I know I'm probably a bit early, but here in the NE our local camping season is almost over for us. I have an 18' Coleman trailer that's sitting on the driveway. Is it as simple as emptying all the tanks, and opening up the faucets? What about the water heater pipes? How do I drain them? My concern is with the 12v water pump. It will gurgle and slurp for a time when the tank is emptied, which doesn't sound good for the pump. Someone mentioned leaving a small heater on inside. If I leave some water in the tanks, will this in itself keep things from freezing in a moderately cold Oct-Dec, or is this a bad idea? Take your time, no rush. Thanks!
> I know I'm probably a bit early, but here in the NE our local
> camping > season is almost over for us. I have an 18' Coleman trailer that's > sitting on the driveway. Is it as simple as emptying all the tanks,
> and opening up the faucets? What about the water heater pipes? How do
> I drain them? My concern is with the 12v water pump. It will gurgle
> and slurp for a time when the tank is emptied, which doesn't sound
> good for the pump. Someone mentioned leaving a small heater on inside.
> If I leave some water in the tanks, will this in itself keep things
> from freezing in a moderately cold Oct-Dec, or is this a bad idea?
> Take your time, no rush. Thanks!
Lots of tutorials on youtube, check the sidebars for other related
vids.
<TheConeyIsland...@gmail.com> wrote:
> I know I'm probably a bit early, but here in the NE our local camping >season is almost over for us. I have an 18' Coleman trailer that's >sitting on the driveway. Is it as simple as emptying all the tanks, and >opening up the faucets? What about the water heater pipes? How do I >drain them? My concern is with the 12v water pump. It will gurgle and >slurp for a time when the tank is emptied, which doesn't sound good for >the pump. Someone mentioned leaving a small heater on inside. If I leave >some water in the tanks, will this in itself keep things from freezing >in a moderately cold Oct-Dec, or is this a bad idea? Take your time, no >rush. Thanks!
heater can work. A much better idea is to get a couple of gallons of
food safe RV antifreeze from Walmart. The idea is to load the piping
and valves with antifreeze that will freeze but contracts a bit
instead of expanding and breaking the plumbing. How you add it is the
issue.
I would read it and check if it matches what you have or if another
one on the site does. Once you have a place to start come back with
questions.
One thing, after I replaced a cracked valve I got into the habit of
running a bit of antifreeze though both valves to the HW tank. After
the system is full just open and shut each valve with pressure on the
system. It will put a little antifreeze in the HW tank that I rinse
out in the spring. YMMV.
>> I know I'm probably a bit early, but here in the NE our local
>> camping
>> season is almost over for us. I have an 18' Coleman trailer that's
>> sitting on the driveway. Is it as simple as emptying all the tanks,
>> and opening up the faucets? What about the water heater pipes? How do
>> I drain them? My concern is with the 12v water pump. It will gurgle
>> and slurp for a time when the tank is emptied, which doesn't sound
>> good for the pump. Someone mentioned leaving a small heater on inside.
>> If I leave some water in the tanks, will this in itself keep things
>> from freezing in a moderately cold Oct-Dec, or is this a bad idea?
>> Take your time, no rush. Thanks!
> Lots of tutorials on youtube, check the sidebars for other related
> vids.
Tho the OP's feelings seem to have been offended by my candor, he could also profit from actually reading the freaking manuals. He claims he doesn't have any, but unless they have closed all the libraries on Long Island he could certainly have found SOME reference that would explain that when water pipes freeze, they are prone to burst. Or he could consider this advice:
To winterize *most* rigs the right way:
DRAIN water tank & water heater
BYPASS water heater
CONNECT pump inlet via hose to jug of RV pink AF (use tee/valve)
PUMP AF into pipes 'til it comes outa faucets (and shower, toilet)
DUMP holding tanks
In very mild climates you can get away without winterizing at all.
Some get by using compressed air, a few by just draining. But
if you want to be fairly sure of NEVER having to fix split plumbing
parts, the above system is as easy and foolproof as we know about.
NOTE: When "un-winterizing", flush the pipes with water BEFORE
placing WH bypass valves back to normal.
JKConey wrote:
> I know I'm probably a bit early, but here in the NE our local
> camping season is almost over for us. I have an 18' Coleman trailer
> that's sitting on the driveway. Is it as simple as emptying all the
> tanks, and opening up the faucets? What about the water heater pipes?
> How do I drain them? My concern is with the 12v water pump. It will
> gurgle and slurp for a time when the tank is emptied, which doesn't
> sound good for the pump. Someone mentioned leaving a small heater on
> inside. If I leave some water in the tanks, will this in itself keep
> things from freezing in a moderately cold Oct-Dec, or is this a bad
> idea? Take your time, no rush. Thanks!
We keep water in the fresh water tank, just in case we lose power as we are on well water, so we keep a space heater inside the RV and we have never drained the water system and put in the pink anti-freeze. Here in Oregon the winters are mild in comparison to many areas, so other areas might need a different solution.
Will Sill wrote:
> On 9/27/12 1:06 AM, Pepperoni wrote:
>> JKConey <TheConeyIsland...@gmail.com> wrote in
>> news:k40hka$1fg$1@dont-email.me:
>>> I know I'm probably a bit early, but here in the NE our local
>>> camping
>>> season is almost over for us. I have an 18' Coleman trailer that's
>>> sitting on the driveway. Is it as simple as emptying all the tanks,
>>> and opening up the faucets? What about the water heater pipes? How do
>>> I drain them? My concern is with the 12v water pump. It will gurgle
>>> and slurp for a time when the tank is emptied, which doesn't sound
>>> good for the pump. Someone mentioned leaving a small heater on inside.
