first time winterizing on my own

[Alwaysready]

I am about to try and winterize my 2012 FC on my own. Recently went to a local non airstream dealers free winterizing clinic and I feel pretty confident about the basic procedure. The one thing I heard that that I can't figure out concerns the city water inlet. Instructor said remove the screen from the city water inlet and push in the little release valve to gravity drain any water left in the inlet. I can get the rubber washer out but not the screen. To me it appears the screen is permanently installed. Is this step necessary? If so, anyone know how to get the screen out so I can get at the little pressure release button (if there really is one??) I have been a lurker on the forum for some time but as I take on more and more DIY maintenance I am going to rely on your wonderful folks for help

[GenXair]

Originally Posted by Alwaysready

I am about to try and winterize my 2012 FC on my own. Recently went to a local non airstream dealers free winterizing clinic and I feel pretty confident about the basic procedure. The one thing I heard that that I can't figure out concerns the city water inlet. Instructor said remove the screen from the city water inlet and push in the little release valve to gravity drain any water left in the inlet. I can get the rubber washer out but not the screen. To me it appears the screen is permanently installed. Is this step necessary? If so, anyone know how to get the screen out so I can get at the little pressure release button (if there really is one??) I have been a lurker on the forum for some time but as I take on more and more DIY maintenance I am going to rely on your wonderful folks for help

Never heard of that step.
The only thing you have to do to drain the fresh water tank is to open the valve located between the tires.

[mandolindave]

Opening the faucets, can speed up the draining, and perhaps do a little better of a job. ( think of holding your finger on the top of a straw )

[Hiho Silver]

? If so, anyone know how to get the screen out so I can get at the little pressure release button (if there really is one??) I have been a lurker on the forum for some time but as I take on more and more DIY maintenance I am going to rely on your wonderful folks for help [/QUOTE]


I just replaced the city water inlet on my 2016 FC 27'. There is no release button that I could see. I always use a fitting that allows you to blow compressed air thru the city water inlet. This is my third Airstream and it's worked so far. There is a pressure reducing valve behind the screen and rubber gasket, but no buttons.


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[GenXair]

Alwaysready, did you get a copy of the Newbies Guide to Airstreaming book with your trailer package? It list all the steps you need to take for proper winterizing.

[Wingeezer]

I beieve that button you are told to push could be associated with a backflow prevention valve (if installed) that eliminates any chance of water from your trailer plumbing system feeding back into the water lines.

When you push the button you are opening the valve and allowing any trapped water to run out. Many people don't bother doing that and never have a problem, but trapped water "could" freeze in the backflow prevention valve and crack it, so it is a good precaution.

Not sure about your screen, but often they are integral with a washer and needto be pried out. Possible the washer that you removed was an extra washer that got installed at some point - perhaps because the one that is part of the screen was leaking ?


Brian.

[OTRA15]

Welcome to the forum!

No need to remove city water inlet screen, or push any hidden button. What?



See AS book already mentioned and your owner's manual for most steps. Lots of threads here discuss winterization:

https://cse.google.com/cse?cx=011403...ion&gsc.page=1

The big question is to use antifreeze or not? We don't and rely on compressed air to blow out the lines.

We are on the road now, but will reply in more detail over the weekend.

Easy to do on your own!

Peter

[Alwaysready]

Thanks for all the great, timely support. Instead of grabbing the original newbies guide from our bookshelf I looked in Rich Luhr's latest "complete guide to AS Maintenance" and didn't see a lot of help there (nor the original owners manual which is so overly generic it's almost useless - IMO) . So after beating up my city water inlet trying to get the screen out, I gave up. I need to work on my patience level when I hit snags trying to get work done on our unit - as you can no doubt tell, I am not all that "handy". Fortunately you guys came to the rescue and I think I'm good now. Finished the process yesterday. Hopefully I've got all the bases covered. When I get back to the rig this afternoon I will grab my copy of "newbies guide" and make a copy of the winterizing section and keep it readily available.

[OTRA15]

Did you get to the filter at the water pump, make sure it is drained, and blow back (by mouth) into the supply line coming from the water tank (with the drain for this tank open)? In some models, there can be water trapped in a low spot of this supply line between the tank and the filter/pump. Better safe than sorry IMO.

Peter

PS -- We are still on the road, but wanted to post this one thought since you have just done the winterization.

