Winterizing with air compressor

[Jackson]

Where to connect and what fitting? Thinking upstream of water pump with Camco pump convertor Winterizing kit and funnel nozzle adaptor. Any issues that I might confront?

[pjcd]

You can purchase a adapter that hooks up to the city water, that way you can blow the lines out, easy peasy.

[DavidM]

There are roughly three ways to winterize an RV: draining, draining and blowing and displacement with RV antifreeze.

I use the drain method. I open the anode fitting on the water heater to completely drain it. Then drain the water tank completely. I then open each faucet and the shower and toilet to let the water pump go until the sputtering stops, well almost stops- it never will. Then I disconnect the suction strainer to the pump and dump any water left and with the suction open and the discharge open, run the pump for a few seconds to make sure it is clear of water.

The last thing is to pull out the little toilet flush valve, blow it dry and then put a few tablespoons of antifreeze in it to make sure that water trapped inside won't freeze.

Draining and blowing is the same, but you hook a compressor up- the discharge of the pump would be my choice and blow all of the lines dry.

The antifreeze method requires first bypassing the hot water heater (there are valves on most LLs to do this), draining the hot water tank, and hooking up a hose from a bucket to the suction of the pump and then pumping antifreeze through both hot and cold circuits.

Simple draining has worked well for me once I figured out how to deal with the toilet flush valve.

David

[Jackson]

David:  Many thanks.  I will use these suggestions.  The toilet flush valve will be a bit of challenge as, without looking, one of those standing on my head jobs with absolutely no access. 

[Capt J-rod]

On my 21's pump I didn't see a "tee" with a valve on the suction side of the pump to winterize with.... Also it is basically impossible to completely drain my water tank thanks to the location of the low point tap... Any body else run into this? I can just add more antifreeze, but I used to drain the tanks on the old rig, drain everything, antifreeze in the traps and just pull a gallon through the pump into the faucets. Thoughts?

[pjcd]

My TT didn't come with a winterizing set up. Had to install it myself.

[FastEddieB]

My 21BHS has no winterizing T, but did have a conventional hose clamp at the water pump inlet. Easy to remove that hose and put about a 2' length of hose running to jugs of Walmart pink stuff. I keep that hose by the pump when not in use.

Takes just over a gallon to get pink stuff flowing everywhere.

Never worried about residual water in the fresh water tank after draining-  there's not much and it has lots of room for expansion.

[Pinstriper]

Drain all you can, then leave the spigot open and remove the anode from the water heater, drive around for 1/2 hour, being sure to include steep inclines and downgrades. Then run the pump until it sucks air, then blow air until you have only air from the faucets. Leave the whole shebang open. Don't sweat about residual water in the fresh tank, Eddie's right. But no need to run the pink stuff to everything if you drain the system and then blow air through it all. Don't forget the toilet if ya got one, nor the outdoor "shower".

[jamie]

Some great advice in this thread. One question about draining regarding the section between the city hook up and where it enters the main part of the system. Never winterized a camper myself before and just did the drain and antifreeze method last weekend. Some advice from a seasoned RV veteran was to push in the one way check valve at the city hook up when draining then again when filling with antifreeze, but my problem was not finding anything other than a screen that didn't look like it was removable. I'm pretty sure it was drained (it runs downhill and was loose enough to shake a little), but not so sure it refilled with the pink. Should I be worried? Every other part of the system was refilled, traps, toilet even some in the tanks just in case.

[bryan.a.white]

Where to connect and what fitting? Thinking upstream of water pump with Camco pump convertor Winterizing kit and funnel nozzle adaptor. Any issues that I might confront?

I have copied and pasted a guide I have used for many winters up here in Washington State. I have never had an issue.

1. Disconnect your rig from the outside water source.
2. Turn off all power in the rig. Don't forget to shut off the propane as well.
3. Bypass your water heater. You do not want to drain the water heater at this time. Some RVs come with a factory-installed bypass valve. If yours doesn't, you can install a cheap kit.
4. Consult with the owner's manuals for your refrigerator, ice maker, washing machine and dishwasher (if so equipped) for winterizing instructions.
5. Open all faucets, including tub and shower and the outdoor shower if you have one. Then open the system drain valves and let the water empty. See your owner's manual for valve locations.
6. Flush the toilet to clear any water from the line.
7. Connect the "blow out plug" to the city water inlet—not the fresh water tank.
8. Adjust the air compressor to no more than 30 psi to avoid damaging the water lines.
9. Connect the air compressor hose to the blow out plug. Turn on the compressor and let it run until all water is blown from the faucets and drain valves. Shut off the air compressor and disconnect the blow out plug from the water inlet.
10. Pour RV antifreeze in the drain traps (Sinks and Shower). Also, our some in the grey and black water tanks to keep the discharge valves from freezing.