Winterization - Anti-freeze vs compressor

[smiletwice]

Just wondering what the downside is to winterizing using an air compressor rather than running antifreeze thru the system? It seems much easier but most of what I've read suggests using antifreeze without really saying why. Appreciate your thoughts!

[mtdawg]

This is one of those never-ending discussions similar to politics and religion. Just no right answer. It depends on personal preference. In my older rvs, I was strictly anti-freeze. I figure if you fill all the pipes with antifreeze you for sure won't have any water pooling anywhere that might freeze. I still believe that, although I've modified my approach. My current rv has a residential refrigerator with a filter and ice maker. I have never received a definitive answer one way or another regarding running antifreeze through it so I made my decision not to. It seems that it would destroy the filter (a $40 replacement), and would take a long time to purge the ice maker. So, to make a long story longer, I now blow out the system with a compressor as best I can. This includes making sure the refrigerator is completely drained. I then shut off the valves to the refrigerator and run antifreeze through the rest of the system. After 3 years, no catastrophes.

Good luck,
Jim

[JFlightRisk]

Like mtdawg said, I can't be 100 percent positive there's no water left in a low-lying area, so it gets blown out, then pumped through with antifreeze, run some through the water pump, and a cupful down all the traps. I also put a little in the toilet bowl to keep the ball seal wet. The water heater gets drained, but no need to put A/F in it. The small bit of water left in it won't do any harm. RV antifreeze WILL freeze, but WON'T expand like water, so no burst pipes.

[SkyBound]

I too blow lines out first, then pump antifreeze through. It makes sure there's no water left to dilute the antifreeze. I also use 4-5 gal of antifreeze when I winterize to make sure there's lots in the P traps and a bit in the grey and black tanks. Also put a splash in the toilet bowl to keep the seal from drying out. If you buy it on sale it's pretty cheap - it usually costs me about 15 dollars to winterize.

[ALJO]

Air volume has to be high, pressure around 50 psi will take out all the water if you let it run for 15 minutes. The traps in drains would take a lot of volume of air, so you need RV antifreeze for that. And to be safe run it through the FW system (not WH) and remove any filters.

[01tundra]

Most compressors that you find across this country in mechanic shops and personal garages are oil-flooded machines, meaning that there is some amount of oil in the air. The exception is oil-free compressors such as the ones used in medical applications and paint shops. Oil-free compressors are typically much more expensive. You can add inline coalescing and final filters on a oil-flooded compressor system, but they are not 100% efficient.

I think there are some smaller compressors that are oil-free, but just be aware that not all are.

I don't personally like the idea of blowing compressor oil through my domestic water system. If I were going to blow out the system I would opted for compressed nitrogen with a regulator to drop the pressure down to 45-50 psig.

But anti-freeze is inexpensive, easy and proven so I'll just stick with it.

[Bassdogs]

Originally Posted by smiletwice

Just wondering what the downside is to winterizing using an air compressor rather than running antifreeze thru the system? It seems much easier but most of what I've read suggests using antifreeze without really saying why. Appreciate your thoughts!

Do a search using winterizing and you will find everything forum members have said on this topic in recent months. Enjoy

[Iraqvet05]

The first 2 years in our 26BH, I ran anti-freeze in the lines with no issues. The 3rd year, I use air then added anti-freeze with no issues. This past winter, I blew out the lines (30 PSI with a 20 gal tank) but didn't add antifreeze due to a pump issue and I had a problem with the outside shower mixing valve the next spring.

We get short but deep freezes in Kansas City so I think I'm going back to adding antifreeze in the system.

[spoon059]

2 gallons of RV anti-freeze is about $8. It takes me 10 minutes TOPS to do it by myself. Blowing air through might get all the water out, but it might not. My buddy bought a used camper that the previous owner used air to winterize and there was a little bit of air left in the toilet flush valve. The toilet flush valve cracked, which he found out on Friday afternoon of his first trip this year.

After a frantic trip to a local dealer that took a valve off on off the toilet's in his lot, we got it fixed. I don't want to take toilets apart ever again. $8 antifreeze has prevented me from taking any of my toilets apart, I'll continue to use it.

[TWP723]

I just play it safe and run AF through the lines. It's not that hard and if you flush it correctly, you'll never know it.

[Jagiven]

I think a lot depends on where you live, and what you are comfortable with. If I lived way down south, I would not think twice about just using air. But here in the artic north, where my HTT sleeps away in a barn, it can see negative 20-30, I just do not want to take the risk and beak a fitting is some godawful location such as a fitting under the shower. For me, for the few bucks, it is well worth the money.

I choose to blow out the lines first, to get most of the water out, to minimize dilution of the antifreeze. Then add antifreeze, then blow out the lines again. This way if the antifreeze is diluted, there is enough room for the slushy mixture to expend and not do any damage. I can do my whole HTT with less than 1 gallon of antifreeze.

One thing I have found, some brands their antifreeze leaves an odor/taste in the lines. That is also part of the reason I blow out the lines after I antifreeze. For the past, few years I have been using “Isobar” which does not appear to leave as much of a taste. The only place I have been able to locate it is Fleet Farm.

One thing I have been doing for the past few years once I am done, is to add a few drops of mineral oil down each trap on top of the antifreeze in the toilet. The oil keeps the antifreeze from evaporating over the winter.

Good Luck!

[Cdash]

There is always something to worry about and this topic is no different. You can worry about not getting all of the water out, worry about diluting the antifreeze, worry about the amount of flushing to get rid of the antifreeze taste. In the end, we all do something a little different that we feel works for us. Doesn't make the way wrong, just a different preference.

When I winterize at home, I use the air compressor to blow out all the lines and that is it. I will go through and open up faucet by faucet and do a few rounds of that until I barely get a mist out of the faucets. I then take a gallon of RV antifreeze and spread among the P-traps and toilet. Going on 11 years of Michigan winters doing this with no issues.

I will use Antifreeze to winterize if I am on the road headed back to cold because I don't need a compressor. I don't like the amount of flushing I need to do in the spring when winterizing with Antifreeze.

[Rustysocket]

This is like talking politics.

I'm not about to try to convince the compressor guy that he has some faults with his logic and he's not going to convince me not to use anti freeze.

The only thing I will comment on is that I've done it both ways in the past and only had a broken pipe using the compressor method.

A lot of it has to do with expected low temps, location and risk tolerance. It's a heck of a lot easier to flush the system than it is to replace broken pipes.