>>> If I leave some water in the tanks, will this in itself keep things
>>> from freezing in a moderately cold Oct-Dec, or is this a bad idea?
>>> Take your time, no rush. Thanks!
>> Lots of tutorials on youtube, check the sidebars for other related
>> vids.
> Tho the OP's feelings seem to have been offended by my candor, he
> could also profit from actually reading the freaking manuals. He
> claims he doesn't have any, but unless they have closed all the
> libraries on Long Island he could certainly have found SOME reference
> that would explain that when water pipes freeze, they are prone to
> burst. Or he could consider this advice:
> To winterize *most* rigs the right way:
> DRAIN water tank & water heater
> BYPASS water heater
> CONNECT pump inlet via hose to jug of RV pink AF (use tee/valve)
> PUMP AF into pipes 'til it comes outa faucets (and shower, toilet)
> DUMP holding tanks
> In very mild climates you can get away without winterizing at all.
Such as myownself here in GA - but I winterize a little bit. Just to be on the safe side, I pour some antifreeze into my drains, because some of that stuff is exposed under the TT. Then I run a thermostat-controlled space heater to keep the floor-level temp at about 40-45. Then I crack open the cabinet doors that have piping somewhere behind them to let the heat in. I also open the drain on the water heater tank - which may or may not be necessary, but it makes me feel better.
However, this makes dewinterizing a real chore, because I have to unplug the heater, close the cabinet doors, and close the water heater drain. And lemme tell ya, you can work up a sweat doing all that here in GA.
> Some get by using compressed air, a few by just draining. But
> if you want to be fairly sure of NEVER having to fix split plumbing
> parts, the above system is as easy and foolproof as we know about.
> NOTE: When "un-winterizing", flush the pipes with water BEFORE
> placing WH bypass valves back to normal.
Since I don't know exactly how your RV is plumbed, I will add this little tidbit...
Make sure your pump has had anti-freeeze ran thru it. Even if it means putting some in the tank.
On my RV, I have a valving system that lets the pump suck antifreeze from a jug. Yours may not.
The basics are that you either get all the water out of all the lines and tanks and pump, and/or make sure there is antifreeze in all lines, tanks and pumps. You can bypass the hot water tank if it has a bypass valve and only draining it will suffice.
If you decide to use antifreeze (which I suggest), make sure all faucets run pink with antifreeze.
Also, put some antifreeze in the p-traps.
Money saving tip... When you de-winterize it, save what antifreeze you can. You can use it the following year to dump in waste tanks.
Will Sill wrote:
> On 9/27/12 1:06 AM, Pepperoni wrote:
>> JKConey <TheConeyIsland...@gmail.com> wrote in
>> news:k40hka$1fg$1@dont-email.me:
>>> I know I'm probably a bit early, but here in the NE our local
>>> camping
>>> season is almost over for us. I have an 18' Coleman trailer that's
>>> sitting on the driveway. Is it as simple as emptying all the tanks,
>>> and opening up the faucets? What about the water heater pipes? How do
>>> I drain them? My concern is with the 12v water pump. It will gurgle
>>> and slurp for a time when the tank is emptied, which doesn't sound
>>> good for the pump. Someone mentioned leaving a small heater on inside.
>>> If I leave some water in the tanks, will this in itself keep things
>>> from freezing in a moderately cold Oct-Dec, or is this a bad idea?
>>> Take your time, no rush. Thanks!
>> Lots of tutorials on youtube, check the sidebars for other related
>> vids.
> Tho the OP's feelings seem to have been offended by my candor, he
> could also profit from actually reading the freaking manuals. He
> claims he doesn't have any, but unless they have closed all the
> libraries on Long Island he could certainly have found SOME reference
> that would explain that when water pipes freeze, they are prone to
> burst. Or he could consider this advice:
> To winterize *most* rigs the right way:
> DRAIN water tank & water heater
> BYPASS water heater
> CONNECT pump inlet via hose to jug of RV pink AF (use tee/valve)
> PUMP AF into pipes 'til it comes outa faucets (and shower, toilet)
> DUMP holding tanks
> In very mild climates you can get away without winterizing at all.
Such as myownself here in GA - but I winterize a little bit. Just to
be on the safe side, I pour some antifreeze into my drains, because
some of that stuff is exposed under the TT. Then I run a
thermostat-controlled space heater to keep the floor-level temp at
about 40-45. Then I crack open the cabinet doors that have piping
somewhere behind them to let the heat in. I also open the drain on the
water heater tank - which may or may not be necessary, but it makes me
feel better.
However, this makes dewinterizing a real chore, because I have to
unplug the heater, close the cabinet doors, and close the water heater
drain. And lemme tell ya, you can work up a sweat doing all that here
in GA.
++++++++++
Bill,
You think you have it bad dewinterizing your rig. It usually takes us ten days or so to dewinterize ours, but we aren't usually in a big hurry to get home.
Ron
++++++++++
> I know I'm probably a bit early, but here in the NE our local camping
> season is almost over for us. I have an 18' Coleman trailer that's
> sitting on the driveway. Is it as simple as emptying all the tanks, and
> opening up the faucets? What about the water heater pipes? How do I
> drain them? My concern is with the 12v water pump. It will gurgle and
> slurp for a time when the tank is emptied, which doesn't sound good for
> the pump. Someone mentioned leaving a small heater on inside. If I leave
> some water in the tanks, will this in itself keep things from freezing
> in a moderately cold Oct-Dec, or is this a bad idea? Take your time, no
> rush. Thanks!
