Michele- Greetings from another newbie......no such thing as dumb questions here!!! Since I am giving a seminar at the
Rally on this subject (!!) I will chime in on what I have gleaned from my short experience and a bit of winter camping as well. I am hoping that more seasoned RVers will add to this.
You have it pretty much right- First, open the fresh water tank drain and get rid of the antifreeze in there. Fill up your fresh tank with water and let it drain to flush it out well. If your water heater has a bypass valve (imagine so) locate it and 'open' so that the water heater is not isolated (bypassed) from the system. Next, check the anode rod in the water heater to see if it is removed....If the previous owner fully winterized, it will be removed from the tank. If not, look for a large "nut" (1-1/16" on my suburban heater, not sure about atwoods). Remove the anode, teflon or anti-seize the threads and re-install.
City water will be more efficient in flushing the system, but as the fresh tank drains water, first run the pump a bit to clear it of antifreeze. Now hook up your city water and "bleed" each hot/cold sink line and the toilet supply separately until clear water runs. You should also hear the water heater fill when you hook up the city water (again, the pump will do it too but slower).
That's about it...........sounds alot harder than it is. Once the water heater is filled, I would try
lighting it to be sure that the burner/venturi didn't become clogged through the storage season. Of course one should inspect
tires, inflation, lug nuts, bearing grease and trailer wiring/lights when bringing the trailer out of storage. Better yet, go winter camping......it's a hoot. In the early/late winter seasons, I'll winterize but can still pull into a CG, hook up city water and "quick flush" the water system except the fresh tank and pump. I leave antifreeze in the water tank and when breaking camp simply run the pump to pull antifreeze back thru the system.....this takes about 5 min each way and extends the self contained season nicely! In these conditions remember to disconnect the city water hose, drain and cap before you retire since this is the first thing to freeze. I learned this thru experience....