Bounder: Why so much antifreeze

[b1rider]

I winterized the ice maker and hot water heater earlier this week. I turned the bypass on on the water heater.

Today I decided to finish the winterizing by first blowing out the lines and then filling with the pink stuff. I know, I could have stopped with just the blow out but decided to do the pink stuff too.

This is my first time winterizing my RV, or any RV.

I started with 5 gallons and quickly ran out. Back to the store for 2 more gallons and those got sucked down pretty fast. I did hold out half of the 7th gallon to pour into the drains and the washer/dryer. I was able to run all the faucets, toilet, and shower but did not have enough to finish the washer. (Ended up using the compressor to blow out the lines to the washer). Why was this taking so much antifreeze? All the low point drains were closed, nothing on the ground or on the floor in the MH. I only flushed a small bowl of pink stuff down the toilet. Since the lines were blown out, would this be the reason?

I was using a large bucket to put the pink stuff in and using the hose in the bay with the water filter to pull it into the MH by way of the water pump. I did not pour the antifreeze into the fresh water tank. I'm missing a lot of antifreeze!!!

[LETMGROW]

Open the drain on your water heater. I think you will find the missing anti freeze.
Lynn

[96 Wideglide]

Sounds like it was either going into your fresh tank, or water heater .

[Bigd9]

If you want to use the pink stuff....go for it! There is no absolute right or wrong way.

Like other have said, all of that RV antifreeze is probably in the water heater tank.

How are you winterizing the washing machine?

[wildcatter]

I would open your water fresh water drain and your water heater drain to make sure it didn't get pumped in there by accident, maybe you have a defective valve, I have a 34ft 5th wheel and mine took three gallons.

[b1rider]

I double checked the water heater bypass today and it was pointing to bypass. I think you are right, the valve might not be working. I didn't have my 15/16 socket with me today so I couldn't check the HW tank but that is what I was thinking, it's all hiding in the hot water tank. I will also open the fresh water tank, it's got to be somewhere.

thanks for the help.

[b1rider]

Bigd9 - Preparing the washer/dryer. Let me see, I was pumping in the antifreeze and lost it while I was starting the wash. I had the selector on 3 for regular wash and the temperature to set to "hot". Antifreeze starting filling the barrel, so to speak. I turned the washer off, opened the door and poured in about half a gallon of antifreeze. Went to "drain" and number 9 and started it again and the antifreeze drained out. I then went back outside, hooked up the compressor and turned it on again to blow out the cold water line leading to the w/d. Turned it off and that was it.

[Salmon Run]

I have a 98 discovery and i used 1 gallon on the coach system running all tapes till i have antifreeze coming and then used 1 more gallon on the washing machine. I don't use any air as i find it drys out the fittings, i just flush the system in the spring with fresh water. i also remove my drain plug from the hw tank and leave it out till spring.

[LETMGROW]

I use pink anti freeze after blowing the lines out with compressed air.
I bought 36 gallons of anti freeze a few years ago when it was on sale for $2.50 per gallon buy one get one free at a local hardware store.
I do a couple things differently than some others. First I open all the faucets, open the low point drains, remove the drain plug from the water heater and drain the fresh water tank. I leave everything open over night. When I blow the lines out I also wrap a rag around a blow gun on my air hose and blow the P traps out in the kitchen and bath sinks and the shower.
After I have let the water drain all night I open the water heater bypass valve, close all the drains and faucets and pour 5 gallons of antifreeze into the fresh water tank. I then turn the on board water pump on and pressurize the system. I open the kitchen faucets until I see pink antifreeze flowing, move to the bath and open those faucets then do the shower. I always remove the shower head and hose and drain them and leave them off. I do the same with the outside shower. Lastly I flush the toilet until I see clear pink antifreeze flowing.
When I am done opening and closing everything I shut the pump off slide a clean 5 gallon pail under the fresh water drain and open the drain to capture the antifreeze left over. When the tank is done draining I close the drain valve. The outlet in the fresh water tank is in the side of the tank and is slightly above the bottom of the tank. A small amount of antifreeze remains in the tank which will be mixed with any residual water left in the tank helping to protect the tank during the below freezing winter months. I leave about 1/4" of antifreeze above the toilet valve to keep the valve lubricated while in storage. The water pump is lubed through this process.
All this takes about 3 gallons of antifreeze and I can rest knowing when I use my MH the next spring I won't have a leak in the water lines, pump or drains. I pour the remaining antifreeze back into the empty gallon jugs.
The P traps also have liquid in them which can or will prevent any odor backing up through the traps from the gray water tank. The gray water and black water tanks have liquid in them from the line flushing which keeps the tank bottoms wet while in storage.
Lynn