Might I suggest you take the RV into a dealer and have them winterize it. I think they use forced air to blow out the pipes and most ordinary folks who are not into heavy maintenance don't have those blowers.
Do not leave water in the tanks over the winter unless you want a big repair bill in the spring.
Will Sill <w...@epix.net> wrote:
> On 9/27/12 1:06 AM, Pepperoni wrote:
>> JKConey <TheConeyIsland...@gmail.com> wrote in
>> news:k40hka$1fg$1@dont-email.me:
>>> I know I'm probably a bit early, but here in the NE our local
>>> camping
>>> season is almost over for us. I have an 18' Coleman trailer that's
>>> sitting on the driveway. Is it as simple as emptying all the tanks,
>>> and opening up the faucets? What about the water heater pipes? How do
>>> I drain them? My concern is with the 12v water pump. It will gurgle
>>> and slurp for a time when the tank is emptied, which doesn't sound
>>> good for the pump. Someone mentioned leaving a small heater on inside.
>>> If I leave some water in the tanks, will this in itself keep things
>>> from freezing in a moderately cold Oct-Dec, or is this a bad idea?
>>> Take your time, no rush. Thanks!
>> Lots of tutorials on youtube, check the sidebars for other related
>> vids.
> Tho the OP's feelings seem to have been offended by my candor, he could
> also profit from actually reading the freaking manuals. He claims he
> doesn't have any, but unless they have closed all the libraries on Long
> Island he could certainly have found SOME reference that would explain
> that when water pipes freeze, they are prone to burst. Or he could consider this advice:
> To winterize *most* rigs the right way:
> DRAIN water tank & water heater
> BYPASS water heater
> CONNECT pump inlet via hose to jug of RV pink AF (use tee/valve)
> PUMP AF into pipes 'til it comes outa faucets (and shower, toilet)
> DUMP holding tanks
> In very mild climates you can get away without winterizing at all.
> Some get by using compressed air, a few by just draining. But
> if you want to be fairly sure of NEVER having to fix split plumbing
> parts, the above system is as easy and foolproof as we know about.
> NOTE: When "un-winterizing", flush the pipes with water BEFORE
> placing WH bypass valves back to normal.
On mine, adding another hose to the pump is too difficult. I could do the
same thing by draining the tank, then fill with antifreeze, then pump. On
mine, the fellow left antifreeze in the drained hot water tank. I'll assume
after he drained the hot tank, he closed the drain, and just turned on the
hot water valves until it filled those lines. No that will not work. Darn
it. I don't think I have a hot water bypass, but I do know there are valves
on in and out.
I never took the time to fully research the subject, because I did not
intend on doing it myself. I don't think all the water will come out of hot
tank by draining. I think I'll start researching.
>Will Sill <w...@epix.net> wrote:
>> On 9/27/12 1:06 AM, Pepperoni wrote:
>>> JKConey <TheConeyIsland...@gmail.com> wrote in
>>> news:k40hka$1fg$1@dont-email.me:
>>>> I know I'm probably a bit early, but here in the NE our local
>>>> camping
>>>> season is almost over for us. I have an 18' Coleman trailer that's
>>>> sitting on the driveway. Is it as simple as emptying all the tanks,
>>>> and opening up the faucets? What about the water heater pipes? How do
>>>> I drain them? My concern is with the 12v water pump. It will gurgle
>>>> and slurp for a time when the tank is emptied, which doesn't sound
>>>> good for the pump. Someone mentioned leaving a small heater on inside.
>>>> If I leave some water in the tanks, will this in itself keep things
>>>> from freezing in a moderately cold Oct-Dec, or is this a bad idea?
>>>> Take your time, no rush. Thanks!
>>> Lots of tutorials on youtube, check the sidebars for other related
>>> vids.
>> Tho the OP's feelings seem to have been offended by my candor, he could
>> also profit from actually reading the freaking manuals. He claims he
>> doesn't have any, but unless they have closed all the libraries on Long
>> Island he could certainly have found SOME reference that would explain
>> that when water pipes freeze, they are prone to burst. Or he could consider this advice:
>> To winterize *most* rigs the right way:
>> DRAIN water tank & water heater
>> BYPASS water heater
>> CONNECT pump inlet via hose to jug of RV pink AF (use tee/valve)
>> PUMP AF into pipes 'til it comes outa faucets (and shower, toilet)
>> DUMP holding tanks
>> In very mild climates you can get away without winterizing at all.
>> Some get by using compressed air, a few by just draining. But
>> if you want to be fairly sure of NEVER having to fix split plumbing
>> parts, the above system is as easy and foolproof as we know about.
>> NOTE: When "un-winterizing", flush the pipes with water BEFORE
>> placing WH bypass valves back to normal.
>On mine, adding another hose to the pump is too difficult. I could do the
>same thing by draining the tank, then fill with antifreeze, then pump. On
>mine, the fellow left antifreeze in the drained hot water tank. I'll assume
>after he drained the hot tank, he closed the drain, and just turned on the
>hot water valves until it filled those lines. No that will not work. Darn
>it. I don't think I have a hot water bypass, but I do know there are valves
>on in and out.
>I never took the time to fully research the subject, because I did not
>intend on doing it myself. I don't think all the water will come out of hot
>tank by draining. I think I'll start researching.
>Greg
If you turn off the water to your system and remove the drain plug
your Hot Water tank will drain. That is why the plug is there. You
can turn the water on for more flushing.
If you do not know what a tank bypass looks like it is usually a 3
valve system. Valves on the inlet and outlet of the tank and a pipe
with a valve in it connected between the two valves. To bypass close
the two to the tank and open the crossover.
