dewinterizing

[skichikk18]

Ok this is my first time having to dewinterize my x17z. I am at a total loss and afraid to do anything! Anyone have step by step directions or want to post a video to help? I have searched youtube for something and can't find anything. We have a trip coming up and I wanted to get this done this weekend so I am all set to go. Please help me!!!

[Iraqvet05]

Dewinterizing is much easier that winterizing. Most people dewinterize on their first trip of the season at a CG with full hookups but you can do it anywhere if you have can dump your grey tank soon afterward.

Start by hooking up to a city water connection (you can also use the FW tank and pump but it's easier using the cit water connection). Starting at the faucet closest to the water inlet (kitchen for me), open the faucet and let the water run until the pink water turns clear. I usually start with the hot side then do the cold side but it doesn't matter...you are just using water pressure to displace the antifreeze in the lines.
Move to the next faucet, shower head, toilet toilet or whatever has a valve next and repeat the process until the water runs clear at each. I go an extra step and open the low point drains and flush them too but I doubt some people go that far.

Once you have purged all the water points, shut the city water off and don't forget to open your bypass valves to the hot water heater. You can install the hot water heat drain plug and fill it if you are ready to use it or you can skip it and wait until you are ready to camp.

Dewinterizing shouldn't take long ang you might use several gallons of water that will need to be dumped at some point. It's an easy process...don't sweat it!

[Cosmik Debris]

Sanitize the fresh water tank. This needs done on a new RV, and then periodically. I sanitize ours before each season, and we're good for the summer. This is done by adding a small amount of bleach to a tankful of clean, fresh water. Let set for a few hours, drain and refill with freshbwater to rinse. I follow that with a vinegar and tank of water flush, leaving that in for three days. Refill and rinse.
I don't have the ratios at hand but somebody will provide, or I'll update later.
Good to check spare tire, lug nuts, tire pressure and smoke alarm at this time.

[skichikk18]

ohh this is great news and makes it sound so much easier than I am picturing. If you can get the ratios I would greatly appreciate it. what does the vinegar rinse do??? how does any of this effect the hot water tank??

[oldmanAZ]

Originally Posted by skichikk18

Ok this is my first time having to dewinterize my x17z. ...snip

Did you winterize it or did someone else do that?
I'm asking because of the water heater:
If the lines were blown out with air, you need to be sure the water heater is FULL of water before using it. You also need to be sure the water heater valves are not set to 'bypass.'

If one of the other posters mentioned this... sorry for the duplication.

[skichikk18]

I winterized it with some help from my bother so no air was used to blow out the hot water heater....If I remember correctly we drained it?

[sask934]

Then to get the antifreeze out of your lines.....do not open the bypass to your hot water tank until you get rid of the antifreeze out of your lines. You do not want to run antifreeze through your hot water heater.

Hook up to water through your city water line. Open up each tap and run until the pink goes away. Remember your outdoor shower as well. Once that is done,you are going to want to run bleach through your lines....mix some bleach into a jug and use your winterizing line to run bleach and water in to the lines the same way you did when winterizing. Let that sit for a couple of hours and then hook up to the city water again and run the water taps again until you no longer smell bleach. Then turn on the bypass to the water heater after the water is running clean.

If you are sanitizing your fresh water tank the ratio of bleach to water is 1/4 cup per ten gallons. You will need to fill your fresh water tank and let sit for 4 hours or so. Do this after getting rid of the antifreeze in your lines and you can skip the step of running bleach through your lines as you will be doing so when sanitizing the fresh water tank.

Sanidumps: Why Should you Sanitize Your RV Water System

Here is a link that

[skichikk18]

Amazing information! I feel so much better about doing this. On a side note what do you do if when dewinterizing it you opened the bypass and got antifreeze into the hot water tank by mistake. My brother did that by mistake and I would love to tell him how to fix that issue!

[skichikk18]

anyone know how to get antifreeze out of the hot water tank?

[Jmooney]

Drain. Open service panel. At the bottom you will find a white plastic threaded plug. Drain, plug, fill, drain.

When I winterized, I bypass the hot water tank and drain it, then fill the house
Lines with antifreeze, skipping the tank

[oldmanAZ]

Originally Posted by skichikk18

anyone know how to get antifreeze out of the hot water tank?

