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01-28-2022, 03:30 PM
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#1
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Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2016
Location: Orlando
Posts: 516
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Freezing weather maintenance
In Central Florida we are supposed to get down to a hard freeze warning this weekend. I went over to storage & drained my Hot water tank & dropped some grey water out before a problem occurs. My hot water tank was still full from my last trip in October.
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01-28-2022, 03:38 PM
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#2
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Site Team
Join Date: May 2017
Location: Connellsville
Posts: 22,680
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Did you open your low point drains?
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Moderator
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01-28-2022, 03:49 PM
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#3
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Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2016
Location: Orlando
Posts: 516
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Didn't know I had low point drains. Where would they be?
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01-28-2022, 03:57 PM
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#4
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Site Team
Join Date: May 2017
Location: Connellsville
Posts: 22,680
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There should be 2 for the main water lines, one for the hot and one for the cold. They actually could be labeled for you by Jayco near the bottom belt line of the trailer. It will say "Low Point Drain" or something similar on the decal. Look under your trailer at that point and you should see your valves.
The fresh water tank drain also sometimes labeled as "Low point drain". So, you may have that label in more than one location.
I would gladly take a picture of what to look for. However, my unit has snow piled up on and around it. I may have a pic or two saved somewhere from another thread. I'll see if I can find them for you and post them up if I do.
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2017 Jay Feather 7 22BHM Baja/Andersen WD
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01-28-2022, 04:57 PM
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#5
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Member
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: Home
Posts: 85
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Leave all the faucets open and the low point drains when you find them. Best to blow them out if you can. It's not necessarily the ice but the air pressure that results from it's expansion that will cause problems.
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01-28-2022, 05:00 PM
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#6
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Member
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: Home
Posts: 85
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Also what temps are you worried about. I was in Ocala when it got down to 28 for a couple nights a couple years ago. I left the water hose hooked up then and still had water in all my pipes with no problems whatsoever.
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01-28-2022, 05:07 PM
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#7
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Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2017
Location: Kingman, AZ
Posts: 1,949
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My low point drains weren’t properly labeled. Look underneath the trailer, usually the bathroom the farthest away from the fresh water tank, and look for a red(Hot) and blue(Cold) pex pipe sticking out. Go inside and open the cabinet under the sink and look for 2 black valves by the back wall on the floor. Those are the valves you need to open to drain all of the water in your lines. You should also put RV Antifreeze in the black tank through the toilet, and down the drains for each sink and shower or tub.
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Lee & Kathy, and our alarm clock Jake!
2017 Starcraft Autumn Ridge 266RKS 50 amp.
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01-28-2022, 06:05 PM
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#8
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Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2019
Location: Phoenix
Posts: 3,828
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Quote:
Originally Posted by GuanoJuano
Also what temps are you worried about. I was in Ocala when it got down to 28 for a couple nights a couple years ago. I left the water hose hooked up then and still had water in all my pipes with no problems whatsoever.
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Yes, 28 is likely not a problem especially for the few hours that it reaches that temp. The problem comes with 25 or below for long periods or several hours of 15 will really screw things up if there is water in the lines. The plastic connections are what freezes and cracks. The line can stand a bit of expansion.
Your low points sometimes are marked and then again not but they should be red and blue. Open those, open the pressure valve on top of the water heater and a faucet inside someplace. That will clear most everything of water. For the temps that you might get I would not worry about much more unless it is going to 20 or lower for a long period.
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01-28-2022, 07:17 PM
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#9
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Member
Join Date: Sep 2017
Location: Kennewick
Posts: 55
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"Your low points sometimes are marked and then again not but they should be red and blue."
The color must depend on the age of the RV my 2010, all the drains are clear.
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01-28-2022, 07:33 PM
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#10
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Site Team
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Newark, NY
Posts: 15,763
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If you find they look like this, the T handle lifts up a little to open it. They may be tan or white in color.
https://www.amazon.com/Fitting-Valve...31993487&psc=1
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01-28-2022, 07:59 PM
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#11
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Senior Member
Join Date: May 2016
Location: Milpitas
Posts: 1,627
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How about draining your fresh water tank?
