Winterizing Air Pressure Blow out Method

[PlayersZ28]

I've always used air rather than pink in the lines and never a problem and it gets pretty cold here (frozen is frozen, colder doesn't change it). When we got our fiver used it had pink in the lines and it took forever to get it out. I blow air and let it just keep flowing as it picks up water with the volume of air and takes it out the drains/taps.

Each owner should do what they're comfortable with though

[Cosmik Debris]

Originally Posted by skids

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?

Water between tank and pump drops back to tank. From check valve in pump to plumbing get AF.

[skids]

Originally Posted by Cosmik Debris

Water between tank and pump drops back to tank. From check valve in pump to plumbing get AF.

Gotcha. Thanks. I worried about possible water remaining in the line. That is why I pumped all of the pink stuff from the FW tank.

[PlayersZ28]

I undo the connections to the pump (hand tightened) and hit them with the air nozzle. I have to get into the area anyway as that's where my system filter is and it needs to be emptied.

[RAurand]

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?

Skids,
You pretty much do what I do here in Pennsylvania.

Make sure you pull out the city water intake check valve to let air go thru the lines while you are draining them.

Drain the lines, use the air compressor to blow out all the lines, then use the water pump to pump antifreeze thru the lines. I run a little pink antifreeze thru the hot water heater lines before I by-pass the water heater. I also loosen the drain plug to the hot water heater.

Have never had any issues.

[PlayersZ28]

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?

The air will clear the whole water supply system.

It's pretty much one or the other. Either pump pink through the lines to replace the water or blow air to get rid of the water. Personally I don't like antifreeze in my water, potable or not, so I use air.

[Marcm157]

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 do the same thing...

[Camper_bob]

Originally Posted by PlayersZ28

The air will clear the whole water supply system.

It's pretty much one or the other. Either pump pink through the lines to replace the water or blow air to get rid of the water. Personally I don't like antifreeze in my water, potable or not, so I use air.

Except that it's difficult to determine with absolute certainty that ALL water has been blown out of the lines. That's the experience I've had, and others have had similar.

If I were in an area where I had significant freeze risk, I would absolutely blow the lines and then fill them with AF. Belt & suspenders...

[RAurand]

Keep in mind... Running air thru the lines is good.... EXCEPT... It don't clear the water out of the p-traps! I POUR PINK ANTIFREEZE DOWN INTO THEM.

[Bassdogs]

One more time from me. I have used the air method for 11 or more [I forget] years and the only problem I have had is when I forgot to do something. I cracked the handheld part of the outside shower because I forgot to blow out that line. Now I remove all hand held hoses and open the valve and let the line drain. I also cracked the front of the water pump because I did not run it dry after draining the fresh tank. Easy

[PlayersZ28]

Originally Posted by Camper_bob

Except that it's difficult to determine with absolute certainty that ALL water has been blown out of the lines. That's the experience I've had, and others have had similar.

If I were in an area where I had significant freeze risk, I would absolutely blow the lines and then fill them with AF. Belt & suspenders...

I do live in an area with significant freezing and I blow out the lines without issue. Don't need to get every bit of water out, it just needs to have room to expand when it does freeze.

As I said, I don't want it in my water. Don't like the taste it imparts. Twenty years from now we'll probably find out it kills you or something

[Camper_bob]

Originally Posted by PlayersZ28

I do live in an area with significant freezing and I blow out the lines without issue. Don't need to get every bit of water out, it just needs to have room to expand when it does freeze.

As I said, I don't want it in my water. Don't like the taste it imparts. Twenty years from now we'll probably find out it kills you or something

Right?!

I really don't like AF in my lines either, even though we don't drink that water on the regular. When I end up using AF in my lines, I'm just sure to do a good sanitation and rinse when it comes time to de-winterize.

It just never seemed like I could get the lines dry enough for my comfort in my unit. That may have been specific to my unit? It was a LONG trailer and had some LONG pipe runs. I dunno. I typically didn't worry about it too much because like you said, you don't need to get it ALL out, you just need it not to have enough to expand inside a fitting. And like I said before, our freeze risk is very low here.

