Winterizing a Basecamp

[basecamp516]

I checked the winterizing forum but this question seems pretty Basecamp specific. There are two valves in the Basecamp plumbing system, post March 2017, that I can't decide how they should be set. The water heater draining lever, according to the winterizing instructions, should be left at the "drainage" position. And drain the hot water tank it did. The Truma bypass valve (or so it is labelled; another thread in the forum seems to indicate it is a mixing line for hot and cold water) is supposed to be in the open position. I want to push antifreeze through the system, but I don't want to fill the water heater tank (2.64 gallons) with antifreeze and I want to avoid putting antifreeze in the Truma at all. Not sure how to go about this.

Anyone know how best to do that?

[Gail Miller]

So ... I have a question. I bought my BC a little over a year ago. It was winterized when I bought it. I drained all the water out of it. Last winter, I did not re-winterize it. It is parked in my carport, hooked up to shore power. When it's cold, I run the heater part of the AC unit in the ceiling. I open the door under the sink, open the bathroom door and prop open the seat that has all the Truma equipment in it. My thinking is all that stays warm because I have the heat on. My desire is to camp when it's cold out ... since I HATE summer. Am I wrong to not add anti-freeze? Will keeping the heat on be sufficient since I have all the doors open to the areas that might freeze?? Arkansas has pretty mild winters.

[TroyH]

You don’t need antifreeze if you’ve removed all the water. But draining the water doesn’t necessarily remove all the water, water can accumulate in low points and when it freezes it will expand and pipes may break. You can use an air compressor and blow out (almost) all the water, and then antifreeze is unnecessary.

The Basecamp’s plumbing is pretty simple so draining and not trapping air in the pipes (so the frozen water can expand) may be good enough. But don’t take my word for it. :-)

[basecamp516]

Thanks, Troy. Airstream agrees with you. I called them today and talked with John in customer support. They recommend blowing out the water using an air compressor, and suggest you use the antifreeze "if you need additional protection." I also found out that the lever near the water pump---closer to you---is to control water going into the Truma. If you close it, no water goes into the water heater. If you have the fresh water plumbing diagram, it is the lever below the water pump.

[MrKenmore]

I am going to give this a go tonight. I think I'll start with blowing out with my air compressor.

[dickgeo]

I think I am clear on everything except how do you drain water from the hot water heater?

[rmkrum]

A standard Atwood 6 gallon water heater has a white plastic drain plug at the bottom left corner of the tank, usually with the copper gas supply line and its fittings right in the way in front of it...

Best bet is a combination box/open end wrench in the right size, and a few choice words to get it out, as it is a pain in the butt to get to. Some have changed it out with a brass or stainless steel adapter, a short section of stainless steel hose from the big box store, and a small valve. Search the Winterization threads for the idea...

When you replace the plug, use several wraps of good Teflon tape, and be careful not to cross-thread the plug or round the corners. do not over-tighten, as it is plastic... It's a good idea to purchase and carry a spare...

[MrKenmore]

I believe our Truma system is insta-hot so it's tankless.

[MrKenmore]

Originally Posted by dickgeo

I think I am clear on everything except how do you drain water from the hot water heater?

Check this thread here for more info on this:

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f404...ve-174726.html

[MrKenmore]

OK! I did my winterization last night. Here is what I did as the AS BC manual is quite generic and certainly not BC specific in the least.

1. Opened up the fresh water tank drain underneath.
2. Turned the bypass valve #7 to the open position and #8 to the closed position. I need to look more into the function of the #8 valve.
3. Opened up the sink and shower for hot and cold.
4. Turned on the 12V pump to get all the water out.
5. Opened the low point drain which is a lever that flips up positioned right in front of the Truma unit.
6. Hooked up 50 PSI of compressed air to the city water connection keeping the sink, shower and low point drain open. Also flushed the toilet a few times.
7. Undid the inlet and the outlet from the 12V pump (through the triangle access panel). Turned on the pump a couple of times while having a rag on the outside facing connection. That's the outlet. Small amount of water came out.

Tonight I will add some RV antifreeze to the shower drain and sink drain that will hopefully work it's way into the combined black / gray tank. I did forget what the two brass valves on the bottom of the water tank are. Need to figure that out. I did notice the overall workmanship for the HVAC, water and electrical is not very good at all. Everything is so packed in there. Access is limited. Lines are not secured properly. Wiring not dressed cleanly. Insulation around the hot air ducting is sporadic and missing in some areas. It also looks like the pex piping and fittings were installed in a sequence that does not aid in servicing. The outlet of the pump pex fitting was likely installed first and then piped out. The pex was installed too tight so while I could get the nut off the pump outlet, there really is no easy way of getting it back on without risking cross threading. I think if I unscrew the fitting at the pressure relief valve (where it is fastened to the floor), I'll have the wiggle room I need.

