1st Time Winterizing

[podunker]

This is my first time winterizing and just want to make sure I am doing it right.
We have a new 23 MBH, it took me 30 minutes to find the water pump. lol.

First thing I did was drain the water heater.
Next I bypassed the water heater with the valves.

Once I found the water pump, I found the hose that goes into the RV antifreeze bottle. I thought all I had to do was turn the valve on that hose to get it to work. However, it did not work until I turned the other valve on the water pump too.

I made sure all low point drains were closed outside.

I opened hot/cold side of kitchen sink until I saw pink coming out.
I opened hot/cold side of bathroom sink until I saw pink coming out.
I opened hot/cold side of shower until I saw pink coming out.
I flushed toilet until I saw pink.

I then wiped up all the excess pink so it wouldn't stain.

I opened gray tank a sec and saw pink coming out, same with black tank.

I opened the two low point drains by the door, but nothing came out of them. Is there suppose to be some pink coming out of them?

I thought I read something about the fresh water inlet valve needing something done to it. I didn't see that in owners manual. What needs to be done with it?

I didn't put any antifreeze in my fresh water tank, do I need to do that? Maybe thats why there was nothing coming out of the two low point drains by the door.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.......nervous I missed something!

[BCK]

Outside Shower?

[BuddyRay]

There is a good and very comprehensive section in your owners manual on winterizing. I'd read that and follow the very clear step by step instructions.

[dalebra]

If you still have the pump on and the hose in a jug of antifreeze, you should get pink out the low point drain valves. You should have 2 low point drain valves and a single drain valve for your fresh water tank. No you don't need pink stuff in your fresh water tank. Just be sure it's been drained. All of this is subject to what you have. Different years and models can be different. As BuddyRay said, read the Winterizing section of your Owners Manual for specifics.

[bankr63]

Nothing for the FW gravity fill, but for the FW city fill, pop off the strainer screen and you should see a little "button". That is the top of the backflow valve. Stand aside and press the button (with the pump on and AF in jug). This will force out the last of the water in the fill line, and you should get a pink fountain out of there too.


ETA - and personally I wouldn't open my grey or black tanks ever unless attached to a dump station. If you are starting with empty waste tanks, any residual water will mix with the AF you overflowed down the drains and will be fine. There is a ton of space in your tank to allow any expansion, and you do want some AF over the waste valves to keep the seals moist.

[dewey02]

Originally Posted by bankr63

Nothing for the FW gravity fill, but for the FW city fill, pop off the strainer screen and you should see a little "button". That is the top of the backflow valve. Stand aside and press the button (with the pump on and AF in jug). This will force out the last of the water in the fill line, and you should get a pink fountain out of there too.

I would NOT, repeat NOT do what is highlighted in red above. Or at least don't do it the way it is described. I did that last year and this spring I had to take the city water connection apart to re-position the back-flow O-ring and then put the connection back together and re-putty around the outside. The backflow O-ring is designed to take pressure coming into the camper, but if you reverse the flow under pressure, you may well dislodge the O-ring and then anytime you use your FW tank and pump, it will simple shoot out through the city water connection. Believe me, because this has happened to me and lots of other folks. I learned what I did wrong (and how to fix it) on this forum.

INSTEAD, do the following. Turn OFF your pump. Let a bit of pressure (but not all) out of your water lines. Then go and remove the screen and push the button. You will still have enough pressure to push pink stuff through the City water connection, but not so much that you dislodge your O-ring.

[podunker]

Thank you so much for all the replies.

I did do the outside shower, just forgot about that when I posted.

I went back out and just pushed the button in on the city water inlet without the water pump or anything on. It had enough pressure to squirt some water out until I saw a little pink. Still nothing out the the low point drains. I have two low point drains by the door and it looks like two at the end of the trailer on same side. The two by the door have twist valves right on them sticking out below the floor of the tailer. The two on the end are just tubes sticking out from under the trailer floor. Maybe the valves are inside?

Anyway, the owners manual doesn't say anything about the low point drains or the city water inlet valve when winterizing. It just says to go to each spot inside and turn on the hot and cold water until pink comes out. Then do the same to the outside shower.

I will check on the low point drain valves inside tomorrow, and try again with them.

thanks again.....

[podunker]

After thinking about it, I think the low point drains with the valves by the door are from my fresh water tanks. I have two I think the dealer told me. So wouldn't expect anything to come out of them.

Now the other two tubes sticking out on the end, they must have valves inside.

[dewey02]

Originally Posted by podunker

After thinking about it, I think the low point drains with the valves by the door are from my fresh water tanks. I have two I think the dealer told me. So wouldn't expect anything to come out of them.

Now the other two tubes sticking out on the end, they must have valves inside.

Yes, I don't have the same model as you, but the actual low point drains are at the rear. The two tubes stick out below the trailer, but the actual valves are inside (within a rear storage area.) They are push/pull type valves. I would guess that yours are somewhere like under your bathroom sink, or in some accessible storage area, or in the cabinet with your water heater, etc.

For some reason, Jayco also puts Low Point Drain decals on the FW tank drains, but as you surmised, those just drain your FW tank and not your plumbing lines.

[podunker]

dewey,
Thank you so much for posting. I found the valves inside at the bottom of a cabinet. If you wouldn't have told me those valves were push/pull valves I never would have figured them out. I even tried to turn them at first after you told me. Then I pulled and bingo out came the pink stuff under the trailer. Once again, thank you so much.

I do have one question about the valves at the water pump. Do I need to go ahead and shut them back off or just leave them open like they are when I pumped the pink stuff? Or does it even matter as long as I turn them back when I de-winterize in the spring?

thanks for all your help....just in time.......low in the 20's tonight!

[dewey02]

Originally Posted by podunker

dewey,
Thank you so much for posting. I found the valves inside at the bottom of a cabinet. If you wouldn't have told me those valves were push/pull valves I never would have figured them out. I even tried to turn them at first after you told me. Then I pulled and bingo out came the pink stuff under the trailer. Once again, thank you so much.

I do have one question about the valves at the water pump. Do I need to go ahead and shut them back off or just leave them open like they are when I pumped the pink stuff? Or does it even matter as long as I turn them back when I de-winterize in the spring?

thanks for all your help....just in time.......low in the 20's tonight!

I re-shut mine off after I pump in the pink. But I don't think it matters either way. Your pump doesn't allow a reverse flow, so you shouldn't lose any pink stuff, and even if you did that wouldn't make any difference either. Some guys immediately blow out the pink stuff after they fill the lines because then they know that there is no water at all in their lines. I just leave it in the lines until the next spring.