that can handle being left in stagnant water.

The process takes less than 5 minutes. It isn’t necessarily perfect but IMO, for our usage pattern, it’s worth doing. We don’t drink the water but we shower with it and brush our teeth with it so I can guarantee that some gets ingested. So I want to reduce the odds of any nasty stuff growing in the system.

[drownskmb]

Originally Posted by 5picker

If you are going to use the low point drains after each trip, it is advisable to put the water heater into bypass BEFORE opening the low point drains.

Often times the crud from the bottom of the water heater tank gets sucked into the plumbing when using the low point drains and some of that crud remains in the plumbing to be pushed into the toilet valve and faucets on repressurization. We've seen MANY reports of it here.

Of course this means to drain the water heater, you'll need to remove the anode/plug as well.

Hi, we're newbies and have no clue how to bypass the water heater. Can you elaborate? Many thanks.

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[bikendan]

Originally Posted by Nail56

Hmmm... that's new to me... where would you find the bypass valve on a Georgetown?

You should probably ask this question in the Georgetown sub-forum, not a General section.
Include your year and model.

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