Antifreeze recommendations

My last two trailers did not have the antifreeze intake lines before the water pump. Here is my general procedure:
1. Drain the hot water heater by removing the hex nut plug that usually contains the anode rod attached to it.
2. Set the bypass valves so water will not go into the hot water tanks.
3. Drain the fresh water tank. After drained close the valve.
4. Open the low point drains and allow them to drain. Reinstall caps.
5. Optionally, I use an air compressor attachment that screws into the city water inlet. My attachment has a quarter turn valve to control air. I have started doing this step recently. I use air to blow out each faucet and the low water drains.
6. I pour 2-3 gallons of antifreeze in the fresh water tank.
7. I turn on the water pump, and open each faucet separately, until antifreeze comes out.
8. I pour antifreeze into each drain, including the toilet bowl.
9. A gallon or two of antifreeze in the black and grey tanks is ok, and winds up there after all the antifreeze pumping.
10. don't forget outside showers and black tank flush lines, if you have them.

If you have an outside shower, don't for get that! Also make sure you run some into the toilet.

If you have a "black tank flush" system, it is best to just blow it out with air IMHO.

Glad you got the WH figured out.

update. Followed the folks' advice on here, took some finagling with valves but barely took half a gallon to winterize. Made sure antifreeze leaks out of all faucets and the outdoor shower, toilet, and then poured remaining half gallon to drains. It appears that have bypassed water heater successfully because it is empty. This was verified by opening up the valve and removing a large plastic nut on the panel @exterior of the trailer. I think I am done for the winter and want to thank you all on here for advise.

Took some frustration to get there and hope it was not too dumb of a move to pour three gallons of stuff into potable water tank.

Kids were messing around while trying to figure this out so broke off the **** antenna handle. Somehow my antenna got stuck. Going to search on info on fixing this.

Another alternative to using antifreeze is to drain and blow out the remaining water in the system - you need a Blow out Plug which only cost a couple bucks. If you use the forum search feature there will be plenty of threads on this subject.

Welcome to the forums. Its an excellent place to ask questions like this. Is there no one you can ask for help to show you what and how to do this? Its not complicated but you need to learn as much about your trailer as you possibly can to be able to fix things and maintain your rig yourself. It will cost an arm and a leg if you take it to an RV place for this type of stuff......things you need to do yourself. Even when you are at a campground there may be someone willing to show you a thing or 2 if you ask. RVers are a friendly bunch and are usually willing to help out someone that is in need. Good luck.

PastorCharlie wrote:
Shut off water supply, drain water heater, blow out water lines and pour 2 gallons of RV antifreeze in the various drain traps. Done.

this is exactly what I have done for years on my class C. Never has failed me yet.

SidecarFlip wrote:
...and it foams like crazy when mixed and coming out the faucet. Don't ask me how I know.....

Yes this...other than a waste of money, you will get foamy water from using your fresh tank to winterize. Also, if putting anti-freeze in the water heater, you will be taking foamy showers for a while too.

Use a good anti-freeze, that is not ethanol based. Read the label, the good stuff costs a little more, but worth it.

Jerry

...and it foams like crazy when mixed and coming out the faucet. Don't ask me how I know.....

I use a bit less than a gallon and a half to flush the lines of my 29 foot motorhome that has the fresh water tank and pump in the left front corner, the water heater in the right rear corner, so about 60 feet of cold water lines, 30 feet of hot water lines. This is after draining every line and bypassing the water heater. I run enough out of the taps to fill all of the traps, and flush out the outside shower, still don't go through two gallons.

Your TrailLite almost certainly has some type of hot water heater bypass, although it might not have a winterization inlet ahead of the water pump.

If you bypass the water heater, you need no more than 2-3 gallons, usually less than two. If you drain the fresh water tank, water heater and all lines before starting, and don't bypass, you'll need another six gallons for antifreeze to reach the hot water lines. If you just start out by dumping antifreeze into your fresh water tank, 20 gallons might not be enough to get the water out of everything downstream, because the antifreeze mixes with water and will be diluted.

The downside of dumping antifreeze into your fresh water tank and filling your water heater (besides cost) is the number of fresh water flushes you are going to need in the spring to get the antifreeze out. While the RV antifreeze (if it is the right stuff) is low toxicity, the agent added to make it bitter is quite effective even at very low concentrations.

As a rule with me, I never fully drain my FW tank. If it freezes in the bottom, it don't hurt anything and my lines all have antifreeze in them anyway. Wrong or right, I drian both my holding tanks and leave the slide valves open and the cap off all winter.