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11-24-2012, 01:18 PM
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#1
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2012
Location: Pennsylvania
Posts: 786
SUN #4050
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Newbie Question Regarding Winterizing
We winterized the plumbing system in our '02 2363 today; this is our first time doing so. We have a question about what we encountered.
Our hot water heater has the factory-installed bypass. We put the bypass valve into bypass position, opened the water heater relief valve and drain cock, and began drawing antifreeze through the suction side of the water pump (we had our local RV guy install ball valves around the pump so that we can valve off the fresh water tank and pull antifreeze right from the bottle and into the system). By the time we had antifreeze running out of our sink taps, we also had a mixture of water and antifreeze running out of the water heater drain cock. We're wondering why this would take place, given that the heater was bypassed. Does this indicate a problem with a system component, or are we overlooking something in the process?
As always, any help is greatly appreciated.
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Matthew and Lisa
TT: '02 T-2363;
TV: 2012 Ford F-150, 4x4/Off-road, 5.0L V8, "Big Gray"
Reese Straitline w/ dual cam
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11-24-2012, 02:59 PM
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#2
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Moderator Emeritus
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: South Carolina
Posts: 2,040
SUN #897
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Wannabes
By the time we had antifreeze running out of our sink taps, we also had a mixture of water and antifreeze running out of the water heater drain cock. We're wondering why this would take place, given that the heater was bypassed. Does this indicate a problem with a system component, or are we overlooking something in the process?
As always, any help is greatly appreciated.
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My bypass did the same thing this year. I had the valve fully in the "Bypass" position and still got pink stuff in the WH. I flipped the valve a couple of times and it stopped. Do you know if they left the check valve in place? That check valve is necessary, for the bypass to work. That bypass could also not be working properly..
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11-24-2012, 04:18 PM
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#3
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2012
Location: Pennsylvania
Posts: 786
SUN #4050
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Thanks for your prompt reply, Gary. Yes, the brass check is in place in the WH outlet. Here's what I think might have contributed to the problem:
When we began winterizing, we didn't have the WH relief valve open. (Duh.) So, in draining down the lines the WH pulled into a vacuum and, we think, somehow pulled antifreeze/water mixture into the WH once we began pumping it into the system even though the bypass valve was in full bypass position.
As we were checking out the piping again after reading your post, we noticed that the bypass line was showing full of pink. Opening the drain cock made the level in the bypass drop; closing it caused the level to rise again. When we pulled the relief valve open, the level in the bypass line dropped to almost nothing, about a pint or so of liquid came out of the drain cock, and then the flow slowed down to just a small trickle. That's where we stand now, with a thin trickle from the drain cock. We wonder if perhaps our bypass valve isn't quite holding, but we've no way of checking that without having a new part on hand. We did cycle the valve several times, but doing so didn't noticeably change the situation.
Again, any thoughts are appreciated. We don't want to winterize improperly, and we have some pretty cold temperatures forecast for our area for this coming week.
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Matthew and Lisa
TT: '02 T-2363;
TV: 2012 Ford F-150, 4x4/Off-road, 5.0L V8, "Big Gray"
Reese Straitline w/ dual cam
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11-24-2012, 04:27 PM
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#4
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Moderator Emeritus
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: South Carolina
Posts: 2,040
SUN #897
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If you've gotten plenty of pink stuff throughout the system, you will be fine.. The biggest thing you are trying to accomplish, is replacing the water in the lines with the pink stuff. Your biggest "Headache" will be flushing the pink stuff from the WH tank, when it's time to de-winterize..
If you have plenty of pink stuff in your water system and got it out of each valve, you will be fine... Just make sure you have enough in the sink/tub traps..
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11-24-2012, 04:38 PM
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#5
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2012
Location: Pennsylvania
Posts: 786
SUN #4050
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What constitutes "enough" as far as the traps are concerned? We ran some into the sink and also flushed the toilet 'til it ran pink - is that enough?
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Matthew and Lisa
TT: '02 T-2363;
TV: 2012 Ford F-150, 4x4/Off-road, 5.0L V8, "Big Gray"
Reese Straitline w/ dual cam
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11-24-2012, 04:55 PM
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#6
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Moderator Emeritus
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: South Carolina
Posts: 2,040
SUN #897
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I do the same thing... I'll run the faucets until they run pink and maybe a second or two extra.. I try to be sure there will be more pink than water in the traps. When you do the toilet, do you also run the sprayer till it sprays pink?
*EDIT* I just looked at your photo album and did not see a sprayer with your toilet... Do you have a sprayer?
