Blow out water lines question

[docnascar]

First time trying the blow out method. The one thing that I typically dont see is what do folks do with the freshwater pump?

The one thing I read was to fully drain the freshwater tank. Then turn the pump on and let it run until no water comes out and then continue for another 15 20 seconds to continue to clear out any remaining water in the pump. Is that sufficient?

I've used no pink stuff in any lines, just air. I did put the pink stuff in the traps and in the toilet bowl.

Also my GD 2400BH has a black tank water inlet for a spray bar to clean inside of the black tank. Is it necessary to blow the line for that considering there are no valves and it's not pressurized? I already did it but just curious if its needed.

[smarty]

your fresh water pump likely has a small filter/screen on it. On my rig I remove this filter as it generally still has water in it even after I blow my lines.

[GrandpaKip]

I got tired of lugging the air compressor uphill to the trailer 2 or 3 times a year, so I went back to the pink stuff. It’s fast and simple to use the onboard pump. It takes 1 1/2 gallons and 20 minutes. We do not drink out of our faucets because we are spoiled by our well water’s taste and we carry our own water supply in the truck for drinking.
Don’t forget the outside shower and black tank flush.

[OleManOleCan]

ken56 wrote:
Don't rely on just blowing out the lines. All the times I have winterized I blow the lines then put in anit freeze and there is a lot of clear water that comes out before the pink stuff does. Your trailer, your choice but be prepared to fix freeze damage.

I have Winterized several campers this way. IT WORKS.

I start off by making sure the Black and Grey water tanks are emptied...
I open all the Low Point drains and drain em. Drain the Hot water tank too.
I blow out my lines.
This time of year Walmart always has a sale on 'The Pink Stuff'.
I buy it to pump/run thru my lines until it comes out pink.
I fill the traps with Pink Stuff. I put a gallon of the Pink Stuff in the Black Tank.
I put about 4" of Pink Stuff in the Toilet bowl.

I remove my White Hose and make sure it's empty. Then I roll it up and plug both ends. (I don't want a bug to find a hose to crawl into...)

IT'S NOT OVER KILL IF IT KEEPS IT FROM HAVING FREEZE DAMAGE.

[davehultin]

I used to blow out our lines, but would still use the pump bypass to pump some antifreeze through the pump, and also pour some antifreeze into all the drains. I'd blow the lines for about 30 minutes for each faucet, and I never ever had any problems using the "blowing it out" method.

Now I blow it out and fill the lines with antifreeze. I figure at < $10 the antifreeze is a pretty inexpensive insurance policy.

[ScottG]

Again, run the pump dry.

[Gdetrailer]

Lar114 wrote:
Been blowing my water lines with air for 15 years, if you check all your faucets to be sure there is no water, just air coming out, there will be no problems with freezing water. Sure, there might be a small amount of residual water in the lines somewhere, but not enough to cause damage to lines. The one gallon of rv antifreeze goes in the traps, and the rest in the holding tanks. No problems yet. Just take your time, don't rush thru it. But different strokes for different folkes.

Correct!

It is the same thing as opening a water bottle and dumping out a small amount of water BEFORE you put the bottle in a freezer.

You give the water a place to expand and nothing will be damaged.

However, sadly a lot of folks on this forum do not have a grip on the science behind the theory and are so afraid of damaged lines they re adamant that pink stuff must be pumped through..

Each to his own, if the pink stuff makes you sleep better then use it.

If blowing the lines clear until a light mist comes out then opening up the low point drains and leaving the faucet valves open all winter doesn't cause you to lose sleep then do it that way.

As far as water pump goes, mine sits slightly above all of the water lines so any water left in the lines will drain away from the pump.. Have not had an issue as long as I have owned this TT (15 yrs).

May not be that way on yours so inspect how your pump is mounted and if it is lower than the rest of the lines. If lower then either use the pink stuff OR simply OPEN the lines at the water pump to allow residual water drain off..

The main takeaway is there must be breathing space in the lines at all times when not using pink stuff.

