Winterizing Option?

Topic: Winterizing Option? (Read 2398 times) previous topic - next topic

Re: Winterizing Option?

Reply #25 – October 21, 2013, 09:01:11 pm

OK, so what I did for an hour today was dissconnect all the lines to the Manibloc (one by one) and opened the respective tap etc and blew air thru' that line. I had previously drained all the low points except the hose reel so that was also done. The one going to toilet I had Ruthie put het foot on the pedal while I blew that line out, so, all empty now and do not see any reason why I will have freezing pipes.
One of my neighbours is a Sprinkler installer etc and I spoke to him about it (he also has a Diesel Pusher but one of those Newmar things!!!) and Dan said he would never put that RV Anti freeze in anything as It is crap!! He blows his out and never has had any problem.
I used to do this on my Class D and C many years ago and also did not have a problem. I do not have Aquahot.
John H

Re: Winterizing Option?

Reply #26 – October 21, 2013, 09:59:51 pm

John, if you are absolutely sure you get all of the water out then you might get by without a water system antifreeze. The PEX tubing is more forgiving than copper line ao it can stand a bit of freezing water left it. It is the valves, the pump, the faucets, the toilet and everything else that would be enormously difficult and expensive to repair or replace that a few gallons of antifreeze protects. You are going to fill the water tank at least part way to flush and sanitize everything anyway so 20 gallons or so run through everything twice will flush everything out. It takes very little frozen water in a faucet valve for example to make it leak in the spring.

This has worked for me for 35 years with various RVs.

Of course it can get really cold here in Minnesota.

Roger

Re: Winterizing Option?

Reply #27 – October 21, 2013, 10:06:57 pm

Roger, there is no water left in those items, and I leave them open all the time when parked so if a droplet freezes it will be in a line not in a faucet etc. If I am not mistaken a line to freeze has to have a lot of water in it (or a low spot) but water expands in a linear way as well and if it has space to do that as in a low spot then it will not expand justwidth wise (so to speak). I am very sure all is well.
John h

Re: Winterizing Option?

Reply #28 – October 21, 2013, 10:29:41 pm

I'm a little hazy on just how to get antifreeze into my fresh water tank so it can be pumped around the coach. As far as I can tell, it's not easy to just pour the stuff in.

Craig

Re: Winterizing Option?

Reply #29 – October 21, 2013, 10:33:57 pm

Craig, that is one place I would not want it to go!!
If you are going the RV Antifreeze route disconnect the line from tank to pump and use a line from the container to pump and suck straight from it. I would definitly keep that tank clear and empty and drain open, what can happen to it then?
John H

Re: Winterizing Option?

Reply #30 – October 21, 2013, 11:53:36 pm

Craig, just like John said. Isconnect the water line ate the filter side of the pump, (no tools required on mine), hook up a short 1/2" oer 3/8" line with the correct firting to the pump and put in a bucket with at least a couple gallons of antifreeze. It takes about a gallon to fill the pressure tank. You should not get any into the fresh water tank doing it this way.

John, I use compressed air at 30-40 psi connected to the city water hose. I open the tank fill solenoid and then the tank drain valve till nothing but air comes out, close it and then each of the hot and cold line drain valves one at a time till nothing comes out but air and then each of the inside faucets one at a time, hot then cold till nothing but air. I am pretty sure there is nothing in there but air. Maybe 20 minutes.

When I pump antifreeze through the system and repeat the process in the order above till pink stuff comes out there is almost always a but of water that comes out first, especially in the bathroom sink. I don't know, I jaut play it safe, always have.

What ever works for you ... Go for it.

Roger

Re: Winterizing Option?

Reply #31 – October 22, 2013, 08:50:28 am

I winterized yesterday and it took me one hour: 45 minutes to drain the water tank (about 30 gals) and hot water heater (10 gals), and 15 minutes to:
1. Drain all water lines & tank. Remove water filters and cap these (Utility bay & kitchen ADC filter)
2. connect the suction hose & turn the Camco valve at the water pump inlet to suction position.
3. Turn the H/W Heater bi-pass valve
4. Insert the suction hose to a 5 gal pail full of 4 gals of anti freeze
5. Close all lines/faucets and turn water pump on until it shuts off
6. Start opening systems as follows: Utility bay faucet, shower, bath faucet, toilet, kitchen faucet & water filter spigot, Splendide.
As you can see, emptying the tanks takes the longest. During that waiting time I usually remove all groceries, spices, bottled water and any other provisions in the coach which may attract unwanted visitors during storage. In the meantime the genset gets some exercise and all other systems get their exercise after winterizing and a 30 mile drive, then to storage slip.

