Pink anti-freeze - lingering taste

[robert claus]

Air only for me. I set my compressor output at about 40 psi, hook it up to the city water inlet, and let it run for about 30 minutes while i go faucet to faucet, toilet & shower included. Open and close the drain points as well. Drain the hot water heater and fresh water tank first and set the bypass valves. When done, disconnect the water pump, shower head hose, and toilet supply to allow any residual water to drain out and dry. Don't forget the spray hose at the sink - that's been the only casualty in a dozen years.

[uncle_bob]

Hi

Some folks don't seen to notice the pink stuff, others very much do notice it. We are in the "notice it" category. It's not just the taste, it also seems to make us and the dogs a bit sick.

Each spring we head over to a state park that has full hookups. We spend the day and most of the night running water through the system. Yes, that's a lot of water. After that we then give it a taste and see if it needs another day.

Indeed, we also do the "blow it out" process in the winter. There isn't a ton of pink stuff sitting here or there in the system......

Eventually the taste dies down and we can stop drinking bottled water. In some cases that's well into mid summer.

Bob

[PC Conner]

Originally Posted by greghoro

There is a common misconception that the pink antifreeze needs to remain in the fresh water pipes over the winter. The primary purpose of antifreeze is to mix with and/or displace water in pipes with a chemical that does not expand when very cold. Once it has mixed with any water in the pipes, it can be removed.

So, my process is to blow out the lines, run antifreeze through the lines to mix with any latent water and then blow out the antifreeze. This reduces the amount of antifreeze that needs to be flushed in the spring, decreasing the amount of water required to eliminate the aftertaste. I use the “used” antifreeze to fill the traps (evacuated first with shop vac) and run through the black tank flusher.

Note, this is assuming that one circulates the antifreeze using an accessory winterizing valve at the pump or uses an alternative method of pumping the antifreeze through the city water inlet. All bets are off if one pours antifreeze into the fresh water tank to circulate.

I have found that the Propylene glycol antifreeze leaves less of an aftertaste than the cheaper Ethanol based mixture and is less likely to evaporate when used in an open environment, such as toilet bowl.


Greg

GH,
Great and informative post!
I never thought blowing out the antifreeze. Like other times reading the posts, it was a "Duh, why didn't I think of that!" moment.
Brilliant and simple. Occam's Razor!

[FishByFly]

Baking soda diluted in water into the fresh water tank after sanitizing with bleach.

[guskmg]

Just use compressed air to winterize and save all the heart aches. Be sure and disconnect the pump and run the pump dry to get out residual water. It only takes 15 or 20 minutes to do the job.
guskmg

[uncle_bob]

Originally Posted by guskmg

Just use compressed air to winterize and save all the heart aches. Be sure and disconnect the pump and run the pump dry to get out residual water. It only takes 15 or 20 minutes to do the job.
guskmg

Hi

I can run a compressor through the lines on my Classic for hours and hours to clear them out. Each time I cycle it again, out comes more water .... (and no, it's not a tiny compressor, it's the biggest thing I can plug into a wall outlet).

Bob

[Kittycatcat]

Originally Posted by richw46

I think only newer model AS have a different system. Our 2006 has the 3-valve bypass.

Good point - Ours is a 2016 - I wish AS had left the 3-valve bypass

[azflycaster]

We winterize several times per year depending on how many times we travel during the winter months. Drain and by pass the water heater, blow out the lines and pour the pink stuff into all the traps. It takes about an hour to accomplish.

[aftermath]

Originally Posted by uncle_bob

Hi

I can run a compressor through the lines on my Classic for hours and hours to clear them out. Each time I cycle it again, out comes more water .... (and no, it's not a tiny compressor, it's the biggest thing I can plug into a wall outlet).

Bob

First of all, Jane where did you go? I am an air only guy and have been doing this since 2009 safely. For Jane, never put the pink stuff in your freshwater tank. You will have to disinfect it and flush it out, which by the way, you should do every spring anyway.


Drain everything you can drain then hook up the air and blow ALL the lines. I do this twice. Then, run your water pump dry. Reconnect the air and blow them out again. Any remaining water in the lines will not be enough to damage anything when it freezes. Our local Airstream dealer uses this method on all of the trailers people bring into be winterized.

[thewarden]

I have a sprinkler system at home that needs to be blown out every fall. The guy that does it has a big, tow behind his vehicle compressor. He says the trick to blowing out your lines completely is high air volume, not pressure.

This makes sense as you need to be careful hooking up the AS water system to air, no more than 60lbs. Lest you run the risk of blowing a water line connection and you will have a leak.

He does the AS at the same time as he does my sprinklers. I get the AS ready by draining the HW tank, opening all the faucets and low point drains and he blows the lines clear in about 15 seconds!

[uncle_bob]

Originally Posted by thewarden

I have a sprinkler system at home that needs to be blown out every fall. The guy that does it has a big, tow behind his vehicle compressor. He says the trick to blowing out your lines completely is high air volume, not pressure.

This makes sense as you need to be careful hooking up the AS water system to air, no more than 60lbs. Lest you run the risk of blowing a water line connection and you will have a leak.