<kelliepoo...@yahoo.com> wrote:
>On 9/26/2012 10:36 PM, JKConey wrote:
>> I know I'm probably a bit early, but here in the NE our local camping
>> season is almost over for us. I have an 18' Coleman trailer that's
>> sitting on the driveway. Is it as simple as emptying all the tanks, and
>> opening up the faucets? What about the water heater pipes? How do I
>> drain them? My concern is with the 12v water pump. It will gurgle and
>> slurp for a time when the tank is emptied, which doesn't sound good for
>> the pump. Someone mentioned leaving a small heater on inside. If I leave
>> some water in the tanks, will this in itself keep things from freezing
>> in a moderately cold Oct-Dec, or is this a bad idea? Take your time, no
>> rush. Thanks!
>Might I suggest you take the RV into a dealer and have them winterize >it. I think they use forced air to blow out the pipes and most ordinary >folks who are not into heavy maintenance don't have those blowers.
>Do not leave water in the tanks over the winter unless you want a big >repair bill in the spring.
It takes a lot of air to adequately blow out water lines. Water tends
to hide in cracks and crevices like valve bodies. It is effective
for getting most of the water out in a hurry but I would still use
antifreeze. YMMV.
If the manual I found on line really is for his unit then there is no
available inlet for the pump. The instructions were for an external
pump to distribute antifreeze in the system. It would seem that a bit
of creative plumbing would make it easy to make the pump intake
accessible assuming one can get to the pump. That was way I
recommended he figure out what on line manual fit his situation and
proceed from there.
"nothermark" <notherm...@not.here> wrote
| Janet Wilder <kelliepoo...@yahoo.com> wrote:
| >On 9/26/2012 10:36 PM, JKConey wrote:
| >> I know I'm probably a bit early, but here in the NE our local camping
| >> season is almost over for us. I have an 18' Coleman trailer that's
| >> sitting on the driveway. Is it as simple as emptying all the tanks, and
| >> opening up the faucets? What about the water heater pipes? How do I
| >> drain them? My concern is with the 12v water pump. It will gurgle and
| >> slurp for a time when the tank is emptied, which doesn't sound good for
| >> the pump. Someone mentioned leaving a small heater on inside. If I leave
| >> some water in the tanks, will this in itself keep things from freezing
| >> in a moderately cold Oct-Dec, or is this a bad idea? Take your time, no
| >> rush. Thanks!
| >>
| >
| >Might I suggest you take the RV into a dealer and have them winterize
| >it. I think they use forced air to blow out the pipes and most ordinary
| >folks who are not into heavy maintenance don't have those blowers.
| >
| >Do not leave water in the tanks over the winter unless you want a big
| >repair bill in the spring.
|
| It takes a lot of air to adequately blow out water lines. Water tends
| to hide in cracks and crevices like valve bodies. It is effective
| for getting most of the water out in a hurry but I would still use
| antifreeze. YMMV.
|
| If the manual I found on line really is for his unit then there is no
| available inlet for the pump. The instructions were for an external
| pump to distribute antifreeze in the system. It would seem that a bit
| of creative plumbing would make it easy to make the pump intake
| accessible assuming one can get to the pump. That was way I
| recommended he figure out what on line manual fit his situation and
| proceed from there.
Antifreeze works if you get enough into the water heater, but it takes mucho effort to get the water tasting OK next spring.
I found that a shop vac blows/sucks water out of the system quite effectively without risking broken pipes from overpressure. Like others said YMMV.
Vito wrote:
> "nothermark" <notherm...@not.here> wrote
> | Janet Wilder <kelliepoo...@yahoo.com> wrote:
> | >On 9/26/2012 10:36 PM, JKConey wrote:
> | >> I know I'm probably a bit early, but here in the NE our local
> camping
> | >> season is almost over for us. I have an 18' Coleman trailer that's
> | >> sitting on the driveway. Is it as simple as emptying all the tanks,
> and
> | >> opening up the faucets? What about the water heater pipes? How do I
> | >> drain them? My concern is with the 12v water pump. It will gurgle and
> | >> slurp for a time when the tank is emptied, which doesn't sound good
> for
> | >> the pump. Someone mentioned leaving a small heater on inside. If I
> leave
> | >> some water in the tanks, will this in itself keep things from
> freezing
> | >> in a moderately cold Oct-Dec, or is this a bad idea? Take your time,
> no
> | >> rush. Thanks!
> | >>
> | >
> | >Might I suggest you take the RV into a dealer and have them winterize
> | >it. I think they use forced air to blow out the pipes and most ordinary
> | >folks who are not into heavy maintenance don't have those blowers.
> | >
> | >Do not leave water in the tanks over the winter unless you want a big
> | >repair bill in the spring.
> |
> | It takes a lot of air to adequately blow out water lines. Water tends
> | to hide in cracks and crevices like valve bodies. It is effective
> | for getting most of the water out in a hurry but I would still use
> | antifreeze. YMMV.
> |
> | If the manual I found on line really is for his unit then there is no
> | available inlet for the pump. The instructions were for an external
> | pump to distribute antifreeze in the system. It would seem that a bit
> | of creative plumbing would make it easy to make the pump intake
> | accessible assuming one can get to the pump. That was way I
> | recommended he figure out what on line manual fit his situation and
> | proceed from there.
> Antifreeze works if you get enough into the water heater, but it takes
> mucho effort to get the water tasting OK next spring.
> I found that a shop vac blows/sucks water out of the system quite
> effectively without risking broken pipes from overpressure. Like others
> said YMMV.
We took a trip to Florida in Jan of 1983 with our first motor home which we had winterized in the Fall.
