Winterizing

One additional thing that I do before I pump the pink stuff into the system, is to turn the pump on and get rid of any water between the empty fresh water tank and the pump. I run it into my kitchen sink until the line is just spitting air.

danimal53 wrote:

Kylesmith3021 wrote:
I drained hot water tank and just kept plug off for winter..

is this recommended? by plug, do you mean the thing that has the anode rod?

this is the only part of winterizing I'm unclear on, do I want to leave my water heater open to the outside all winter? I dont know if something can get in there, or the tank could corrode etc.

I've read time and time again where many leave the anode rod out or loosely screwed back in but never a reason why.

When I winterize my WH, I use compressed air (45 psi) in the city water connection and first drain the WH until there is mist being forced out. If you stick your finger in there, you can feel a lip where there is about 1/2"-1" of water still left in the WH. I will use my hand to cut-off the mist to let pressure build back up, release and water will come out until pressure reduces. Repeat 4 or 5 times until almost all the water is removed. Then I will finish blowing out all the other lines and lastly check the WH and repeat the pressure process if needed. I then torque the anode rod to appropriate torque and leave it. It has never been an issue.

So, do as you want but I do not believe torquing the anode rod back to spec an issue while winterized.

Kylesmith3021 wrote:
I drained hot water tank and just kept plug off for winter..

is this recommended? by plug, do you mean the thing that has the anode rod?

this is the only part of winterizing I'm unclear on, do I want to leave my water heater open to the outside all winter? I dont know if something can get in there, or the tank could corrode etc.

Sounds like you have covered pretty good. If you have a battery kill switch, make sure it's off. Are you keeping the camper plugged in all winter so the on-board battery will charge through the the trailer, or removing it and storing elsewhere. The battery is the only other thing you really need to consider, how you will deal with it over the winter.

And yes, make sure your holding tanks are drained and a bit of Pink Stuff in them to keep the valves lubricated over the winter.

If you are 100% shut down ... no battery, no electricity, no water, no nothing, then it does not matter if you are off level.

I started removing my P-traps under the kitchen and bathroom sink. I can't do that on the shower, so make sure a generous amount of pink is poured down the shower drain. Once P-traps are removed, I know all water is out and no chance of freezing. I had one freeze up and break a few years ago ... never again!

Toilet and valve....

Black tank flush kit
Low point drains

Did you drain the black & gray tanks?