Community Forums

Chuck17 · 10-18-2018, 09:50 AM

I want to winterize my Thor Axis. The manual tells me to by-pass the water heater, but it does not tell me how. Outside I have an in-line water heater compartment, but it is all electronics. This compartment looks nothing like the picture in the Owner's Manual. Inside, under the couch, I see all kinds of tubes, but I cannot figure out which may be a bypass. They are all hard to access as they are actually under the bathroom. Sigh.

1: With an in-line heater, should I just pump the antifreeze through it and ignore the bypass issue?

2: If I need to do the by-pass, where can I get clear instructions?

Thanks.

jelag · 10-18-2018, 10:40 AM

I install a connection to my shore water line and use a 50 psi air line and purge the lines... once this is done...

I open the drains to empty the water tanks and in my coach lines that are supposed to be low spots.. I have 4 of these....

I than open and pull the plug on the hot water heater and let it drain...

I leave OPEN all the lines and leave the plug in the hot water heater but with only one turn on the threads of the plug... I don't want any creature crawling into the tank but want what water is left to be able to skim over with ice and expand and contract as needed....

Hope this helps..

twinboat · 10-18-2018, 11:04 AM

If you have the tankless water heater, like my 2017 Axis, you can just blow it out or pump antifreeze thru it. It doesn't store water like a conventional water heater.

I had my head under the couch and saw a few valves back there, behind the heater, but I didn't look to hard because we are heading south so no need to winterize.

I also found some valves under the draws, under the stovetop or fridge, that may be low point drains.
Pull the draw all the way out, flip one tiny black lever up and the other down, to release the slide tracks.

Post here if you find any more surprises. I've found a few.

Hope this helps.

Chuck17 · 10-19-2018, 06:49 AM

Everything you said sounds great, but it's one step above my comprehension. I'm not sure of what I see when I lift the couch and don't even know if I should look anywhere else.

twinboat · 10-19-2018, 07:45 AM

Maybe hire a mobile RV repair guy to go over it all with you. Pick his brain for lots of info.

The Thor instructions, I got, are for a tank type water heater. With them, a bypass valve is needed otherwise all of your antifreeze would end up sitting in the water heater.

If you have the Girard GSWH-2, tankless water heater, and read its manual, it states a by pass is not required. Just use air pressure to blow out the water or pump antifreeze thru it to winterize it.