Had freezing weather all the way to southern Mississippi before we could drain and flush the system. I managed to save a couple of gallons. Returning to MN after a couple of weeks I needed more anti-freeze and couldn't find any. At that time anti-freeze for the water system was rather new and cost nearly $4/gal.
Soooo, I bought cheap Rhine wine instead since in those days you could find it for about $4.50/gal. Pumped that into the system and it worked well. It got slushy at below zero temperatures but didn't damage the plumbing which consisted of copper tubing.
Plus it really smelled good when I drained the system and it was a lot easier to rinse the taste out of the pipes than the pink stuff.
LZ
>> I know I'm probably a bit early, but here in the NE our local camping
>> season is almost over for us. I have an 18' Coleman trailer that's
>> sitting on the driveway. Is it as simple as emptying all the tanks, and
>> opening up the faucets? What about the water heater pipes? How do I
>> drain them? My concern is with the 12v water pump. It will gurgle and
>> slurp for a time when the tank is emptied, which doesn't sound good for
>> the pump. Someone mentioned leaving a small heater on inside. If I leave
>> some water in the tanks, will this in itself keep things from freezing
>> in a moderately cold Oct-Dec, or is this a bad idea? Take your time, no
>> rush. Thanks!
> heater can work. A much better idea is to get a couple of gallons of
> food safe RV antifreeze from Walmart. The idea is to load the piping
> and valves with antifreeze that will freeze but contracts a bit
> instead of expanding and breaking the plumbing. How you add it is the
> issue.
> I would read it and check if it matches what you have or if another
> one on the site does. Once you have a place to start come back with
> questions.
> One thing, after I replaced a cracked valve I got into the habit of
> running a bit of antifreeze though both valves to the HW tank. After
> the system is full just open and shut each valve with pressure on the
> system. It will put a little antifreeze in the HW tank that I rinse
> out in the spring. YMMV.
Hey many thanks for your effort. This is their 2011 generic manual for all the trailers. After all the reading I've done here, I'm convinced that to play it safe, this year in the NE, I'll find a repair shop and pay to get it done. Thanks all for your suggestions! As usual asking here, instead of googling, is always the way to go for a newbie like me.
>>> I know I'm probably a bit early, but here in the NE our local camping
>>> season is almost over for us. I have an 18' Coleman trailer that's
>>> sitting on the driveway. Is it as simple as emptying all the tanks, and
>>> opening up the faucets? What about the water heater pipes? How do I
>>> drain them? My concern is with the 12v water pump. It will gurgle and
>>> slurp for a time when the tank is emptied, which doesn't sound good for
>>> the pump. Someone mentioned leaving a small heater on inside. If I leave
>>> some water in the tanks, will this in itself keep things from freezing
>>> in a moderately cold Oct-Dec, or is this a bad idea? Take your time, no
>>> rush. Thanks!
>> heater can work. A much better idea is to get a couple of gallons of
>> food safe RV antifreeze from Walmart. The idea is to load the piping
>> and valves with antifreeze that will freeze but contracts a bit
>> instead of expanding and breaking the plumbing. How you add it is the
>> issue.
>> I would read it and check if it matches what you have or if another
>> one on the site does. Once you have a place to start come back with
>> questions.
>> One thing, after I replaced a cracked valve I got into the habit of
>> running a bit of antifreeze though both valves to the HW tank. After
>> the system is full just open and shut each valve with pressure on the
>> system. It will put a little antifreeze in the HW tank that I rinse
>> out in the spring. YMMV.
> Hey many thanks for your effort. This is their 2011 generic manual >for all the trailers. After all the reading I've done here, I'm >convinced that to play it safe, this year in the NE, I'll find a repair >shop and pay to get it done. Thanks all for your suggestions! As usual >asking here, instead of googling, is always the way to go for a newbie >like me.
Ask them to explain what they will or did do. It's not all that hard
and you should at least have a clue what is going on.
The manual is about as good as one gets from those folks. I have
something similar in our new one. That is why I said to look and ask
after you had more information. I have seen 3 variations of adding
the antifreeze.
1. Old unit - hook a piece of vinyl hose to a hose barb that fit 1/2"
IPT thread fitting. drop hose in jug. set the valves to winterize
and turn on the pump while somebody watches the jug.
2. New unit - attach the hose fitting to a plugged riser tube from a
T in the piping between the pump and tank. Use the pump to circulate
antifreeze.
3. Seen described several places including your manual - attach
external pump to the inlet and use that to distribute the antifreeze.
Your instructions are a variant as they did not provide an attachment
point. OTOH it looks like a standard pipe fitting size. Places like
Home Depot or Lowes stock a variety of lengths and materials for
those. They are used for connecttif faucets to various pipe fittings.
If it's a standard pipe thread you can also get a hose barb that will
connect to it and use a length of clear vinyl tube.
> Hey many thanks for your effort. This is their 2011 generic manual
> for all the trailers. After all the reading I've done here, I'm
> convinced that to play it safe, this year in the NE, I'll find a repair
> shop and pay to get it done.
You have made the best decision. Not everyone here is familiar with a winter in the northeast. You've invested this much in the RV, protect that investment and get a professional to winterize it.
-- Janet Wilder
Way-the-heck-south Texas
Spelling doesn't count. Cooking does.