Re: Winterizing Option?

Reply #32 – October 22, 2013, 11:32:51 am

Peter,
What about the U-Line icemaker?
Even after close attention, I lost the fill valve twice.
Neal

Re: Winterizing Option?

Reply #33 – October 22, 2013, 11:35:55 am

Forrest doesn't have a U Line. We use that space for groceries storage.

Edit: does U Line or Foretravel have a Winterizing guide/procedure?

Re: Winterizing Option?

Reply #34 – October 22, 2013, 01:51:23 pm

Turn off the pump.
Drain and bypass the water heater.
Drain the fresh water, gray and black tanks.
Blow the lines out with compressed air.
Turn on the pump.
Pump in the pink stuff at via the brass Camco adapter.
Turn off the pump.
Blow out the pink stuff with compressed air.
Set the water heater bypass back to normal.

Come springtime, just fill with fresh water, turn on the pump and head out on your next adventure.

Re: Winterizing Option?

Reply #35 – October 22, 2013, 10:20:29 pm

When I blow everything down with air, I flush the toilet until air blows freely and the spurting stops. I also blow out the wand flush hose and lay it down so that any residual will flow to the spray head. When I put antifreeze in the black tank, I pour it into the toilet and then flush it so that the ball valve is covered with a little antifreeze. I also leave the drains open and mid-position all valves. A key thing for me is to make sure that the air pressure is 30 to 40 pounds so that you get a good blow to cary out the water. I have disconnected the water line to the ice maker and have it plugged off and coiled. I just loosen the plug and blow that little line down good. Well, so far it works for me. thanks and have a great day ---- Fritz

Re: Winterizing Option?

Reply #36 – October 24, 2013, 06:56:02 pm

Blowing air through the lines seems to work for some people, but the most sure method is to blow air through the lines and then add RV antifreeze at the pump. (For Aqua-Hot owners the antifreeze method is required.) It only takes five gallons or so to winterize, and it's really pretty inexpensive insurance.

Re: Winterizing Option?

Reply #37 – October 24, 2013, 08:08:07 pm

I place cube heaters in the plumbing bays, fill water up, turn furnace temperature to 6o degrees, open all cabinet doors with plumbing, plug into 50amp service, and have a 250 gallon propane tank plumbed into the coach. In that way I can leave for warmer places on the drop of a hat.

Re: Winterizing Option?

Reply #38 – October 24, 2013, 11:13:01 pm

Peter ... and anyone else interested ...

I found this somewhere a couple years ago. A Foretravel specific winterizing guide. I think the author is Joseph Alford.

Roger

Re: Winterizing Option?

Reply #39 – October 25, 2013, 08:20:29 am

Quote from: Home2fromHastings – October 24, 2013, 11:13:01 pm

Peter ... and anyone else interested ...

I found this somewhere a couple years ago. A Foretravel specific winterizing guide. I think the author is Joseph Alford.

Roger

Excellent resource! Thanks for posting.

Re: Winterizing Option?

Reply #40 – October 25, 2013, 08:30:53 am

Thanks a bunch Roger. Nice to see pictures and FT specific instructions. Only thing better would be to watch YouTube videos of the procedure.
We hope to store our U320 w/ aqua-hot in an enclosed pole barn with access to power. I'll winterize for the insurance of mind it brings but will also have the heat on at about 55*. Also considering running an exhaust line outside for the diesel mode.

Re: Winterizing Option?

Reply #41 – October 25, 2013, 08:42:02 am

Good Morning Folks:

After reading the FT winterizing procedure posted by Roger I have a question, hopefully someone will be able to answer.

I see one of the steps is to drain the air system. Should the coach be level? If so that means the air system is in use, so, if I am correct if I drain the air system the leveling system will be deactivated. This tells me that leveling is not needed while in storage, is that correct? I am new to this air system thing.

On driving the coach during storage, I really do not want to do that here. Reason, salt is used extensively on the roads here. It is a mixture of about 40% salt and 60% sand. So when you drive, even on nice days that dust you pick up is loaded with salt. Not a good thing for our FT. So I have chosen not to drive it this winter, however I will run it in place at least once a month.

Please your thoughts on this.

Thanks
Norm

Re: Winterizing Option?

Reply #42 – October 25, 2013, 08:55:48 am

Quote from: Home2fromHastings – October 24, 2013, 11:13:01 pm

Peter ... and anyone else interested ...

