Winterize water system question
I know most people drain the tanks and heater system and fill with the pink rv antifreeze. Does anyone just blow all the lines out with air and not fill back with antifreeze? Is there and pros or con...
Forum Discussion
I blow my inground pool lines out with compressed air and cap the intakes and outlets off one at a time while under pressure. The only place I add antifreeze is into the gizmo in the skimmer (compresses when the water in the skimmer freezes to prevent damage to the skimmer). It's never frozen in the 6 years I've been in the house.
That being said - if it were practical to get an effective amount of antifreeze into the lines I would do it. But there isn't. So in the motorhome, I take the same approach - blow the lines out with compressed air. But I also suck 2 gallons of pink stuff through the system via the water pump and let it run into the drains. For less than $10 and 15 minutes of work it's worth the peace of mind. I had to replace a lot of freeze damaged lines when I first got it, despite being told it was properly winterized before it was stored (abandoned).
I do know the instructions for my new Dometic 310 toilet say that you must run antifreeze through it. They go on to say that valve damage due to freezing is not covered under warranty and go so far as to include a picture of a freeze-damaged valve (so you know that they know what it looks like, so don't try). I suppose compressed air might get enough water out of the valve, but better safe than sorry.
That being said - if it were practical to get an effective amount of antifreeze into the lines I would do it. But there isn't. So in the motorhome, I take the same approach - blow the lines out with compressed air. But I also suck 2 gallons of pink stuff through the system via the water pump and let it run into the drains. For less than $10 and 15 minutes of work it's worth the peace of mind. I had to replace a lot of freeze damaged lines when I first got it, despite being told it was properly winterized before it was stored (abandoned).
I do know the instructions for my new Dometic 310 toilet say that you must run antifreeze through it. They go on to say that valve damage due to freezing is not covered under warranty and go so far as to include a picture of a freeze-damaged valve (so you know that they know what it looks like, so don't try). I suppose compressed air might get enough water out of the valve, but better safe than sorry.
