De-Winterizing question

[deewaltguy]

Hi all,


Been at this a few years and have always de-winterized in the driveway. As I was doing other RV prep work I wondered why I couldn't just drive to my first campsite and flush the lines into the tanks (where they'd have gone anyway).
Am I missing some campsite etiquette here?


Thanks,


Pat

[JB13502]

Originally Posted by deewaltguy

Hi all,
Been at this a few years and have always de-winterized in the driveway. As I was doing other RV prep work I wondered why I couldn't just drive to my first campsite and flush the lines into the tanks (where they'd have gone anyway).
Am I missing some campsite etiquette here?


Thanks,
Pat

No breach of etiquette in my book. I've long used my first outing for my de-winterizing. If the pink antifreeze is safe for potable water, it should be just as safe for dumping.

We do a fair amount of dry camping, but I always make sure that my first and last trips of the season are at a site with full hookups.

[Rustic Eagle]

Originally Posted by JB13502

No breach of etiquette in my book.....snip

X2

I place a bucket under the low point drains and dump any remaining antifreeze into the toilet.

Bob

[Jagiven]

Do you sanitize your system in the spring? I do, and I use 100's of gallons of water. FW tank is full of bleach water soaking. Rinse the tank 2-3 times, then I also flush a lot of water through the lines to rinse out any bleach residue. I could not collect all this water into my tanks without visiting the dump station a few times.

If your site does not have a sewer connection the CG may not be happy with you dumping directly on the ground.

I know a few people who always book a full hookup site for their first and last campout of the season. In the spring they flush and sanitize in camp, and use a LOT of water, all going down the provided sewer connection. In the fall they just super clean the tanks, and winterize in camp.

No issues that I see, other than filling your tanks prematurely and wanting to dump on the ground.

[TWP723]

I don't see a problem in that. I blow the lines out so I don't really need to flush but that's what I'd do.

[Lake Huron]

I do mine at home, including sanitizing and flushing tanks, and 100's of gallons of water. All my winterizing and flushing water goes right out on my lawn. I do see a lot of people do it at the CG's and don't see anything wrong with it. Myself, I'd rather get to the campground and be ready to enjoy instead of doing work and wasting my time that I'm paying for there.

[Marcm157]

I've done it both ways but agree with Lake Huron above - I prefer to do it at home. Mostly because IF I discover any freeze damage that occurred I can repair / replace whatever broke before I get to camp. That has never happened but I would want to deal with it home.

I always start my de-winterizing by adding water to the fresh water tank and pressurize the system using the pump. IF the pump doesn't stop in a short time I know I have a leak someplace. I'd rather find it that way than connect to city water and just let it rip!

[Big1]

I have always at my first campsite de-winterize we are planning on leave this Monday and the first stop is to de-winterize my unit and continue on to my next stop.

[LuckyDuck]

Originally Posted by Lake Huron

I do mine at home, including sanitizing and flushing tanks, and 100's of gallons of water. All my winterizing and flushing water goes right out on my lawn. I do see a lot of people do it at the CG's and don't see anything wrong with it. Myself, I'd rather get to the campground and be ready to enjoy instead of doing work and wasting my time that I'm paying for there.

You answered my post before I posted! We are in a severe drought and under water rationing. Dumping one or two freshwater tanks of bleach water down the gutter is not going to look good. But it sounds like with the dilution the beach water won’t hurt the plants. That will save some irrigation to balance things out.

[dvspl]

I've done it both at home and in a CG and see no issue either way. I'd say to choose whichever fits your schedule best.

[dbahn]

I just collect the antifreeze and re-use it, then sanitize and dump on my lawn and/or driveway. My swimming pool antifreeze gets flushed back into the pool every spring and the pool is chlorinated, so I never worry about that either.

[Johnynorthland]

I dump my pink at my first CG stop. But I use air to blow out all my lines and fixtures. I don’t put pink in my FW tank or lines, only in the Black and grey tanks and all the P Traps. And I empty out my HW heater. But I only winterize and do this for 3-4 weeks in NE PA when I visit kids/grandkids for the holidays. We usually on on the road New Year’s Eve, so the temps I subject my rig to can vary but I work around it. Others a correct in telling you most CG prohibit water or fluids of any type, being dumped on the ground. When I sanitize at a CG I use a plastic tube and jam it on my FW tank drain valve, run it into the dump connection, takes a while but I don’t mind.

[Jerrypd]

So being that this is a thread about dewinterizing, and this will be my first time doing it, does anyone have any "how-to" docs or links that explain what I need to do?
I had my dealer winterize it, so not sure what was done that I have to undo!
Appreciate any help/links/advice.
Jerry

[Johnynorthland]

Originally Posted by Jerrypd

So being that this is a thread about dewinterizing, and this will be my first time doing it, does anyone have any "how-to" docs or links that explain what I need to do?
I had my dealer winterize it, so not sure what was done that I have to undo!
Appreciate any help/links/advice.
Jerry

YouTube is your friend!

[Hollander Mutthaulers]

I de-winterize at home, check for water leaks and possible ice damage and sanitize the system. Any water or antifreeze that gets into grey tank I dump at home. Anything in the black tank gets dumped the first time I dump while out on the road.

I'm sure it's fine to de-winterize at a dump station - it is a dump station after all.

[garywilson]

I can understand why some 'sanitize' their water tanks, but I don't understand subsequent flushing. The little bit of diluted chlorine water mixed with a load of fresh water has so little chlorine in it that it won't hurt you. If it could, you need to drink bottled or well water only.

Drain the sanitized tank, WH tank, and lines, turn on until the chlorine smell is gone, and go for it.