Winterizing HELP! - Montana Owners Club

Okie Guy · 11-28-2006, 01:26 PM

Ok this is my first winterization so go ahead and laugh now. I am sure, to me; this will be funny a couple years from now.
I have poured 8 gallons of antifreeze into the tank and bypassed the hot water heater but there are still lines with clear liquid. I drained the low point lines before pouring antifreeze into the tank to pump through the lines. With as much antifreeze as I have pumped through this puppy I think it should be good. Still the one clear line under the sink has me baffled. I opened up the outside shower lines and pumped a gallon through there but still have a clear line. This line is not one which hooks to the sink but goes from the pump to the hot water area and hooks into a couple other lines.
Does anyone have any advice?

Anything?

LonnieB · 11-28-2006, 01:40 PM

Okie, does your trailer not have a port labeled Winterization? I don't understand why you poured the pink stuff in the tank. I just screwed the outside shower hose in this port, stuck the other end in a container of pink juice, by-passed the water heater, turned the valve to " Winterize ", went in the trailer and turned the pump on, then just went around opening faucets on hot and cold until everything ran pink. I then flushed the toilet until it also ran pink. After that I screwed a short hose on the washer lines one at a time, and let them run into the washer drain pipe until they too were pink. SHOOT, I didn't do the shower, gotta go, hope this helps.

Okie Guy · 11-28-2006, 01:43 PM

Unfortunately my 2005 Mountaineer is not as advanced as the 5th wheels. They have the nice pump station. My unit only has the faucet line and the holding tank.
Thanks
Phil

LonnieB · 11-28-2006, 01:54 PM

Aaaahhh okay, I guess I can't really help then, sorry Phil. Someone else probably knows what to do though. Everything I can see in mine is NOW pink.

noneck · 11-28-2006, 01:56 PM

Okie Guy, I have been struggling with this same issue. I didn't "load" pink stuff in my fresh water tank tho... There is a hose that you put into the gallon jug of pink stuff and switch the valve to flush...this allows pump to pull from jug instead of tank. Anyway back to those two lines, my trailer (different from yours) has a air lock valve and its under bathroom sink...never got pink in it, it was suggested this might be the black tank flush line so I have since used an addapter to connect air compressor to the flush connect and purged with air. I have to confirm if the water is now gone as I just was told it might be this line tonight.
Chuck

bsmeaton · 11-28-2006, 04:48 PM

Okie,

I'm shocked that you don't have the winterization valve. My 2003 Montana was under the sink. It's just a 3 way valve by the pump and a piece of hose. Stick the hose in the juice, turn the valve, and it lets the pump draw from the juice instead of the tank. If you really don't have one, you can make one or buy one cheap at Camping World. Just intercept the line between the pump and tank and install the valve. That way you are drawing 100% antifreeze write into the system. Mine never took more than 2 gall to do a good job.

I'm afraid it will take a lot of flushes to get that gunk out of your fresh water tank this spring

.

jerrybb · 11-28-2006, 10:41 PM

Also make sure you don't have a washing machine connection, that you are not using ,,, this would have to be winterized also. And put anti freeze in the trap too.

sreigle · 11-29-2006, 06:55 AM

I never winterized the washing machine lines. I was told they drained out the low point drain since those lines are vertical. We never froze one of those. This is, of course, before we started fulltiming. If you have a washer, the manual should tell you how to winterize the washer. If not, post back and we'll tell you what ours says.

The hose for winterizing should be connected to the water pump. If you've pumped more than a couple of gallons through the rig including through every faucet, hot and cold, the toilet, outside shower, then I'd bet the water heater bypass is not working properly or is set wrong. If it has just one valve it should point the way you want the antifreeze to go. Not into the water heater.

When done, pour a little antifreeze in each drain, including the shower. And also in the toilet bowl (to keep the seal from drying out. Water evaporates. Antifreeze doesn't.)

We might laugh **with** you but we won't laugh **at** you. We've all had those same questions at one time or another.

Cat320 · 11-29-2006, 10:02 AM

Here's what I do to my boat (after jerry rigging a hot water bypass): Take the hose off the pump that goes to the fresh water tank, actually you can take it off either end...at the tank or at the pump. If you've taken it off at the pump, put on a short piece of hose on the fitting, place the other end of the hose in a gallon of pink stuff...turn in the 12v pump and turn on the farthest faucet, when it pumps pink, turn it off and go to the next one, and work your way back to the pump. When all have pumped pink, you're finished. Don't forget inside/outside showers and the head.

richfaa · 11-29-2006, 02:07 PM

8 gallons..ye gads..something is amiss. I think Steve may be right about the hot water tank bypass..and Steve...We just had our W/D installed today and they gave us instructions on how to winterize and de winterize the W/d and the W/d lines.. They pumped a gallon of pink stuff somewhere???

LonnieB · 11-29-2006, 03:18 PM

I didn't know if the washing machine lines drained or not Steve, so I just pumped the pink through them for peace of mind.

Okie Guy · 11-30-2006, 05:26 AM

Thanks for all the response. I did have the Hot Water Bypass switched propperly. I just need to get a connection for the pump so I can draw teh antifreeze out of the jug instead of the fresh water tank. I still have on eclea rline and its 18 degrees here in Oklahoma City but I have the furnace set to a balmy 45 degrees so I think things should be ok.

Safe Travels
Phil

sreigle · 11-30-2006, 03:48 PM

Phil, I thought all of them come nowadays with the clear hose already attached to the pump. Apparently I'm wrong about that. If no provision for the hose, then putting antifreeze in the tank and pumping it from there is the method we used to use. But two gallons is normally enough if the water heater is bypassed. Three at most.

Lonnie, safe is always better than sorry. If in doubt...

Rich, on ours it says to pour a pint (or is it a quart?) in the tub of the washer and run a "spin and drain" cycle. That's all there is to winterizing ours. It may differ for other brands.

Bill and Lisa · 03-19-2007, 05:02 AM

Having just come from SOB, is there some reason (check valve maybe?) that the hot water heater will not drain out the gravity lines? We camp year round and it will be bad enough pumping 2 Gals of antifreeze through the system at the end of every weekend without having to go out and pull the anode from the tank each time, especially since it will be cold out when I am doing this?

Okie Guy · 03-19-2007, 02:48 PM

I drained mine but I ended up leaving the heat on low most of the winter. I think if you leave your heat on low you should be ok.

You may also like: