Winterizing Air Pressure Blow out Method

[2016whitehawk]

I have a 2016 Jayco White Hawk 29RBOK. This will be my first winterizing experience! On page 8-15 of the manual they present the option to use the Air Pressure Method, which looks incredibly simple. I am thinking this is the way I am going to go, unless I get any feedback on this post to the contrary.

A couple of questions:

1. On step 3 it says to "run the water pump until until it is dry for 15-20 seconds" Do they mean until the water pump is dry? and how do you know it is?

2. Step 4 says "Open all faucets and drains including outside shower faucets, and hold the flush lever open on the toilet" . Shouldn't this step be done before step 3 ?

3. On the last step (step 5) it says: "Use and air hose and a blowout plug, to blow air thru the City Water connection. Any remaining water should blow out in 5-10 minutes. Does it take that long? is it safe to do that?

3. Any other pros or cons for using the blowout method?

Thanks in advance to you all.
Eric

[Witt74]

I have used the air method for several years with good results. Here in South Mississippi, we don't get severe, prolonged freezes as the folks further north.
My method:
1 Drain holding tanks and fresh water tank
2 Drain water heater
3 open all faucets and outside shower
4 Run water pump until dry

5 Open low point drains

6 Hook up air compressor with blowout plug, with air pressure set to 35-40 psi
7 While the air is pushing the water out of the system, hold the toliet flush until

the water is gone.
8 Dump about a half a gallon of RV Antifreeze into the grey and black tanks to

protect the valves.
9 Take time for an adult beverage, (10 - 15 mins), run some more air thru the

system to make sure it dry as possible.
Using the air method, there will always be a small amount of water left in the lines, but there should be room for expansion without any damage.
Hope this helps.

[ALJO]

Even with air you have to be careful, as the plumbing might not be level enough to drain.
Then there's the pump which would have a short line with still water in it (will freeze and destroys the pump). The air blow through to remove water with RV Antifreeze is the safest method, both for connections and the pump.

[jimp]

Make sure you drain/empty the toilet flush valve as well.

[GrumpyDad]

Some people use a small amount of antifreeze through the pump before the air.

You do need a huge volume of air to get most of the moisture out. That's the 5-10 minutes the procedure refers to.

[Bassdogs]

An inexpensive 12v compressor will work just fine. A large volume is NOT required. After you have drained the fresh tank, open the low point drains and open all faucets inside including the toilet and the outside shower fixture. That will break the vacumn and allow most of the water to flow out on its own. When the flow stops, close the lowpoint drains and all of the faucets and outlets inside. Hook up the compressor and after turning it on, go inside and one at a time open the faucets [both hot and cold]. Close that one and go on to the next and keep them open until you are just blowing air. don't forget the shower [inside and out] and the toilet flush valve. After you've gone thru all of them, go back and do them all again. You may get a small squirt but mostly air. Turn off the compressor and open the low point drains.

[GrumpyDad]

Originally Posted by Bassdogs

An inexpensive 12v compressor will work just fine. A large volume is NOT required.

This is why forums are so much fun, we get some many different opinions. I always found a larger volume was really helpful. So much so that I added a 6 gallon carry tank to my 5 gallon pancake compressor to increase it's capacity when blowing out the trailer, and I STILL let it recharge several times during the process.

[ALJO]

X2 GrumpDad

I wonder where they got that information...……..fantasy land maybe?

[Camper_bob]

I agree the air method is preferable, especially if you're in a "low risk" climate. We get VERY few freezes around here, and even then, they rarely last more than a few hours over night. So I have been using the air method every year except my first year. Last year I also used BOTH methods because I knew I wasn't going to use the trailer for a LONG time after it was winterized. So I blew out the lines and filled everything with AF after Christmas. Ended up trading that trailer in winterized last April.

I take it one step further and will put plastic wrap over the toilet so the AF doesn't evaporate out. Depending on length of storage I will probably cover the sinks and shower as well so the P-traps don't dry out.

[skids]

I guess I have been doing it wrong since I got the trailer. I would think the air is to blow water out of the "city water" portion so that it gets by the check valve. I have drained out all the water, bypassed the HW tank, and dumped 2 gallons of the pink stuff into the fresh water tank and ran the stuff through all if the valves, including the toilet. My tank is pretty small, so 2 gallons seems to work. We have miserably cold winters here and I have not had issues. Have I just been lucky?

[dhinkle57]

You don't have to blow out your lines if you use antifreeze. We live in Missouri and wouldn't trust just blowing them out (always scared that I would miss a little bit that may freeze and cause problems). We blow them out then use antifreeze, may be over kill but better than new lines or pump.

[GrumpyDad]

And I do antifreeze first and then blow them out.

Most service shops use antifreeze as a way to prove thier work.

