Community Forums

buddy110 · 01-11-2017, 04:53 AM

Hi ladies and gents,
I will be taking delivery of my Insignia in a week or so. I live in NY and it's cold up here

. As part of my PDI I want to test the plumbing, especially, unplugged. Mostly, I want to be sure the pump works properly. I won't hydrate the washer-dryer, just the sinks and toilet, etc. Afterwards, it will be stored inside in an unheated facility. However, I will be traveling down south for a weekend trip in February.

My questions concern winterizing/protecting the coach in between the PDI and my trip..

Does the LP version of aqua hot require winterization? I realize the hydro heat in the floor is a closes system, but what about the water heater side?

Second question. What source of heat is used in the basement? Does the aqua hot function as a furnace as well? Will the basement heat prevent any residual water left in the tanks from freezing?

I do have access to 50 amp power where it's stored, but it's an hour away. If there is a power outage I won't know until it's potentially to late.

Thanks in advance for your responses

Dr4Film · 01-11-2017, 05:07 AM

The Aqua-Hot does NOT require winterizing as the boiler tank already has a 50/50 mixture of boiler coolant and distilled water. However, the fresh water loop inside the Aqua-Hot should be winterized along with the rest of the hot water delivery system plus the cold water supply system. Don't forget the drains, ice maker water supply lines and the washer/dryer.

There should be a heat exchanger in your tank bay that will keep the tank bay warm providing that your Aqua-Hot remains active and running.

If you are unsure about the reliability of power to the coach then I would winterize it all and not worry about it freezing.

Dr4Film ----- Richard

jbhobbs54 · 01-11-2017, 05:07 AM

Once you have put water in the system and pressurized it, the whole system could have water in it. You will have to run the Aquahot system the entire storage time to keep the pipes from freezing. I wouldn't want to take any chances living where you do. We live in the north and store in a unheated building, so it gets winterized.

buddy110 · 01-11-2017, 05:49 AM

Realistically, how long will a 50gal LP last under such conditions? 3-4 days?

brobox · 01-11-2017, 05:59 AM

Two choices, Pressurize the water system with the pump. It's already winterized with anti freeze from Entegra If the pump does not cycle every couple of minutes, there are no water line leaks and it is holding pressure. You'll have to hope on the drain lines. Entegra does do a good pressure test at the factory.

Second choice would be run water then re-winterize.

The AH heat zones you can test away on, the boiler fluid is good to 32 below. As for testing the stir pump, that is hard to do without spending time in the MH and taking a shower. Many spend 3 or 4 days in the coach at the dealer, or close by for those reasons. There are things that will not show up in a few hour PDI. Like being able to bake a sheet of cookies in a Samsung Microwave.

That is a test I would do on the inspection. Cookie dough from the store and the metal tray the comes with the microwave work fine for the test.

jestal · 01-11-2017, 09:19 PM

If you are just interesting in making sure the pump works pick up a six gallon case of RV antifreeze and take it with you for the delivery. use the winterization hose on the pickup side of the pump to suck the anti-freeze into the system. You can check all faucets and such using antifreeze and keep the winterization intact. it will probably be better than it was. If you have the winterize line in an antifreeze bottle and turn the city valve to horizontal the pump should push antifreeze into the water tank. You could put several gallons into the tank and then the pump would pick up anti freeze and test the system as if boon docking. just drain the tank when you leave on your trip and un-winterize in warmer climes. I left Mich with the system winterized like this and left it that way until we go far south then drained and filled the system with fresh water at a campground we trusted the water. I had concerns that if something happened to cause us to abandon the coach (tow, breakdown, etc) I did not want to risk having any water in the coach due to the low temps at the time. I would never trust the aquahot system to keep the coach from freezing. it does great if you are there to monitor it but given the reliability of the aquahot and potential expense of a frozen line i would never risk it.