He does the AS at the same time as he does my sprinklers. I get the AS ready by draining the HW tank, opening all the faucets and low point drains and he blows the lines clear in about 15 seconds!

Hi

Yup, CFM is what counts. Getting 60 PSI *in* the Airstream with a residential grade compressor and all the faucets open ... not going to happen. It would take far more horsepower than a wall plug can give you to do that.

Yes, you can put a tank on a smaller compressor. Something the size of your garage would let you maintain 60 PSI *in* the vehicle for a bit. For most of us, that's not an option.

I'm sure that *if* you had the industrial air setup to do this, the lines would all blow out pretty fast. As it is, we're stuck with what we have.

Bob

[Dennis C]

I switched my winterizing routine to the compressed air method, and I couldn’t be happier. I use a portable air compressor (Porter Cable, 6 lb. “pancake” compressor) set to 50 PSI, and after it’s clear I pour pink RV antifreeze into my P-traps. It’s quick and easy, I can do it myself, and de-winterizing is a snap. I bought an adapter for my fresh water inlet that has a valve on it, so I can let the compressor air pressure build to the appropriate level to blow out the lines. I have to open and close the valve 10 - 12 times to blow all the water out of the lines.

[jcanavera]

I remember in my early days of camping I used to always carry a pressure reducer to protect the water lines from excess pressure. Correct me if things changed, but I think that Airstreams do have a built in pressure regulator in their water lines don't they? I remember the one in my Safari. Never have seen what's in my Classic though. When I blow out my lines my compressor has the ability to generate 120 psi. I dial it down to 60 and I never have the compressor running unless one outlet is open just to play it safe.

Jack

[aftermath]

Yes Jack, you are correct. Just replaced my FW inlet and it has a built in regulator. I set my compressor to 55 PSI. Mine is slightly larger than the pancake type and I do use it to blow out my sprinklers. It does take some time but I haven't had a frozen pipe or sprinkler in 22 years.

Those who tell you it takes a commercial compressor to blow out your Airsteram are the same ones that say you need an F350 Diesel to tow anything over 19 feet.

[jcanavera]

Originally Posted by aftermath

Yes Jack, you are correct. Just replaced my FW inlet and it has a built in regulator. I set my compressor to 55 PSI. Mine is slightly larger than the pancake type and I do use it to blow out my sprinklers. It does take some time but I haven't had a frozen pipe or sprinkler in 22 years.

Those who tell you it takes a commercial compressor to blow out your Airsteram are the same ones that say you need an F350 Diesel to tow anything over 19 feet.

My dealer told me a long time ago that you will never successfully blow out lines with a little 12 volt compressor. He said his dealership compressor generates 90 psi and they open up all with water faucets prior to hooking up their air line. They let it run about 30 minutes in that mode.

I saw them do that with my Classic when I bought it after I was done with my new owners overnight stay (it was November).

Jack

[gator.bigfoot]

That's what I was worried about this spring, that I didn't get all the water out. But in reality you don't need all the water out. It just needs a place to expand when frozen. Once most of the water is out leaving the taps open and the low level drain open should suffice as any residual water now can expand into the empty space.

For my pool lines I uses a 5hp vacuum on exhaust to blow out the lines, I'm actually going to see if I can use that to blow the lines out this winter. Not sure how I will hook it up, but I'll try to Macgyver something.

[Dennis C]

I tend to go from one faucet to the next, blowing them all out sequentially. I open my low point drains too and keep the compressor running until no more water comes out. It’s important to remember the outdoor shower as well as the toilet fill line.

[jcanavera]

I remember pulling a toilet in my old Hi-Lo apart to replace a rubber bladder in it. All I remember was the damage potential if that assembly wasn’t drained properly. Things in the Classic that are easy to forget are the toilet rinse hose, kitchen sink spray hose, out side water outlet, and the black water spray inlet. Also worry about the in line filter in the kitchen sink outlet. All those things may may not have a perfect downward slope to that low water drain. You really have to get things dried out and water droplets can move to collect in any low spot in the piping system. Sort of why I use the antifreeze.

Jack

[telcoman]

I decied to only use bottled water for drinking. the nis for showering the tanlkis for showering & doing dishes. Got into that habit RVing in Mexico.

[SnowWanderer]

Originally Posted by Peter417

This isn't helpful for the current predicament but it may be helpful for next year. I have always used air and air only to winterize the fresh water system. I can even winterize on the go with my on board air pump.


The WBCCI magazine published the steps in an issue last fall. I can dig it up if anyone is interested. KIS

Blowing air through the lines... for no less than 30 to 45 minutes.... is what I usually did to winterize, but learned two months ago that my brand new toilet has one bend in it that will not blow dry. It froze, cracked and had a bad leak when water was sent through it.

I learned from my Airstream dealer that it is a common problem they are fixing with that particular toilet model and you MUST pump antifreeze through your water lines to replace the otherwise remaining water with antifreeze solution.

So, every fall, I'll be pumping antifreeze through the water lines from now on!