Forum Discussion
DrewE
Feb 09, 2017Explorer II
That's a reasonable list, but it makes it sound like getting ready for a trek across the Sahara, when in practice it's not that much effort.
If you winterized by blowing out the lines rather than by pumping antifreeze, the steps to rinse out the old antifreeze are obviously unnecessary. I like to check for leaks before filling water by hooking up my air compressor again and shutting all the taps. The check valve on the water inlet on my RV makes squealing noises when air flows through it, so if it's quiet when all the taps are shut I have reasonable confidence that there isn't a significant leak. I don't think this would detect a slight drip.
The extra steps to establish an air pocket in the water heater are quite unnecessary; if it's empty and you fill it normally (by opening a hot water tap until water rather than air comes out), there will be a proper air pocket in the heater tank as the hot water outlet is not quite at the top of the tank. If this eliminated the air pocket, then anytime you drew off hot water it would also eliminate the air pocket.
In general, there's no problem with draining RV antifreeze (or bleached water sanitizing solution) on the ground. Bleach in the concentrations used isn't particularly harmful and it breaks down rather quickly.
If you have an Atwood water heater (with the nylon drain plug), I'd suggest putting some Teflon tape on the drain plug before threading it in. It makes it much easier to get a seal without completely destroying the head of the drain plug with pliers or whatever, and likewise will make removal a little easier later on.
The other thing I need to do to get ready is put all the odds and ends that are removed from the RV for the winter back in--the spices and seasonings, the water-based cleaning products, etc.
If you winterized by blowing out the lines rather than by pumping antifreeze, the steps to rinse out the old antifreeze are obviously unnecessary. I like to check for leaks before filling water by hooking up my air compressor again and shutting all the taps. The check valve on the water inlet on my RV makes squealing noises when air flows through it, so if it's quiet when all the taps are shut I have reasonable confidence that there isn't a significant leak. I don't think this would detect a slight drip.
The extra steps to establish an air pocket in the water heater are quite unnecessary; if it's empty and you fill it normally (by opening a hot water tap until water rather than air comes out), there will be a proper air pocket in the heater tank as the hot water outlet is not quite at the top of the tank. If this eliminated the air pocket, then anytime you drew off hot water it would also eliminate the air pocket.
In general, there's no problem with draining RV antifreeze (or bleached water sanitizing solution) on the ground. Bleach in the concentrations used isn't particularly harmful and it breaks down rather quickly.
If you have an Atwood water heater (with the nylon drain plug), I'd suggest putting some Teflon tape on the drain plug before threading it in. It makes it much easier to get a seal without completely destroying the head of the drain plug with pliers or whatever, and likewise will make removal a little easier later on.
The other thing I need to do to get ready is put all the odds and ends that are removed from the RV for the winter back in--the spices and seasonings, the water-based cleaning products, etc.
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