Cbones
New York
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I was talking to an old time Rv'er. He said that he uses windshield washer fluid instead of the pink stuff in the traps and the holding tanks. You can get a gallon for right around a dollar on sale. It got me thinking. I always just blow out my lines anyway, hate the smell of the pink stuff in the water lines. Then I usually pour the pink stuff in all the drains, d/w, and washing machine; so it is not as if I am worried about ingesting the fluid.
Does anyone else use windshield washer fluid instead of the pink stuff, and are they happy with the results?
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PapPappy
Wilmington, NC
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I would imagine it would work fine for the drains, but since most of us also flush the lines with the pink stuff, and it's only about $4/gal at Walmart, why not just use it for the entire RV?
I also blow out my water lines, but then I pump the pink stuff through them, so that I'm not diluting it as much (I'll assume that there will always be some water in the lines after I blow them out).
If you have a large system, you might need more than a gallon of the pink, so maybe it would make sense/cents to use the windshield cleaner for the traps and drains.
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rgatijnet1
Florida
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Have you tried blowing out your drain lines also? All it takes is the air line and a rag to make a seal around the drain. A little blast of air and you don't have to worry about the trap freezing.
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crasster
Dallas
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Yeah I'm with the others. You need to 100% blow out the lines.
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Cbones
New York
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I have been winterizing my RVs for 8 years now by just doing a good job blowing the lines and not introducing the RV antifreeze into my supply lines. I have yet to have any kind of problem. The washer fluid seems like a good idea as I often use almost 3 gallons in the drains, as I have a washing machine, a dishwasher, and an exterior sink with very long runs of flex sewer drains. I know that the flex sewer drains are capable of holding lots of water as they typically are not pitched properly. Additionally, I will use the coach several times throughout the winter necessitating several winterizations. It's probably not that big of a deal, but I can easily go through 3-4 cases throughout a winter season, but if I could cut that cost by $4/gal, it starts to add up.
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dks
Mississauga
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Why use toxic windshield washer fluid when you can use the correct product for winterizing? As others have mentioned, you may go through possibly 2 gallons to winterize. Is the $4 per year that much difference? I would use the right product and be a responsible RV owner.
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pigman1
Delaware
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Be sure you check the label on the windshield washer fluid. Usually the stuff you buy in the summer has NO antifreeze properties. Winter stocks are freeze proof to a greater or lessor degree. I don't know that they specify how low they go on the label. Might be an expensive lesson to find out if they work in the temps you expect.
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Tom N
Sarver, PA/Crystal River, FL/Shelocta, PA
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For a fun time on your first Spring trip I suggest a couple half gallons of Old Grand Dad.
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Cbones
New York
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I didn't realize that there was another post on the same topic.
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skipnchar
Topeka or somewhere else
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rgatijnet1 wrote:Have you tried blowing out your drain lines also? All it takes is the air line and a rag to make a seal around the drain. A little blast of air and you don't have to worry about the trap freezing.
How do you then prevent odors from the holding tanks? I've used Windshield washer fluid as a flush for toilets when I had a non four season RV in the past and was traveling during cold weather but I really like the fact that RV antifreeze is non toxic. Not so sure about wiper fluid.
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