easy way to winterize?

[rvit]

I'm wondering how I'm going to handle the winter in NH since we want to still take some trips south. I'm going to be faced with winterizing before I return each time. I've heard that you can have a setup where you use the water pump to draw from a gallon of antifreeze and directly fill your lines.

Is this something that can be purchased or must it be made? Can it be permanently installed?

[wa8yxm]

If you plan on takeing several cold weather trips try this....

Once you blow out the fresh lines for winter leave them dry.. Do not use the fresh water system.. instead carry some 1 and 5 gallon bottles of water INSDIE the RV.. 1 gallon = recycled milk/juice jugs.

Use a 15=30 cup percolator to heat water for washing dishes and such.

Then, when you leave the park "Re-winterize" by dumping waste tanks, pouring some Pink into the drains and toilet and empty the jugs.. Very easy.

Oh, normally I'm anti-chemicals in waste tanks save for H20. but in this case I'd add a biological (Waste digester) the action of these products tends to be exothermic (they generate heat) not a lot, but every calorie or BTU helps.


When I left Detroit on Jan 2 2006.. That is how I did it till I got to warmer latitudes. Worked great.

[Harvey51]

I installed a "winterizer kit" similar to the one 1775 linked.
The idea is to turn the valve so it draws from the plastic tube instead of the line to the freshwater tank. Just sticking the tube into a jug of pink RV antifreeze doesn't work for me; my pump requires some priming. I keep a dish detergent bottle with squirter cap handy and use it to fill the tube with antifreeze, then stick the end of it into the jug which must be higher than the pump.

The same method works to prime the pump when starting to draw from the freshwater tank. My pump will prime itself from the tank when it is completely filled, especially if the RV is sloped a bit with the tank on the high end. Otherwise it needs a bit of water from that plastic tube and a bottle of water, turning the valve to the tube draw until the pump fills itself.

I am very glad I installed that valve and tube.

[Ole_Man_Dan]

westend wrote:

Harvey51 wrote:
I don't know how to blow the water out. Do you blow into each sink, toilet to push the water out the low point drain? Or into the city water inlet to blow it out the sinks? What prevents water from lying in the lower half of a pipe while the air goes by in the top half?

If RV plumbing has a true low point drain, we should be able to open it and all the taps on the way home and have all the water fall out as we drive.

The issue with trying to just drain the system is that water can be trapped in a bell of a pipe. I would do as ThomasNH recommends. If you let all the water drain, go back and blow one supply line at a time so that there is sufficient air pressure to move the remaining water out of that supply pipe. I've read about some RV'ers using vodka in place of RV antifreeze. I think I'll try that, next year.

If you will put in 7-8 gallons of Vodka in the Fresh Water tank and pump it in your pipes... some of us will likely volunteer to help drain it. 😉

[Ole_Man_Dan]

Jloucks wrote:
I have always blown out my lines. 8 years of no problems. Recently tho, when dewinterizing, until my toilet is good and primed (run a lot of water thru) it leaks. I suspect this is due to the valve system somehow losing it's water seal/prime.

Anybody else experience this?
On edit: Pink stuff into the traps. ...so I do have a jug on hand.

Are you pouring pink stuff about 3" deep in the basin of the toilet to keep the seals wet? If not you should.

[1775]

Here is the kit the OP is talking about to install for the water pump to draw antifreeze directly from the bottle into the plumbing. I have one and it works great - winterize in no time!

http://www.campingworld.com/shopping/item/pump-converter-winterizer-kit/6279

[LarryJM]

Bumpyroad wrote:

CloudDriver wrote:

Bumpyroad wrote:

Harvey51 wrote:
What prevents water from lying in the lower half of a pipe while the air goes by in the top half? .

nothing
bumpy

High velocity air flow is what is needed to clear water from the horizontal (and vertical) sections of piping. A low velocity/low flow rate of air will clear some of the water, then just flow on by in the top half of the pipe. A high velocity/high flow rate will move more water along due to friction with the water surface and will break the water into droplets that can be carried vertically up to a sink faucet, etc. Obtaining the highest possible air flow through a piping section is the reason for blowing only one faucet at a time.

Successfully blowing out a piping system requires an air compressor capable of providing the necessary high volume of air continuously for a long enough time to get all the water out. Folks who report success in blowing lines must be owners of an adequate air compressor.

would you care to explain exactly what the requirements for this would be?
bumpy

Therein lies the rub ... what are the specs and flow rates and pressures required for say a 99% assurance that it is done properly. Probably you are safe if you have one of these 10gal 5HP $1,000 compressor systems, but for the average Joe the $5 jug of RV antifreeze and no extra equip needed might be the most cost effeftive.

