Winterizing

[sreigle]

I removed the screen and relieved the pressurized water by pressing that white pin. Never had the spring pop out. Sounds like that one was bad anyhow. Another option, if you can get to the backside where the inside hose connects to the city water connection you can remove the hose and relieve the pressure that way. Ours is next to the water pump and is accessible but I didn't discover this method until we started fulltiming and now we don't do the "normal" winterizing.

[Wordsmith]

Steve, since we have the same model, is there only the one bypass valve on the line, the one visible when I lift up the access panel at the back of the galley? I am used to having to do two different ones on the old Prowler.

[Lstierw]

We have just recently filled the fresh water tank for the first time as was wondering which of the 3 low point drains is the fresh water? How do you tell?.........Les

quote:Originally posted by Kathi

When you get ready to winterize your unit make sure water heater is off gas and all, there is plug outside of heater takes an 13/16 socket remove that plug and pop the relief value above it so it can drain. While it's draining remove the caps off all low point drains and let them drain completely, should be three of them, one for fresh water, other one for cold water the other for hot water that runs throughout the unit. Once all water is drained out put caps back on everything leave plug out of heater. Go under your galley sink or where ever you water heater is and turn the water heater by-pass value so not to waste RV antifreeze. then use the hose that is there that nothing is connected to one end put that into gallon jug of RV antifreeze will take about 2 gallons, then turn on your 12 volt pump let it pump into water lines. Turn on each faucet separately let it run until pink RV antifreeze comes out then turn it off. Do this to each faucet hot and cold side, run the toilet few seconds, then go to outside shower and do the same, this will run antifreeze through your entire system, after you are done with that you should see pink in low point drains. Before you remove the jug open the heater by pass let little bit RV antifreeze go into hot water tanks itself, your done with this part. I then take what's left of second jug and pour little bit into each drain of each sink, shower and toilet. Your done ready for winter.





Winterizing:

1. Open the two low point drains plus the fresh water drain and let all water drain out.
2. Remove the anode rod and let the hot water tank drain. I leave mine open for the winter.
If you have the winterizing option:
3. Turn valve to bypass water heater.
4. You can now blow out the lines keeping the low point drains open. - this not necessary if you plan on adding antifreeze.
5. Close low point drain and fresh water drain valves
6. Turn on winterizing valve and put suction line into the antifreeze container.
7. Turn on 12 volt water pump.
8. Open each water line until antifreeze is running out of faucet(hot and cold)lines for kitchen sink, bathroom sink,
bath tub plus the shower line, outside shower lines and the toilet too.
9. Pour antifreeze into the traps and holding tanks for the fresh water, galley, gray and black water tanks.

I usually use 3 - 4 gallons of antifreeze.

[sreigle]

Les, the single line is the drain for the fresh water tank. The two lines together are the low point drains for the hot and cold water lines themselves. Hope that helps.

J.D., yes, just one. The newer ones have just one. It diverts incoming water up and out the outgoing line. The water does not go into the tank via the outgoing line because of a checkvalve in the output connector of the tank. The bypass valve handle points the way the water will flow. Horizontally into the tank or vertically up the bypass line. Hope this helps.

[Lstierw]

Thanks so much Steve and J.D. Our walk through was too quick for me. Glad we have this forum......Les & Sue

quote:Originally posted by sreigle

Les, the single line is the drain for the fresh water tank. The two lines together are the low point drains for the hot and cold water lines themselves. Hope that helps.

J.D., yes, just one. The newer ones have just one. It diverts incoming water up and out the outgoing line. The water does not go into the tank via the outgoing line because of a checkvalve in the output connector of the tank. The bypass valve handle points the way the water will flow. Horizontally into the tank or vertically up the bypass line. Hope this helps.

[Wordsmith]

Steve, That helps tremendously. I never look forward to winterizing a camper as that means the camping season has come to a halt, but it is reassuring to have people like you and the rest of the gang to make the sad chore at least easier!

Les and Sue, I think walk through are always too quick as there is just too much to all take in.

[Wordsmith]

Took care of winterizing yesterday and everything went smoothly, except that the plug on ours took a 1 and 1/16 socket to remove. Looks like it is time for a new anode rod as well as it is all but gone right at the plug.

[werhapy]

While the access panels were off on my 2955RL, I noticed that there was a line that did not get any pink antifreeze but was fiull of water. It turned out to be the line to the black tank flush that is (appropriately) not part of the fresh water system. Since ther was no apparent drain, i just made an adapter to the hose connector to blow out this line with low pressure compressed air.

After pumping the antifreeze through the system, the insructions that i had recommended that you use the low point drains to remove as much antifreeze as possible from the lines. This way, there would be no pressure left in any of the lines during storage. Any thoughts on this?

[rickfox]

Good evening All,

We took delivery on our 3400RL on 11/12 and immediately took it on it first trip. All went well, but unfortunately toward the end of the month, the weather took an unexpected turn for the worse with the temperature dropping toward 20. So off I went to complete the winterizing process for the first time on the new unit. I drained the hot water tank and emptied the water lines via. the low point valves. I remembered that the pump was located in the basement behind a false wall and remembered to turn the valve to enable the pump to suction antifreeze from the bottle. Then I realized that I was never told where the hot water bypass valve was located! By then it was too late in the day to call for support.

Finally, I started looking inside the trailer keeping in mind the location of the outside location of the water heater components. That's when I noticed the the oddly placed 5" squarre plastic cover that I always thought looked like an eye sore. This cover is located on the wall of one of the counter tops inside the unit. After removing the cover and peering inside with the aid of a flash light, I saw the back end of the hot water tank and a mass of water hoses. Down inside this mass, barely visible and almost unreachable was the hot water bypass valve.

Everything turned out OK and I managed to get things properly winterized - I think. But it sure brought back memories of changing out the spark plugs on an old 800# V8 engine cramed into a 300# engine compartment - if you know what I mean.

[sreigle]

Rickfox, I do indeed know what you mean. My very first car was a 1957 Chevy with the 283 V8. One of the rear plugs could not be changed without loosening the motor mounts and jacking up the engine. Even then, as a teenager, I thought that a really poor design. That plug was causing a problem and looked like it had never been changed.