First time Winterizing. Couple questions

[Vic_Bc]

So I should have done this way sooner so I'm in a little bit of a pannick mode here as it's supposed to drop to -2 tonight and I'm a little worried.

I have drained my fresh, black and grey water tanks but ran into a problem when trying to remove the drain plug for the water heater. I have never used the water heater once since I bought it (4-5 months ago) it's always been in the off position but right the the plug is stuck in there pretty good and I won't be able to find the right tools until tomorrow to drain it. Just hoping I'll be OK for the night.

As for pumping through antifreeze before I actually go ahead and start the process I wanted to check with you guys about a couple things.

WATER HEATER:
From the videos I have seen you need to turn off the valves so water does not get into the heater. I have located the back of my heater and there are two valves. Do I switch both of these off?




As for the water pump, I found an old tube that looks like it was used in the past to do what I'm thinking. I'm not sure which hose exactly pumps the water but my instinct tells me it's the one I have circled in this picture. Am I on the right track?

[bhh]

Realize that OP is from Canada and predicted low of -2 is in C, equating to 28.5 F

midnightsadie wrote:
next time don,t wait so long to do the job, you could already be in trouble with frozen pipes.

[DutchmenSport]

Ahhhh... glad you figured it out! Next year will be much easier.

Now.... when un-winterizing the Pink stuff, leave your water heater in by-pass mode and run water through the entire system until all evidences of "pink" are flushed out. After the water runs clear from all your faucets.... then flip both valves on the water heater and fill it up!

Happy camping! Have safe winter!

[Vic_Bc]

Harvey51 wrote:
Right! I was just going to say that valve right at the bottom of the tank is clearly a two way one, aimed to direct the flow into the white hose bypassing the tank.

No worries about anything freezing at -2 overnight.
Do worry about someone turning on the hot water heater when there is no water in it. Put tape over the switch or disconnect it.

Awesome! Once you understand the process everything is pretty painless. It's a small class B so it only took one jug which is pretty awesome.

Now seeing I'm using the van all through the winter for ski trips/work (I may rent a car for work but the van will be exposed to the elements) I'm a little worried how it's going to take the weather. Luckily winter is pretty mild here, barely gets to -3C. Tonight is looking like possibly -5 but the record lowest temp was in like 1950 @ -9C.

I need to get a couple windows resealed but they seem to
be holding for now. I already see ice building up where the snow melted but not much I can do. My AGM house bank should be safe from freezing, my solar panels apparently are made for extreme weather but I feel there could be a couple other things I could do to save my wallet

[Harvey51]

Right! I was just going to say that valve right at the bottom of the tank is clearly a two way one, aimed to direct the flow into the white hose bypassing the tank.

No worries about anything freezing at -2 overnight.
Do worry about someone turning on the hot water heater when there is no water in it. Put tape over the switch or disconnect it.

[Vic_Bc]

Turns out there was nothing in the water heater. Took the cap out and nothing drained.

Which now looking at the knobs if nothing was going Into the water heater then the knobs were probably already in bypass mode, right? The circle knob on the left if I turn it off then the water will stop there correct and not even get to the white hose?

[Vic_Bc]

DutchmenSport wrote:
That white hose? To me, it just doesn't make any sense, UNLESS that round knob (on the bottom of the water heater) is another valve. If it is a valve, then all you need to do is turn it. It will stop anything from going into the water heater, and will travel up the white hose. At the top of the white hose, there should be a check-valve that will prevent anything from back-filling into the water heater.

Water heater: cold comes in the bottom, hot comes out the top.

Now!!! If that round knob is NOT a valve you can turn, (and this is what I think ... you have to take off the white hose from the bottom, and take off the gray hose from the bottom and hook them both up together, which will then manually by-pass your water heater. The connection at the top of the tank should still have a check-valve to keep anything from back-filling into the tank. However this does not make a whole lot of sense either, because that would also allow cold water to go up that white hose, missing the water heater completely, mixing hot with cold giving you luke-warm. (Maybe that was the intent?)

So the real question is, what is that round thing on the bottom pipe joint? is that a valve, if so, simply turn it and your in by-pass mode. If it's not a valve, you've got a very strange set-up.

After further investigation that grey round knob is in fact a valve I am able to turn.

