2024 Forest River RV Rockwood Signature 371RK Winterizing

DBiddle69

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Jan 6, 2025
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Ocean Springs
This is mostly for other newbies to RVing that may be desk jockeys like me and are sometimes clueless to technical/mechanical issues.

We just purchased our 2024 Forest River RV Rockwood Signature 371RK and I started to winterize it and came across an issue where the water pump wouldn't siphon the RV Anti-Freeze into the faucets/toilet.

Spent hours doing internet searches, an hour on the phone with a friend, who also did internet searches with no luck! Called Forest River this morning and began explaining my issue and was cut off and told I needed to remove the City Water Screen Washer Filter and reverse it back into the City Water Inlet to hold open the Check Valve.

No where online in writings or videos did I see that this was needed....wasted so much time trying to figure out what I was doing wrong!

Hopefully, this will help someone!
 
This is mostly for other newbies to RVing that may be desk jockeys like me and are sometimes clueless to technical/mechanical issues.

We just purchased our 2024 Forest River RV Rockwood Signature 371RK and I started to winterize it and came across an issue where the water pump wouldn't siphon the RV Anti-Freeze into the faucets/toilet.

Spent hours doing internet searches, an hour on the phone with a friend, who also did internet searches with no luck! Called Forest River this morning and began explaining my issue and was cut off and told I needed to remove the City Water Screen Washer Filter and reverse it back into the City Water Inlet to hold open the Check Valve.

No where online in writings or videos did I see that this was needed....wasted so much time trying to figure out what I was doing wrong!

Hopefully, this will help someone!
Never in my 50 years of camping have I had to do this. Opening ANY faucet would have accomplished the same but I hope that cured your issue with the pump.
 
Never in my 50 years of camping have I had to do this. Opening ANY faucet would have accomplished the same but I hope that cured your issue with the pump.
Had every faucet open at one point and still got nothing until I reversed Screen Washer Filter...once I did that it took about three minutes to finish the flush.
 
Did you get the answer you needed?

We use air to flush ours. Antifreeze for drains and the washer.
Yes, the answer was to reverse the Screen Washer Filter....I'm thinking the air might be easier however, since I do not have a specific outlet for the air that I'd have to do the same thing with the Screen Washer Filter to allow the air to flow into the camper.
 
So, lets make sure we understand everything....
1. You were trying to pull antifreeze into the pump (and the rest of the plumbing) via a winterizing hose connected to the pump?
Was this before or after you drained the system via the low point drains and bypassed the water heater?
2. The pump ran but didn't pull in antifreeze?
3. Once you reversed the conical screen washer at the city connection, the pump began sucking antifreeze in through the winterizing hose at the pump?
4. Once you reversed the conical screen washer, did you use/screw anything to the city water port for the pointed end of that screen to depress the internal check valve? What held it in?
 
Since we all carry compressors for filling tires, the air pressure method to winterize is easy.

I take the device from Lowes that screws into the inlet for water. It has a tire valve stem on it. $5 or so. Drain the hot water heater. Open the freshwater drain valve. Close the water heater valves. Open the water heater bypass. Have coffee to let it drain.

Close the drain valves. Set the compressor regulator to #45. Sit. Tell the DW to work the valves and the washer. Fifteen minutes later she pours a little antifreeze in the drains. Done

As we travel in the winter we often do this. Usually we take two cold trips a year. No big deal. Ohio has the potential to freeze 8 months of the year.

 
So, lets make sure we understand everything....
1. You were trying to pull antifreeze into the pump (and the rest of the plumbing) via a winterizing hose connected to the pump?
Was this before or after you drained the system via the low point drains and bypassed the water heater?
2. The pump ran but didn't pull in antifreeze?
3. Once you reversed the conical screen washer at the city connection, the pump began sucking antifreeze in through the winterizing hose at the pump?
4. Once you reversed the conical screen washer, did you use/screw anything to the city water port for the pointed end of that screen to depress the internal check valve? What held it in?
I do not have a winterized connection, I have to do mine through the city water connection. This was the very last step before I was to turn the pump on to get the anti freeze into the system. I am not asking for help, I am offering help to others who might buy the same 5th Wheel that I have so they know the one step that is missing from all instructions was...turning the Screen Washer Filter around to get the anti-freeze to flow.
 
