To Pink or not to pink

[sixkilo]

I am looking for advice on the use of antifreeze in water lines. I plan on using the unit on occasion during the winter as an escape pod from WNC mountains. The unit is a Minnie Winnie with all tanks between floors. I will have the heat pump plugged in as well. It has ducts in between floor and cargo. I have the lines blown out now and all tanks empty. What temp range will this arrangement sustain? I could also place space heaters in cargo if needed. Any thoughts or glaring oversights? Of course as winter progresses or low 20's appear I will apply the pink. Thanks

[jacwjames]

Where do you live, how often does it get below 20??

I live in East TN. What I normally do is blow out the lines, no PINK stuff. When I blow the lines I completely drain all water by gravity first and then attach the compressor via a air valve to the water connection, set the compressor to 40psi. I then alternate to each faucet and let the compressed air blow. I go round and round until I get NO water coming from any source. I also flush toilet. I've done this on 2 different RV's and have not had a problem.

Last year we intended to use the coach at Christmas so I put an extra heater in the basement hooked to 120 volt circuit but I used a thermostat plug I bought at Lowes that kicks on at ~38 degrees. I do the same thing in the coach itself. I also use 2 wireless temp monitors, one upstairs and one downstairs & I monitor the temp from the house. This worked well and limited the use of power.

Good luck

[Cbones]

In over 10 years I have not used pink anti freeze in the water lines and never a problem. Buy or make an air fitting to attach to water supply inlet and use compressed air. It is cheap, fast, and imparts no flavor to your water. Iit also allows for fast de-winterization. I only use a small amount of pink in all the drains. Make sure to limit the pressure to 45 lbs to prevent over stressing the lines.

[mel s]

Originally Posted by sixkilo

I am looking for advice on the use of antifreeze in water lines. I plan on using the unit on occasion during the winter as an escape pod from WNC mountains. The unit is a Minnie Winnie with all tanks between floors. I will have the heat pump plugged in as well. It has ducts in between floor and cargo. I have the lines blown out now and all tanks empty. What temp range will this arrangement sustain? I could also place space heaters in cargo if needed. Any thoughts or glaring oversights? Of course as winter progresses or low 20's appear I will apply the pink. Thanks

sixkilo
I have never used pink in, (or "blown out"), my fresh water system for winter storage in Wisconsin, (where temps drop as low as -30 F).
I simply "gravity drain" EVERYTHING in the system, and have NEVER had a freeze related problem.
BTW, that's NOT my recommendation..... (just what I do).
Mel
'96 Safari, 132k miles

[jacwjames]

Yes, I also do pour some of the PINK stuff down all the drains and make sure Black and Grey tanks are empty with Pink stuff at the drains valves.

[Hikerdogs]

We also live in Wisconsin, but have use RV antifreeze in our motorhomes for the last 14 years. I'm not willing to take the chance that there isn't a low spot in one of the water lines where water that didn't get blown out will accumulate and freeze.

As for the heat pump it will only work down to temperatures in the mid to high 30's. After that the system (at least on our Adventurers) automatically switches to gas heat. Another and more important thing is the heat pump doesn't heat the storage cabinets or tank areas. The heat comes through the ceiling outlets, not through the floor outlets and ducts to the storage compartments.

[Firebug5]

You will find there are basically 2 different camps concerning winterizing, those that swear by blowing compressed air thru the water lines and then leaving them dry, and those of us that drain everything using the leveling jacks and gravity, then pumping in the pink stuff. Most agree to leave the fresh water tank and water heater drained and empty. Most agree to pour some pink stuff in all the P-traps and gray and black tanks to protect the valves, etc. I like to keep everything lubed year-round, others swear they hate the taste of the pink stuff. We sanitize everything before using the coach, and do not notice it. Obviously both camps work, I suggest you try both during the next few years and see what works best for you. BTW, I can winterize my coach in about 30 minutes, and it only takes 2-3 gallons of the pink stuff.

Bruce

[sixkilo]

Thanks everyone. I live at 2600 foot near Asheville. Last winter we had 8 below and single digits are common. But that is what keeping the MH road ready is to avoid. I thought small heaters in cargo bays under plumbing would be a good idea, and an infrared in the living space as well. I will put pink in traps and toilet just to be safe. Of course a chief concern will be what sort of heaters are the safest. This is our first MH and I am learning quickly with help from folks like you.

[Firebug5]

Originally Posted by sixkilo

Thanks everyone. I live at 2600 foot near Asheville. Last winter we had 8 below and single digits are common. But that is what keeping the MH road ready is to avoid. I thought small heaters in cargo bays under plumbing would be a good idea, and an infrared in the living space as well. I will put pink in traps and toilet just to be safe. Of course a chief concern will be what sort of heaters are the safest. This is our first MH and I am learning quickly with help from folks like you.

Where do you go to escape the winter? We always end up at a campground with full hook ups, so de-winterizing is a snap. Personally, I do not like using heaters inside my coach while vacant for extended periods. Maybe it is just the retired firefighter in me. . . I found the pink stuff on sale at True Value this year for $1.50 per gallon, probably a lot cheaper than running several electric heaters.

Bruce

[csrrsr]

I'm in the pink camp. It's just too easy to suck it up into the system and flush out when we want to use the coach. Hot water tank, fresh, gray and black are all empty. We never have taste issues with the water after it's flushed out.

[mel s]

Originally Posted by Firebug5

You will find there are basically 2 different camps concerning winterizing, those that swear by blowing compressed air thru the water lines and then leaving them dry, and those of us that drain everything using the leveling jacks and gravity, then pumping in the pink stuff. Most agree to leave the fresh water tank and water heater drained and empty. Most agree to pour some pink stuff in all the P-traps and gray and black tanks to protect the valves, etc., others swear they hate the taste of the pink stuff. We sanitize everything before using the coach, and do not notice it.
Bruce

Firebug5
Make that 3 different camps.
Some of us neither "blow out" or "use the pink stuff" in our fresh water lines.
BTW some don't "sanitize" every year....(my water system has only been sanitized twice in 18 years).
Mel
'96 Safari

[Murf2u]

I use my Class C quite often for long weekend / short distance trips, but a couple longer time & distance trips during the cold season.

By blowing the lines I never have to do anything but add water once I'm in a warm enough area.

When heading back to cold area I just pull all the gravity drains and open all the taps for a while. When I'm back home I give it a shot of compressed air to be sure I got all the low spots then pack it away till next time.

Rinsing out pink stuff in freezing temps or while in transit is a PITA.

[wa8yxm]

Rinsing the pink out is a job. I blow the lines 5-10 times (Pausing a few minutes between blows) and figure if the air ever freezes I won't be worrying about the RV (or rather that is how I did it when I wintered in MI).

use pink in drains, traps and such were you do not need to flush it out, it flushes in normal use.

[Cooperhawk]

Okay, get ready to say, "Oh No...."

For years I have not used the pink stuff, rather I purchase the cheapest Vodka I can find and pump it through the lines. There are advantages.
1. It works as anti-freeze.
2. It's tasteless.
3. It sanitizes.
4. If you want you can have a heck of a party in the Spring.
5. In the long run it doesn't cost much more.

I've heard all the old wives tales about what it would do, but we've had absolutely no problems over more than 10 years.