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Old 09-30-2018, 06:18 AM   #1
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Winterize

Can someone please tell me how to winterize a 2018 Jayco Jay Flight SLX 154bh? We are first time owners and don't trust our RV dealership
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Old 09-30-2018, 06:22 AM   #2
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Originally Posted by deanna205 View Post
Can someone please tell me how to winterize a 2018 Jayco Jay Flight SLX 154bh? We are first time owners and don't trust our RV dealership
Did you read thru all your manuals ? There should be one for each appliance. There's also videos on you tube that demonstrates winterization.
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Old 09-30-2018, 06:30 AM   #3
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First decision is whether you blow out the lines and antifreeze the traps or antifreeze the entire system (we do the former)
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Old 09-30-2018, 07:19 AM   #4
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A full winterization would require you to blow out the water lines and then fill them with anti-freeze. It is important to blow out the lines first, because if you leave water in the lines and put anti-freeze in, you will dilute the anti-freeze. Some folks fill with anti-freeze, then blow it out so the anti-freeze doesn't sit in the lines all winter. I leave the anti-freeze in the lines all winter.

The most important step is to bypass the hot water heater. All of the RVs that we have owned with a hot water heater had a bypass, but not all do. If yours doesn't, you'll need to install one. You can find bypass kits online. Our two previous RVs used 3 valves to bypass the hot water heater, our current TT only uses 1 valve. Whether there is 1 valve or 3 valves for bypass, they will be by the water heater. Your RV manual should tell you which valves are used for bypass.

I'm assuming the SLX line of TTs doesn't use an instantaneous hot water heater and it doesn't have a water control panel. Sorry, I am not familiar with the SLX line.

I usually drain the hot water heater first, before putting it in bypass. It will pull some water out of the lines while it drains. Whether you have an Atwood hot water heater or a Suburban, they both will have a drain plug. The Suburban will have a sacrificial anode rod on it. This is a good time to inspect and decide if you need a new one. Either way, pull the plug and let the water drain out. It will gush out, so stand back. It might help to open the relief valve to speed draining.

Once the water has drained, replace the plug and put the hot water heater in bypass (if you opened the release valve, be sure to close it). The drain plug will be on the outside of the TT on the hot water heater, the bypass valve(s) will be inside the TT very near the hot water heater.

Do you have a blow out plug? If not, get one. Anywhere that sells RV supplies should carry one. I like the one with a shrader valve. My air chuck clamps onto the shrader valve, so less work for me. Connect the blow out plug to your city water connection. If you have an outside shower, open the hot or cold side first - just one side. Then turn on your air compressor until no more water comes out. Close the open side, then open the other side and do the same. When we winterize, most of the water comes out at the outside shower. If you don't have an outside shower, just use any faucet inside. Just open hot or cold one at a time, not both. Go to every faucet and do the same. Do the same with the shower and don't forget to flush the toilet(s). If you have an outside kitchen, don't forget it. Once nothing but air comes out of all the places water normally comes out of, you are done or halfway done.

We live in Coastal GA where it doesn't usually get cold enough to worry about anti-freeze in the lines, but we did put it down each drain so the p-traps didn't split. We now leave our TT up north at our seasonal site and use anti-freeze in the lines. If you don't need anti-freeze in the lines, then you are almost done. Just put some anti-freeze in the traps and down the toilet, now your done.

How you get anti-freeze in the lines is up to you. Our previous RV had a water control panel, so we turned a few valves and then the on-board pump would pull liquid from the city water connection. We used a short piece of hose, connect it to the city water connection and the other end would go into a bottle of RV Anti-freeze. We'd replace bottles as needed. Our current TT does not have a water control panel. There is a valve next to the on-board pump that allows it to pull anti-freeze into the lines. Right before we open that valve, we pull both low point drains and let them drain out. Make sure you close them, before pulling anti-freeze into the RV. I wasted half a bottle of anti-freeze before I realized I left them open the first time I winterized our current TT.

Anyway, with the pump on and the hose in the bottle of anti-freeze, open one side of each faucet, one side at a time until pink liquid comes out. Close that side and open the other. Do the same as you did with the air. Just make sure pink comes out of each side of each faucet and the toilet. Once that happens, you are done. Make sure you replace the bottle as needed. Our TT is 40 feet long with a bath and a half. We use just over 3 gallons to completely fill the lines.

