X17Z Winterizing Lesson Learned

Mcamnl · 10-27-2013, 09:23 AM

Went to winterize our camper for the first time this morning.
Drained and bypassed the water heater. Made sure all of the faucets were closed.
Opened valve to pump from my jug of antifreeze and turned on the water pump.
Took me a second to realize the system wasn't pressurizing as the pump continued to run. Quick shut off the pump and it dawned on me what I had done wrong.

When I parked the camper last, I had opened the low point drains.
Exited the camper and saw that I had about a gallon of antifreeze on the driveway.

Off to the store for more antifreeze.

**FPM III** · 10-27-2013, 09:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mcamnl

...Off to the store for more antifreeze.

That's why I always have a minimum of two gallons on hand when I winterize even though my TT takes slightly more than a gallon to do the job. There are many opportunities for mistakes to occur during the winterization process with all the valve settings you have to make.

What isn't used this year, gets used next year.

FlyingPenguin · 10-27-2013, 10:20 AM

As Homer Simpson would say, "Doh!"

Bikester · 10-27-2013, 10:24 AM

Nearly made that mistake myself, I'm sure it's very common

knuts1 · 10-27-2013, 10:31 AM

Now I do not feel so stupid!! I did the same thing yesterday!

bigbird · 10-27-2013, 01:28 PM

That qualifies as a boneheaded moment.

Camping Couple · 10-27-2013, 01:50 PM

Yep....I did the same thing last weekend when we did ours. The real funny thing was our dog started to bark like crazy outside the camper when I turned on the water pump. I went outside and saw what was going on and quick turned off the pump. Like mcamnl....I lost a gallon. At least the dog can't tell any tales...

Mcamnl · 10-27-2013, 08:21 PM

Glad to hear I am not the only one.

I figure it was good practice. We are taking the camper to Little Rock AFB to visit my oldest and and our first grandchild for the week of Thanksgiving. It has been getting pretty cold here lately and I didn't want to take any chances.
We will rinse it out when we get there so we can use the water then winterize again when we get home. This should be the last outing of the year.

Jagiven · 10-27-2013, 08:24 PM

Did something similar this year. I was in a hurry, drained the water, and blew out the lines. Started to pump to add the antifreeze, and noticed the system did not stop pumping, with all the facets closed. I quickly stopped the pump and noticed I had left the outside shower facets open. Luckly I only lost ¼ gallon.

Paulx213 · 10-27-2013, 08:32 PM

Outside shower!!! Damm , forgot that one.

29BHS ECO · 10-30-2013, 02:02 PM

at least t driveway won't freeze lol Larry

vaskohop · 11-01-2013, 05:03 PM

I am glad to see there is a club out there for this and I am not the only member. Based on the stories, I think Mcamnl is our president.

Ironbutt · 11-08-2013, 03:42 PM

Hello,

So here's a question about winterizing from a guy who has owned his 2012 x17z for exactly three days now. I have drained all the tanks and will blow the excess water out with compressed air. We're located on the beach in costal North Carolina where we just don't get a hard freeze during the winter. (the residential water lines are a foot below ground). So the question is ...Is it necessary in this latitude to add anti freeze to the plumbing system?
Thanks in advance for the advice.

Jagiven · 11-08-2013, 04:01 PM

In theory no one needs to place antifreeze in the system. What you need to ensure is that you have enough of the water out of the lines so when it expands from freezing none of the fittings and valves rupture. In general the PEX style piping can take a lot of forces without any issues, but it is the fittings that are usually the weak point. If you are comfortable with your ability to get most of the water out of the lines you should be fine. Personally, I just feel more comfortable knowing that I have all the water out and I am protected from the harsh effects from freezing. I just look at it as a $10 insurance policy.

TTChamp · 11-08-2013, 04:20 PM

so i'm a little confused, if all the valves were reversed how did the antifreeze get the the low point drain? isn't that just from the fresh water tank?

Mcamnl · 11-08-2013, 11:15 PM

I have 3 drains under the camper. One is for the fresh water tank. The other 2 are on the hot and cold water lines. They are just at a low point to allow me to drain excess water out of the lines.

mikebuyscars · 11-17-2013, 07:47 PM

and don't forget to drain the hot water tank!

marshvegasmike · 02-05-2014, 05:31 PM

Not as bad as forgetting to turn off bypass valves for water heater. Quickly realized my mistake and flushed out the entire system until water drained clear from water heater.
Luckily, I had 2 bottles of anti-freeze. It being my first time and not knowing how much the system would take.

marshvegasmike · 02-06-2014, 10:05 PM

While we are on the subject of winterizing, if keeping TT outside beside house and no cover, should at least the ac unit be covered by say a grill cover or the like? Was just up on the roof last night to shovel off 6 in. of heavy wet snow. Don't know how much weight the roof can hold and didn't want to take any chances. Realized I have to be careful around the caulking of anything protruding from the roof as well.

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