[tjpolsin]

in my 26 BHS, the outdoor shower, WH and LP drains are all in the back.
- I drain the FW, GW and BW tanks.
- I remove the shower wands from both the tub and outdoor shower and lay those in the bathtub.
- I run the waterpump dry.
- I jack the tongue of the trailer up.
- I open all the faucets, all low point drains, open the HWH inlet, outlet, and bypass, and remove the HWH drain plug. Then let it all drain 'till the next day.

- next day, I shut all the faucets, LP drains, shut HWH bypass, reinstall hwh plug.
- I set my compressor to 50psi and start filling the system with air through the city water connection. (the HWH acts as a 6gal air tank)
- I start opening the drains/faucets lowest to highest, then repeat until they all blow just air.
- I fully depressurize system, then remove the HWH plug and open the HWH bypass valve.
- I leave all faucets and LP drains open for the winter.
- I get a gallon of AF and dump it in all the sink drains and toilet.

And I'm done for the winter.

Tim

[North of 49°]

Here's the way I do it. Please keep in mind that temperatures of -30* for extended periods of time around here are not uncommon, so it's important to make sure it's done properly. The extra steps I take just are to ensure it's done completely; they're nothing compared to having to repair a burst water line in the spring. I blow the lines out with compressed air, pump them full of antifreeze, then blow it out again. That way, if there's anything left in them, it's just a tiny bit of antifreeze, no trace of water anywhere. It also makes it easier in the spring since there's less antifreeze to flush out.

This is a "belt and suspenders" approach. I've been doing this for ~15 years and have never had a problem, even with the harsh winters we get here on the Canadian prairies.

[DonaandDon]

Oil less compressors have reeds that produce pressure. Don't run it more than 10mins constantly. The reeds will contract after they cool down. Take your time you have plenty. Fill the compressor tank and let it set for 15mins and then blow the lines. Repeat as necessary...

[Cosmik Debris]

Originally Posted by skids

I guess I have been doing it wrong since I got the trailer. I would think the air is to blow water out of the "city water" portion so that it gets by the check valve. I have drained out all the water, bypassed the HW tank, and dumped 2 gallons of the pink stuff into the fresh water tank and ran the stuff through all if the valves, including the toilet. My tank is pretty small, so 2 gallons seems to work. We have miserably cold winters here and I have not had issues. Have I just been lucky?

I never put antifreeze into fresh water tank, I use the valve on inlet (suction) side of the 12v pump to draw from AF jug. In my fifth wheel it takes less than two gallons to fill the entire 1/2" plumbing system.

[Jagiven]

Originally Posted by North of 49°

Here's the way I do it. Please keep in mind that temperatures of -30* for extended periods of time around here are not uncommon, so it's important to make sure it's done properly. The extra steps I take just are to ensure it's done completely; they're nothing compared to having to repair a burst water line in the spring. I blow the lines out with compressed air, pump them full of antifreeze, then blow it out again. That way, if there's anything left in them, it's just a tiny bit of antifreeze, no trace of water anywhere. It also makes it easier in the spring since there's less antifreeze to flush out.

This is the method I also do. There is always water left in the line after blowing them out. You need a lot of volume and time to really get all the water out. Last year I did a little experiment. I blow out the lines what I thought really well. Next day I blew them out again and I had a couple slugs of water come out, then back to the mist. Those slugs of water if they accumulated near a fitting would have broken one over winter and I would have had a pain of a time replacing it.

I would rather be safe, and add a bit of RV antifreeze.

You do not need any antifeeze in the FW tank or water heater. The large surface area, will not allow the little bit of water to do any damage.

As for the pump, I remove and clean the filter screen at the beginning of the process, as there is water in the filter screen area. Using the antifreeze port will displace it.

[skids]

Originally Posted by Cosmik Debris

I never put antifreeze into fresh water tank, I use the valve on inlet (suction) side of the 12v pump to draw from AF jug. In my fifth wheel it takes less than two gallons to fill the entire 1/2" plumbing system.

If you do it that way, isn’t there plumbing between the water tank and the pump with a check valve (somewhere) that would keep water in the line?

[PlayersZ28]

Originally Posted by DonaandDon

Oil less compressors have reeds that produce pressure. Don't run it more than 10mins constantly. The reeds will contract after they cool down. Take your time you have plenty. Fill the compressor tank and let it set for 15mins and then blow the lines. Repeat as necessary...

It's not reeds that cause the issue in an oilless. The piston has a plastic seal ring on it that burns out with extended run times that get it too hot. I've replaced mine in the past with a new piston & sleeve. I run my 5g oilless for up to 30min when plasma cutting.

[SkyBound]

Couple things to add - remember to set your compressor pressure down to 50-55psi so as to not accidentally push 100+psi through your lines and risk breaking something.

I also blow a quick shot of air down the black tank flush line as well. I recommend doing it if your trailer has that feature. You can hear water being flushed down the line and spraying into the black tank.

I personally blow all my lines out well with air, and then use a generous amount of antifreeze.