Winterize with just antifreeze

[Atsushi]

Why not?

If you pump the AF with water pump AND using a manual pump from the city water inlet, there is no need to use compressed air, is there?

There are many people who want to use just air and no AF.

I'm the opposite. To me, it's easier to run the AF than taking out a compressor and going in and out of the trailer to blow it.

Atsushi

[pcskier]

Some people suggest that the water remaining in the lines will 'dilute' the antifreeze. Maybe true if you skimp on antifreeze. But depending on the size of one's trailer, the plumbing lines hold so little liquid, any dilution (if any) will be pushed very quickly. When I have used antifreeze I never bothered with compressed air. Just a hand pump on the black flush and city inlets to make sure those short runs were cleared, and there is a backflow valve in the flush that can have water in it needing to be cleared out.

I also will just begin by opening all the low points and draining most of the system, though even that isn't really necessary. I will then push plenty of antifreeze through all the fixtures until it's a solid stream of pink, including the low points. Even just another gallon after that will doubly assure that there is no 'diluted' AF in the system. Blowing with a compressor first is absolutely not necessary.

A lot of people do what they choose to do and insist it's the only 'right' way. Compressed air first is overkill that certainly doesn't hurt, but definitely doesn't matter.

For what it's worth, I have started to just use compressed air and no longer use AF. Allows for winter trips that give the *option* of using the water system (rather than just dry-camping) in warmer climes, and re-winterizing with my compressor before returning home. In the past I just dry-camped and used AF to flush the toilet. And also so much faster in the spring...I found that adequately flushing the system of AF took a lot of time and water. And even when it seemed clear, on my first spring trip, my fresh water had an antifreeze odor to it after a day or two, even though I thought I had flushed the system really well.

[eubank]

Kind of depends on just how cold it gets where you are. The RV antifreezes that I am familiar with are meant to be used undiluted. That means that if they are mixed with water, then they will not guarantee against freeze damage to as low a temperature. The more water you can evacuate before adding antifreeze, in other words, the better off you are in very low temperatures.


Lynn

[pcskier]

I've used anti-freeze only, without compressed air, and had no problems down to -17 F. Another couple dollars in antifreeze will insure that any water, or water/AF mixture, is pushed out ahead of the pure antifreeze. Sure, the initial surge of AF could be diluted a little at the front of the stream...but the pure AF right behind it will push it all through each line in literally a few seconds. Go ahead and get an extra gallon or two of AF and run each line for 10 seconds or more after it first runs pink...there will not be any water left in the line after that.

Not everyone has a compressor, and there is no need to rush out and buy one just to push a quart or two of water from the lines/fixtures---that the antifreeze will push out anyway.

[Atsushi]

Here is what I did.

At the last rest stop on our way home:

I drained tanks.
Open Low Point Drains.
Open pressure relieve valve of Water Heater.

Drove 2 hours to get home.

Parked on a slope (nose up).

Used bicycle pump to blow City Water Inlet and Black Water Rinse.
(This, I'm not 100% confident if it did what it needed to do, so I'll pump AF with manual pump.)

Bypassed WH.

Ran AF with onboard pump.

I think I'll run more AF to be absolutely sure (in case there is it is diluted by remaining water). But judging by the time it took for AF to come out of the faucet, I think much of the water in the pipes had already been drained.

Atsushi

[pcskier]

Originally Posted by Atsushi

Here is what I did.

You are done...assuming that you also ran the pump and opened each low point until they ran solid pink as well. And yes, running another gallon or two through all fixtures one last time will definitely insure you've cleared the system of water if you are looking for further peace of mind.

[malett]

The use of air was due to some water heaters having coils in them and they would not drain. so they had to be blown out. I know for a fact tthat i dont have coils in mine so i use AF. drain water tank, add 5 gal undiluted AF. start pump and open farthest spigot and let run until nice and pink, proceed to next spigot and run till pink. dont forget shower and instant electric hotwater heater at sink it you have one. last flush outside spigot it is feed right off city water inlet check valve on my trailer. also flush black water tank flush if you have one. I then run water from sink into gray water tank until pink from drain. Flush toliet until pump runs dry to protect black water tank.

live in high hills of CT, below 0 many time never any problems.

[Rich W]

I've done this twice now, when we came back to Kentucky from Florida. We still have freezing temps (20s) in February but not the REALLY cold temps of January.

The first time we stopped in southern Georgia at a state park. I did what you listed, except for the air pump into the fresh water line. (I'll have to remember that.) I just left the AS hooked up to the TV, drained the WH, put it in bypass, and pushed AF through the lines. Stopped off at the dump station on the way out.

This year we stopped in central Georgia at a private RV park with full hookups, saving me an extra stop.

We've not had any broken lines. Logically, it seemed to me that the AF would push out any water. I made sure to run the taps until just AF came out (nice and pink).

We haven't stayed at a CG where there wasn't a water hookup, so we never use the fresh water tank except to sanitize it in the spring. That side of the plumbing should be pretty dry by winter. We have the diverter on our pump too so just switched to that and pumped from the AF jugs.

So twice now with no problems, seems to be OK to me.

[aftermath]

You absolutely can do this. Don't add any to your fw tank and don't add any to your hw tank. Simply drain these and run pink stuff through everything else. I did this for 17 years on our tent trailer with never a problem. I didn't blow out the fw intake either but mine was a very short run and I think the water drained out of it easily. I would follow the suggestions from others regarding both the fw inlet and the bw tank cleaner.

[Too tall]

I have seen several references to blowing water out of the black tank flush (exterior hose connection) and using antifreeze to protect that.

The only way to put anti freeze in that line is with a hand pump correct?

It seems unlikely that will freeze if you blow it out?