>> On 9/27/2012 6:51 AM, nothermark wrote:
>>> On Wed, 26 Sep 2012 23:36:44 -0400, JKConey
>>> <TheConeyIsland...@gmail.com> wrote:
>>>> I know I'm probably a bit early, but here in the NE our local camping
>>>> season is almost over for us. I have an 18' Coleman trailer that's
>>>> sitting on the driveway. Is it as simple as emptying all the tanks, and
>>>> opening up the faucets? What about the water heater pipes? How do I
>>>> drain them? My concern is with the 12v water pump. It will gurgle and
>>>> slurp for a time when the tank is emptied, which doesn't sound good for
>>>> the pump. Someone mentioned leaving a small heater on inside. If I leave
>>>> some water in the tanks, will this in itself keep things from freezing
>>>> in a moderately cold Oct-Dec, or is this a bad idea? Take your time, no
>>>> rush. Thanks!
>>> heater can work. A much better idea is to get a couple of gallons of
>>> food safe RV antifreeze from Walmart. The idea is to load the piping
>>> and valves with antifreeze that will freeze but contracts a bit
>>> instead of expanding and breaking the plumbing. How you add it is the
>>> issue.
>>> I would read it and check if it matches what you have or if another
>>> one on the site does. Once you have a place to start come back with
>>> questions.
>>> One thing, after I replaced a cracked valve I got into the habit of
>>> running a bit of antifreeze though both valves to the HW tank. After
>>> the system is full just open and shut each valve with pressure on the
>>> system. It will put a little antifreeze in the HW tank that I rinse
>>> out in the spring. YMMV.
>> Hey many thanks for your effort. This is their 2011 generic manual
>> for all the trailers. After all the reading I've done here, I'm
>> convinced that to play it safe, this year in the NE, I'll find a repair
>> shop and pay to get it done. Thanks all for your suggestions! As usual
>> asking here, instead of googling, is always the way to go for a newbie
>> like me.
> Ask them to explain what they will or did do. It's not all that hard
> and you should at least have a clue what is going on.
> The manual is about as good as one gets from those folks. I have
> something similar in our new one. That is why I said to look and ask
> after you had more information. I have seen 3 variations of adding
> the antifreeze.
> 1. Old unit - hook a piece of vinyl hose to a hose barb that fit 1/2"
> IPT thread fitting. drop hose in jug. set the valves to winterize
> and turn on the pump while somebody watches the jug.
> 2. New unit - attach the hose fitting to a plugged riser tube from a
> T in the piping between the pump and tank. Use the pump to circulate
> antifreeze.
> 3. Seen described several places including your manual - attach
> external pump to the inlet and use that to distribute the antifreeze.
> Your instructions are a variant as they did not provide an attachment
> point. OTOH it looks like a standard pipe fitting size. Places like
> Home Depot or Lowes stock a variety of lengths and materials for
> those. They are used for connecttif faucets to various pipe fittings.
> If it's a standard pipe thread you can also get a hose barb that will
> connect to it and use a length of clear vinyl tube.
Can't I get this winterized without adding any antifreeze? I'd rather avoid the flushing next spring if I can. When I bought it, it had a sticker that said it was winterized. I assumed that meant "no water".
> Can't I get this winterized without adding any antifreeze? I'd
> rather avoid the flushing next spring if I can. When I bought it, it had
> a sticker that said it was winterized. I assumed that meant "no water".
Since you have pretty well ignored other advice, this is probably a waste of keystrokes, but the BEST insurance against freezing involves antifreeze.
Not to belabor the obvious, if you were somehow to get clever enough to make sure there was no water in the rig, you would not have frozen pipes.
>>> On 9/27/2012 6:51 AM, nothermark wrote:
>>>> On Wed, 26 Sep 2012 23:36:44 -0400, JKConey
>>>> <TheConeyIsland...@gmail.com> wrote:
>>>>> I know I'm probably a bit early, but here in the NE our local
>>>>> camping season is almost over for us. I have an 18' Coleman
>>>>> trailer that's sitting on the driveway. Is it as simple as
>>>>> emptying all the tanks, and opening up the faucets? What about
>>>>> the water heater pipes? How do I drain them? My concern is with
>>>>> the 12v water pump. It will gurgle and slurp for a time when the
>>>>> tank is emptied, which doesn't sound good for the pump. Someone
>>>>> mentioned leaving a small heater on inside. If I leave some water
>>>>> in the tanks, will this in itself keep things from freezing in a
>>>>> moderately cold Oct-Dec, or is this a bad idea? Take your time,
>>>>> no rush. Thanks!
>>>> heater can work. A much better idea is to get a couple of gallons
>>>> of food safe RV antifreeze from Walmart. The idea is to load the
>>>> piping and valves with antifreeze that will freeze but contracts a
>>>> bit instead of expanding and breaking the plumbing. How you add
>>>> it is the issue.
>>>> I would read it and check if it matches what you have or if another
>>>> one on the site does. Once you have a place to start come back
>>>> with questions.
>>>> One thing, after I replaced a cracked valve I got into the habit of
>>>> running a bit of antifreeze though both valves to the HW tank. After >>>> the system is full just open and shut each valve with
>>>> pressure on the system. It will put a little antifreeze in the HW
>>>> tank that I rinse out in the spring. YMMV.
>>> Hey many thanks for your effort. This is their 2011 generic
>>> manual for all the trailers. After all the reading I've done here,
>>> I'm convinced that to play it safe, this year in the NE, I'll find
>>> a repair shop and pay to get it done. Thanks all for your
>>> suggestions! As usual asking here, instead of googling, is always
>>> the way to go for a newbie like me.
>> Ask them to explain what they will or did do. It's not all that hard
>> and you should at least have a clue what is going on.
>> The manual is about as good as one gets from those folks. I have
>> something similar in our new one. That is why I said to look and ask
>> after you had more information. I have seen 3 variations of adding
>> the antifreeze.