[switz]

Actually the Truma AquaGo water heaters do have a very small water tank. There is a yellow pull out water dump lever on our Aqua Go Comfort models that I have installed in both our 23D and 31' Classic. So one does have to make sure that both the propane tank valve(s) are off as well as the switch is off to the 12Vdc logic board.

[Gail Miller]

I have a couple of questions .... it's been months since I read all the info on my BC and I don't remember some of it. For the solar panels to charge the battery, does the battery need to be turned on? I know the battery has to be turned on when it is plugged up to shore power in order for the battery to charge, just not sure about the solar. IF ... the solar doesn't work ... some folks hasn't ... won't that drain my battery? Second question: Does the underbelly heater run off propane??

[Gail Miller]

Originally Posted by basecamp516

Thanks, Troy. Airstream agrees with you. I called them today and talked with John in customer support. They recommend blowing out the water using an air compressor, and suggest you use the antifreeze "if you need additional protection." I also found out that the lever near the water pump---closer to you---is to control water going into the Truma. If you close it, no water goes into the water heater. If you have the fresh water plumbing diagram, it is the lever below the water pump.

Okay ... so I'll take the hit here ... blow out the water from where? The kitchen sink, the bathroom floor drain, the toilet, or all of those??

[MrKenmore]

You want to blow it out from all of them. I'd recommend having at least one open faucet, shower, drain valve, etc.

And I did finally open those two brass valves on the bottom of the freshwater tank. A small amount of water did come out. This is after I drained the white plastic petcock drain valve and blew everything out with the air compressor. I am not clear what these brass valves serve. However, I am inclined to think they are picking up low points in the tank.

[overlander63]

I have found that no matter how much water you think you got out of the system, there will always be an amount that doesn't come out, for one reason or another. The Truma and Aldi systems both seem to hold water in the place that can cause damage if it freezes. To completely Winterize using RV antifreeze takes less than 3 gallons, and is cheap insurance against having to repair or replace one of these units due to freeze damage.
To Winterize, simply connect a suction hose to the inlet side of the water pump, dunk the other end of the hose into the bottle of antifreeze, and turn on the pump. Run both hot and cold water at all locations until you see antifreeze coming out. That will displace the water in the Truma water heater, as well.
I'd recommend not bypassing the Truma, since it takes such a small amount of antifreeze, and it will displace the water, preventing any chance of freeze damage.

[Gail Miller]

Originally Posted by MrKenmore

You want to blow it out from all of them. I'd recommend having at least one open faucet, shower, drain valve, etc.

And I did finally open those two brass valves on the bottom of the freshwater tank. A small amount of water did come out. This is after I drained the white plastic petcock drain valve and blew everything out with the air compressor. I am not clear what these brass valves serve. However, I am inclined to think they are picking up low points in the tank.

Thank you!!

Gail

[Lmnhead]

Another question about the tank heaters - the switch is no longer lighting up when I switch it on. The BC is currently plugged in to shore power. Any advice on things to check to see why it might have stopped working?

[basecamp516]

What’s the air temperature outside? The tank heaters only come on when the contents of the tank drops to 44 degrees. Once the liquid is heated to 64 degrees the heater shuts off. 3-10 in the manual. Just a thought.

[Lmnhead]

Originally Posted by basecamp516

What’s the air temperature outside? The tank heaters only come on when the contents of the tank drops to 44 degrees. Once the liquid is heated to 64 degrees the heater shuts off. 3-10 in the manual. Just a thought.

The air temp was over 44 degrees, but in the past the switch lit up when it was in the “on” position regardless of whether the heater strips were activated. We pulled and checked the fuse, which looked fine. Then yesterday I tried flipping the switch again and there it was, lit up (outside temp around 50). I have no idea what changed (maybe it reset itself). Hopefully it is working because the temps dipped below 32 degrees last night and we have not winterized yet.

[JDKnight]

Was just reviewing the manual and came across this.

"The water heaters manufacturer does not recommend blowing air through the water heater system when draining. This method could cause damage to lines and components. Refer to the manufacturers user’s manual provided for complete winterization instructions."