What about de-winterizing

[cosmotini]

Our dealer winterized our trailer before we left with it. Is there a link of instructions on how to de-winterize to get it ready for use?

Thanks,

Dennis

[Chuck]

Depends on what they did to "winterize" it. they may or may not have pumped antifreeze through all the plumbing lines and water heater. Some units have a by-pass valve for the water heater (notice I didn't say "hot water heater" ). If yours does, you'll need to un-bypass it so that the heater will fill with water when you turn on the water.

basically...everything just needs to be flushed out with clean water, and the tanks can be drained of any antifreeze, too. the antifreeze is supposed to be non-toxic.

[jcanavera]

Make sure all your faucets are turned off. Then I hook up to city water and start turning on faucets, one by one being cautious since you will have air in the lines. Once you are sure you have clear water close all the valves and then reverse the valves on the water heater bypass. This will allow the water heater to fill, again you will need to bleed the air out of the hot water line by turning on a hot water valve on one of the faucets.

There also may be some residule antifreeze in the water pump so you may need to put some water in the holding tank and turn the pump on....but you can do that at any time prior to your need to use the fresh water holding tank.

Jack

[aluminauts]

I found these threads very informative:

http://www.airforums.com/forum...?threadid=8750
and
http://www.airforums.com/forum...?threadid=4000

[Silvertwinkie]

I also sanitize the lines after I flush them out. I didn't look at the links that were posted, but I used the bleach method as sometimes the taste of RV antifreeze can linger in the tanks and lines a bit.

Eric

[Pick]

Instructions for de-winterizing:

1.Hitch Airstream to tow vehicle
2.Pull Airstream to campground in Florida
3.Hook up water, sewer, and electric.
4.Flush water lines and drains.
5.Set water heater bypass to "normal".
6.Fill water heater and test.
7.Enjoy!

[Jimandrod]

Granted - this is an old thread, but rather than start another I'll resurrect this one.

We winterized a few weeks ago and now we're going to pull it out so we can go to the FCU New Year's rally. It was winterized by our AS dealer. I'd call them but they're closed until Jan 5th. What do I do?

We have antifreeze in the drains. No brainer - it will just flush out.

There is no water in any of the supply lines. They were all blown out. So, I'll hook up to city water and bleed out the air - slowly and carefully.

Now, what do I do about the water heater. I know it's drained but I don't know if there is a bypass - and I know that I have to fill it up before turning it on.

What about the water pump?

Any and all advice will be appreciated.

[AirsDream]

Almost certainly your water heater has a bypass (your trailer manual will tell you), and you'll need to un-bypass it or the heater won't fill with water. It also probably has a drain plug, which might have been left loose or out, and that needs to be installed snugly.

You indicate that the dealer got the water out of the lines, but you don't mention whether they then pumped in antifreeze. IF the dealer pumped the lines full of antifreeze, it's best to get it out of the lines before un-bypassing, or you'll get some in the water heater. I think it's easiest to do this with shore water ... hook it up and run all lines for a bit to clear out the antifreeze. THEN un-bypass the water heater and fill it.

And/or consider sanitizing your water tank, water heater and lines - there's a thread or two on here about that, using some bleach mixed with water at appropriate mix, filling tank part way, running pump long enough to fill all lines and water heater with bleach / water solution and then driving for a bit to "slosh" the tank completely, re-draining and adding fresh water and off you go.

OR: just show up at the FCU unit rally and ask for advice: someone there will know for certain!

Ryanh

[Jimandrod]

Originally Posted by AirsDream

Almost certainly your water heater has a bypass (your trailer manual will tell you),

You indicate that the dealer got the water out of the lines, but you don't mention whether they then pumped in antifreeze.

And/or consider sanitizing your water tank, water heater and lines

OR: just show up at the FCU unit rally and ask for advice: someone there will know for certain!

Ryanh

Thanks much - I appreciate the advice.

There is no antifreeze in the lines - only the in the drains. The water supply lines were all blown out. I probably won't sanitize again until the spring since we never drink from them - particularly when were on shore water other than our own.

I'll probably do the water heater once we get to the rally.

Thanks again

[CanoeStream]

Open the outside water heater door. There is a nylon nut (lower left corner on mine) that can be removed to drain the water heater. Turn this out and examine -- a bit of teflon tape and reseat with light-moderate pressure -- don't overdo it.

Take a look at the pic here - http://www.airforums.com/forums/f458...html#post56554

That's the water heater valve position when winterizing. To summerize make sure the valves are in the opposite state from what is shown in the photo. Then if you hook up to city water and run a hot water faucet inside the trailer your water heater will fill.

Sounds like quite a trip!

[ZoominC6]

While you're at it you may wish to do away with the nylon water heater drain plug as you may find, over time, the nylon nut will break off leaving the threaded portion inside. While it's not impossible to remove, it can be a pain if you're away from home. Home Depot or Lowe's will have a brass replacement nut.

[dogpound]

Jim;

I agree with ZoominC6. A couple of years ago our nylon plug blew out so I stopped at Home Depot and picked up a couple of brass plugs. They work much better. I know your unit is a later model than mine. To by pass our hw heater there are three valves about a foot away from it . Two of the valves need to be turned on and the middle valve off. You can then fill the tank. Like was said earlier there will be pretty good instructions in your owners manual.
When you get to the rally have Richard or Lewis give you a hand at it. Have a good rally. We will miss being there.

Bob and Lou
4CU/CAC

[Jimandrod]

Bob (CanoeStream) a picture is worth a zillion words. It really helped. I located the valves. They were under the sofa on the street side. They were in the bypass-off position so the tank should fill when I connect it to shore water this afternoon.

Bob (dogpound) and Zoomin - It looks like the dealer put a sealant around my drain plug after they winterized it. It's in pretty snug so I'm going to leave it alone for today. After I get back from the rally I'm going to replace it with a brass plug.

Many thanks for the info!

[Jimandrod]

It's a done deal! Everything went well except the low drain valve of the fresh tank was open and Rod started to panic when he saw water spewing from the underside. Once I shut it off the rest of the process went well and we're ready to go. We even have hot water too!

Thanks for all the advice!

[ZoominC6]

Our 'Tonk' looks just like your Burmese in your icon. Smart and like a monkey but a great cat. Of course she is half Burmese as you most likely are aware. She bosses our Labs around letting them know that she's the Alpha pet of the house.