Winterizing

[phil_leach]

I recently bought a 2008 Winnebago 29B and am curious about how to winterize it.

[DavidandDayle]

My sequence is
Isolate water heater tank.
Add suction hose by water pump and change the valve there to the hose. put hose in pink fluid.
Back inside, turn on pump. Open cold tap closest to water heater (Kitchen sink for me) and run until pink flows. Repeat with cold tap.
Do other taps -- shower, bathroom sink, toilet.
Go outside and drain black and gray tanks. Close drains.
Add a bit of pink to all the drains, just to make sure.
Drain Fresh water tank. Take off suction hose and change valve.
Drain water heater.
You will have to change the bottle of pink once or twice during this.

[bobndot]

BTW, its important to know, winterizing an average rv takes about 2 gals of antifreeze.

If you find that you’re pumping 4-5 gals into your system, then your bypass valves are still open allowing your water heater to fill.
Think of it as a 6 gal thermos bottle with a cold water fill port and hot water out port. The idea of the bypass is to join your water lines by using petcock valves to bypass the WH.
After draining the WH , it’s ok to leave a small amount of water in the bottom of the tank, it won’t harm anything if it freezes.

Todays Pex lines are very forgiving, it’s the plastic inline elbows and petcocks that freeze and crack.

[Timmo_]

Some of us use "pink" and some of us don't.

The goal key is remove all water from the lines, water heater, expansion tank and fresh water tank. Air pressure works and so does gravity.

[rr2254545]

Your owner manual is on line

https://www.winnebago.com/owners/owner-resources/manuals-and-diagrams/operator-manuals/2008

Gives you step by step instructions for the process

[Beverley_Ken]

Your 08 is probably the same as our 06 29B. 2nd compartment behind the drivers door is the compartment. There is a shelf at the back of the compartment, actually over the Ford frame rail, a little hard to see with out getting on your hands and knees. At the front is the fresh water tank drain valve, large yellow handle, 90 degree open or closed. Then there is the water pump and then the winterizing line. It could be curled up and partially hidden, it's attached to the water line between the fresh water tank (which is the very back wall of that space) connected with a two way valve, pump either draws from the tank or your winterizing jug. Further back you will see another two way valve which is the low point drain for the lines on the drivers side.
On the passenger side, first compartment behind the rear wheels there are two vertical lines on the back wall of the compartment, which is directly below your shower. They have shut off valves in them, they are your hot and cold low point drains. they are open ended and terminal just below the compartment floor.

Ken

[SDcampowneroper]

Every type of. RV has a best winterizing method. Compressed air and the pumped glycol A/F are both effective, it depends on access to compessed air and the water systems in your RV. I've winterized dozens of every type.
To pump the 'pink' as its known, you have to have a way to switch suction from your fresh water tank to a hose that drars from the 'pink ' gallon' jug.
We had 2 rigs from the 70-80s that did not hava a 2 way valve, so to switch from the tank to the suction hose for the pink was a simple wrench job, the suction from the tank a different hose for A/F or compressed air.
Whatever your unit is, drain and bypass the cold water heater, it may be 1 - 3 position valve or 3 on the inside, then remove the drain plug outside.
Then hook up your air compressor set to no more than 60 psi output or put a hose in the jug of pink. then go around, nearest to farthest 2 times around to get the pink or air with some mist only.
It it really simpe, learn your unit, think it thruugh

[whemme]

Read the owner’s manual!

[Lwiddis]

Keep your batteries fully charged if they aren’t lithium.

[Mfan]

Easy way...park in a heated garage.

Empty your holding tanks, drain the fresh water out,including the water heater. Run pink antifreeze through the lines, in the sink traps, and dump the rest in the holding tanks.

[bobndot]

Its a lot easier to look at general YouTube videos for the procedure, than trying to explain it in detail.
Then we can help with specific questions you might have.