What are these switches for?

[jdo]

This may be stupid but I have two switches in the linen cabinet over the washer/dryer in my Journey DL 2002. One says "BY PASS" and the other says "Automatic Winterization". I have a whole pile of books and mannuals but none mention these two switches.
I replaced the engine batteries and got a alarm inside until I switched the By Pass switch. After a few minutes I switched it back and the alarm quit.
Confused Newbie.....

[Luv2go]

Doug:

Winnebago has complete wiring and plumbing schematics on their website (Manuals & Diagrams). I looked at a Body 12V wiring diagram for a P36GD (you didn't say exactly which model you have) and found the Bypass switch turns on a "Water Heater bypass" valve and the Winterization switch turns on a Winterization valve.

The plumbing diagram shows that the Water heater bypass valve does what you would expect, i.e. disconnect the water heater and connect hot and cold together so you don't have to use 10+ gal of "pink stuff" to winterize the water lines.

I don't understand why switching the bypass switch would silence the alarm you were getting.

I can't figure out what the Winterization valve does, maybe it allows the pump to suck the "pink stuff" from a hose somewhere and fill the lines. Hopefully an owner who has a similar system will tell you.

Good Luck!
Stewart

[AFChap]

The "bypass" switch triggers an electric solenoid located near the water heater so you can bypass the water heater when winterizing the fresh water system with anti-freeze.

The "winterization" switch triggers an identical solenoid (located right next to the bypass solenoid on my coach) that allows you to suck the pink RV antifreeze from a container directly into the water pipes/tubing. At your water pump, there is a clear plastic tube. It may have the end plugged. This is the tube you put into the antifreeze container.

Locating these two switches in the laundry closet in the inside rear of the motorhome was one of the most ridiculous arrangments ever. That, along with not having an on/off swith for the water pump located in the water pump compartment, makes winterization unnecessarily awkward. If I were still winterizing my coach rather than fulltiming, I would add a switch for each of the three right there where they are located in my coach in the water pump compartment beside the water heater.

[smlranger]

Paul has it right. I have the same coach. If you have a black bag with a bunch of brochures, you may find a separate small pamphlet on that system. There is no mention of it in the Journey owners manual.

Don't hesitate to ask any and all questions about your coach. There are so many helpful folks on this forum you can usually get an answer to most any question.

[jdo]

Something else I am concerned about is storage. When I had the unit winterized I left the unit plugged into a 30 amp outlet. There was nothing left on and it was handy to have the lights when I checked on the unit. I was then told not to plug the unit in so I unplugged it and did not check on it for about a month or very cold weather. That is when I found the start batteries had froze. They were both dead. Most people say they never heard of batteries freezing but some had.
Anyway I had them removed and purchased new ones. When they were installed the man I had installing them said when he hooked the first one up there were some small sparks which mean something was drawing from them. I check the coach and could not find anything. Should I remove the cables for storage? What could be draining the start batteries? We are planning on taking the unit to Fla in a few weeks and I would like to fix any issues before we find them on the road.
Thanks