>> 1. Old unit - hook a piece of vinyl hose to a hose barb that fit
>> 1/2" IPT thread fitting. drop hose in jug. set the valves to
>> winterize and turn on the pump while somebody watches the jug.
>> 2. New unit - attach the hose fitting to a plugged riser tube from a
>> T in the piping between the pump and tank. Use the pump to
>> circulate antifreeze.
>> 3. Seen described several places including your manual - attach
>> external pump to the inlet and use that to distribute the antifreeze.
>> Your instructions are a variant as they did not provide an attachment
>> point. OTOH it looks like a standard pipe fitting size. Places like
>> Home Depot or Lowes stock a variety of lengths and materials for
>> those. They are used for connecttif faucets to various pipe
>> fittings. If it's a standard pipe thread you can also get a hose
>> barb that will connect to it and use a length of clear vinyl tube.
> Can't I get this winterized without adding any antifreeze? I'd
> rather avoid the flushing next spring if I can. When I bought it, it
> had a sticker that said it was winterized. I assumed that meant "no
> water".
I live in Salem OR, which has freezing nights during the winter. I don't use antifreeze. I use a space heater. My black and gray tanks are empty. I do keep the fresh water tank full as it is inside the RV. This will be my 7 year using this method. Winters in the Willamette Valley are considered mild compared to most eastern and Midwest winters, so this method may be inappropriate for those areas
>>> On 9/27/2012 6:51 AM, nothermark wrote:
>>>> On Wed, 26 Sep 2012 23:36:44 -0400, JKConey
>>>> <TheConeyIsland...@gmail.com> wrote:
>>>>> I know I'm probably a bit early, but here in the NE our local camping
>>>>> season is almost over for us. I have an 18' Coleman trailer that's
>>>>> sitting on the driveway. Is it as simple as emptying all the tanks, and
>>>>> opening up the faucets? What about the water heater pipes? How do I
>>>>> drain them? My concern is with the 12v water pump. It will gurgle and
>>>>> slurp for a time when the tank is emptied, which doesn't sound good for
>>>>> the pump. Someone mentioned leaving a small heater on inside. If I leave
>>>>> some water in the tanks, will this in itself keep things from freezing
>>>>> in a moderately cold Oct-Dec, or is this a bad idea? Take your time, no
>>>>> rush. Thanks!
>>>> heater can work. A much better idea is to get a couple of gallons of
>>>> food safe RV antifreeze from Walmart. The idea is to load the piping
>>>> and valves with antifreeze that will freeze but contracts a bit
>>>> instead of expanding and breaking the plumbing. How you add it is the
>>>> issue.
>>>> I would read it and check if it matches what you have or if another
>>>> one on the site does. Once you have a place to start come back with
>>>> questions.
>>>> One thing, after I replaced a cracked valve I got into the habit of
>>>> running a bit of antifreeze though both valves to the HW tank. After
>>>> the system is full just open and shut each valve with pressure on the
>>>> system. It will put a little antifreeze in the HW tank that I rinse
>>>> out in the spring. YMMV.
>>> Hey many thanks for your effort. This is their 2011 generic manual
>>> for all the trailers. After all the reading I've done here, I'm
>>> convinced that to play it safe, this year in the NE, I'll find a repair
>>> shop and pay to get it done. Thanks all for your suggestions! As usual
>>> asking here, instead of googling, is always the way to go for a newbie
>>> like me.
>> Ask them to explain what they will or did do. It's not all that hard
>> and you should at least have a clue what is going on.
>> The manual is about as good as one gets from those folks. I have
>> something similar in our new one. That is why I said to look and ask
>> after you had more information. I have seen 3 variations of adding
>> the antifreeze.
>> 1. Old unit - hook a piece of vinyl hose to a hose barb that fit 1/2"
>> IPT thread fitting. drop hose in jug. set the valves to winterize
>> and turn on the pump while somebody watches the jug.
>> 2. New unit - attach the hose fitting to a plugged riser tube from a
>> T in the piping between the pump and tank. Use the pump to circulate
>> antifreeze.
>> 3. Seen described several places including your manual - attach
>> external pump to the inlet and use that to distribute the antifreeze.
>> Your instructions are a variant as they did not provide an attachment
>> point. OTOH it looks like a standard pipe fitting size. Places like
>> Home Depot or Lowes stock a variety of lengths and materials for
>> those. They are used for connecttif faucets to various pipe fittings.
>> If it's a standard pipe thread you can also get a hose barb that will
>> connect to it and use a length of clear vinyl tube.
> Can't I get this winterized without adding any antifreeze? I'd >rather avoid the flushing next spring if I can. When I bought it, it had >a sticker that said it was winterized. I assumed that meant "no water".
Well, I guess I'm the put my two cents in. I have a 27'Holiday Rambler
Alumascape (2003) bought new. Every year since I bought it I've use
compressed air to winterize the rig. The only thing I use the pink
stuff for is the P traps (kitchen sink, shower, toilet and then at the
sink).
On the water system I start by bypassing the hot water heater and
pulling the plug and draining it. Then I connect an air hose (with an
adapter I made) to the city water hose connection and use about 40#of
pressure. I make sure that at least one faucet is open in the rig
usually the kitchen sink either hot or cold. After all the water is
blown out of the hot I switch to the cold. I repeat this procedure in
the vanity sink and shower. (I almost forgot about the outside sure,
same procedure.) I then go to the potty and pull the flush lever until
only air comes out. My holiday Rambler also has 2 drain line plugs
underneath the coach that runs the length of the coach which I also
removed the plugs until all water is out and replace them so to be
ready when the coach is put back in service. At this time I also
replace the drain plug on the hot water heater and put the hot water
heater back in service. The freshwater tank's drain valve is opened
and left open until the rig is put back in service in the springtime.
