2000 Dutch Star 3851 Winterizing Questions
This is my first season with this and after reading the factory manuals I decided to try winterizing myself. Previous owner memory is getting cloudy. I opened both hot and cold water drains at bott...
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Sorry been working a lot so didn't get a chance to respond earlier. Turns out it is a Suburban model. Thanks for the helpful info the manuals didn't specify the size plug.
I brought a 1 1/16 and several extensions and removed the plug/anode which was covered with think white minerals deposit. It drained clear first then turned pink with antifreeze.
After a few minutes it was dripping then I reopened the low water drains then I saw another valve at bottom of cabinet that I opened then the hot water tank and all drains had a lot of water coming out.
I checked the manufacturer manuals and didn't find info on that valve so I assume it is a vent or another drain that acted like a vent when I opened it. I closed all when they were all pink because I wanted to keep antifreeze in the lines to do the clothes washer and ice maker.
I brought a 1 1/16 and several extensions and removed the plug/anode which was covered with think white minerals deposit. It drained clear first then turned pink with antifreeze.
After a few minutes it was dripping then I reopened the low water drains then I saw another valve at bottom of cabinet that I opened then the hot water tank and all drains had a lot of water coming out.
I checked the manufacturer manuals and didn't find info on that valve so I assume it is a vent or another drain that acted like a vent when I opened it. I closed all when they were all pink because I wanted to keep antifreeze in the lines to do the clothes washer and ice maker.
jplante4 wrote:
Well, your hot water heater alone is going to take 6 or 10 gallons so if you've only put 6 gallons of the pink stuff in, then there's still water in the tank. You didn't say if you have a Suburban or Atwood water heater, but neither of those have a plug you can remove with pliers. The Suburbans take a 1-1/16 socket and a decent length ratchet. Over the course of the year, the threads will collect enough corrosion to make it difficult to remove. Also, you want to stick the flush wand in the drain hole to clear all the accumulated stuff in the bottom of the tank.
The penalty for not draining and bypassing the water heater is the price of installing a new one, so it is worth your while to get the plug out and completely drain the tank.
To winterize the washer/dryer, pressurize the water system with pink stuff and run it through the beginning of a wash cycle long enough to see pink stuff in the drum, then advance the control to the start of the spin cycle to flush the anti-freeze out of the drum and into the trap. Remember to uncap the drain.
If you have a fridge with an ice maker or a standalone ULine icemaker, you have to run antifreeze through that as well.