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2019 Chevy express 2500 Van Coversion. 2017 Jayco 23MRB: 26' total and Glacier Package. 2 Renogy solar panels. Married 49 years. Haley the mutt, 4 years old. "Excited to learn new things everyday and humbled by those who offer to help." And very grateful to our Moderators!
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01-28-2022, 09:39 PM
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#12
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Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2019
Location: Phoenix
Posts: 3,828
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jeffmcpa
"Your low points sometimes are marked and then again not but they should be red and blue."
The color must depend on the age of the RV my 2010, all the drains are clear.
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My 2011 were marked on the side of the 5th wheel and color coded on the valves.
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01-28-2022, 11:43 PM
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#13
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2016
Location: Denver
Posts: 4,218
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Quote:
Originally Posted by CAG
Yes, 28 is likely not a problem especially for the few hours that it reaches that temp. The problem comes with 25 or below for long periods or several hours of 15 will really screw things up if there is water in the lines. The plastic connections are what freezes and cracks. The line can stand a bit of expansion.
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It's 5*F outside right now.
Agreed - a hard freeze in Florida is not something I'd sweat over at all. The few hours it'll be below freezing shouldn't be a problem. But go ahead and drain the lines.
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2016 Greyhawk 31FK
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01-29-2022, 08:32 AM
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#14
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2021
Location: Farmington
Posts: 209
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I'm in Central Florida right now too. The hard freeze is not expected to last more than a few hours. If your trailer is currently in use and warm, you should be fine. There is no need to drain the hot water tank if it's being used and the water is hot. Just open a faucet and let the water drip out until the freeze is over.
If your trailer is not in use, then it could be prudent to drain your hot water heater and tanks, leave the valves open, and blow out the lines. If you're really worried about it, then run some RV anti-freeze through the lines and pour some in the tanks, if you can even find RV antifreeze in FL. Or, if you can, just run the furnace on it all night.
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01-29-2022, 08:41 AM
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#15
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Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2015
Location: Abingdon
Posts: 6,177
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Honestly, you have nothing to be worried about in central Fla. It won't stay at those temps long.
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01-29-2022, 09:01 AM
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#16
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Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2017
Location: Kingman, AZ
Posts: 1,949
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Whenever I drain my water heater I turn off the 120volt AC breaker on the power panel, as well as put a note on both the electric and gas switches that the heater has no water. If you turn on the AC to an empty heater it will destroy the heating element very quickly...speaking from experience!
A new element isn't that expensive, but some are located in places that make removing and installing them very difficult.
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Lee & Kathy, and our alarm clock Jake!
2017 Starcraft Autumn Ridge 266RKS 50 amp.
2017 Toyota Tundra Crewmax 4x4, 10-1-2021
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02-05-2022, 01:55 PM
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#17
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Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2018
Location: Out there somewhere
Posts: 1,613
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Yea, I’m in South Fl too, I wasn’t too worried but my rigs in outdoor storage so I blew out all my lines anyway! Couldn’t find the pink stuff anywhere! Lol! I was going to dump a little in the P traps just for the heck of it. I guess everyone one panicked! But like others have said, low temps for 2-3 hours really should not be an issue, but I had the time so I like to error on the side of caution!
I feel bad for all the farmers that lost their crops!
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02-05-2022, 01:58 PM
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#18
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Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2014
Location: Wheatfield
Posts: 1,091
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Quote:
Originally Posted by robert9999
Didn't know I had low point drains. Where would they be?
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Your owners manual, which is specific to your unit, has a section for winterizing, including diagrams of the locations of all components.
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02-05-2022, 02:02 PM
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#19
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Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2018
Location: Out there somewhere
Posts: 1,613
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Quote:
Originally Posted by gypsmjim
Your owners manual, which is specific to your unit, has a section for winterizing, including diagrams of the locations of all components.
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Or just crawl under your rig, you’ll find 2 separate drain lines, if the valves aren’t directly above,(they should be), trace the lines back to them.
Mine are on an inside compartment, just in front of and below my outdoor kitchen sink on my Redhawk 25R. But every rig is different.
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02-05-2022, 04:45 PM
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#20
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Junior Member
Join Date: Nov 2020
Location: Carnation
Posts: 27
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look on youtube for "winterize rv". Much better to see it than talk about it
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