HOW do you blow out your trailer water lines?

[Karalyn]

This is my first winter to have to winterize a camper. How do I blow out those water lines. I drained out the water today,
Please don't laugh, but I really do not understand how to blow the lines out.
Do I just blow into the water lines through a hose, or do I take the Casita to the gas station and use the tire air hose? OR???????
My directions say to use a BLOW OUT PLUG. What is that????????

[Per Walthinsen]

Karalyn:

The blow-out plug replaces the cap for the City Water hookup (where you attach the garden hose). It has a Schrader valve on it (car tire valve).

You hook up either a gas station (a bother, have never tried it) tire hose to it or use a compressor with the right attachment. Then you open each faucet/shower valve/toilet valve in turn and give it some air. Wait until you get no more water, just air, which means you have forced the water out. Worked well for me, but I think I'm going to use a water heater bypass system and the water pump to pump the pink stuff into the system instead.

[Alf S.]

This is my first winter to have to winterize a camper. How do I blow out those water lines. I drained out the water today,
Please don't laugh, but I really do not understand how to blow the lines out.
Do I just blow into the water lines through a hose, or do I take the Casita to the gas station and use the tire air hose? OR???????
My directions say to use a BLOW OUT PLUG. What is that????????

Hi: You huff and you puff and you go to your local R.V. dealer and buy a blow out plug ... make sure to leave the taps open when you attach the plug...Oh heck I dont really know as I have never done it either...First time for every body...Regards Alf S. North shore of Lake Erie

[Frederick L. Simson]

a BLOW OUT PLUG. What is that????????

I can't help you. Southern Californians are wusses. We don't do winter.

[Gina D.]

I'm no help here......

[Kent]

So if I live in Montana I'm not a Wuss?

Karalyn, attach is a picture of a brass blow out plug. They have plastic ones but brass would be better. Also a pic of the back side of water heater with by pass valve.

Also, here is a link that describes winterizing your RV with RV Antifreeze.

Winterizing Your RV

You can blow out your system and leave it at that but most folks like to use the RV Antifreeze as well because it does two things, one keep your water lines from freezing and two it helps keep your rubber O-Rings/Gaskets lubricated on the different fixtures.

If you want to use the RV Antifreeze as well, make sure you have the bypass valve kit installed on your water heater so you don't fill the water heater with six gallons of the pink stuff. One to two gallons is all that is needed for our little eggs!

[Roger H]

Karalyn,

The blow-out plug and air compressor setup is easy to do, but takes a fair amount of time, and you have to take the water pump assembly apart to drain the pump and screen. You have to either buy a Schrader valve fitting for your compressor that clamps to the blow-out valve, or have someone help you as you will need to make sure there is no water vapor at all blowing out of the lines at each faucet before you finish. It's effective, but takes a fair amount of time. You're probably much better off and time ahead to spend a few minutes to install a water heater by-pass and anti-freeze pickup at the pump, and use the pink RV anti-freeze.

<= Click on the "Winterizing" tab on the left here for a new brief photo tutuorial on how to do it.

Roger

[Per Walthinsen]

Karalyn:

The indications in another thread is that for me the PEX plumbing is not a guarantee against freezing. So, after trying both the blow-out and the antifreeze methods I agree with Roger that the antifreeze method is more convenient and certain.

If you can access the back of the water heater you can just add a commercially available water heater bypass kit without much trouble. In mine there is an access problem and I had to cobble together the plumbing which ended up looking like a Rube Goldberg setup. Fortunately the PEX system goes together well and there was no leak (great stuff). The other part of it is a replacement water heater drain plug which can be opened or closed by hand.

As mentioned in the other thread, one beauty of the antifreeze system is that it can be activated easily in that isolated campground without any tools and a minimal amount of time. Just bring a gallon of the pink stuff and you can do it in a flash.

[Karalyn]

Hopefully I will find one of those pump thingies by that fresh water tank. I need to disconnect the line though. Hope I get it tight enough when I hook it back up. I am not the brave one here to do all this stuff, but once I learn, hopefully it will be better next year.
By the way I am not a dumb blond even tho I may sound like one. (dumb brunette here)
Don't be surprised if I am back asking more questions as I proceed on this.
I assume if there is a wee bit of water in the system somewhere if won't freeze if I empty out all the water I can and then put that antifreeze in.
Sure hope the mice don't crawl into that hot water tank with the antidote out!

THANKS FOR ALL THE HELP EVERYONE!