[tmw188]

Wow

[LETMGROW]

Originally Posted by tmw188

Wow

Thank you. Did I do good?
Lynn

[Sunny1]

Lynn,
You're very thorough in your process! The best part of it is when reading your post it made me realize that yesterday when my son and I winterized our RV we forgot a step. He's 13 and wanted to do everything himself, so I just gave him Step by step directions and watched. When we were towards the end we ended up distracted by something and never ran the outside shower hose to get the pink stuff running out, so my thanks goes out to you for making me realize we missed that!

The only potential flaw I see in your method is that when you recover the leftover pink stuff from your fresh water tank isn't it then diluted with the fresh water that it mixed with when you poured it in?

I

[LETMGROW]

Originally Posted by Sunny1

Lynn,
You're very thorough in your process! The best part of it is when reading your post it made me realize that yesterday when my son and I winterized our RV we forgot a step. He's 13 and wanted to do everything himself, so I just gave him Step by step directions and watched. When we were towards the end we ended up distracted by something and never ran the outside shower hose to get the pink stuff running out, so my thanks goes out to you for making me realize we missed that!

The only potential flaw I see in your method is that when you recover the leftover pink stuff from your fresh water tank isn't it then diluted with the fresh water that it mixed with when you poured it in?

I

The antifreeze drained out is somewhat diluted. I use what I drain out when I winterize my crop sprayer. It doesn't go back into the RV. I mark the jugs with a Sharpie so I don't mix them up.
The sprayer is stored in my pole barn and it never gets cold enough to freeze the diluted antifreeze.
I was going to mention this but I felt I had typed long enough already.
Good catch though.
I have all the steps I do recorded on paper which gets stored in the MH so I don't miss anything. The paper is currently 10 miles away in my stored MH. I just hope I did cover all the steps. If I didn't I'll let you know in the spring. LOL
Lynn

[b1rider]

Originally Posted by LETMGROW

I use pink anti freeze after blowing the lines out with compressed air.
I bought 36 gallons of anti freeze a few years ago when it was on sale for $2.50 per gallon buy one get one free at a local hardware store.
I do a couple things differently than some others. First I open all the faucets, open the low point drains, remove the drain plug from the water heater and drain the fresh water tank. I leave everything open over night. When I blow the lines out I also wrap a rag around a blow gun on my air hose and blow the P traps out in the kitchen and bath sinks and the shower.
After I have let the water drain all night I open the water heater bypass valve, close all the drains and faucets and pour 5 gallons of antifreeze into the fresh water tank. I then turn the on board water pump on and pressurize the system. I open the kitchen faucets until I see pink antifreeze flowing, move to the bath and open those faucets then do the shower. I always remove the shower head and hose and drain them and leave them off. I do the same with the outside shower. Lastly I flush the toilet until I see clear pink antifreeze flowing.
When I am done opening and closing everything I shut the pump off slide a clean 5 gallon pail under the fresh water drain and open the drain to capture the antifreeze left over. When the tank is done draining I close the drain valve. The outlet in the fresh water tank is in the side of the tank and is slightly above the bottom of the tank. A small amount of antifreeze remains in the tank which will be mixed with any residual water left in the tank helping to protect the tank during the below freezing winter months. I leave about 1/4" of antifreeze above the toilet valve to keep the valve lubricated while in storage. The water pump is lubed through this process.
All this takes about 3 gallons of antifreeze and I can rest knowing when I use my MH the next spring I won't have a leak in the water lines, pump or drains. I pour the remaining antifreeze back into the empty gallon jugs.
The P traps also have liquid in them which can or will prevent any odor backing up through the traps from the gray water tank. The gray water and black water tanks have liquid in them from the line flushing which keeps the tank bottoms wet while in storage.
Lynn

Thanks Lynn, very nice job of describing what you do. This looks like a check list in it's self.

Ben