Winterizing toilet??

I keep it simple, bypass and drain water heater, open the low point plugs and faucets, drain or blow out the lines. Pump antifreeze out low point lines and cap them shut, pump antifreeze through all the faucets.

I dump antifreeze down the drains and in the stool. We usually do this while emptying out the food and bedding.

If it runs pink it is fine and I usually keep the faucets open.

Ron Schulz wrote:
RWBRADLEY "The other good side effect of Glycol is that it actually tastes quite good and does not leave that Antifreeze taste in you fresh water lines..."

Please read https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethylene_glycol_poisoning
before you kill yourself.

"Ethylene Glycol" (Vehicle Antifreeze) will surely kill you. That's why you should never ever run car antifreeze through your RV's water system. The "Propylene Glycol" used in RV Antifreeze is non toxic. Propylene Glycol is commonly used in personal care products and foods. The FDA considers it to be safe for human consumption.

Ron Schulz wrote:
RWBRADLEY "The other good side effect of Glycol is that it actually tastes quite good and does not leave that Antifreeze taste in you fresh water lines..."

Please read https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethylene_glycol_poisoning before you kill yourself.

Corrected the above link so it works.

Yes the Ethylene glycol in the link is BAD STUFF to drink. The RV antifreeze is a Propylene glycol based formula.

added link tor Propylene glycol https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Propylene_glycol

RWBRADLEY "The other good side effect of Glycol is that it actually tastes quite good and does not leave that Antifreeze taste in you fresh water lines..."

Please read https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethylene_glycol_poisoning
before you kill yourself.

rwbradley wrote:

MFL wrote:
If you use the cheap ethanol based anti-freeze, it may dry out seals, and will evaporate. It only takes a few gallons to winterize, so I don't mind paying 5 bucks a gal, for higher quality. It won't evaporate, won't stain, and is actually a good lubricant for seals.

Jerry

The higher quality (Glycol) is mineral oil based which is why it is good for the rubber seals. Downside is it is not as easy to find and costs 4 times as much. The other good side effect of Glycol is that it actually tastes quite good and does not leave that Antifreeze taste in you fresh water lines...

It's pretty easy to find down here and reasonably priced as well. Walmart's Supertech brand RV antifreeze is propylene glycol based. Down here it's about $2.50 a gallon.

Thanks for the info, I'll drop some olive oil in the bowl to keep the seals moist!,

rwbradley wrote:
However Glycol Antifreeze does not dilute (strictly speaking) it displaces water, they do not mix.

Glycols and water certainly do mix. I've never seen pure propylene glycol sold as RV antifreeze, around here it's a 50/50 mix with water, which is good to -20F. As Dow Chemical says in their Guide to Glycols, "Glycols are excellent solvents ... and are completely water-soluble."

You will never get rid of all the RV antifreeze in the system just by draining or blowing the lines out. Some will always remain just like some water always remains even after just blowing out the lines. The remaining antifreeze won't be pushed out until it is flushed out with water when the fresh water system is put back in service.

Nothing wrong with either leaving it all in or draining it as long as some antifreeze is left in the toilet bowl to protect the seal. Also leave some in the black and grey tanks to protect the dump valve seals.

rwbradley wrote:
That is an interesting thought flushing it out immediately. However Glycol Antifreeze does not dilute (strictly speaking) it displaces water, they do not mix. I don't know if it is a me thing, a north thing or a Canadian thing, but when we regularly get double digit negatives, sometimes for a week or more at a stretch, it is nice to know that the antifreeze will displace any left over water that may be lurking somewhere that blowing out or flushing out did not catch. We usually do not have access to a dump again until our first spring trip anyway so no rush to get rid of it.

I can understand how you feel regarding those low sub-zero temps.:)
We winter camped in our RV's for many years on the Canadian border.
At first, I too was hesitant about draining it back out, but it worked in different RV configurations that we had. We always drained it back out and never had a freeze issue in any line or fixture. We actually used both kinds of rv antifreeze. They both the job.

Someone said that they have had a taste in their water lines from the rv antifreeze. That's why i suggested removing it, after you run it thru.


By all means, in you don't taste anything in the spring, then you have no need to drain it out.

My experience is that the pink will displace the water. After pumping anti-freeze thru the lines, I open the low point drains again and the first to come out is usually some water. Same at the fresh water inlet, when I push in the relief valve button, I typically get some water first.

... Eric