Winterizing a Casita

[Joe Romas]

About the "bypass valve" on the water heater. I recall reading somewhere that if there is pressure in the fresh water system and the valve is turned it can mess up the rubber "O"ring inside the valve.

[slowpat]

I use a small, 1 gallon? tank style compressor and I find myself wishing for a bigger one. It takes many refill stops to get the air pressure back up. Have heard of using those tankless compressors, but I haven't tried one.

Anyway, I get the job done, but it just takes longer.

[Brian n Mary]

Locate your intake/suction side of your pump. Remove the hose/waterline fitting. Go to your local farm store and buy the matching fitting and a 3’ length of vinyl tubing to attach to the fitting. Now attach this to the intake/suction side of your pump and insert the tube into your favorite RV anti freeze and turn on your pump. Repeat as needed to have the pink stuff coming out of all of the faucets/toilet/shower heads. You do not need to add AF to your fresh water tank..just drain it. Also don’t need to blow out your water heater. Remove the anode and it’ll drain out so that it won’t freeze.

[Jann Todd]

Originally Posted by Joe Romas

About the "bypass valve" on the water heater. I recall reading somewhere that if there is pressure in the fresh water system and the valve is turned it can mess up the rubber "O"ring inside the valve.

If you drain the hot water heater and the fresh water tank and have the pump off then there's no pressure.

[LarryB.]

Originally Posted by Mr Lynn

Can anyone recommend a small compressor like the one the guy in video was using? Maybe even American-made?

Sure. This is what I use.

Looking at the Casita You-Tube I see two issues:

1. Before taking out the hot water heater’s anode, raise the lever on the pressure relief valve; after that tank has drained, close the lever on the pressure relief valve.
2. Open the faucets one at a time; not all at once. If you open them all at once, as soon as one of them is clear, the pressure will escape from that fixture potentially leaving water in the lines to other fixtures.

The You-Tube referenced by Jack in post #12 (above) is the method that I use. Using Alan’s step by step approach, you only need to put a small bit of antifreeze in the P-traps. The benefit here is that you don’t need to un-winterize the water lines the next time you go camping. A side benefit is that a single jug of antifreeze will last for several seasons.

Here is a recap of Allen’s You-Tube method from a post that I put on a FiberglassRV forum 2½ years ago.

[Bob Penn]

Originally Posted by Mr Lynn

We haven't used the water heater the last couple of years, so haven't had to drain it.

Until recently, I have not used the hot water heater in my Casita. However, when I pulled the anode for winterizing a week ago, the anode showed a lot of erosion, indicating that there had been water in the hot water heater much longer than a month ago.

My question is how do you avoid filling the hot water heater with water. I am not aware of a shut off valve. I do know there is a by-pass valve. Based on what is being stated, I have to assume that no water gets into the hot water heater if in by-pass?

[Mr Lynn]

Originally Posted by Bob Penn

Until recently, I have not used the hot water heater in my Casita. However, when I pulled the anode for winterizing a week ago, the anode showed a lot of erosion, indicating that there had been water in the hot water heater much longer than a month ago.

My question is how do you avoid filling the hot water heater with water. I am not aware of a shut off valve. I do know there is a by-pass valve. Based on what is being stated, I have to assume that no water gets into the hot water heater if in by-pass?

That's been my understanding; the by-pass valve directs the cold water line past the heater inlet, so no water can get into it. Otherwise, if you use antifreeze to winterize your lines, it would get into the water heater, too.

If I'm mistaken, please let me know. /LEJ

[Mr Lynn]

Originally Posted by LarryB.

Sure. This is what I use.

Looking at the Casita You-Tube I see two issues:

1. Before taking out the hot water heater’s anode, raise the lever on the pressure relief valve; after that tank has drained, close the lever on the pressure relief valve.
2. Open the faucets one at a time; not all at once. If you open them all at once, as soon as one of them is clear, the pressure will escape from that fixture potentially leaving water in the lines to other fixtures.

The You-Tube referenced by Jack in post #12 (above) is the method that I use. Using Alan’s step by step approach, you only need to put a small bit of antifreeze in the P-traps. The benefit here is that you don’t need to un-winterize the water lines the next time you go camping. A side benefit is that a single jug of antifreeze will last for several seasons.

Here is a recap of Allen’s You-Tube method from a post that I put on a FiberglassRV forum 2½ years ago.

Thanks, Larry for that Recap. I'm going to save it for reference.

That compressor/inflator you linked is no longer available. Does yours have a pressure level you can set at c. 20lbs? The video warns that if you use a simple tire inflator, you can over-pressurize the lines and risk rupturing one. I have an AVair 90 that I could use, but it doesn't have a max pressure setting.

[thrifty bill]

Originally Posted by Bob Penn

Until recently, I have not used the hot water heater in my Casita. However, when I pulled the anode for winterizing a week ago, the anode showed a lot of erosion, indicating that there had been water in the hot water heater much longer than a month ago.

My question is how do you avoid filling the hot water heater with water. I am not aware of a shut off valve. I do know there is a by-pass valve. Based on what is being stated, I have to assume that no water gets into the hot water heater if in by-pass?

These bypasses use the cheapest three way valves out there. As a chemical engineer who worked in large chemical plants, three way valves were often leakers, and I am talking valves that cost $2,000 or more. A $10 three way valve? These things don't forever. Easy enough to test it. Hook up to city water with the hot water heater in bypass position, leave the anode rod out, and see if you. are getting water leaking by.

[jgilliam1955]

Originally Posted by thrifty bill

These bypasses use the cheapest three way valves out there. As a chemical engineer who worked in large chemical plants, three way valves were often leakers, and I am talking valves that cost $2,000 or more. A $10 three way valve? These things don't forever. Easy enough to test it. Hook up to city water with the hot water heater in bypass position, leave the anode rod out, and see if you. are getting water leaking by.

I still have water running in my hot water heater when using city water & bypass.
I have switched out the valves & still have this problem. What type of 3 way do you recommend?

[LarryB.]

Originally Posted by Mr Lynn

Thanks, Larry for that Recap. I'm going to save it for reference.

That compressor/inflator you linked is no longer available. Does yours have a pressure level you can set at c. 20lbs? The video warns that if you use a simple tire inflator, you can over-pressurize the lines and risk rupturing one. I have an AVair 90 that I could use, but it doesn't have a max pressure setting.

That Craftsman compressor doesn't have a pressure level setting. However it takes **SEVERAL** minutes to get beyond 30PSI so I interrupt the process several times to compensate.

I suppose I could use my pressure reducer inbetween the city water connection and the blow out plug to minimize the potential impact of higher pressure....

[ianmcadams]

Originally Posted by slowpat

I've had my trailer for 7 years now--4 winters in an area where it freezes a few days and then 3 winters in a much colder climate where temps can get below zero. Temps will get into the single digits.

I blow out the lines with an air compressor and do that well. Then I only put antifreeze in the drains and toilet.

I've had no problems.

Question: do you also detach the hoses on both sides of the freshwater pump, and drain them specifically?
it almost seems like if you run the freshwater motor without any water in the freshwater tank for a few seconds that should sufficiently clear those lines without the hassle.

[LarryB.]

Originally Posted by ianmcadams

Question: do you also detach the hoses on both sides of the freshwater pump, and drain them specifically?
it almost seems like if you run the freshwater motor without any water in the freshwater tank for a few seconds that should sufficiently clear those lines without the hassle.

Yes, (per the process I mentioned above), you should detach the hoses on both sides of the water pump to drain the hoses and, in the case of the hose from the fresh water tank to the pump, blow the water back out of the hose.

In the case of the Casita Spirit Deluxe, you want to raise the tongue jack to tilt the trailer backward when draining the water out of the fresh water tank. Both the drain hose and the hose to the water pump come of the sides of the fresh water tank. Without tilting the tank, draining the tank will always leave a gallon or two of water in the bottom of the tank.

If the small amount of water remaining in the tank is of concern, you can install a deck plate in the top of the tank so that you can “mop out” the remaining water with a towel or suck it out with a shop vac. Here is a link to Don Dayton’s process to install a deck plate.

[Jann Todd]

Originally Posted by Brian n Mary

Locate your intake/suction side of your pump. Remove the hose/waterline fitting. Go to your local farm store and buy the matching fitting and a 3’ length of vinyl tubing to attach to the fitting. Now attach this to the intake/suction side of your pump and insert the tube into your favorite RV anti freeze and turn on your pump. Repeat as needed to have the pink stuff coming out of all of the faucets/toilet/shower heads. You do not need to add AF to your fresh water tank..just drain it. Also don’t need to blow out your water heater. Remove the anode and it’ll drain out so that it won’t freeze.

You are correct but make sure you have the hot water bypass turned to bypass. We always remove the anode rod before pumping the anti-freeze through the lines. No need to tilt trailer as further down in this thread, no need to remove lines from both sides of pump or anything else. Just drain fresh water tank first and have a towel under the hose when you disconnect it from the pump to catch what is in the line between the tank and pump. Reconnect line after running the antifreeze through the pump. Some people make it to complicated when it is a simple process and very safe.

[LarryB.]

Seeing Jann’s quote from Brian n Mary and rereading this forum thread reminds me that there are two methods to winterize a travel trailer:

• antifreeze method
• blow out method

In the antifreeze method, you empty the water heater, set the bypass valve to “bypass” and fill the water lines with antifreeze.

In the blowout method, you empty the water heater, set the bypass valve to “bypass” and remove all water from the water lines.

The downside of the antifreeze method is that you have to “un-winterize” the travel trailer the next time you go camping to (hopefully) get (all) the antifreeze out of the lines and then set the bypass valve to “pass thru”.

Using the blow out method, when camping, you simply set the bypass valve to “pass thru”.

[Jann Todd]

Originally Posted by LarryB.

Seeing Jann’s quote from Brian n Mary and rereading this forum thread reminds me that there are two methods to winterize a travel trailer:

• antifreeze method
• blow out method

In the antifreeze method, you empty the water heater, set the bypass valve to “bypass” and fill the water lines with antifreeze.

In the blowout method, you empty the water heater, set the bypass valve to “bypass” and remove all water from the water lines.

The downside of the antifreeze method is that you have to “un-winterize” the travel trailer the next time you go camping to (hopefully) get (all) the antifreeze out of the lines and then set the bypass valve to “pass thru”.

Using the blow out method, when camping, you simply set the bypass valve to “pass thru”.

If something happens and a low spot doesn't get all blown out you have a broken line possibly. Happened once to us on a toilet. A valve is expensive to replace. That is why we always use anti-freeze. We clean our lines and bleach our tank every spring anyway to sterilize it. It is just a part of our annual maintenance. We never pour anti-freeze in our tanks.