My Water System Winterizing

[Sunline Fan]

Originally Posted by Sun-n-Fun

Be sure if you use ANTIFREEZE that it's labeled for RV USE and not the type you use in your car or truck.

Sun-n-Fun,

Thanks for clarifying this. Never use anything except the pink stuff. I've found my lines still have the smell in them for a little while after I've flushed it out. Because of that, I really never drink out of the tap until I'm very comfortable with the smell.

Jon

[Bobo]

Rick,

The low point drains in the T-2499 are under the bathroom sink.

Bobo

[DF5.4]

In my 99 T-2970 the low point drains are on the floor of the cabinet under the bathroom sink.

[Steve Collins]

In my T-2453 (which is a backwards T-2499; bedroom in the rear and dining/living room in the front), the low point drains are under the bed on the floor.

Double ditto on the pink RV anti-freeze. This time of year, home and garden centers stock it by the pallet full on the sales floor. It is used not only for RV's but for winterizing summer homes, swimming pools, and more. Last year, it sold for less than $3 a gallon around here (western NY state.)

I've not experienced taste issues using the pink stuff because I do the de-winterizing routine in the spring that includes flushing all the water lines with a weak chlorine solution.

I can not recommend using regular automotive anti-freeze or windshield washer fluid in the traps as someone mentioned above. It is highly toxic, and if dumped into a septic system, it may kill the bacteria cycle. If dumped into a sewer system, most waste water treatment plants don't deal with that type of chemical very well. Ultimately, it ends up in the environment in a place we really don't want it to be like a river or a lake. (Don't mean to get on a soap box here, but you get the drift.)

You folks in Georgia and other southern states probably do not have to do a 110% winterizing as you very rarely see freezes with temps in the low 20's or colder for sustained periods of time. That's where the water in the lines will hard freeze and expand, breaking things as it does so. The air thing, properly done, plus draining your hot water and all holding tanks, should be sufficient. Leave ALL faucets open, including the outside shower.

As for the drains, you can put some pink RV anti-freeze in them, or use your shop vac set on "blow" and blow the water out of the S-traps. Don't drain your holding tanks until after you've done this. On the double kitchen sinks, there is only one S-trap so plug one sink, and blow into the other.

One other point: draining the hot water tank after closing the by-pass is sufficient. What little water remains in the bottom of the tank has plenty of place to expand with the tank drained so it can not damage the tank. I leave the plug out for the winter. Some folks may feel that is a highway for bugs to get into the tank but since I do the system flush in the spring, I don't worry about that.

The same is pretty much true for the fresh water tank as well. Newer rigs have a low point drain on that tank, but my '99 has no such thing. But after draining all that I can with the regular drain valve, I reach under the couch and lift the far end of the tank, whick gets even more water out. Then I run the pump for a few seconds until it "spits" air. The fresh water tank is then good to go for the winter. Again, whatever small amount of water remains on the floor of the tank can not damage anything when it freezes. I also leave the drain valve open for the winter.

[Hematite]

A lot of really good information here regarding water system winterizing. As I said, I saw the mention of low point drains in the factory manual but could not find the location info in the manual. I may not have looked in the right place. Thanks, Bobo for the specific location on the 2499 and thanks to everyone else for addressing all the aspects of water system winterizing. This might be a good thread to make into a sticky!

[Sun-n-Fun]

I recently came across this article that was in the 1986 Sunline folder containing all the info about the equipment instructions and etc.

This article was approved by the U.S. Public Health Services.

To assure complete disinfection of potable water systems.
First drain system.
Then prepare a chlorine solution using 1 gallon of water and 1/4 cup of household bleach.
With tank empty, pour bleach solution into tank. use 1 gallon solution for each 15 gallons of tank capacity.
This procedure will result in a residual chlorine concentration of 50 ppm in the water system.
Complete filling of tank with potable water till full.
Then open each faucet and run water until a distinct odor of chlorine can be detected in the water discharged.
Remember to open all faucet's Hot and cold water to sink,bath room lavatory, bath shower inside and outside.
Then allow system to stand for at least 4 hours when using the 50 ppm solution.

If a shorter time is desired, then use a 100 ppm solution. For a 100 ppm solution use 1/2 cup of bleach to a gallon of water. Then use the above procedure and let stand for 1 hour.

When whatever time you choose to use is up. Drain and Flush System with Potable water.

Also I believe this a good thing because when you drain the solution into your gray/black holding tanks you will be disinfecting them!!!!

[rmstack]

I'll agree with Pam/Steve.

I blow out all lines, run a little antifreeze through the water pump and put a cup of antifreeze in each drain and the commode. It takes a little time opening and closing each spigot until no more drops of water come out but is worth it. This was the method told to me at the Sunline factory. They told me that this was the technique for winterizing any unit that was not winterized when brought in for service during the winter months,also.

I make sure that I blow out the black tank rinse line, outside shower and check the air hose for the water tank to make sure that there is no water in it.

Finally, I open ALL spigots and the gravity pipe drain pipes.

[JohnB]

Hi Folks

My fresh water system is so called “winterized” after each camping trip. Something we have not really talked about on the forum here yet is drinking fresh water systems but that is truly another post.

I know I “might” be on the other end of the spectrum with this mod, but when I upgraded my pump to a variable speed pump I also changed the location to be easy access and a compressed air blow out feature. It is also setup for air blow out in all directions.

See here:
The latest version with the shelf over the top on the T310SR.

The prior version with explanation.


And here is the T2499.








From the 2 Sunlines I have owned while I do use the low point drains as part of an air blow out, I have found they to do not gravity drain out all the water to my satisfaction without the air assist. A least an additional 1/2 gallon of water will still come out of the plumbing. So heads up that your low points drains do help drastically but may not take it totally empty.

The Attwood HW heater always retains 1 quart of water inside when the plug is pulled unless compressed air is used to blow it out. And even then there may be 2 oz left. I came up with the 1 quart direct from Attwood. It is the way the tank is made.

This past weekend I finished up the T310 enclosed tank insulation project and we will try the “extended season” enclosed tank feature the weekend of Thanksgiving when we go camping. Since we winter camp and if the conditions are right, I now can bring water along in the system. The system is still usable with the air blow method however after the camp trip and blow out, I do put the pink stuff in all traps and drain the black and gray holding tanks dry after.

When using the air blow method, it takes a sequence of building pressure, I use 40 psi, purging, building pressure purging to get all the water to stop misting/coming out. I have it down to about 10 pushing 15 minutes on the T310.

If the camper is going to sit and not be used, then I do pump in the pink stuff thru the fresh water system like the T2499 sleeping in the shed.

While I do use the air blow method, regular fresh water chlorine shock treatment to sanitize is still part of my active fresh water system.

Hope this helps

John

PS If you are using the compressed air blow out method here are some of the unusal places to remember. Many of these have allready been stated.

The outside shower
The shower stall sprayer
The Sealand toilet sprayer.
The black and gray tank sprayers.
The air vent line in the fresh tank fill compartment. This is model specifc if it creates a level holding spot for water.
The pump suction line
The actual water pump pending how your blow out is done.

[rmstack]

I set my air compressor to 20 psi max which is the same pressure I use to blow out the lines of my in-ground pool for winterizing. If you don't have a compressor that can be set, you'd need to be more careful with the amount of pressure in the lines. It is the same idea as having a water pressure regulator on the water feed hose so campground water pressure can be regulated as it comes into the trailer. Sure don't want to blow any fittings.

To get to my water pump and the gravity drain valves, I need to remove the drawer under the kitchen sink.