Larry

[Thomas_NH]

A little more on "blow down" winterizing; don't operate the "water heater by-pass valve" it's only there so you don't pump antifreeze into the heater tank. I let the air compressor build volume in the hot water tank while I'm doing other things, like removing the water filters and aerators. Then when I open each valve one at a time until I have nothing but air coming out. Don't worry about setting the pressure low. It's a standard plumbing system designed to operate at 150PSI (the water heater safety valve is set to relive at 125PSI).

The reason I use a lot of antifreeze in the holding tanks is because I use my RV during the cold weather. I want to make sure I have good delusion of any residual water that may be left in tanks and the dump-valves will operate. Otherwise I'd just a quart or so and not worry about it.

There is another reason for not pumping antifreeze into water lines besides the taste: Propylene Glycol breakdown EDPM, that's the faucet washers, "O" rings, diaphragms and seals. That statement on the bottle that says "Safe of all plumbing"... you need to read a little further, there is a disclaimer about prolong exposure to EDPM.

[Allworth]

I winterize mine by keeping it in the back yard.

[westend]

Harvey51 wrote:
I don't know how to blow the water out. Do you blow into each sink, toilet to push the water out the low point drain? Or into the city water inlet to blow it out the sinks? What prevents water from lying in the lower half of a pipe while the air goes by in the top half?

If RV plumbing has a true low point drain, we should be able to open it and all the taps on the way home and have all the water fall out as we drive.

The issue with trying to just drain the system is that water can be trapped in a bell of a pipe. I would do as ThomasNH recommends. If you let all the water drain, go back and blow one supply line at a time so that there is sufficient air pressure to move the remaining water out of that supply pipe. I've read about some RV'ers using vodka in place of RV antifreeze. I think I'll try that, next year.

[Bobbo]

I get tickled at the proponents, on both sides, that say the other method won't work, or is unsatisfactory, as if they know the only right way.

The fact is, that properly done, both methods work well. Blowing out the lines can be effective. It can also NOT be effective, if improperly done. The pink stuff is always effective, but if not properly rinsed out, can leave a taste behind for awhile.

The answer is to choose your method, and DO IT PROPERLY.

[oilslick]

I've been blowing out the lines using compressed air for close to 20 years, the only time I had a problem was 2 years ago when I had to return the new 5ver for warranty work AFTER I had winterized, the shop needed to un-winterize then re-winterized, they used RV antifreeze in the lines, not only was it a real pain to get rid of the taste next spring but my pump hasn't worked properly since, I know what works for me.:)

[Bumpyroad]

CloudDriver wrote:

Bumpyroad wrote:

Harvey51 wrote:
What prevents water from lying in the lower half of a pipe while the air goes by in the top half? .

nothing
bumpy

High velocity air flow is what is needed to clear water from the horizontal (and vertical) sections of piping. A low velocity/low flow rate of air will clear some of the water, then just flow on by in the top half of the pipe. A high velocity/high flow rate will move more water along due to friction with the water surface and will break the water into droplets that can be carried vertically up to a sink faucet, etc. Obtaining the highest possible air flow through a piping section is the reason for blowing only one faucet at a time.

Successfully blowing out a piping system requires an air compressor capable of providing the necessary high volume of air continuously for a long enough time to get all the water out. Folks who report success in blowing lines must be owners of an adequate air compressor.

would you care to explain exactly what the requirements for this would be?
bumpy

[CloudDriver]

Bumpyroad wrote:

Harvey51 wrote:
What prevents water from lying in the lower half of a pipe while the air goes by in the top half? .

nothing
bumpy

High velocity air flow is what is needed to clear water from the horizontal (and vertical) sections of piping. A low velocity/low flow rate of air will clear some of the water, then just flow on by in the top half of the pipe. A high velocity/high flow rate will move more water along due to friction with the water surface and will break the water into droplets that can be carried vertically up to a sink faucet, etc. Obtaining the highest possible air flow through a piping section is the reason for blowing only one faucet at a time.

Successfully blowing out a piping system requires an air compressor capable of providing the necessary high volume of air continuously for a long enough time to get all the water out. Folks who report success in blowing lines must be owners of an adequate air compressor.

[Jloucks]

I have always blown out my lines. 8 years of no problems. Recently tho, when dewinterizing, until my toilet is good and primed (run a lot of water thru) it leaks. I suspect this is due to the valve system somehow losing it's water seal/prime.

Anybody else experience this?


On edit: Pink stuff into the traps. ...so I do have a jug on hand.