I have what I think is an unusual question. Search didn't help. I live in west TX, and we have mild winters. Might go down into the teens for a few nights, but nothing real crazy or long. I have several friends here that use the air adapters to blow out water lines, and they have never had a problem. We are intending on using the camper some even throughout the winter, so I really don't want to pump everything with antifreeze between every trip. All winter trips will be to campgrounds with hookups, no dry camping. I'm getting ready to winterize the rig this weekend and have a question.Can I pump antifreeze through the water pump to fill it, then still use the camper on city water? I know after the initial fill I will have to flush out the antifreeze that got past the check valve, but once that is done shouldn't I be able to safely use the rest of the water system on city water while the pump stays full of AF?I am trying to make it so that after every trip its a quick process of blow out lines, drain water heater, and antifreeze in the drain traps.

The "pink stuff" RV antifreeze gets pumped through every line, hot and cold, in your camper. If you hook up city water, the city water will flush out all the "pink stuff". You'll have to "pump the pink" again to winterize again. Your pump (itself) may not need to be winterized again, but the rest of your lines will. You are winterizing much more than just your water pump.Attach a hose to the in-take side of your water pump. Put the end of the hose in a gallon of "pink stuff". Turn on your water pump at the switch and turn on each faucet one at a time till "pink" comes out of each faucet ... hot and cold. Bypass your water heater, otherwise you'll be pumping 6 gallons into the water heater. By-pass, you'll put nothing in the water heater. Drain the water heater completely and just leave it.

If I was in your situation, I would drain the water heater and blow out the lines after each trip, and do it again after each winter trip. I wouldn't worry about the pink stuff

korbe wrote:If I was in your situation, I would drain the water heater and blow out the lines after each trip, and do it again after each winter trip. I wouldn't worry about the pink stuffThis is what I recommend also. I unhook the outlet to my water pump and run it for 30 seconds to get residual water out of it after blowing out the lines. Gets well below zero in Syracuse and I've had no problems. We went to Myrtle beach in March last year and I blew it out again afterwards.

My water pumps have had a little filter built into them. After running the pump and getting nothing out of the tap, I remove that filter cap and dump out the water as well.But your question brings up an interesting thought. Certainly the water pump is something you do not want to freeze, and what if you cut the output line and put in a T-valve with one input and two outputs. One output could be to the fresh water system, and the other to a short hose and a tap. Run the antifreeze into the water pump, and out the short hose, none will get into your water system. You can easily blow out the water system then, and not worry about the pump.

I drain my fresh tank and then put my air nozzle in the fill opening for the fresh tank and pump air into the tank, only using 30 psi and then run my pump to help bleed out the water from it. I have never had a pump issue. This is only if you have a manual water fill like I have.

Antifreeze in water pump | Good Sam Community

d-mac1
Explorer
Nov 23, 2015
One of the benefits of running anti-freeze through the faucets is it gets anti-freeze into the traps...not prolly enough, but some. So, if you're just gonna blow out the lines like you are talking, don't forget to put anti-freeze in the traps after each trip. Obviously, drain the tanks first.
Terryallan
Explorer II
Nov 20, 2015
rmoore0852 wrote:
Terryallan wrote:
rmoore0852 wrote:

Can I pump antifreeze through the water pump to fill it, then still use the camper on city water? I know after the initial fill I will have to flush out the antifreeze that got past the check valve, but once that is done shouldn't I be able to safely use the rest of the water system on city water while the pump stays full of AF?

I am trying to make it so that after every trip its a quick process of blow out lines, drain water heater, and antifreeze in the drain traps.

Yes. Once you get antifreeze thru the pump. It will stay there until you use the pump again. So if you are only hooking to CITY water. the pump will stay winterized, and you will only need to blow out the lines, and drain the water heater to winterize the rest of the trailer. I never use the fresh water tank. So I ran pink thru the pump the first winter, and have not worried about it since. The pink is still in it. You have to use the pump to get the pink out. City water does not flow thru the pump.

Exactly what I was thinking, but wanted a second opinion. I appreciate everyone else's replies. I am familiar with the full winterizing process, pumping AF through everything. I just was trying to avoid doing that several times throughout the winter as we will still be using the camper. Several others around here use just the air purge, with no issues. My question was kind of a hybrid of the two methods. I will pump AF through the pump. I know some will get into the rest of the system, but it is easily rinsed out. After that I can keep the AF in the pump circuit, since the check valve won't allow city water pressure to bleed into the pump and fresh tank. As long as nobody hits the pump switch, the AF will stay in the pump, meaning I don't have to worry about that freezing and costing $$. The air purge works fine for all my friends in this area.

