Draining Fresh H2O Tank
 

Just Sanitized the fresh H2O tank & now draining - my FC 27FB 2015 has the white poly drain & 2 brass ones - can I use all 3 or do I just have to use the white one - that's taking forever.

Thanks,

Glenn

Have you checked your owners manual? You might also want to read the following thread FYI, although it concerns a different model than yours:

https://www.airforums.com/forums/f516...ns-142643.html

The brass drains are probably for low points in the water lines, which you definitely should also drain IMO, among other winterization tasks per AS.

The following sub-forum also has many other threads on-topic:

https://www.airforums.com/forums/f458/

Opening a sink valve will help the water drain a little quicker.

What is a sink valve ? Do you mean just run H2O from the sink?

Right, just open any faucet to act as a vent.
Larry

Opening a faucet will prevent vacuum from trying to hold in the water you are trying to drain from the brass low point valves.

You should open all faucets, assuming you are actually starting to winterize the coach fully (not just the fresh water tank). Your owners manual should list all the gravity-drain steps to take, followed up by compressed air, removing HW heater drain plug, etc.

Open all hot and cold faucets:

-- galley sink
-- bath lavatory sink faucet
-- bath hand shower
-- outdoor shower
-- toilet flush valve and hand sprayer if so equipped
-- hot water heater pressure relief safety valve stem
-- etc..

Have you checked your owners manual and the various other winterization threads I linked for you earlier?

The two brass valves are for the hot and cold water lines. The plastic valve is for the water storage tank. I drain them all and leave them open whenever there is a chance of a hard freeze, even if camping over night or towing when the temperatures go well below freezing for several hours.

Ditto to doug's advice.

Doug do you have tank heaters? My old coach did not, so I am unsure how much protection they afford. Thanks for any advice you can offer.

Peter

Open all three valves and open bathroom sink faucet to hot and it should drain hot water tank ...you're good to go..

Maybe it's just me, but I don't think opening a sink valve will help the FW tank drain. The sinks are all on the other side of the FW pump - so no air or water will go from the downstream devices back upstream to the FW tank. There's a check valve in the way.

To break the vacuum you would / should open the FW tank fill... assuming the fill isn't always vented.

The open sink valves (and shower) will definitely help with draining the hot and cold lines though.

No?

What he said
 

I second what Handy Dan said

TheHandyDan gets the prize for the correct answer! While there is no harm in opening the sink faucets in the trailer while draining the fresh water tank, the check valve in the pump (if functioning properly) should not allow any air back in the tank. Fortunately, on the year AS the OP has, there is a vent for the fresh water tank adjacent to the fresh water fill opening. So assuming that the vent is not blocked, opening the white drain valve should drain the FW tank. And it can take a very long time to drain all 39 gallons of water!

The two brass valves are the low point water drains and should also be open to drain the water system prior to winterizing. I'm not 100% sure how the system is plumbed, but it would probably be a good idea to open the faucets inside the trailer when opening the low water drain valves.

Actually you are all so very very wrong
 

The quickest way to drain the fresh water tank is to have my eldest daughter take a shower. ( just one shower )

Good one! :lol:

Ditto to most of the new comments.

Seems to me that there are at least three possible projects underway here, which only Glenn (OP) can clarify:

1. Drain only the fresh water tank:
2. Drain hot and cold plumbing lines at low-point drains (but don't winterize any further):
3. Perform a full winterization including compressed air, RV antifreeze, etc..

Until Glenn clarifies his goal, the advice here will remain cluttered and unclear IMO.

To drain the fresh water tank just open the fill door and take the cap off to let air in, there's also a small vent next to the cap. It is slow anyway bit will eventually drain, I leave the drain valve open so no leftover water can get into the valve, freeze and break it.

OTRA15, I recall our 20 had two sets of drain valves for the water lines. One set in the rear storage compartment and another set in a front storage, maybe next to the water heater. The larger models with ducted heating direct warm air to the tanks, the smaller models with direct furnace heat use the electric tank heaters.

Correct on the FC20 low-point drains, as discussed on the 20-footer thread.

Did you have the electric tank heaters in your 20' and what is your guidance on the margin of error they afford? If not, any general thoughts on them?

Thanks.

PS -- edit -- and ditto to doug's advice to leave the drain valves open. I do this on all of them. The small amount of dust, small creatures, etc. which might enter over the winter is nothing compared to having to replace a frozen/broken drain valve. In the Spring, when I fill the fresh water tank, I follow AS's advice about adding some bleach (forget how much right now), and I run lots of this conditioned water through all the plumbing lines, including drains, before refilling the tank 2-3 more times with clean water, and letting all the lines run free again.

When traveling in areas with questionable potable water, it is also -- IMO -- a good idea/insurance to add some bleach to each tankful, and to use bottled water only for all cooking and human/canine/feline consumption. I guess "mammalian" would have been a better adjective . . . ?

:)

OTRA15, not many bugs around to get into the open valves when it's 20 below is there.

I never really trusted the electric tank heaters, and how can you leave them on all night without a reliable external power source. So I just drained everything if out on the road or camping and filled the water back up the next day if we needed it.

There is also an inspection cover under trailer on the tank pan, and removing it should expose the screw plug on the bottom of the tank. Too much work for draining the tank. I second everyone else's note. It takes a long time to drain a full tank; open the valve... and go have a couple of beers!
JCW