Jaybirdsdu
Pottstown, Pa
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Trying to plan ahead!!! We are looking to close up the TT in the end of October beginning of November for the winter months. I want to start getting ready with stuff now. What do I need to get, to be ready. And any advice to make this easy since this is the first time I will be doing this. I know my hot water heater has a bypass, and I know I need some rv antifreeze. How much to get is the question? I have easy access to the fresh water pump so that's not a problem. And the holding tanks will have been dumped and flushed out real good!! Any and all advice will be greatly appreciated!!
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dbbls
Missouri
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Joined: 09/29/2005
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Do you have a winterizing kit on the water pump? It is a valve with a clear hose coming out of it and located on the intake side of the pump. If not, you may want to get one because it makes the job so much easier. They are about $20 if I remember right. To winterize you would flip the valve and insert the clear hose into the anti-freeze jug. Turn on the pump and open the faucets one at a time. The pump will pull the anti-freeze out of the jug and replace the water in the pipes. Be sure to open all the faucets, even the outside shower. Pour antifreeze down the drain to fill the traps and you are done. Two gallons should be enough. Be sure to bypass the water heater before you do this and drain the heater tank.
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Mirage3250
El Reno, Oklahoma
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When I do mine....
I open all low point drains outside including fresh water tank.
Relieve pressure in the water heater by raising the lever on the relief valve. Take the plug out of the WH to drain.
Switch WH to bypass.
I disconnect the intake side of the water pump and use one of those flexible hoses (like a dishwasher hookup line...about a 24" length) connected to the water pump. Stick the other end in a jug of anti freeze turn pump on and (I usually start with the faucet furthest from the pump) and open the cold then the hot on each faucet. Don't forget toilet, toilet sprayer, outside shower, shower head inside. After you get anti-freeze coming out of each hot/cold faucet I take some antifeeze and pour a little in the drains to fill the trap. Takes me around two gallons, maybe a bit more.
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New Vision
South Central Iowa
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I have a winterizing kit on my pump. It was an easy job to hook up, and I have limited mechanical abilities. All I do is bypass the hot water heater, and drain it. Get an air plug adaptor for the city inlet. Open all faucets, and blow out the water lines. I then pump the antifreeze in until I see it coming out of all the faucets, toliet, and shower head. Remove anything that is liquid from you unit that could freeze. Take precautions for rodents there are several post on this, I use Cabfresh, however, several on the forums have used dryer sheets, or place moth balls on your tires if stored indoors. I also like to give the slideouts a good lubricating before storing. I think I spent no more than 45 minutes winterizing last year.
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Jaybirdsdu
Pottstown, Pa
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When blowing out the water lines what should the psi be as to not cause damage to the plumbing?
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K3WE
Missouri
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Here is a little trick I learned last year.
Connect your blow out hose to the HOT WATER low point drain.
Given that water heaters tend to let cold water IN the bottom and hot water OUT of the top- this does a much better job of emptying the hot water tank.
I took my drain plug to Lowes and bought the neccesary adaptors to get from air to the low-point drain.
After years of bubbling air THROUGH the hot water tank from the COLD side, this time it blew out much MORE water and had NO gurgling sound when I was done!
(By the way 40 PSI would be the air pressure to use since that is the theoretical pressure that all the water regulators are supposed to cut you down to).
By the way- no foul in ALSO hooking the air to the normal water intake as I think that will blow out a small section of line that my "hot water route" would miss.
* This post was
edited 08/31/09 02:34pm by K3WE *
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New Vision
South Central Iowa
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I did forget to add to pour about a cup of antifreeze in your drains.
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264SRinPA
northeast Pa
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Jaybirdsdu wrote:When blowing out the water lines what should the psi be as to not cause damage to the plumbing?
If you're going to pump antifreeze thru the lines, you don't have to blow them out with air.
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garym114
Texas
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No need to blow lines out with air.
Drain the water tank too. Drain the water heater. Bypasss the water heater and pump the pink through all lines. I pour three gallons of the stuff in a 5 gal bucket and put the suction hose in the bucket. No having to go check if the gallon jug is about empty.
When you flush the pink stuff through just flush a little longer to fill the traps.
In the spring, flush all the pink stuff out, then fill the water. When I fill the water heater I leave the drain plug out four - five minutes to flush through, then put the drain plug back in.
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NanciL
Bakersville, NC, USA
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My 24 foot travel trailer takes just a little over a gallon of the pink stuff.
It is a waste of time to blow out the lines when you are going to pump antifreeze back into them.
Also there is no need to pour any of the pink stuff into the drains, or toilet since when you pump it through the lines it will go into the drains and the toilet as well when you flush it.
Make sure to put a spoonful of pink stuff into your fresh water line on the outside, or your check valve will freeze and break.
Remove the plug from your water heater and drain it, and leave the plug out for at least a day .
Same with the fresh water holding tank plug.
Remove the battery and store it in a warm place during the coldest months.
JackL
Jack & Nanci
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