Winterizing tip for other dummies like me.

[dabrooks]

When I winterize I always drained the fresh water tank (make sure the pump is off) close the water heater bypass and then open the low point drains. Next I would take on the chore of draining the hot water heater. Of course I always tried not to get wet as the water came gushing out the drain hole when the plug was removed.

I didn't realize until today that on our Tiffin that if you leave the bypass in the normal position all the water will drain out thru the cold water low point drain. It does drain a little faster if you open the pressure relief valve. When all the water stopped running I took the drain plug out of the water heater and all the water was gone and I was dry. You still have to close the bypass to either blow air or use antifreeze.

I am sure 90 percent of you already knew this so it is only info for other dummies like me.

[monkey]

Any info like that is good info . Thanks ! I have looked but I don't believe our water heater has a bypass... As soon as I get it back from the shop, (hopefully this week) I will winterize it like I did our older class A ,,, drain the water tank and use air to purge the lines. (etc)

[jacwjames]

I actually like to have a decent amount coming out of the water heater plug while it is draining so that it flushes any sediment out of the tank. I have a long screw driver that I use to steer up the sediment so it all flushes out.

[09 harley]

Camco and others make a plastic water tank flushing wand that does a better job than a screwdriver. That can scratch the inside of an Atwood water tank. Not as likely on a Suburban because it is porcelain lined.

[dabrooks]

I flush mine out also. I have a nylon plug with a nipple on it that a hose attaches to. I screw that back into the drain plug hole and I slide a piece of drain hose over the nipple and turn the city water back on and flush the tank each fall and spring. The difference now is I won't get my shower when I initially drain it.

[monkey]

More good idea's... I remember the white stuff coming out of our old water heater..... I had let it dry out in the garage and used the air compressor to try to get more out, but these sound like better ideas....

[dabrooks]

My RV is in a building so I cut the end off an old garden hose. I slide it over the low point drain line and put the other end out the door. I use the same hose to slide over the tank drain nipple when I flush the water heater. Before I realized I could drain the water heater with the low point drain I would try to screw the nipple in the water heater as quick as I could so all the water wouldn't get all over the floor and I could slide the hose on the nipple. I guess that's why I got extra wet.

By the way the nylon nipples are available at Lowes and Home Depot.

[LandKO]

Last year (my first year of owning a Travel Trailer) I had the RV dealer winterize the TT (for big bucks by the way).
This year, I decided to do it myself.
To winterize the water system, I set the bypass for the water heater, opened all the faucets and opened the low point drains to drain the system. I then removed the water heater electric element to drain the tank (saw that the anode was wearing thin so ordered a new one). At the same time I opened the drain for the fresh water tank.
So far so good.

I then closed all the faucets in the trailer and prepared to fill the system with antifreeze solution. I closed off the valve from the water tank to the pump and opened the valve to the suction line. Inserted suction line into the antifreeze solution and turned on the pump.

Here is where thing went awry.
As I watched the antifreeze solution quickly being sucked from the container, waiting for the pump to pressurize the system, I realized I had a leak somewhere. It then came to me that I had never shut the low point drain valves and was pumping antifreeze solution overboard. DUH!

Good thing I bought two gallons of antifreeze because I had just pumped a half a gallon on the ground outside the trailer.

After I closed the overboard drain valves, everything went fine.

So my winterizing tip for dummy's is don't forget to close ALL valves before filling the system with antifreeze.