Dumb Winterizing idea??

[Lumatic]

Any reason I can't drain out the RV hot water heater antifreeze I just put in now rather than in the spring?

I do not have a water heater bypass. Before adding antifreeze I drained the system from the low point drains. Also blew out the lines from the city water inlet with compressed air through each faucet and shower.

My rationale is I should have gotten most of the water out by draining and blowing out the lines anyway. Any residual water in the lines will be displaced by antifreeze. If I drain out the hot water tank now I won't have to do it in the spring. The 5 gallons or so of antifreeze I drain out of the hot water tank can then be stored in the original bottles for next year.

Am I thinking correctly or is there some reason I should leave the antifreeze until spring?

[wasagachris]

there is always some residual water left in the heater even after draining it. The antifreeze will now be diluted and if you continue to use it like that every year it will be so diluted to be ineffective. Antifreeze in the heater is not a good thing anyway. It soaks into the tank lining comprimising it and you will also have pink foamy water for a long time and an awful taste to the water. If you do not have a by pass the best way to pump antifreeze through the lines is to couple the input line to the heater to the ouput line from the heater. This creates a bypass once done reconnect the lines and your ready for spring. Don`t forget to leave the drain plug out for the heater until spring that way the tank will not be a closed system and leaves room for expansion due to freezing of the residual water.

[richinny]

i'm not too sure if leaving the plug out is a good idea. something might crawl in and expire!

[wasagachris]

Richninny I used to winterize 650 mh`s every fall at a rental outlet I worked for. Always did it that way. If yourè concerned stuff a little bit of sceeen into the hole. The tank should definately be left as an open system like I said to allow for expansion.

[richinny]

i like the screen idea :-)

[wasagachris]

Lumatic I know this sounds like a dumb question but did you remember to flush out the line to the toilet. You didn`t mention doing it.

[Lumatic]

Originally Posted by wasagachris

Lumatic I know this sounds like a dumb question but did you remember to flush out the line to the toilet. You didn`t mention doing it.

Have no fear. This the dumb question winterizing post.

Flushed it out by pumping antifreeze until I had nice pink foamy stuff coming into the toilet.

Also hot and cold faucets and shower in galley and bathroom.

Also a few ounces of antifreeze in both kitchen sink drains. bathroom sink drain and shower drain.

[Kevin245]

We've never flushed/filled the WH with antifreeze. We just drain it and leave the valve open all Winter. The trace amount of water that remains in the bottom has not been a problem for us.

Kevin

[InsideOut]

Our routine for winterizing is:

1) Empty the water tanks - fresh, H2O heater, black then gray
2) Blow out the lines with air compressor
3) Pump the pink stuff through everything starting from the line farthest from the entry point.
4) Drain all the pink stuff out
5) Blow out the lines with air compressor - what little remains evaporates over winter leaving a basically "dry system"

We've never had a problem since adopting this method. In the spring we just flush all the lines throughly, since there isn't much (if any) pink stuff let it's quite easy.

Shari

[DL46]

Thanks Shari and All for winterizing procedures. We are newbies and picking up our '05 classic 30' next week and pulling it home to NJ. obviously with our winters we need to fully winterize.
Question: Shari you indicate that you "pump" the antifreeze from the farthest water entry. Sine this is our first trailer I assume that you somehow connect the air compressor to the source of antifreeze and pumping it through the lines ... and ...
Can you give me some more info on this step?
Thanks
David

[Lumatic]

You can put in a T and use the water pump. You can also get a hand pump from an RV store. You can also use an extra water pump to pump into the fresh water inlet.

I use the trailer water pump. First I open the bathroom faucets which are the furthest point from the water pump.

[loudruff]

We do all of the above steps from InsideOut except that we do not drain the pink stuff out. We leave it in the system until spring time and flush with fresh water. The pink stuff says that it is good down to -50 degrees. While OH gets very cold, we don't get quiteTHAT cold in winter.

[pmclemore]

As for winterizing then draining the fluid from the water heater - sure; that's a good way not to waste it. I'd replace the plug and give it just a couple of turns; no need to tighten down or leave the hole open. Besides - if you don't screw it back in, you have to figure out a good place to store the plug.

Pat

[GeocamperAS]

I have never trusted that the pink stuff is save to drink. Yes I still use it and leave it in during winter. However I added a drinking faucet with filter by the kitchen sink.