After draining all tanks, two graywater & Blackwater. I use 3 gallons
of pink stuff pouring them in the P traps of all the sinks and shower
making sure I pour enough to flush the P trap of water and also I try
to make sure that enough pink stuff gets to the drain valves on the
tanks. I pour enough to cover the potty flush valve to make sure no
unpleasant odors can get back into the rig.
Now, I have a large air compressor in my shop to do this and it works
for me. As far as our winters are concerned the lowest temperature
we've had here at the house since we moved here in 1990 was 16° below
zero but on average it is higher than that.
> On 9/30/2012 7:07 PM, nothermark wrote:
>> On Sun, 30 Sep 2012 00:20:44 -0400, JKConey
>> <TheConeyIsland...@gmail.com> wrote:
>>> On 9/27/2012 6:51 AM, nothermark wrote:
>>>> On Wed, 26 Sep 2012 23:36:44 -0400, JKConey
>>>> <TheConeyIsland...@gmail.com> wrote:
>>>>> I know I'm probably a bit early, but here in the NE our local
>>>>> camping
>>>>> season is almost over for us. I have an 18' Coleman trailer that's
>>>>> sitting on the driveway. Is it as simple as emptying all the tanks,
>>>>> and
>>>>> opening up the faucets? What about the water heater pipes? How do I
>>>>> drain them? My concern is with the 12v water pump. It will gurgle and
>>>>> slurp for a time when the tank is emptied, which doesn't sound good
>>>>> for
>>>>> the pump. Someone mentioned leaving a small heater on inside. If I
>>>>> leave
>>>>> some water in the tanks, will this in itself keep things from freezing
>>>>> in a moderately cold Oct-Dec, or is this a bad idea? Take your
>>>>> time, no
>>>>> rush. Thanks!
>>>> heater can work. A much better idea is to get a couple of gallons of
>>>> food safe RV antifreeze from Walmart. The idea is to load the piping
>>>> and valves with antifreeze that will freeze but contracts a bit
>>>> instead of expanding and breaking the plumbing. How you add it is the
>>>> issue.
>>>> I would read it and check if it matches what you have or if another
>>>> one on the site does. Once you have a place to start come back with
>>>> questions.
>>>> One thing, after I replaced a cracked valve I got into the habit of
>>>> running a bit of antifreeze though both valves to the HW tank. After
>>>> the system is full just open and shut each valve with pressure on the
>>>> system. It will put a little antifreeze in the HW tank that I rinse
>>>> out in the spring. YMMV.
>>> Hey many thanks for your effort. This is their 2011 generic manual
>>> for all the trailers. After all the reading I've done here, I'm
>>> convinced that to play it safe, this year in the NE, I'll find a repair
>>> shop and pay to get it done. Thanks all for your suggestions! As usual
>>> asking here, instead of googling, is always the way to go for a newbie
>>> like me.
>> Ask them to explain what they will or did do. It's not all that hard
>> and you should at least have a clue what is going on.
>> The manual is about as good as one gets from those folks. I have
>> something similar in our new one. That is why I said to look and ask
>> after you had more information. I have seen 3 variations of adding
>> the antifreeze.
>> 1. Old unit - hook a piece of vinyl hose to a hose barb that fit 1/2"
>> IPT thread fitting. drop hose in jug. set the valves to winterize
>> and turn on the pump while somebody watches the jug.
>> 2. New unit - attach the hose fitting to a plugged riser tube from a
>> T in the piping between the pump and tank. Use the pump to circulate
>> antifreeze.
>> 3. Seen described several places including your manual - attach
>> external pump to the inlet and use that to distribute the antifreeze.
>> Your instructions are a variant as they did not provide an attachment
>> point. OTOH it looks like a standard pipe fitting size. Places like
>> Home Depot or Lowes stock a variety of lengths and materials for
>> those. They are used for connecttif faucets to various pipe fittings.
>> If it's a standard pipe thread you can also get a hose barb that will
>> connect to it and use a length of clear vinyl tube.
> Can't I get this winterized without adding any antifreeze? I'd
> rather avoid the flushing next spring if I can. When I bought it, it had
> a sticker that said it was winterized. I assumed that meant "no water".
In the climate to which you're exposed I would *strongly* recommend anti-freeze. Keep in mind that *RV* anti-freeze is non-toxic. It doesn't require a lot of flushing. Just run the faucets until you have clear water (the *RV* anti-freeze is pink). If you're concerned about it running on the ground keep it in your holding tanks until you have a chance to dump them.
Max wrote:
> On 10/1/2012 11:23 AM, JKConey wrote:
>> Can't I get this winterized without adding any antifreeze? I'd
>> rather avoid the flushing next spring if I can. When I bought it, it
>> had a sticker that said it was winterized. I assumed that meant "no
>> water".
> In the climate to which you're exposed I would *strongly* recommend
> anti-freeze. Keep in mind that *RV* anti-freeze is non-toxic. It
> doesn't require a lot of flushing. Just run the faucets until you have
> clear water (the *RV* anti-freeze is pink). If you're concerned about
> it running on the ground keep it in your holding tanks until you have
> a chance to dump them.
I'm with Max. Once you get the hang of it, winterizing with "The Pink Sutff" shouldn't take you more than an hour and it gives you a chance to poke into places you might not poke into very often and spot incipient issues aforehand. Dewinterizing will take you even less time than winterizing. Plus you might (I haven't but you might) even get the joy that "they" tell me comes from having "done it yourself"...
