Winterizing with a broken/patched low point drain?

[wmb]

We're full-time and follow warm weather, so we've never needed to winterize, but now we're planning an extended trip in Europe so we need to winterize. We're going to be parking up in Austin TX, so it'll be mostly above freezing, but we do get the occasional multi-day cold snap.

During the last such cold snap a few years ago, the low point drain valve on the hot water side cracked and started leaking, then broke off entirely. We patched the pipe with some epoxy, initially as a temporary measure, but never actually got around to getting a new valve fitted.

We're planning to use compressed air to blow out the lines as much as we can, then use the pink stuff, but we're not sure if that will be good enough with the now blocked low point drain pipe.

Will blowing out the lines with air be able to clear water from that blocked downpipe, or do we need a plan B?

[Bill M.]

I think you will be okay if you blow out the lines and then put the pink stuff in the lines. If you just blow it out there will be water in the low point line and it will freeze and might break. If you blow out and then pump pink I think it will mix in with the water left in the lines well enough. I do not use my low point drains. I just blow and put in the pink and have been okay for 15 years in Tennessee.