If you have an ice maker, there is an extra step. In our TT, I leave the hose in the bottle of RV anti-freeze and let the ice maker suck anti-freeze. Our ice maker calls for water about every 3 hours, so I usually let it make pink ice cubes for about 12 hours.
After one or two calls for water, the ice maker is no longer making ice cubes since all the water is gone. Some ice makers have a method that will allow you to force the ice maker to demand for water. I haven't figured out how to do it on ours, so I just let it work like normal.

I forgot to mention, after we blow all the water out of the lines, we fully dump the tanks and rinse the black tank multiple times. Once we finish rinsing the black tank, we also connect the blow out plug to the in-tank rinser and blow out any water out. Then close all the tank dump valves. You do want to get some anti-freeze into your waste holding tanks. We usually pour a cup or so down every drain. We also make sure there is a few inches of anti-freeze still in the toilet (just like there would be water after you flush). The anti-freeze in the tanks and the toilet help to keep the seals from drying out.

Hope this helps.

-Michael
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Old 10-01-2018, 05:55 AM   #5
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Originally Posted by GCSuper View Post
Did you read thru all your manuals ? There should be one for each appliance. There's also videos on you tube that demonstrates winterization.
Thank you for responding. I did read the manuals and I think I get the jest of it. Do I open the faucets before I turn on the water pump or after I turn on the water pump? And also after draining my freshwater tank and my low Point drains I noticed in the bathtub drain there is still water that I can see. Is that normal? Can anyone walk me through this process please?
The videos on YouTube I cannot find one for a 2018 unit.
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Old 10-01-2018, 06:20 AM   #6
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Originally Posted by michael.g View Post
A full winterization would require you to blow out the water lines and then fill them with anti-freeze. It is important to blow out the lines first, because if you leave water in the lines and put anti-freeze in, you will dilute the anti-freeze. Some folks fill with anti-freeze, then blow it out so the anti-freeze doesn't sit in the lines all winter. I leave the anti-freeze in the lines all winter.

The most important step is to bypass the hot water heater. All of the RVs that we have owned with a hot water heater had a bypass, but not all do. If yours doesn't, you'll need to install one. You can find bypass kits online. Our two previous RVs used 3 valves to bypass the hot water heater, our current TT only uses 1 valve. Whether there is 1 valve or 3 valves for bypass, they will be by the water heater. Your RV manual should tell you which valves are used for bypass.

I'm assuming the SLX line of TTs doesn't use an instantaneous hot water heater and it doesn't have a water control panel. Sorry, I am not familiar with the SLX line.

I usually drain the hot water heater first, before putting it in bypass. It will pull some water out of the lines while it drains. Whether you have an Atwood hot water heater or a Suburban, they both will have a drain plug. The Suburban will have a sacrificial anode rod on it. This is a good time to inspect and decide if you need a new one. Either way, pull the plug and let the water drain out. It will gush out, so stand back. It might help to open the relief valve to speed draining.

Once the water has drained, replace the plug and put the hot water heater in bypass (if you opened the release valve, be sure to close it). The drain plug will be on the outside of the TT on the hot water heater, the bypass valve(s) will be inside the TT very near the hot water heater.

Do you have a blow out plug? If not, get one. Anywhere that sells RV supplies should carry one. I like the one with a shrader valve. My air chuck clamps onto the shrader valve, so less work for me. Connect the blow out plug to your city water connection. If you have an outside shower, open the hot or cold side first - just one side. Then turn on your air compressor until no more water comes out. Close the open side, then open the other side and do the same. When we winterize, most of the water comes out at the outside shower. If you don't have an outside shower, just use any faucet inside. Just open hot or cold one at a time, not both. Go to every faucet and do the same. Do the same with the shower and don't forget to flush the toilet(s). If you have an outside kitchen, don't forget it. Once nothing but air comes out of all the places water normally comes out of, you are done or halfway done.

