Help with Winterizing

[barbara4rb]

Hi,

This is my first winter with the Airstream, and have been told I should be able to winterize it--instead of paying the dealer to do this. I did call Holiday, and their approach is to blow out all lines, to be sure there is no water in the trailer. They're happy to winterize it for me.

I have read many posts and thought I'd see if I could following handn's post, which I list here in " ". Seemed straightforward.

"The "tool" for blowing out the lines is simple and inexpensive. It scews into the city water inlet hose fitting and has a fitting for a standard (tire) airpump on the other side. I use a simple, cheap tire pump inflator to supply air pressure. The kind that uses a.c. is easier to use as a 12 volt supply is often not handy. I think this little pump is less risky than a bigger compressor because it takes much longer with the little pump to build up enough pressure to potentially damage the lines. If you use a big compressor, set it so pressure is less than 40 pounds."

OK--I have a small compressor and the fitting and compressor. Had to go to Walmart tonight and found the fitting.

"My proceedure for winterizing is as follows:
1. Drain fresh and hot water tanks as well as grey and black water tanks. You will have to close the hotwater tank after it is drained to get enough air pressure to purge the system."

OK, have drained the tanks and hotwater tank. Have run the pump until no more water comes out. I have removed the water filter from under the sink. BUT I'm not sure, does "close" mean put the plug back in, or do something with the by-pass valves people mention????

"2. Hook up air pump and let it run for a few moments to build up pressure. Then, turn on each faucet until only air comes out of the faucet. Do the same for the toilet. Then, I open all the faucets and valves again to make sure the water is out of the low spots. Take your time, you want minimal water in the lines. Turn off air pump. I open the hot water tank again to remove any water that has blown back into the tank"

OK, can do that tomorrow AM now that I have the attachment.


"3. Pour RV antifreeze into all the traps and into the grey and black water holding tanks. A gallon total is enough."

OK, have the pink stuff.


"4. Find the fresh water pump. In my 25 foot Safari the pump lives in a hinged cabinet underneath the street side closet. Take the lines off the pump. You will get a little water so have a paper towell handy. Run the pump briefly to make sure all the water is evacuated. I hook everything back up so I am good to go when I want to use the trailer. "


Here are my questions:
1. I have found the pump. I'll need to disconnect the copper attachments on either side of the pump, and run it to flush out the water, correct?

2. I'm not sure how to find the "low point drains"??? I never found the "gray nylon material" line drain valve shown in the manual.

3. There are two grey valves in the area where the "Drain Valves" are indicated in the manual. This is near the water pump, under the closet by the bathroom vanity. They both have an oval handle type thing that you can turn. Are these the low point drains? Where does the water drain to?

Sorry if these are dumb questions, and thanks for the help.