I found this somewhere a couple years ago. A Foretravel specific winterizing guide. I think the author is Joseph Alford.

Roger

Roger,

Great find. I did not have this file. Thanks bunches as it makes crystal clear what folks should do for winterizing their Foretravels.

Re: Winterizing Option?

Reply #43 – October 25, 2013, 10:31:44 am

I have a removable plug in the side on my RV garage/barn near the generator and Aquahot exhaust pipes. If I want to run either one in the barn even with the doors open I use an exhaust hose like they use at service places. A hose clamp secures it to the exhaust pipe and it is long enough to stick out 5 or 6 ft from the barn. The 2" size is big enough.

The generator exhaust is not as hot as the Aquahot exhaust. From a cold start the Aquahot will heat the rubber hose up to the point that it starts to smell a bit but it hasn't melted it

Garage Exhaust Flare-Lok Rubber Duct Hose, Black, 2" ID, 11' Length:

As far as driving in the winter ... I hesitate to do it for the same reason as Norm. My coach lived the first 10 years of its life in CA. The owners told us it had never even been driven in rain! I swore I would never drive it in the snow but we got stuck in a snow storm last winter heading south. I wait until we have nice clear weather for a few days and the roads are clear and dry. Colder is better. I let the coach warm up for about 10-15 minutes and then I drive slowly and directly to the nearby highway and drive about 12 miles one way to an easy turn around at a truck stop and back. Everything is up to temp and has had a chance to move.

Lots of opinions one way or the other about idling to warm up in the winter without driving. Use the search tool to find them. If I get out three times I'm doing OK.

After I first got back from CA, I bought several cans of 3M spray-on undercoating. I checked bulkhead bolts, they seemed ok, and then sprayed the front and rear bulkhead joints as well as i could as well as the long round tube transmission fluid heat exchanger. Whenever I was the coach i hose off everything underneath as well as I can especially the wheel wells. I have been respraying with undercoating in the fall before storage.

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Re: Winterizing Option?

Reply #44 – October 25, 2013, 10:42:00 am

Norm,

I think what you are asking about is draining the water trap in the air system. On my coach it is underneath the side of the coach on the driver's side near the rear wheels.. There is a label on the bottom side of the coach. Reach underneath and you will find a small valve that you can open. If there is any water there it will come out. When it is just air you can close it. Usually just a few seconds is enough.

Roger

Re: Winterizing Option?

Reply #45 – October 29, 2013, 08:00:52 am

Thanks Roger,:
I have been busy this last few days and just read your reply. Will do that today, temp this morning was 22. Yesterday had the oil changed and lubed so I will be ready go in the spring.

I have to store outdoors so I had a gravel and sand pad put down. I plan on laying a tarp down on the pad and on top of that I will put 2x12 hemlock boards down and drive onto them getting to tires totally off the ground. I also have a cover to put on once everything else is complete.

The winters up here in Maine can be pretty rough, hopefully I have everything done correctly. I think I will know how well I did in the spring. The coldest it has been since we moved here 9 years ago was 29 below. That was cold.

Norm

Re: Winterizing Option?

Reply #46 – October 29, 2013, 09:51:06 am

Reading through this thread with much interest. I noticed one member mentioned leaving the block heater on for extended periods of time. Any downside to this? Any chance of harming the heater element or causing problems with the engine?

Re: Winterizing Option?

Reply #47 – October 29, 2013, 09:52:21 am

Quote from: sawdust316 – October 29, 2013, 08:00:52 am

The coldest it has been since we moved here 9 years ago was 29 below. That was cold.

Norm

Sorry, but that is just wrong! Glad someone does their civic duty and lives in all those cold places.

Re: Winterizing Option?

Reply #48 – October 29, 2013, 04:39:26 pm

Quote from: cajk – October 29, 2013, 09:51:06 am

Reading through this thread with much interest. I noticed one member mentioned leaving the block heater on for extended periods of time. Any downside to this? Any chance of harming the heater element or causing problems with the engine?

One downside would be the cost of electricity. Nothing in the engine should suffer from even very cold temperatures if the coach is parked. It would be a good practice for an emergency vehicle or backup generator. I don't understand why one would leave the block heater on for an RV in storage. (There is a lot in this world that I don't understand!

)

Re: Winterizing Option?

Reply #49 – October 29, 2013, 05:08:50 pm

They can short out and cause a fire. Had a friend who lost a GMC 3/4 ton truck to a shorted block heater.

Roland

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