I do not have a winterized connection, I have to do mine through the city water connection. This was the very last step before I was to turn the pump on to get the anti freeze into the system. I am not asking for help, I am offering help to others who might buy the same 5th Wheel that I have so they know the one step that is missing from all instructions was...turning the Screen Washer Filter around to get the anti-freeze to flow.
Are you saying you are using an external pump to push antifreeze in through the city water connection? One can do that but there are caveats. One, as you found out, is if the external pump doesn't build enough pressure to open the city water port check valve, then no antifreeze will go in. Second, adding antifreeze this way is not the conventional way of adding it because it does not address any water in the on-board pump and suction screen because the check valve built into the pump keeps any antifreeze from getting there.

If you are simply holding a jug of antifreeze higher than the city port and hoping you can pour it or that it will siphon into the plumbing, then that's impossible without opening that check valve you refer to and there is a huge possibility antifreeze did not get to every area of the plumbing.

I realize you are trying to give advice but it isn't good advice and unconventional. The proper way to pull antifreeze into the plumbing system is by using the on-board pump via a winterizing port or the addition of a winterizing kit if your unit isn't equipped with one. The on-board pump is not plumbed nor designed to pull liquid through the city water connection unless you have a Nautilus wet bay valve system. You never mentioned having that.
 
I do not have a winterized connection, I have to do mine through the city water connection. This was the very last step before I was to turn the pump on to get the anti freeze into the system. I am not asking for help, I am offering help to others who might buy the same 5th Wheel that I have so they know the one step that is missing from all instructions was...turning the Screen Washer Filter around to get the anti-freeze to flow.
Sounds like it's a common question because the person at FR knew exactly what the problem was and shared the solution.

Thanks for sharing your tip.
 
I have a Rockwood Signature 361RLS, and had the exact same issue. I found this online, searching for Nautilus P4 winterizing:

Did you reverse the screen on the inlet? This thread has a lot of info (post 6 if from me showing the screen and inlet valve showing how it works). https://gdrvowners.com/forum/operati...erization-time

I tried it, and it worked perfectly
 
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I have a Rockwood Signature 361RLS, and had the exact same issue. I found this online, searching for Nautilus P4 winterizing:

Did you reverse the screen on the inlet? This thread has a lot of info (post 6 if from me showing the screen and inlet valve showing how it works). https://gdrvowners.com/forum/operati...erization-time

I tried it, and it worked perfectly
Yep... if we are talking winterizing when one has a Nautilus wet bay control system as I mentioned in post # 9.

The OP never mentioned having one. If they do, this is a very key piece of information to have omitted when explaining what they did to get antifreeze into the system.

On 80% of all other R/Vs (without a Nautilus System) the information/suggestion by the OP isn't relevant because the on-board pump is plumbed such, that no antifreeze can ever be sucked in through the city port, regardless of the check-valve's position.

The check valve in the city water port works in different ways when winterizing with a Nautilus system and on units without.

On those with a Nautilus... the antifreeze is in fact, pulled in through the city water port (by adjusting the Nautilus valves accordingly) and there certainly could be a situation where the pump cannot overcome via suction, the check valve in the city water connection (although in 3 years of winterizing my Nautilus system, I've never experienced that issue) so reversing the screen washer to push on the check valve provides an unobstructed (or should I say un'checked') path for the antifreeze to pull into the system.

On those WITHOUT the Nautilus... the city water connection check valve keeps antifreeze from flowing OUT of the city water port when the the pump is pulling antifreeze into the system from a hose/winterization port attached to the inlet side of the on-board pump. One would NOT want to reverse the screen washer in this case as all the antifreeze would pour out the city water port and likely never get to all the necessary parts of the plumbing system.

Not all R/Vs are the same and not all procedures/parts/advice pertains to EVERY R/V.

We see this here on the forum with other systems too. As an example, someone will describe what they did to extend/retract a slide or an awning or how they light their stove or adjust their thermostat, when that information will only pertain to the group of people that have the SAME system on their R/V.
When giving advice, it is always best to include what the system is, you are giving advice about.
 
Yep... if we are talking winterizing when one has a Nautilus wet bay control system as I mentioned in post # 9.

I googled his unit, a video showed a Nautilus P4, that's why I responded. Was just sharing my similar experience, with a similar plumbing system.
 

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