Originally Posted by Alwaysready

Thanks for all the great, timely support. Instead of grabbing the original newbies guide from our bookshelf I looked in Rich Luhr's latest "complete guide to AS Maintenance" and didn't see a lot of help there (nor the original owners manual which is so overly generic it's almost useless - IMO) . So after beating up my city water inlet trying to get the screen out, I gave up. I need to work on my patience level when I hit snags trying to get work done on our unit - as you can no doubt tell, I am not all that "handy". Fortunately you guys came to the rescue and I think I'm good now. Finished the process yesterday. Hopefully I've got all the bases covered. When I get back to the rig this afternoon I will grab my copy of "newbies guide" and make a copy of the winterizing section and keep it readily available.

[kdickinson]

seems to me that the new A/S's should have a "winterize now" button inside and a few minutes of whirring and vague splashing sounds outside a green light appears and you are winterized. Just thinking out loud ...

[m.hony]

There was a section in my owner's manual that was overly detailed on winterizing-
Blow out the lines with compressed air-
Raise the jack all the way to the top-
Blow out again-
Lower the jack all the way yo the bottom-
Blow out again-
Then put in pink anti-freeze.
I did it that way once.
The next time I cut out some of the steps as I didn't see any benefit.
I blow out with compressed air- open kitchen faucets, bathroom faucets, shower, flush toilet, low point drains, black tank flush then repeat the process with pink antifreeze using the trailer's water pump and a short piece of plastic tubing and then put pink antifreeze in the p-traps.
I have had some fails, but learned from them. I neglected to properly winterize the toilet and black tank flush the first time and the valves froze. Got a new toilet valve from the internet and got a new black tank flush valve at Jackson Center.

[CRH]

I use a hand pump to push a little antifreeze in the city water hose.

[CruizinDux]

Alwaysready, I can't comment on the release button and screen removal other to say in our FC 20' 2014 I've never heard of the button and did not remove the screen.

You also didn't mention air only vs AF. For a variety of reasons I opt to use only air in the distribution lines and use AF only in the traps.


Here is a check list off the net by Dave Schumann who I believe is with JC. I completed (fumbled thru) the first winterization last November and after that process and sound advice from OTRA15 (same model/yr) and a few others, I developed a more detailed check list. I had to winterize 3 times last winter/spring after the initial and it got easier each time. PM me is you’d like a copy of my (over the top) list.

I should also say my first run was with a small 110v inflator which worked ok. My last was with a 12V inflator due to a surprise cold front…took a while but worked fine too. I’ve since acquitted a dual tank compressor as pushing a lot of air thru to dry things out is the key.

Bob

[VT Wanderer]

I have put a rather comprehensive list of step by step directions for winterizing our 2014, 27ft. Flying Cloud. If you are interested email me at sgraner@aol.com

[wulfraat]

I connect my air compressor to the fresh water city inlet with 60psi pressure and blow everything out. First the faucets/shower, then the hot water heater then finally the low point drains.

Takes multiple air tank refills by my little compressor but it leaves no room for doubt that all the lines are completely dry. Add 3 gallons of rv anti-freeze to p-traps, toilet and grey water tank and you're done. Easy peasy.

[mandolindave]

After getting pretty darn good at winterizing by doing it year after year, I forgot to purge the water out of my toilets spray wand.

[NoResults]

wulfraat. Am I reading your comment wrong? add 3 gallons to p traps and toilet/balck tank?

If I blow out the lines it would seem that a cup full in each trap would be adequate. An empty black tank and grey water tank would not have much water left to freeze.

I agree you should get some antifreeze into the pump.

Dave

[m.hony]

3 gallons?
No way.
Maybe 3 cups or 3 pints...
1.5 gallons gets pink in the entire system.


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[wulfraat]

I take no chances. A gallon goes in the black water tank and 2 gallons go in the grey water tank to ensure the waste vales don't freeze due to some residual water that may make its way out of the tanks while in transit...

P-Traps being filled with rv anti freeze is a byproduct...

It's like $3 bucks a gallon. Cheap insurance.

(Note that I do not use anti freeze in the fresh water plumbing - that system gets blown out as mentioned above... I also disconnect the hoses to/from the fresh water pump and leave those off for the winter once the system has been blown out)

[m.hony]

I guess the difference is Colorado vs. Mississippi.
I figure there is some residual in the black and gray tanks because I ran pink through the faucets and toilet through the p-traps into the tanks.
Anyway, less than 2 gallons gets it all done.
Even at $4 a gallon $8 is cheap insurance.