RV Antifreeze Into Fresh Water Tank
 

Some use a pump to push antifreeze through the fresh water system, but some of us just put it into the fresh water tank and let the coach's pump do the work. A problem doing this with our Sunseeker is that the tank fill is high and trying to hold a funnel and the antifreeze over your head is asking for trouble. A 2 liter soft drink bottle is a perfect fit for the tank fill. I use a funnel from the kitchen to fill the bottle from the antifreeze jugs. I don't want anything from a funnel from my shop to be washed into the tank.

It seems to take almost forever to get the taste out of the pipes without using the tank. Has to take (really) forever to get it out using the tank.
;)

why would you need to put antifreeze in the FW tank?
nearly all RV forums i frequent, advise against doing that, since a drained FW tank has plenty of room for what little water is left, to freeze and expand.

many also comment about the taste and swear that they'll never do it again, because it took so much water to flush the taste out.

that's why antifreeze kits attach at the water pump, so that none of the antifreeze gets in the FW tank.
same goes for the water heater. drain that sucker and bypass it, no AF needed.

I would never put A/F in my fresh water tank.

He is using the tank to hold the antifreeze and then the pump to circulate the antifreeze thru the lines, not to keep the fw tank from freezing. Evidently doesn't use the pump to directly suck the antifreeze from the jug thru the lines.

Regardless of your choice to run AF through the FW tank or not, using a 2 liter bottle to fill with is using your noggin' and may help out somebody else that chooses to treat their FW tank as well.

Good on ya!

no sense in treating something you can drain just as quickly. Probably takes way more antifreeze this way too as I'm sure it doesn't draw from the very bottom of tank. I can winterize my 30ft Wildwood that has an outside kitchen also with only 4 gallons, and that's using 1 to dump down all the drains to fill P traps.

I had a trailer that the water lines were clamped onto the pump and fresh water tank. The water lines could not be removed. The only way to put AF into the system was putting it into the FW tank.

I always add the RV anti freeze in the fresh water tank and pump it through.
When I de-winterize, I drain, flush with about 10 gallons of water, add 5 gallons of vinegar, flush and drain, add about 10 gallons of water and three boxes of Baking Soda ( not powder), flush, drain and fill with water.
Never had issues with freezing or with taste or odour.

Taste in the water? Why would you drink it?

Seriously, I haven't had a problem. When I dewinterize it, I dump the antifreeze out of the water filter cannister, run water into the fresh water tank with the drain open, let it drain completely, and repeat a time or two, then run the pump to flush the plumbing. Trying to flush the system with the canister still full of antifreeze could be a problem. Incoming water would have to slowly dilute what's in the canister rather than push it out the way it does in the tubing.

By the way, when I winterized today I used 3 gallons of antifreeze, including what I dumped in the traps and the black water tank. I'm generous with it. I run the faucets a long time and check the color to be sure it's nice and pink. The cost of one extra gallon is worthwhile to eliminate any chance of having something freeze. Of course, the coach has to be level so the antifreeze goes to the pump's pickup. If it was leaning the wrong way it would take a lot more antifreeze.

Make sure you get your anti-freeze completely flushed out of the system next spring BEFORE you "un-by-pass" (is that a word?) and fill the water heater. If you get antifreeze in the water heater and get it hot, it takes forever to get rid of that odor/taste. We had that problem on our boat once. If I recall, it took about a gallon of bleach run through the hot water heater to get the odor/foul taste out.

I don't think he means drinking the antifreeze, just the water in the system tastes bad due to the antifreeze. Lots of flushing to get the taste out.

Are there no provisions to blow out the lines in the Sunseeker? That would remedy the grief associated with getting antifreeze into the FW tank and save some bucks on antifreeze.

I made a brass fitting for several dollars (better than plastic junk at RV dealers). Turn down regulator on air compressor to about 30psi, hook to city water hookup. Open each faucet and flush toilet to remove all water. Remove air, drain low point drains to get last little bit out. System is now empty and can be filled with antifreeze without diluting it. All can be done in under half hour for under $20

2x. Best way to do it.

X2.......however, to each their own.

Why does everyone keep talking about dumping a gallon of pink stuff into the traps? don't you get plenty in there when you turn on the faccuet and let it run for a few seconds while it chugs out the air? I also put AF in FW tank and pull it in. Never noticed a bad taste after flushing. But we don't really drink the water at the CG anyway. We always take bottled water for drinking.

My sunseeker (3050s) didn't have enough room to put a bypass valve before the water pump. My old RV did which allowed you to suck the AF right from the bottle. I would prefer doing that, but putting it in the fresh water tank was the only way. I'll see in the spring how much of a pain it it to flush it out.

I agree 100%, but I bought an inline filter to use before the F/W tank to keep unwanted gunk out.
I'll be hanged before I put something in there like A/F on purpose.
I would just blow the system with air and forget the A/F.

No worries. It will come out of out the tank just like it comes out of the lines.