Oh no!!!? I messed up, I think....badly.

[OilnH2o]

Welcome to the great northwest, Shane. I feel for you - but you might just hop on over to Spokane Valley and meet the good folks of Airstream of Spokane. They are a great crew. They can help probably pull you inside their heated shop and figure out just what's the best course of action... and then winterize you until next spring when you can deal with this - and get on with your move up here!
(and I'm only 100 yards further from you than Mefly2!)

[ventport]

The toilet water valve will be the first to break. So when you re-pressurize watch for leaks there.

[overlander63]

Originally Posted by Friday

So, now I've prepared you for the worst, so if it doesn't happen you will be happy. That is how Airstream customer service works.

...Want a job?...

[random 17]

I would also recommend seeing the people at Airstream of Spokane. They charge about $89 to winterize, and they can check for leaks at the same time. Highly recommend!

[M. Bondurant]

"Oh no!!!? I messed up, I think....badly.
We just relocated from Texas to spokane and. . ."

Yeah, we relocated from Sunny California to Spokane and messed up too, so don't feel like you're the first. Our damage was a cracked strainer cup on the suction side of the pump. The PEX and faucets were fine. As I recall, less than a $20 problem including shipping.

Welcome to Spokane!

Mort

[TouringDan]

Originally Posted by Friday

If your faucets were frozen, that tells me the whole system was pressurized, so there is water everywhere. This means it likely froze everywhere. Pex doesn't expand any better than copper, and all the fittings are copper anyway. Those little rubber bands they call fasteners hardly contain 50psi.

Friday

I don't agree with any of the above statements.

Shane

I don't really think that you have damaged anything. Lots of folks seem to be making a big problem out of a little problem. I would run the heat for about 30 minute to one hour and start up the water pump. Then proceed to drain your water system or add antifreeze to it. I just drain all my water and put antifreeze in the traps.

Good Luck, Dan

[william Haym]

I bought an airstream 34' trailer that wasn't winterized!! After checking it out I found the city water connection was cracked as well as the fresh water aux filter had split. Other than that it was fine .
It had the pex lines. You could use an air compressor with appropriate adapter to the city water supply and charge the system with air and check for any leaks. (low air pressure 50 PSI +-)

[Ray Eklund]

Camping in the Rockies in July can get you down to an 18 degree evening and a 70 degree afternoon.... all in 14 hours of time. Dubois, Wyoming in July can surprise you... at the Double Cabin campsite described in Boondocking.

The 18 degree morning did freeze up the system and the water pump. We opened the door to the water pump compartment and would "test" to see if the pump was operating. If not, we would test it later. This was done by quickly hitting the on/off switch to the water pump. At night or traveling on the road, we ALWAYS have the water pump OFF. Once the water pump ran, everything else was fine. But... even in July you can get a Hard Freeze.

Getting into the upper 20's will open the pump compartment door and let the air circulate, for what that is worth. If it is in the 20's for a number of days, then the water freezing is a problem, but I have not encountered any equipment or water line damages.

When we stored our AS at outdoor storage, I would drain the water system and leave them open until Spring travel. I took the pink trailer drain antifreeze and filled all of the drains... sinks and shower. I did not have the water lines blown out and have had no problems.

I now am lucky to have the trailer in our garage at home, but after four years of outdoor storage in Colorado weather, I have had no freezing damage. Of course in Colorado, a very cold evening in dry air can be a wonderful sunny warm day, so there are fewer hours in the dangerous maximum expansion of ice in "partially filled water lines under no pressure". If a water line is full of air with some residual water... it can not expand the same as water lines that are full with the expansion nowhere to go but against the water lines.

Call me a country boob, but blowing out the lines is the best alternative. Emptying your water system, antifreeze in your water traps is a distant second.