Truth is. Even IF someone hits the pump switch. You will still have no problems, as long as there is no water in the fresh tank to replace the pink. Once the antifreeze has replaced the water. the pump will NOT freeze unless you replace the antifreeze with water. Simply pumping air will not make the pump freeze.
Harvey51
Explorer
Nov 19, 2015
If the lines don't freeze on your "cold" nights, why would the pump freeze? Maybe because there is only a wee bit of water in the pump, maybe a quarter of a cup. I put a jug of water or antifreeze right next to the pump to provide a large reserve of heat for cold nights but warm days in spring and fall. If the jug gets icey, I know I need to winterize or use heating.
PhoneDude_8289
Explorer
Nov 19, 2015
rmoore0852 wrote:
I have what I think is an unusual question. Search didn't help. I live in west TX, and we have mild winters. Might go down into the teens for a few nights, but nothing real crazy or long. I have several friends here that use the air adapters to blow out water lines, and they have never had a problem. We are intending on using the camper some even throughout the winter, so I really don't want to pump everything with antifreeze between every trip. All winter trips will be to campgrounds with hookups, no dry camping. I'm getting ready to winterize the rig this weekend and have a question.

Can I pump antifreeze through the water pump to fill it, then still use the camper on city water? I know after the initial fill I will have to flush out the antifreeze that got past the check valve, but once that is done shouldn't I be able to safely use the rest of the water system on city water while the pump stays full of AF?

I am trying to make it so that after every trip its a quick process of blow out lines, drain water heater, and antifreeze in the drain traps.
I am 60 miles south of Dallas. We get weather like you are describing at times. If we know it will freeze for a few day or if we will not be using the RV for several weeks this time of year I'll blow out the lines, outside shower and toilet included. Remove the water filter and the strainer bowl from the water pump. I'll bump the pump a time or two and a quart or two of the pink stuff in the traps. In over 5 years never a problem
valhalla360
Navigator
Nov 19, 2015
It's 2 gal and 10 minutes. Just re-winterize after each trip. (if you don't have an antifreeze pickup hose upstream of the pump, add one. It's well worth it)

Get sloppy doing partial winterizations and you will make a mistake that will cost you a lot more than a couple gallons of antifreeze.
rmoore0852
Explorer
Nov 19, 2015
Terryallan wrote:
rmoore0852 wrote:

Can I pump antifreeze through the water pump to fill it, then still use the camper on city water? I know after the initial fill I will have to flush out the antifreeze that got past the check valve, but once that is done shouldn't I be able to safely use the rest of the water system on city water while the pump stays full of AF?

I am trying to make it so that after every trip its a quick process of blow out lines, drain water heater, and antifreeze in the drain traps.

Yes. Once you get antifreeze thru the pump. It will stay there until you use the pump again. So if you are only hooking to CITY water. the pump will stay winterized, and you will only need to blow out the lines, and drain the water heater to winterize the rest of the trailer. I never use the fresh water tank. So I ran pink thru the pump the first winter, and have not worried about it since. The pink is still in it. You have to use the pump to get the pink out. City water does not flow thru the pump.

Exactly what I was thinking, but wanted a second opinion. I appreciate everyone else's replies. I am familiar with the full winterizing process, pumping AF through everything. I just was trying to avoid doing that several times throughout the winter as we will still be using the camper. Several others around here use just the air purge, with no issues. My question was kind of a hybrid of the two methods. I will pump AF through the pump. I know some will get into the rest of the system, but it is easily rinsed out. After that I can keep the AF in the pump circuit, since the check valve won't allow city water pressure to bleed into the pump and fresh tank. As long as nobody hits the pump switch, the AF will stay in the pump, meaning I don't have to worry about that freezing and costing $$. The air purge works fine for all my friends in this area.
Allworth
Explorer II
Nov 19, 2015
You might want to pull the water pump fuse on the 12volt panel. Or disconnect the hot side lead. You don't want someone to turn on the pump switch without thinking about it and pump out your pink.

On edit: Or put a piece of blue-tape over the switch.
Terryallan
Explorer II
Nov 19, 2015
rmoore0852 wrote:

Can I pump antifreeze through the water pump to fill it, then still use the camper on city water? I know after the initial fill I will have to flush out the antifreeze that got past the check valve, but once that is done shouldn't I be able to safely use the rest of the water system on city water while the pump stays full of AF?

I am trying to make it so that after every trip its a quick process of blow out lines, drain water heater, and antifreeze in the drain traps.

Yes. Once you get antifreeze thru the pump. It will stay there until you use the pump again. So if you are only hooking to CITY water. the pump will stay winterized, and you will only need to blow out the lines, and drain the water heater to winterize the rest of the trailer. I never use the fresh water tank. So I ran pink thru the pump the first winter, and have not worried about it since. The pink is still in it. You have to use the pump to get the pink out. City water does not flow thru the pump.
jjj
Explorer
Nov 19, 2015
I drain my fresh tank and then put my air nozzle in the fill opening for the fresh tank and pump air into the tank, only using 30 psi and then run my pump to help bleed out the water from it. I have never had a pump issue. This is only if you have a manual water fill like I have.
Artum_Snowbird
Explorer
Nov 19, 2015
My water pumps have had a little filter built into them. After running the pump and getting nothing out of the tap, I remove that filter cap and dump out the water as well.

But your question brings up an interesting thought. Certainly the water pump is something you do not want to freeze, and what if you cut the output line and put in a T-valve with one input and two outputs. One output could be to the fresh water system, and the other to a short hose and a tap. Run the antifreeze into the water pump, and out the short hose, none will get into your water system. You can easily blow out the water system then, and not worry about the pump.

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