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mrpettit · 12-01-2014, 03:26 PM

Attempting to winterize for the first time.

Yesterday I opened all the freshwater lines and drove the airstream home 9 hours with the lines open.

Today I hooked up the aircompressor. Put it to 45 psi and attempted to blow out the water lines. No water came out of any of them. Does that mean I hooked it up wrong or could have all the water drained out yesterday on the way home?

Also, anyone know where to buy a cap for the hotwater heater? That little thing was a pain to remove and of course then I dropped it and couldn't find it.

dznf0g · 12-01-2014, 03:31 PM

No, actually driving with the faucets AND the low point drains open will drain the majority of the water. But you should still blow the lines. That will help remove any pockets of water remaining in faucet valves, etc. You may just see mist or drips out of the faucets and low point drains with this method, but it is still important to blow the lines and/or install antifreeze.

**Stefrobrts** · 12-01-2014, 03:33 PM

So if you close all the drains/faucets except one, and then apply air pressure, it should blow out that line. Then you close it, open the next drain/faucet, and repeat. If you have them all open at once you probably won't have enough pressure to run anything out. Though I would think driving for 9 hours might have been enough to drain everything already!

Tincampers · 12-01-2014, 03:34 PM

I bought some new drain plugs on eBay for mine. Only a few dollars for a pair of them.

Bill M. · 12-01-2014, 04:02 PM

you can get a WH plug with a drain valve in it from Outdoors Mart or Vintage trailer. That way you do not have to take it out again.
Not sure where or how the water would drain out of the lines while pulling the trailer unless the low point drains were open. If they are open then most of it would drain. If they were closed the pump would have to be running to empty the lines, I think.
45 psi is plenty. But you can only have one valve open at a time and the low point drains have to be closed.

What I knew but forgot for a moment in the heat of the battle is that there is a check valve on the water inlet. I blew the lines, closed the last faucet off, and unplugged the air compressor. Then I took the plug out of the WH. 45 psi of air behind 6 gallons of cold water gave me a quick bath and I never did find the plastic plut.

Tincampers · 12-01-2014, 04:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bill M.

you can get a WH plug with a drain valve in it from Outdoors Mart or Vintage trailer. That way you do not have to take it out again.
Not sure where or how the water would drain out of the lines while pulling the trailer unless the low point drains were open. If they are open then most of it would drain. If they were closed the pump would have to be running to empty the lines, I think.
45 psi is plenty. But you can only have one valve open at a time and the low point drains have to be closed.

What I knew but forgot for a moment in the heat of the battle is that there is a check valve on the water inlet. I blew the lines, closed the last faucet off, and unplugged the air compressor. Then I took the plug out of the WH. 45 psi of air behind 6 gallons of cold water gave me a quick bath and I never did find the plastic plut.

At least your water was cold! Like an idiot, I forgot the water heater had been on and got blasted with hot water!

polarlyse · 12-01-2014, 04:57 PM

The water heater plug should be a standard pipe fitting. Mine looks to be 3/4" and a replacement should easily be found at any good hardware or plumbing supply. They just might even have one with a valve built in. Our first AS was a 1985 model and had enough room in the compartment for a boiler cock. Which is a regular valve that screwed into the plug orifice. Our current AS doesn't have enough room so I have a plug with a twist valve in it. If using a plug I'd advise using plastic or brass rather than a steel one.

mrpettit · 12-01-2014, 10:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bill M.

you can get a WH plug with a drain valve in it from Outdoors Mart or Vintage trailer. That way you do not have to take it out again.
Not sure where or how the water would drain out of the lines while pulling the trailer unless the low point drains were open. If they are open then most of it would drain. If they were closed the pump would have to be running to empty the lines, I think.
45 psi is plenty. But you can only have one valve open at a time and the low point drains have to be closed.

I had the low point drains open while driving.

My other question is I'm not sure I drained the air compressor properly. It still was gurgling but I couldn't get all the water out. I turned it on and detached each side separately (I wasn't sure which was intake and which was outtake) to try and flush the water out but am not sure I got it all. Any tips on that?

Protagonist · 12-02-2014, 06:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mrpettit

I had the low point drains open while driving.

My other question is I'm not sure I drained the air compressor properly. It still was gurgling but I couldn't get all the water out. I turned it on and detached each side separately (I wasn't sure which was intake and which was outtake) to try and flush the water out but am not sure I got it all. Any tips on that?

While you're flushing the system, don't forget to blow out the line leading to the toilet! Someone has to hold the toilet flush valve open while you're applying air.

And if you have an external shower, don't forget it, either. You actually have to hook up the shower hose on mine to blow out the shower fitting, but that will vary by the design of the shower; if your external shower is just a faucet connection you might be able to blow it out without hooking up the shower hose.

And another "don't forget" is your black tank flush fitting. If you've used it, the check valve in the hose connection could retain water unless you blow it out.

As for draining the air compressor, I assume that you have a tank-style compressor, not a tankless one, or you wouldn't be asking about draining it. Somewhere on the bottom of the tank should be a drain valve. You can leave some compressed air in the tank when you open the valve, which will help to blow out the water.

I assume that you use an oil-free compressor when blowing out your lines, too. You should, at least, to avoid oil getting into your freshwater system.

tjdonahoe · 12-02-2014, 04:33 PM

My old 04 30 ' classic got cold in a storm in Idaho , I opened all the drains and the two low point ones, so cold I couldn't find my wrench for the hot water heater. The next afternoon at home I went to drain the water heater and everything was dry,very lucky as it was below freezing..

TG Twinkie · 12-03-2014, 08:04 AM

I used a boiler cock for the water heater. Found a very small unit with a nice handle. Easy to open and close easily.

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Protagonist · 12-03-2014, 08:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TG Twinkie

I used a boiler cock for the water heater. Found a very small unit with a nice handle. Easy to open and close easily.

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At a glance, this one looks like it might fit my 6-gallon Atwood: http://www.amazon.com/Industrial-Gra...28Lead+Free%29

3/4" IPT is the right size, yes? If this one will fit, then I'll be buying one very soon. The ability to attach a hose on the discharge side to route the water away from the side of my Airstream is a big part of the appeal.

dznf0g · 12-03-2014, 08:31 AM

Looks like a good one, but some of us found (contrary to my prior SOB) that the routing of the gas line prevented something of that size. I had to go with a rather small orificed, low profile setup.

Protagonist · 12-03-2014, 08:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dznf0g

Looks like a good one, but some of us found (contrary to my prior SOB) that the routing of the gas line prevented something of that size. I had to go with a rather small orificed, low profile setup.

Source?

polarlyse · 12-03-2014, 09:17 AM

I tried a boiler cock in my current 2001 AS and there wasn't enough room even if I tried to move the gas line a bit. So I found a plug with a threaded insert. I'm not sure where I got it but it is a common item.