Melbourne 31B Winterizing question

[LAFinn]

Hi Folks;

My husband and I bought our "Mel-Bee" last winter and have really enjoyed using it this season. We are keeping it at home for the winter but are having trouble winterizing it. We have followed all steps in the manual;
1) Drain hot water heater - done
2) Bypass the hot water heater - done
3) Open and drain the low point valves - done
4) Set the Utility Center switches to Sanitize/Winterize Lines - done

the next step is "Replace the water filter cartridge with the clear plastic bypass hose" - where should we find the water filter cartridge? we looked at the water pump and don't see it and aren't sure where the fresh water tank is.

Then "insert the garden hose into a container of RV anti freeze; attach the other end to the city water connection." - when we did this and turned on the water pump it did not siphon the solution into the lines.

So then we thought the pump needed to be primed, which we did, no luck. We opened the low pt drains. no luck. Next we attached our garden hose to city water and filled the fresh water tank with a small amount of water and turned on the water pump. It worked fine, with water coming out of the faucets.

When we returned to the siphon process again, it worked briefly pulling a small amount of solution out of the jug and then it stopped siphoning again...

We are befuddled and are not sure what we are doing wrong. This should work, right? Any suggestions? We don't think anything is broken, however we are not able to finish the process as described in the manual.

Thanks in advance!
Louise & Charly Finn
Lewes, DE

2008 Jayco Melbourne 31B
2014 Coachman Clipper 17 TT

[RetiredOne]

Did you take the filter screen (cone shaped filter) out of the city water connection and flip it around? This cone shaped screen needs to point inward when siphoning, to push in on the check valve. Otherwise, there isn't enough suction to pull the check valve open by the pump.

[LAFinn]

Oh wow, that sounds like it may be the culprit! We will give it a try first thing in the morning and let you know. Thank you for the quick reply!

Louise

[Jayco 24B]

On my 2019 Redhawk 24B I didn't have to flip the screen. Even the directions in Jayco book says nothing about flipping the screen and it worked perfectly.

[RetiredOne]

Originally Posted by Jayco 24B

On my 2019 Redhawk 24B I didn't have to flip the screen. Even the directions in Jayco book says nothing about flipping the screen and it worked perfectly.

You have a brand new rig and the pump is right behind the water inlet, so new strong pump and short distance might pull your check valve open. The OPs rig is a 2008, so the pump could be a bit "tired", and I don't know where it's located in relation to the inlet.

When in doubt, flip the screen!

[LAFinn]

RetiredOne;
Flipping the screen worked! We had to play with opening and closing the low drain pt valves, to get the pump working, but once it was siphoning it worked like a champ. I agree, our pump didn't have the strength without a little help. We are now ready for the freezing temps, although not looking forward to it.
Thanks so much!
Louise & Charly Finn

[RetiredOne]

Ahhhh... I love when a plan comes together. Glad that little tip helped you.

Since you're a winterizing expert now, I need to winterize my rig today, you available??

[LAFinn]

You saved us a couple hundred bucks because our next option was to return it to the dealership...Thank you!

Now, as for yours, I would expect your beauty to have a "Winterize" button and then it would tuck itself in for the winter...right?

[Mdy7290]

The siphon problem is, the rubber seal on the screen sealing tight. Hand tight may work with a brand new screen/gasket, however an older, worn seal will need to be tightened with a channel lock. Had the same problems when I got my 31b, and replaced the screen(reversing it not needed, a screen is a screen, the cone means nothing to the flow with a good seal)

[Scoutmaster253]

Originally Posted by Mdy7290

The siphon problem is, the rubber seal on the screen sealing tight. Hand tight may work with a brand new screen/gasket, however an older, worn seal will need to be tightened with a channel lock. Had the same problems when I got my 31b, and replaced the screen(reversing it not needed, a screen is a screen, the cone means nothing to the flow with a good seal)

Hi Mdy7290, welcome to the forum. You may have noticed this already, but the thread you are replying to is 4 years old. That being said I would like to add this comment.
The cone shape in the screen IS important. Reversing the cone filter lets the point of the cone push on and release the anti-flow valve built into this fitting. After you have winterized, flip the cone back to its original position (pointing out).

[Mdy7290]

I suppose that my work, however my point was more about the proper seal to draw suction will open the valve as it was designed. I have never reversed the screen in mine and have no problems winterizing. But hey, if ithat works for people to use their rig, that's the most important part.