We live in Coastal GA where it doesn't usually get cold enough to worry about anti-freeze in the lines, but we did put it down each drain so the p-traps didn't split. We now leave our TT up north at our seasonal site and use anti-freeze in the lines. If you don't need anti-freeze in the lines, then you are almost done. Just put some anti-freeze in the traps and down the toilet, now your done.

How you get anti-freeze in the lines is up to you. Our previous RV had a water control panel, so we turned a few valves and then the on-board pump would pull liquid from the city water connection. We used a short piece of hose, connect it to the city water connection and the other end would go into a bottle of RV Anti-freeze. We'd replace bottles as needed. Our current TT does not have a water control panel. There is a valve next to the on-board pump that allows it to pull anti-freeze into the lines. Right before we open that valve, we pull both low point drains and let them drain out. Make sure you close them, before pulling anti-freeze into the RV. I wasted half a bottle of anti-freeze before I realized I left them open the first time I winterized our current TT.

Anyway, with the pump on and the hose in the bottle of anti-freeze, open one side of each faucet, one side at a time until pink liquid comes out. Close that side and open the other. Do the same as you did with the air. Just make sure pink comes out of each side of each faucet and the toilet. Once that happens, you are done. Make sure you replace the bottle as needed. Our TT is 40 feet long with a bath and a half. We use just over 3 gallons to completely fill the lines.

If you have an ice maker, there is an extra step. In our TT, I leave the hose in the bottle of RV anti-freeze and let the ice maker suck anti-freeze. Our ice maker calls for water about every 3 hours, so I usually let it make pink ice cubes for about 12 hours.
After one or two calls for water, the ice maker is no longer making ice cubes since all the water is gone. Some ice makers have a method that will allow you to force the ice maker to demand for water. I haven't figured out how to do it on ours, so I just let it work like normal.

I forgot to mention, after we blow all the water out of the lines, we fully dump the tanks and rinse the black tank multiple times. Once we finish rinsing the black tank, we also connect the blow out plug to the in-tank rinser and blow out any water out. Then close all the tank dump valves. You do want to get some anti-freeze into your waste holding tanks. We usually pour a cup or so down every drain. We also make sure there is a few inches of anti-freeze still in the toilet (just like there would be water after you flush). The anti-freeze in the tanks and the toilet help to keep the seals from drying out.

Hope this helps.

-Michael
Excellent post. As far as seeing water in bathtub drain, pour enough rv anti freeze down there to displace the water. As michael.g stated do that with all the drains.
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Old 10-01-2018, 08:43 AM   #7
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Do I open the faucets before I turn on the water pump or after I turn on the water pump?
I leave the faucets closed and let the pressure build up until the pump shuts off, then I open a faucet. I don't think it really matters though.


Quote:
Originally Posted by deanna205 View Post
And also after draining my freshwater tank and my low Point drains I noticed in the bathtub drain there is still water that I can see. Is that normal? Can anyone walk me through this process please?
Just pour more anti-freeze down the drain. One year the kitchen sink p-trap cracked even though I put a little anti-freeze down the drain. Now I put about a cup.

Quote:
Originally Posted by deanna205 View Post
The videos on YouTube I cannot find one for a 2018 unit.
You will probably have a hard time finding a video for your specific unit. The process is the same whether it is a TT, Motor Home, etc. The only real difference is whether you have a hot water heater bypass already in place, how many valves it is to bypass and how you get the anti-freeze into the system.

-Michael
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Old 10-10-2018, 03:02 PM   #8
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Winterizing

I just winterized my motor home myself for the first time. We purchased it last December and the dealer already had it winterized. I followed the instructions in the manual and it was pretty easy. Sucked 3 gallons of solution into the system but I ran all the sink, shower and toilet valves until they were running pink for quite a while to be sure lines were full of anti freeze and plenty went into the p traps and tanks. I also opened the low point drains for a few seconds to be sure solution was in them also. Made sure my hot water tank was fully drained too. My system has a control panel that automatically bypasses the water heater when in the winterize mode so I do not have the "H" style bypass arrangement. Put some extra solution in the shower drain to be sure the trap was full. Took me about an hour total time. Next spring will tell. Also, look around for the proper anti freeze solution, Camping World has it for about $5.00 per gallon, Walmart in their RV section has the same for $2.75.
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