There's also another valve I missed at the top making three valves in total.

So when this valve on the right side has been turned off, that obviously stops the water there, but there is no way for it to get into the hot water lines, correct?


The two valves at each end of the white hose are currently sitting in what looks like bypass mode already?

[wa8yxm]

Consider this next time,, There are two ways to winterize, Wed and Dry (Actually there is a 3rd now that I think of it but it's not working well this year)

The wet method you fill all your lines with pink stuff (RV Antifreeze) and come spring you got to flush all that yucky stuff out.

The DRY method you blow the lines out (Say that to the tune of Blow the man Down) several times waiting a few minutes between blows, Pink up the drain traps and toilets and come spring,, Well the only lines that are Pinked, you flush in the due course of use, No special flushing needed.

Oh the 3rd method.. SOUTH, I am only 50 miles from the Flordia State Line and yes, it has been freezing on several nights so far, though not enough to bother me inside the Motor home, and the water still flows.

[midnightsadie]

next time don,t wait so long to do the job, you could already be in trouble with frozen pipes.

[Vic_Bc]

Thanks for the input guys, it's a 1990 Islander so it's not new by any means but I've been investing quite a bit into it, solar panels, couple lifeline 400aH batteries, new sound system and plan on putting more into it but this is the first winter I will be facing so I want to protect my investment.

I will also be using it in the winter so it won't be sitting.

As for the heater I would run heat but my furnace is squeeky and it's parked on the street in the city. Don't want to attract bylaw. As for the heater I've never really used it so I don't feel that safe using it for the first time and being away from it.

I will have to investigate the pipe situation tomorrow. Hopefully -2 doesn't do too much damage.

Thanks again,

[DutchmenSport]

I'm assuming this is not a new camper, especially since your water heater is rigged with that white hose (used under bathroom sinks). It looks like it's been jerry-rigged to make a very manual water heater by-pass.

Here is what I think is happening.

The circles on your water pump... yes correct! That line comes out of our fresh water tank and into the inlet side of the pump. Take it off and attach another hose and stick the hose into a gallon of pink stuff and turn on the pump. The pink stuff will pump out of the gallon jug. This part is OK.

Let's go to your water heater now. It looks like that gray valve is a water cut off that will cut off the water completely from going into the water heater. But, turn that valve only and nothing will pump any further.

That white hose? To me, it just doesn't make any sense, UNLESS that round knob (on the bottom of the water heater) is another valve. If it is a valve, then all you need to do is turn it. It will stop anything from going into the water heater, and will travel up the white hose. At the top of the white hose, there should be a check-valve that will prevent anything from back-filling into the water heater.

Water heater: cold comes in the bottom, hot comes out the top.

Now!!! If that round knob is NOT a valve you can turn, (and this is what I think ... you have to take off the white hose from the bottom, and take off the gray hose from the bottom and hook them both up together, which will then manually by-pass your water heater. The connection at the top of the tank should still have a check-valve to keep anything from back-filling into the tank. However this does not make a whole lot of sense either, because that would also allow cold water to go up that white hose, missing the water heater completely, mixing hot with cold giving you luke-warm. (Maybe that was the intent?)

So the real question is, what is that round thing on the bottom pipe joint? is that a valve, if so, simply turn it and your in by-pass mode. If it's not a valve, you've got a very strange set-up.

[camper19709]

If your hot water tank is full of water why not just turn it on for the night. And turn the heat on inside?

[burnmark]

Can't tell from your picture, but if you look at the pump, there may be arrows indicating flow. Otherwise, you should be able to deduce it by looking at where the fresh water tank is, and where the hoses are going.
-2 C isn't much of a threat to freeze things up. You could leave a little heat on with the cupboards open if you're worried, until you get your stuff together to winterize.
You can isolate the HWH by turning two valves off, and one on usually. If you are worried, I would open the stopcock to avoid having the tank closed off. One time I had an issue with a fitting because I left water in the hose and shut off the valves to the HWH.
You may want to open taps and pump some air through to blow out your lines. Good to do this with the stopcock on the heater open, and then close those valves once you blow it out.
I suggest that at -2 C, you open doors, and run a little heat. Then get your parts and do it properly instead of rushing it.

m