Anti Freeze

[truemanrst]

I have a Solaire 251RBSS which I will be winterizing shortly. My plan is to blow the lines with compressed air first followed by pulling in anti-freeze with the pump via the winterizing hose (included on my rig). I have two gallons of anti-freeze and was wanting to confirm that would be enough to do all the lines. I will have the hot water tank drained and on bypass. I have attached a plumbing diagram that I put together in my spare time. TIA

[Flybob]

Two gallons should be fine especially with the lines drained. Don't forget the outside shower and some antifreeze in the P-traps for sinks.

[DaveSchwartz]

That's the way I do it... blow out followed by plumbing antifreeze. My rationale for doing both is to get rid of as much water as possible so as to minimally dilute the AF. Here in the Great White North I want all those negative degrees of protection I can get.

I start by completely draining my freshwater tank and I leave the drain valve open all winter. Then switch all three of your water heater valves to bypass the WH, drain, flush and leave out the anode rod.

Switch over the water source valve to 'city'. Be sure to dial-down your air compressor to about 25psi before you pressurize via your city-water connection. Then just go to each faucet (remember the toilet valve and the outside shower) and open them until nothing but air, and maybe a little mist, is coming out. I also do the low-point drains so that no water is sitting in them. Then I go around and do it again to ensure that no water migrated into a line as I was making the first pass. Then drain your holding tanks.

Then I switch back the 'city' connection to the pump and switch the pump source from the FW tank to the plumbing antifreeze inlet and put the hose into the container of AF. Start the pump and proceed to each faucet as with the blow-out and run until about a cup of AF has come out. This ensures all water in the traps becomes at least a diluted AF solution. Its not critical that the traps have 100% AF because they are not a closed system so if the solution in them does freeze it can expand without bursting anything.

It usually only takes me about 1 gallon of AF to do this... there's not a lot of volume in the plumbing system.

[jd4010]

I do pretty much exactly as @DaveSchwartz does. The combination of blowing out the lines and AF gives me 100% confidence that I won't have surprises (in a bad way) come springtime.

New to me this year is having to winterize an ice maker. How do you all do winterize one of those?

[BandJCarm]

Originally Posted by jd4010

I do pretty much exactly as @DaveSchwartz does. The combination of blowing out the lines and AF gives me 100% confidence that I won't have surprises (in a bad way) come springtime.

New to me this year is having to winterize an ice maker. How do you all do winterize one of those?

1. Take out the filter.

2. Put in the blue plug that came with refrigerator.
3. After winterizing everything else, stick the hose into a bucket of antifreeze.....or a full gallon of it.
4. Turn on pump.
5. Make sure icemaker is ON.

6. Wait a day or so. You should have pink slush in ice bin.

7. Turn off pump. Remove hose.


You're done.


Edit: When de-winterizing, let a lot of ice get made....AND run a ton of water through the in-door water dispenser.

[wanderer44]

MUCH the same but dump water filter/housing and water pump sediment bowl.