KC1SA
Advanced Member
On our last trip of the season our favorite dumping station close to our home was out of order so we had to go to another dump station close by but is at a slight decline / grade. I thought we got the tanks mostly empty by using ramps on the front wheels to make the coach tip back a bit while emptying the tanks but there is probably a gallon of 'stuff' in each tank. When we winterized, using 3 1/2 gallons of the pink stuff, the tanks got a fairly good amount of that stuff down the drains and toilet.
There are heating pads on the holding tanks. This morning is was in the mid-20's here in CT so I flipped the tanks on and looked at the AC power draw (we leave the coach plugged in all winter except when temps reach about 10F, which is not too often, then we turn off the AC). The power increased from a 49W draw (charging the battery, CO sensor, etc.) to about 165W then dropped back to about 90W after 30 minutes.
My questions to the more experienced RV'rs (we've only been at this 1 year and this is the first year I winterized the coach).
1. Can the heaters be left on during the cold season and no worry of burning them out or other damage?
2. Do I need to worry about this small amount of liquid in the tanks with a fair amount of pink stuff making it's way to the tanks during the winterization process.
For Winterizing I drained all water from the freshwater tank and the pipes using the low point drains, bypassed the water heater and drained it completely, and took the water filter cartridge out of the whole coach water filter. I then used 30 PSI of compressed air and blew water out of the lines opening the toilet flush, kitchen faucet, shower (indoor and outdoor), and sink in the bathroom until no water spray came out. Then I pumped the pink stuff into the hot and cold water lines and whole coach water filter, this used about 3 1/2 gallons of the antifreeze. I then used the remaining 1/2 gallon to pour down the p-traps. I think I did everything right.
Last year, being very new to owning an RV, we took the coach to a local RV dealer to have it winterized. We vowed not to do that again. $250 to winterize and they broke our kitchen faucet during the process which I had to pay to repair. In the end this was a $500+ learning experience to stay clear of RV dealers unless you are really between a rock and a hard place.
There are heating pads on the holding tanks. This morning is was in the mid-20's here in CT so I flipped the tanks on and looked at the AC power draw (we leave the coach plugged in all winter except when temps reach about 10F, which is not too often, then we turn off the AC). The power increased from a 49W draw (charging the battery, CO sensor, etc.) to about 165W then dropped back to about 90W after 30 minutes.
My questions to the more experienced RV'rs (we've only been at this 1 year and this is the first year I winterized the coach).
1. Can the heaters be left on during the cold season and no worry of burning them out or other damage?
2. Do I need to worry about this small amount of liquid in the tanks with a fair amount of pink stuff making it's way to the tanks during the winterization process.
For Winterizing I drained all water from the freshwater tank and the pipes using the low point drains, bypassed the water heater and drained it completely, and took the water filter cartridge out of the whole coach water filter. I then used 30 PSI of compressed air and blew water out of the lines opening the toilet flush, kitchen faucet, shower (indoor and outdoor), and sink in the bathroom until no water spray came out. Then I pumped the pink stuff into the hot and cold water lines and whole coach water filter, this used about 3 1/2 gallons of the antifreeze. I then used the remaining 1/2 gallon to pour down the p-traps. I think I did everything right.
Last year, being very new to owning an RV, we took the coach to a local RV dealer to have it winterized. We vowed not to do that again. $250 to winterize and they broke our kitchen faucet during the process which I had to pay to repair. In the end this was a $500+ learning experience to stay clear of RV dealers unless you are really between a rock and a hard place.