FWIW, I froze up a few pipes in my unit once, and did not have a leak. It was a stupid move and I should've been more careful. My son and I were using my TT at deer camp, and when the morning came around, the water in front of the pump was frozen (at least), but it warmed up and started moving again quickly. My dad cracked his outside shower that same season.

[bobm]

Noticed that the op's original instructions did not mention draining the fresh water tank. If you didn't know to do that first, it would take more than 15-20 seconds to run the pump dry. In my case, I would be draining about 30 gallons of water.

[PlayersZ28]

Just did my winterizing today. We don't head south until after cold weather so I have to winterize.

Blew out the lines and pink'd the traps and waste tanks. I open all the low point and fresh tank drains, bypass the wtr htr then go get a beer. Then I close those and my wife opens taps one at a time starting with the highest one (shower) and ending in the kitchen, after it's just air then close it and move to the next. Then I open the drain on the wtr htr and put it back to normal mode and blow until nothing comes out but a bit of light spray (can put your thumb over the drain and let it build a bit of pressure then release quickly), then I open all the low drains again and blow more. Pretty much gets it all. Last trailer got cold enough to crack the vinyl floor one winter but the pipes were fine.

Don't forget the water filter if there's a whole house unit.

[Gwaltz]

Here are my notes that Inuse each year before cold weather:

Winterize RV

Get three gallons of RV antifreeze (takes 2 1/2).

Drain fresh water tanks (valves under RV to the left when facing door from outside).

Remove water heater drain plug.

Open all faucets: kitchen, tub, bathroom
Outside Shower faucets

Open two drains under bunk bed close to floor (pull up).
Press toilet peddle.

When all water stops dripping continue.

Close all faucets including outside shower.

Close two drains under bunk bed (push down).

Close the two valves by water heater under bunk (input and output). Turn clockwise.

Open valve to bypass water heater. Under bunk close to above valves and between hot an cold water pipes.

Connect compressor to outside water connection (adaptor is in hose container in trunk) and set pressure to 40 lbs.

Open each faucet one by one to blow out water.

Repeat above step after compressor recovers pressure.

Turn on RV water pump and open cold water spigot in kitchen sink to get water out of pump line.

Close faucet and turn pump off.

Close valve coming from fresh water tanks under sink. On top of pump.

Open valve to antifreeze tube and place tube in gallon of antifreeze.

Turn pump on.

Open each spigot until you see antifreeze come out (watch level in gallon of antifreeze and swap when needed).

Run antifreeze thru shower head.

Do same to outside shower.

Press peddle on toilet until antifreeze appears.

Open water heater input valve to get antifreeze in water heater

Turn off pump and carefully remove tube from antifreeze.

Pour antifreeze into drains in kitchen, tub, bath sink.

Pour fair amount in toilet the flush.

Cover "lift" holes in lower bunk bed and dinette seats (four) so mice cannot get trapped under seats.

Unplug appliances and bunk clock.

Remove batteries from remotes.

Drain gray water tank.

Check water in batteries

[bobm]

I'm reading that some open all faucets and blow out and some open faucets one by one. Is one method better than the other?

[robert9999]

One of the advantages of living in Florida. Never did any of this

[GrumpyDad]

Originally Posted by bobm

I'm reading that some open all faucets and blow out and some open faucets one by one. Is one method better than the other?

I like to do one by one, so that each line gets the full force of the air through it to remove the most water and residual moisture.

[Ford ECO]

1. Drain HWH,(which I do after every trip anyway) 2. Set by pass valves to "bypass". 3 Disconnect shower hoses 4.Open AF hose valve on pump.4 Put AF hose into AF jug. 5. Have DW turn on pump and open each faucet & flush valve, one at a time until they all show pink .6. Add to p-traps & a little to tanks. ps we always use city connection for water so no tank to drain.

[oldmanAZ]

Originally Posted by bobm

I'm reading that some open all faucets and blow out and some open faucets one by one. Is one method better than the other?

My air compressor is a low volume one so I open one faucet at a time to get good air flow through each one.