winterizing with compressed air

I use the pink stuff, always have, always will. Never a problem and it is so easy to do including the flush out. It is just not worth the risk to me to use air.

JaxDad wrote:


It might just be easier to learn how to do it properly.

For several years I used the pink stuff, and several years ago, I decided to do the air winterize procedure. Come spring, I put water in the coach and guess what, I had a leak. Now, here is the interesting part, the leak was behind my shower, in the water control spigot. Even more interesting is the mode of failure. The water control valve has a threaded hole in the bottom, and there was a nylon 1/2" pipe plug in it. In the top side of the pipe plug, was a depression molded in during manufacturing. If you look at a nylon pipe plug, you will see it. Since the depression was facing up, it remained filled with a tiny bit of water during the winterizing. During the winter, it froze and cracked. When I put water into the system, it ran out the crack.

So, as suggested above, I learned how to do it properly. Properly would be to remove the wall around my shower every winter, remove the plug, empty out the tiny bit of water remaining after I use compressed air, replace the plug, and my RV is winterized.

Or, I can just use the gallon of pink stuff I always had used in the past. Even though I now know how to do it "properly"!!

:S

Living in Ohio (previously in NY), I've always felt that it was worth a little extra work to use RV antifreeze. When we take our winter trek down south, we stay at a hotel the first night, and on the second night, it only takes 20 minutes or so to flush out the lines and then take care of changing the valves for the hot water tank. Admittedly, I don't have an ice maker, washer or dishwasher to worry about but if I did, I still think that I'd stay with a little pink insurance.

Winterizing with compressed air is just fine...if done correctly....and it makes un-winterizing soooo much easier. In fact there is no need to un-winterize...(flushing, rinsing lines etc.)

5 Trailers 30+ years and I have never used anti-freeze except in the traps.
Since the ice maker was your only problem, my guess is that that system was not done correctly.

elargentino wrote:
I have a 2004 Fleetwood Bounder which I have always winterized with anti-freeze in the lines. Last fall I was talked into having it done with compressed air and yesterday, when I hooked up the water to flush the lines, I sprung a leak which came out of the bottom of the refrigerator (Dometic 3door, w/icemaker). I am no Columbo, but it seems to me that the icemaker is the most likely culprit. So is there a valve to shut off water to the icemaker? If the break (probable) is in the line after the shut-off valve, we could get along without an icemaker. If before the valve, obviously we'll have to fix the leak or we can't hook up to water. Anyone out there have a similar experience and how did you resolve it/ Is this a major problem (like having to remove the refrig?) or a relatively easy fix. HELP!

Obviously this is the last time I am using air to clear the lines!

The Dometic Icemaker solenoid is very visible when you remove the outside access door. Odds are that solenoid broke. You can remove the 1/4 inch line and cap it off. Doug

When Blowing out by air, you MUST know what you are doing.
1. With an Icemaker, you MUST manually cycle the Icemaker to get the water solenoid to open and push air thru the valve.
2. With a Dishwasher, same thing, you must cycle the water solenoid and then install antifreeze IN the dishwasher to pump out thru the drain pump.
3. With a Clothes washer, you must run a cycle to blow out both the Hot and Cold solenoid valves. Then install antifreeze in the drum and do a manual drain to pump antifreeze thru the drain pump
4. Macerator toilet, must run and flush cycle until the air blows out and same for regular toilet.
5. Demand water heaters same thing.
6. Aqua hots require BLOW out and then pumping enough antifreeze thru the hot water coil in the Aqua Hot inner tank to fill that copper coil.
I have done this for 40 years and have NEVER had a freeze damage from my customers. I do not like to pump antifreeze thru the Washer and the Icemaker as the antifreeze seems to leave a slime in the icemaker molds that takes a lot of flushing to remove. Doug

elargentino wrote:
Obviously this is the last time I am using air to clear the lines!

It might just be easier to learn how to do it properly.

Anything done wrong will rarely turn out well.

Look for the shut off valve under the closest sink. FW in their great quality control hid mine behind the rear panel under the sink. Then the dealer ran a staple through the line while chasing an electrical short.

Follower the line from the ice maker and you will fine the valve. Have been using air since 75 and never blew a line. 40 lbs will not blew out a plastic line. Probable time to replace that line with Pex and you will not have any more issues.