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11-24-2012, 06:45 PM
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#7
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Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Pennsylvania
Posts: 932
SUN #246
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Matt and Lisa..sounds to me like the ball valves he installed may have leaked.they can you know! ..I drain my fresh water tank and bypass my WH. Drain my WH. There is then no water in the system..I blow out the lines w my air compressor thru the fresh water connection.. I disconnect the pump on the inlet side, run a short hose from the inlet connection to the bottle of antifreeze. DH opens each outlet to run some pink stuff...starting w / the kitchen, then toilet, sink, shower, (outside shower if you use it -we don 't) ..finish up w some down all the traps. All told 1 1/2 jugs...and lots of peace of mind!! Remember --most rv lots just blow out the lines and dump pink stuff in the traps and toilet bowl. You will be just fine..
Janalee...
.P.S. we are leaving for Florida in about ten days so looks like we didnt need to winterize this year after all..but u never know! May have to when we return..I then usually just drain everything, pink the traps, and use an electric heater if it gets bad...it 's the toilet I worry about most..I had to remove and replace a toilet reservoir a long time ago --it wasnt too easy then and would be worse now! LOL!
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1981 Sunline1350
'86 & '87 Sunline1661
'85 2100& '87 2262 Sunlines
'96 2553 & '95 1950 Sunlines
'95 and '98 Solaris 2653's
2002 Solaris T-2363
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11-24-2012, 06:48 PM
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#8
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Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Pennsylvania
Posts: 932
SUN #246
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Gary..theirs is the same Y /M as mine...no toilet sprayer...unless the PO installed one.
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1981 Sunline1350
'86 & '87 Sunline1661
'85 2100& '87 2262 Sunlines
'96 2553 & '95 1950 Sunlines
'95 and '98 Solaris 2653's
2002 Solaris T-2363
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11-24-2012, 07:37 PM
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#9
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Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: Tennessee
Posts: 107
SUN #4353
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In most cases the check valve on the hot output side is leaking thru back into the tank from the hot line, this system has 1 tee valve at bottom cold inlet. other setups use 2 or 3 valves
we have changed out five of them duing winterizing customers and our lot units.
EMD Driver is right, you have pink thru out -your good. just make a note to self, replace it in the spring.
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Wayne & Sandy
1981 19.5 SB Sunline
1987 C 851 Sunline
1997 E-150 4.2 v6
1976 F-150 4.9 I6
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11-24-2012, 08:14 PM
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#10
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2012
Location: Pennsylvania
Posts: 786
SUN #4050
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Gary, Janalee is right, no toilet sprayer in the '02 2363 and PO did not add one. PO also disconnected the hoses to the outside shower as we found out when we winterized today so he apparently didn't use it either.
Janalee, Thanks for your input and, boy, does FLA sound nice!
Wayne and Sandy, Matthew wasn't sure if the valve was bad but thought that we would give the bypass another try in Spring while we were flushing out the anti-freeze with water and replace it if need be.
Thanks for all the advice, everyone! It is much appreciated.
We have been holding out with winterizing b/c some State Parks near here stay open until mid-December & we liked to get out once more, if possible. Otherwise, the 2363 will get a good bath before she goes indoors for the winter. If anyone thinks of anything else we should be doing insofar as winterizing is concerned, let us know.
__________________

Matthew and Lisa
TT: '02 T-2363;
TV: 2012 Ford F-150, 4x4/Off-road, 5.0L V8, "Big Gray"
Reese Straitline w/ dual cam
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11-25-2012, 06:59 AM
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#11
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Moderator
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Pennsylvania
Posts: 2,285
SUN #128
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I usually remove anything from the inside that might freeze - shampoo, flashlights with batteries, anything that's cheap plastic that may crack. The manual covers the other procedures pretty well. If a rodent might be able to get to your propane lines you might want to wrap aluminum foil around them.
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Pam
Lance 1475 "Snoopy"
2012 GMC Sierra 3500HD 4x4 D/A
2012 Arctic Fox 30U, SUNLINES - 2006 2753 "Tweety", 2007 QUE "QUEtSE", 2364, 1660
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12-01-2012, 09:10 PM
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#12
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2012
Location: Pennsylvania
Posts: 786
SUN #4050
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Pam,
Thanks for the heads-up about the stuff that might freeze, like shampoo, batteries etc., hadn't thought of that and might've been in for a mess come spring. We're going to wrap the propane lines like you suggested b/c we're not sure what the rodent situation is like in the place where we'll be storing it.
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__________________

Matthew and Lisa
TT: '02 T-2363;
TV: 2012 Ford F-150, 4x4/Off-road, 5.0L V8, "Big Gray"
Reese Straitline w/ dual cam
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