Too Many Winterizing Steps?

[herons]

I have a Scamp, front bath, with water heater cut-off. These are (roughly) the winterizing steps I followed last year. I think I have too many steps! What can I eliminate? For some reason, I didn't have any antifreeze come out of the city water connection, which is the second to last step.

I may be a "senior" poster but I am a newbie still. I've been a teardrop camper forever and am still new to FGRVs.

Suggestions welcome!

Peg


1. Turn Faucets to the OFF position. Drain both gray and black tanks.

2. Open all faucets, including shower faucet. Drain fresh water tank. (Leave faucets open!) Close the petcock when the water is completely drained.

*With the fresh water tank empty, run the water pump for thirty seconds or so to evacuate most remaining water.

3. Remove the water heater drain plug.

4. Pour 2 gallons of RV antifreeze into the fresh water tank. Close all faucets.

5. Turn on the demand pump.

6. Close by-pass valve for water heater once the antifreeze has filled the heater inlet line.

7. Open the closest cold water faucet until antifreeze comes out, then close it. Do the same in the bathroom sink and shower. Flush the toilet and leave it empty.

8. Furthest first and with a rag over the faucet outlet, open hot water faucet at the shower, then the cold. Antifreeze will flow backward to the hot water lines to the tank. Close hot water faucet when antifreeze comes out of water heater tank drain.

9. With rag over spout, open hot water faucet at kitchen sink until antifreeze solution appears at water heater drain. Repeat with the cold faucet. Close the cold and then the hot faucet.

10. Shut off the demand pump. Open water heater inlet ball valve again (located on blue water line next to water heater) for a few seconds to be certain antifreeze is protecting the water heater feed line. Then CLOSE valve.

11. Re-install water heater drain plug.

12. Pour antifreeze down the bathroom sink and shower floor trap and run the drain pump.

13. Press the valve located underneath mesh filter of the city water connection to release back pressure. Hold until antifreeze appears.

14. Open all faucets to prevent pressure build-up over the winter.

[Casita Greg]

If you have an air compressor, or access to one, why don't you just blow out all the water lines, faucet by faucet, and the toilet valve too?) Also remove the HWH anode and drain the heater's reservoir, (leave the bypass valve open while blowing out the lines,) and you're done. Just make up an adapter fitting with a male air fitting to a male garden hose fitting, and put it on your trailer city water inlet. (Open a faucet or two before applying air pressure, you don't want to pressurize the water lines to full shop air compressor pressure.) If you're concerned about any water in the line from and to the water pump, just break a fitting loose on each side of the check valve. Put a shop towel under it to catch any residual water from the line. Adding all that pink anti-freeze is not only a lot of extra work to get into the lines, but it is also a lot of extra work to flush in the spring as well. If you blow out the lines you don't need anti-freeze. At least that's the way I "winterize" my rig.

Air hose to garden hose adapter is just a garden hose threaded male blank plug that I drilled and tapped for threading in the air fitting with some teflon tape. Easy build.

[mary and bob]

Air hose to garden hose adapter is just a garden hose threaded male blank plug that I drilled and tapped for threading in the air fitting with some teflon tape. Easy build.[/QUOTE]

Also available ready made online and another version with a tire type (schrader) valve in it.

[SteveSmith]

You can eliminate all those steps by moving to Florida!!

[SteveSmith]

Is there a max pressure that is recommended so you don't blow out anything in the system?

[k0wtz]

steve that is funny I was amazed to see all the water lines not buried in fla.

bob

[SteveSmith]

Yeah. I am in Alabama. But I go to Florida a lot. If it freezes down there, all of our orange juice prices go up!!

[mary and bob]

Originally Posted by SteveSmith

Is there a max pressure that is recommended so you don't blow out anything in the system?

I set the regulator on my air compressor to 40 psi. That is normal water pressure in many places, or in my home anyhow. You could go a little higher if a faucet is kept open. Which brings up the topic of using a pressure regulator on your city water connection.

