Forum Discussion

Capt_Leisure's avatar
Capt_Leisure
Explorer
Mar 23, 2015

Blowing out water lines

I've always cleared my water lines in the fall by blowing compressed air through the city water inlet. No problems in eight or nine years.

However, after seeing this diagram:



I realized I was never blowing air through the water pump to clear it because of the one way valve.

After letting the fresh waer tank drain, has anyone turned on the water pump briefly and blown a little air through the system to clear the water pump?

To do that, I'd need to close the main drain, close the fill cap and pump air into the overflow tube.

Make sense? Dumb idea?

Thanks
  • RoyB's avatar
    RoyB
    Explorer II
    I have never worried about the water pump. Actually the one-way valve you are showing in the pictorial may be located inside the water pump. Mine is.

    I just drain all of the low water points and then using an air adapter I blow air through the city water port with my tankless 12VDC air compressor and open all of the cold and hot water faucets. After the air blows out all of the lines then I add alittle bit of pink stuff to the p-traps.

    Roy Ken
  • Been blowing out with air for years. Not a problem. We get 20 to 30 below in WY. Some RVers get hyper and pump in pink stuff. What ever floats their boat. We winterize and de-winterize while on the road. Don't have time for extra nonsense. My MH manual says either way works.
  • I froze a pump and ruined it one time. Now I disconnect the lines from it and run it dry for a few seconds.
  • I winterize by blowing out the lines. After draining the fresh water tank, I run the pump for a few seconds. Then I blow out the lines. Finally I take off the pump filter and make sure it is clean.

    Tom
  • Interesting question as I have had the same one. I have owned our TT for three winters now. First winter was right after we bought it in the fall after camping season and the dealer flushed the plumbing with antifreeze. The next winter I just blew out the lines with air just as OP describes, but I had the same thought as the OP so I ran the pump for a few seconds with an empty fresh water tank. My thought was that this would purge any water out of the pump. Last fall I went ahead and installed a bypass kit on the pump inlet so I could pump RV antifreeze through and that's what I did for this winter. But I still wonder if the anti freeze is worth the little bit of extra effort that it takes.
  • I use the pump to pump antifreeze through the lines, that way the pump is winterized also.
  • After i blow out the lines I unnhook the inlet and output lines to my pump. No problems yet in spite of several nights of record lows that split my flooring.