Winterization questions and comments

warsbc43 · 10-17-2016, 08:49 AM

OK folks, first time winterizing my 2013 Jayco 22FB. Brought it home from last camping trip last night. At the campground I did everything I normally do till the next camping trip. I flushed the blank tank and then added the deodorizer /sanitizer with a little water in the black tank from the toilet. Pulled the grey and flushed that out as well. I also opened the 2 low point drain locations and left open for the trip home and are still open. Didn't get any water out of them though when I opened. I pulled the drain on water heater and drained it in driveway. I am doing winterizing my self and storing at home. I will turn valves for pump and water heater, pump antifreeze thru all faucets and drains, flush toilet and leave some in bowl and pour some in the grey tank and make sure antifreeze gets everywhere needed. Pretty simple from what I can read and watch videos on it. My questions are do I need to do anything other than add a little extra antifreeze to the black and grey tanks for the winter? I will pull the battery and put on a tender for the winter. Gonna leave the propane tanks on it till spring then top them off as needed. Anything I maybe missing? I am adding that I am in Northwest Rural PA! Help a new be out! THANKS!!

RAurand · 10-17-2016, 08:58 AM

Is the Hot water heater bypassed and emptied?

warsbc43 · 10-17-2016, 09:02 AM

Currently the water heater is drained, but not bypassed. When I do the antifreeze, I will turn the valves to bypass it and not let the antifreeze into it.

TWP723 · 10-17-2016, 09:06 AM

Put some AF in the p-traps as well.

Clyde96 · 10-17-2016, 09:21 AM

Quick question as well it that's ok. How about the city hook up. We use the city hookup this season for the first time. I winterizing the trailer using the pump. Is there any concern with water remaining in the city hook up section of line? Or does that get flushed with antifreeze as well during the winterizing process?

jloco · 10-17-2016, 10:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Clyde96

Quick question as well it that's ok. How about the city hook up. We use the city hookup this season for the first time. I winterizing the trailer using the pump. Is there any concern with water remaining in the city hook up section of line? Or does that get flushed with antifreeze as well during the winterizing process?

You need to remove the city inlet screen and burp the one way valve (push little stem behind the screen) until some of the pink stuff squirts out.

Jagiven · 10-17-2016, 12:25 PM

I am not sure where "Parker" is located. I do a few things to help ensure, or at least mentally it helps, me to make sure everything is drained and fully protected. If you are located somewhere that gets really cold you want full strength antifreeze, if you are located somewhere, where you get a little below freezing your risks are less, and pumping antifreeze through and pushing the water out will work, but it can dilute the antifreeze and you will not have as much cold weather protection.

Before I start adding antifreeze, I open the waste tank valves and let gravity remove all the remaining fluid from the black and grey tank. I use a 3 gallon bucket to collect the fluid and then dump it down the stick house toilet. Two trips is usually enough for me. I leave the valves open for a while as I prep the trailer. Once I am ready to add antifreeze I close the valves.

First I like to blow all the lines with Compressed Air (CA). I like to open all the valves, including the bypass valves to the water heater to ensure there is no water behind any of the valves. Make sure to drain the water heater. There will be water left in it, and that is ok. It is a thin sheet, and the surface area is large, so it will not have any force to create any damage. Open each faucet, and toilet valve, don't forget the outside shower. Clean the water pump screen. This will get most of the water out of the system, and purges any water that is in the city water connection. If you just use the low point drain valves to drain, you need to remove the screen washer on the city water connection and press on the check valve for a moment to purge the water from that branch line.

Once you feel you have most of the water out of the water lines, make sure the valves are turned appropriately to bypass the water heater, and to pull from the antifreeze port at the pump. Add antifreeze, go from faucet to faucet, don't forget the toilet or outside shower. I typically start with the shower. Make sure to get a couple cups of antifreeze in each P-Trap. Once done, I wipe out the sinks, and add a teaspoon of mineral oil down each trap and in the toilet. these keeps the antifreeze from evaporating.

One more thing, before I start adding antifreeze, I open the waste tank drains and let gravity remove all the remaining fluid from the black and grey tank. I use a 3 gallon bucket to collect the fluid and then dump it down the stick house toilet. Two trips is usually enough for me.

aqua · 10-17-2016, 01:41 PM

my kitchen sink faucet has a little spray handle for rinsing that would always crack over the winter, now I remove it and bring it in the house just to spend hours in the spring looking for it.
Also my surveyor trailer had a water filter and the housing would bust off if I didnt remove it

bansai · 10-17-2016, 02:15 PM

I also winterize the black tank flush using a small hand pump that camco makes and force antifreeze into that connection. I know I don't want to break anything in my black tank and that flush mechanism is basically a sprinkler system.. hopefully the fact that it's mostly a vertical system prevents most people from having freeze issues there, but it takes a few extra seconds. Everything else sounds like you've covered.

bankr63 · 10-17-2016, 02:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by warsbc43

I also opened the 2 low point drain locations and left open for the trip home and are still open. Didn't get any water out of them though when I opened.

Not that this affects your winterizing that much, but if are draining the FW pressurized system through the low point drains, it helps to open each faucet/valve to let air into the line behind the water. Otherwise suction holds the water in, which I think is what was happening when you indicated that you didn't get any water out. This will even empty most of the water out of the HWT without pulling the plug on it, but it takes some time for all of that water to drain.

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