[Gerry]

I winterize campers and this past weekend got one done in 15 minutes.
By-pass on water heater done
Drain water heater
Set air compressor to 40 lbs.
Blow out water lines one at a time till all water is out, don't forget toilet
Hook up my portable water pump to city inlet and pump in antifreeze again till all taps run pink
take shower hose off and drain
Dump gray and black and water tanks
Close valves and pour about cup of water into shower and sink traps and some in toilet bowl
put about 1 cup in water heater leave plug out

DONE

[mary and bob]

Gerry, I'm sure you mean pour antifreeze into the traps, not water !!

[Ttocs M]

I bought a winterization program at local authorized Scamp repair and let them do it. I empty the black/grey water tanks before taking it in.....they do not put antifreeze in the fresh water tank and I won't let them...nothing to freeze if water is blown out of hoses, etc. they do clean out air intake valves of any spider nests. I cover all heater/furnace vent doors with fiberglass insulation.

[Casita Greg]

Originally Posted by mary and bob

Air hose to garden hose adapter is just a garden hose threaded male blank plug that I drilled and tapped for threading in the air fitting with some teflon tape. Easy build.

Also available ready made online and another version with a tire type (schrader) valve in it.[/QUOTE]

Yes, but then, where's the fun in just going out and buying one. To a tinkerer, the fun is in making stuff...

[Casita Greg]

Originally Posted by SteveSmith

Is there a max pressure that is recommended so you don't blow out anything in the system?

While it isn't uncommon for "city water" pressure to be around 50-60 lbs, there have been places I've been to with pressure of 100 lbs. Waaaaaaay to much for the Casita, (or any other trailer's,) piping system. Having a regulated air pressure reduced to under 50 psi should be safe, but I would advise against using most shop compressors that are set to 100 psi. Same reason that you should use a pressure regulator on your city water supply line as well. If you happen to find one of those super-high psi water systems, it could damage your pipes and fittings.

As far as blowing out the trailer's water lines, you really don't need more than 5-10 psi. It's not about pressure, it's all about volume. You want a lot of air flow, not a lot of air pressure.

[ehoepner]

I used to just blow mine out with air and then put anti freeze in the traps. Became concerned about the water left in the pump head and check valve. Was having trouble with the check valve the first couple of trips the next year.

Sooooo;

I open a sink valve to relieve water pressure then turn it off.
Drain the fresh water tank.
Turn the isolation valve on the water heater.
Remove the anode to drain the water heater.
Change the valve in front of the water pump to suck antifreeze from the gallon bottle of antifreeze.
Turn on the pump.
Open each water Faucet and the toilet until antifreeze comes out.
Reset the valve in front of the water pump.
Remove the antifreeze container and pour antifreeze on top of the toilet valve.
Reinstall the anode.
Close the water drain valve on the fresh water tank.

[herons]

[QUOTE=herons;667439]I have a Scamp, front bath, with water heater cut-off. These are (roughly) the winterizing steps I followed last year. I think I have too many steps! What can I eliminate? For some reason, I didn't have any antifreeze come out of the city water connection, which is the second to last step.

I need to know how to winterize without blowing out the lines. I don't have a compressor and don't have access to one.

So back to my original question: can I eliminate any of the steps mentioned in my post?

Peg

[Tom 72]

I skimmed most of the posts. You can probably get the adapter for connecting an air hose to your fresh water intake at Home Depot. Mine resembles the brass one pictured but is PVC plastic. Might be in sprinkler section, or in RV section at Wal Mart.

[mary and bob]

Originally Posted by Casita Greg

Also available ready made online and another version with a tire type (schrader) valve in it.

Yes, but then, where's the fun in just going out and buying one. To a tinkerer, the fun is in making stuff...[/QUOTE]

I make stuff all the time too. I know Peg, the OP, have camped with her, and she is a very capable person but likely doesn't have a pipe tap, so just wanted to point out the other options. I was lazy and bought the ready made one when I was ordering some other stuff.

[Tom 72]

Pardon me Mary & Bob, I missed your earlier post about the adapter.

[mary and bob]

[QUOTE=herons;
.

So back to my original question: can I eliminate any of the steps mentioned in my post?

Peg[/QUOTE]

So Peg, after wandering off your original question, I have to say I don't know the answer. My opinion is that since you don't have an air compressor, the steps you listed seems to be a very good method of insuring that no water remains in the system. Probably best to do all those steps.

[Gerry]

OMG Water in the traps???? oppps I did mean anti-freeze