Hook up your city water connection and run water through it. As far as I know, it won't hurt anything to be in there and it's not toxic.

It's just expensive to fill the water heater with RV antifreeze when it can be bypassed and drained. I used to fill the entire water system, hot and cold, with RV antifreeze in my class-B. The water heater was virtually inaccessible so rather than struggle, I spent the money and filled it.

[Quahog]

You can also pick up an inexpensive water heater tank rinser for around $6.

http://www.amazon.com/Camco-11691-Wa...er+heater+tank

[bedrck46]

Very informative thread and some good advice given. One thing I notice in all of the information is to open drains and run water thru the lines until all the pink stuff is removed. IMO this is a totally waste of the pink stuff and money. Its been a long time since I wasted the pink stuff. For me the best procedure was to use Air and blow the lines out and at the same time have a bucket under the low point drains so I could recapture the pink stuff Thus saving the need to buy more for the next winter season.


But anymore the way I winterize is again using compressed air, is to blow out all of the water from the lines including the hot water heater after I have drained the heater. I then wait a few hours or even the next day and then blow out the lines again. I then make sure all water valves and low point drains are left open. I also try as much as I can to remove as much water in all of the drain taps after which I would use windshield washer solvent and pour into the drain traps. The cost of washer solvent is much less that RV antifreeze. Then when it comes time to de-winterize all I have to do is close all valves and low point drains and run water thru the lines until all the air is out of the system. This system has worked for me for over 35 years anytime I owned an RV. But also take into consideration that the winters here in PA may not be as harsh as in some other areas in the country.


I know there will be others that say the cost of a compressor. I have even used a bicycle hand pump to do the above (low cost)


Again just my opinion and what works for me.

[Cosmik Debris]

Originally Posted by skichikk18

ohh this is great news and makes it sound so much easier than I am picturing. If you can get the ratios I would greatly appreciate it. what does the vinegar rinse do??? how does any of this effect the hot water tank??

My Jayco manual says 1/4 cup household bleach per 15 gallons of water. Let it sit in the entire plumbing system (except hot water tank) for three hours. Drain and refill will clear water and run that through entire system (except HWT), drain again. The vinegar step removes any left over bleach smell/taste. Do the same procedure but with 1quart of white vinegar to each five gallons of tank water. Let sit for a couple of days. Flush entire system as before, drain. Refill with fresh water and drain. Done.
I'll repeat the vinegar flush mid season to freshen the tank.
The HW tank is lined and should be ok if antifreeze got in, just flush it with fresh water. The thing I think folks want to avoid is degrading the heating element with chemicals like bleach or vinegar.
I think of the whole procedure as if it were a big plastic canteen that needs thoroughly cleaned once in a while. Just that there is the possible damage from freezing weather. Use air pressure if available to force out as much water before freezing weather and drop some rv antifreeze in each drain to protectvthe p_trap, make certain to flush toilet to get out any water, and get antifreeze into the pump.

[skichikk18]

Ok now i have an issue. Got all of the antifreeze out of the camper...I haven't touched any switches, bypasses, etc at this point since I winterized it. I add the bleach water solution....filled my holding tank. Flip on my water pump to get the water into all of the lines and the pump just sounds like it is running and running but no water coming out of the sink once i turn on the faucet....what did I do wrong???

[sask934]

Originally Posted by skichikk18

Ok now i have an issue. Got all of the antifreeze out of the camper...I haven't touched any switches, bypasses, etc at this point since I winterized it. I add the bleach water solution....filled my holding tank. Flip on my water pump to get the water into all of the lines and the pump just sounds like it is running and running but no water coming out of the sink once i turn on the faucet....what did I do wrong???

Turn off the valve to the Antifreeze hose is my guess. Make sure the water lines valves are open as well.

[skichikk18]

I tried flipping the valve for the antifreeze hose but still the same issue. I'm not sure what other valves to switch??? Any more info in that would be great

[bedrck46]

Might help if you post a pic of your valves

[sask934]

generally if the valves are horizontal they are open and if they are vertical they are closed. Put all the valves except the Antifreeze line horizontal. The Water Heater bypass can be off as well at this point.

Once you do this turn on a tape and water should come out from the tape. Also make sure that the city water line is not connected as well.

[sask934]

look at this pic. My valves are all open. Yours should look like this only with plastic values. I changed all my valves last year!