How do we drain the water out of our Jayco x18d hybrid?

[JammerB]

Our first camper was the Jayco 12' pop-up and there were 2 low point drains that we would open at the end of our camping trip to drain all the water out of the faucets and water heater. We just came back from our first trip with our new x18d expandable (which we love) and can't find any place to do this. We emptied the black tank and then gray tank at the campground and we saw a drain marked low point drain but when we opened it nothing came out (because it is for the fresh water tank we discovered when we got home). We've looked everywhere and can't find a way to drain the water out of the hot water heater or the pipes (other than taking the plug out of the hot water heater which doesn't seem like it's set up to do on a regular basis). There is a spot on the door side of the trailer, behind the axle, that says "low point drains" but there is nothing there. Anyone else have this problem and know the solution? Thanks!

JammerB
Suamico, WI

2013 Jayco Jay Feather x18d
2003 Suburban

[Jagiven]

Assuming your 18D is like my 23B, open up your bathroom sink cabinet and look at the floor level, there is a false panel with a hole in it. Reach into the hole and you will find two pull valves, one for the hot and one for the cold water lines. Once drained close them again. If you include the FW tank there are a total of 3 low point valves. One of the first things I did was remove that false panel. It is easier to get to the valves and that is where we store or toilet chemicals.

[JammerB]

Thanks...well, we looked again and there is no false panel under the sink. This is madness! There is a panel but it's screwed in and there is a hole around the pipes in the back of the sink but we can't get our hands very far down. We've looked everywhere inside the camper and unless it's hidden (like the electrical wires for the DVD/TV player which were cleverly hidden behind the microwave which we had to find and install ourselves...thanks to another Jayco owner on this website ) we can't find it. Thanks for the thought, though!

Jammer B

[Jagiven]

Another way to find the low point drains is to look from the outside of the TT. You may have to kneel or crawl around the TT to see. On mine they are very close to being above the FW tank low point drain which happens to correspond to the sign that says low point drain. They are two pipe stubs (white, but I have seen red and blue ones on other TTs) that stick out from the floor about 2 inches, right next to the frame rail. One of the stubs is behind a cross member support and is very difficult to see, but the other is in plain sight if you are looking under the TT, near the sewer drain.

[JammerB]

Thank you...found them. Looked underneath the TT and found the 2 white pipes hanging down (saw them yesterday but disregarded them as the shower was above them inside the camper so thought they were not significant), went inside and looked again at the panel that screws in on the bottom of the shower enclosure. Hubby disregarded that yesterday as he thought it would only be for the drain...I disregarded as I thought "well, there's no way they would put them behind an access panel you have to unscrew every time." Silly us..I unscrewed it and sure enough, there are the 2 "punch" lines we were looking for. Thank you so much for your help...now, would you know why I only got a little bit of water out of the camper? I was expecting 6 gallons of hot water to drain out. This whole process started 2 days ago when my hubby sanitized the water system. He filled the fw tank up with the bleach mixture and ran it through the pipes and I assume the hot water heater. Yesterday he flushed out the system by hooking our garden hose up to the tt and running water through it. I think he had the gray and black water tanks opened too as the bleach mixture and water flushed right through. I know on our pop up we could see all the hoses and pipes and figure out how it was all connected. We assumed it would be similar on the TT. Is it different? Does everything empty out into the gray water tank? It would be so helpful if Jayco included a schematic in their owner's manual Anyway, thank so much for your help and at least we now know where the drains are! Have a great day!

JammerB

[Jagiven]

Have you used the hot water heater? Was the water heater piping in bypass mode?? Often they are delivered winterized and the valves are set so water will not flow into the water heater. There are three valves. One my 23B the water heater is under one of the Dinette benches, and you access it from the top. To get to it you had to remove 2 screws (they were never reinstalled after the first time opening the compartment) to get to the valves. The water heater can be buried in many locations so you may have to look for the appropriate method to get to it. One valve for the inlet, outlet and another that creates the bypass. If the valve handle is in line with the pipe direction the valve is open if it is cross wise to the pipe, the valve is closed.

Before I replaced the water heater drain plug with a valve system, I would open the pressure relief (still do actually) when I opened the low point drains. Otherwise you can open a hot water facets, and that should also allow the water to flow.

RoyBrady (sp??) has posted a nice schematic of the water system.

[JammerB]

Thanks for all your help...we did eventually figure out that if we opened the faucets it would allow more water to drain out. I think we're set...have a happy camping season!

Jammer B
Suamico, WI