[docnascar]

Thanks for the replies everyone. I get there is still debate about this topic. I live where it does get below freezing for very long periods. Because its the first time I'm considering it, I have to admit, I am a little worried that only blowing the airlines won't work. But there are folks from Canada, Washington state, Massachusetts, etc. using the blow out method with success. All of these states get extremely cold. As well, some people have said they've had damage by only blowing out the lines.

The main reason I would rather avoid the pink stuff in the lines, is the taste. I used it for 7 years in my last camper and didn't have any ruptured lines. But the taste just takes forever to go away. And yes I sanitize with bleach in the spring and have done mass (sometimes extreme) flushings. I tried using extra bleach and that rv antifreeze taste was still there. (I don't want to take water bottles with me.) I recently read where baking soda is supposed to get rid of that taste. I've never tried it.

K Charles wrote:
We bypass the water heater, blow out the lines, open the low point drains. 25 or so years and it has frozen. Pink stuff in the traps.

What do you do with your water pump?

[K_Charles]

We bypass the water heater, blow out the lines, open the low point drains. 25 or so years and it has frozen. Pink stuff in the traps.

[ScottG]

Haven't used AF in years and wont. I once had AF turn into some kind of gel and polute my lines. After that I just blow it out and that works better anyway. No longer do I have to put up with foaming everytime I use the pump (even after running a tremendous amount of fresh water thorugh the system).
I simply disconnect the output of the pump and run it dry for 20~30 seconds - which wont hurt them one bit.

[jamesu]

jamesu wrote:
I recommend just using the pink stuff. I have never blown a line in my. 20 years of TT’ing. Have never had frozen pipes and my entire procedure takes about 20 minutes and approximately 1.5 containers of pink antifreeze. Run each faucet and shower (including the outside one) until it runs pink. It is not a tough process.

Also, make sure you have turned the bi-Pass valve under the kitchen sink leading into the water heater and have unscrewed the water heater plug outside the trailer and drained it before running the pink antifreeze into the system. You do not want pink anti-freeze inside the water heater.

When you de-winterize in the Spring, re-open the bi-pass valve under the sink AFTER have you have finished de-winterizing by running water until it’s not pink. Doing this keeps anti-freeze out of the empty water heater. Then keep the water running until the water heater is full.

[goducks10]

Been blowing lines for 10 years with zero issues. PEX tubing has the ability to expand greatly. What little water thats left that may freeze will expand in both directions.
I live in Oregon in the valley so we don't get sub freezing temps that last for days and weeks. It may freeze overnight but it will usually get above freezing during the day.
If I lived in a part of the country that had freezing temps where it didn't get above freezing for several days then yes I'd do the pink stuff.
All my buddies that have RV's only blow the lines as well.
10 years ago when we bought one of our TT's I asked the dealer about winterizing. He said it was $50 for them to do it. He said I could pay them the $50 and watch so I wouldn't have to pay them again. He said all they do is blow the lines.
That was good enough for me. Never paid the $5O.

[jamesu]

I recommend just using the pink stuff. I have never blown a line in my. 20 years of TT’ing. Have never had frozen pipes and my entire procedure takes about 20 minutes and approximately 1.5 containers of pink antifreeze. Run each faucet and shower (including the outside one) until it runs pink. It is not a tough process.

[ksg5000]

I have been blowing my lines for 20+ years with no problems - just take your time and do it right. Focus on making sure things like your toilet valve are clear of water. When I used the pink stuff I never bothered to blow the line first - that makes little sense to me and seems like massive overkill.

[Lar114]

Been blowing my water lines with air for 15 years, if you check all your faucets to be sure there is no water, just air coming out, there will be no problems with freezing water. Sure, there might be a small amount of residual water in the lines somewhere, but not enough to cause damage to lines. The one gallon of rv antifreeze goes in the traps, and the rest in the holding tanks. No problems yet. Just take your time, don't rush thru it. But different strokes for different folkes.

[midnightsadie]

use the pink stuff. sooner or later your gonna freeze a line.