Emergency winterization

pjabbott · 12-23-2021, 10:37 AM

I live in an area where we normally don’t get hard freezes so I don’t winterize. But next week it is predicted to get down into the teens for several days in a row. What can I do? Normally I just run a space heater inside. Should I drain the hot water heater? Try to drain whatever water is remaining inside by opening the low water drain valve? Pour some antifreeze down the sink?

Edit: It’s a 2021 2108FBS.

be happy · 12-23-2021, 11:13 AM

When in doubt winterize!! there is nothing more upsetting than having to replace plumbing parts due to freezing.

You did not state what type or age of your unit so help may be limited. Should put that info in the signature block in the future.

Your owners manual should have info about winterizing, if you do not have manual look here; https://www.winnebago.com/owners/owner-resources

Basic winterizing, open all the lowpoint drains should have 2 or 3 maybe 4.
Drain the water heater and turn the heater bypass valves to your anitfreeze will not go into the heater.

Hopefully you will have a small diameter hose on your water pump. That will be to suck the antifreeze into your lines. You will need about 3 gal of RV antifreeze to complete your job. Open all faucets, flush toilet, open outside facet if you have one make sure all plumbing fixtures flow the pink stuff in both hot and cold lines.

There is another way to winterize and that by blowing out the lines. I have never done that so can not address how its done.

Good Luck

Morich · 12-23-2021, 11:18 AM

Much depends on what RV you have and we don't have that info!!
So some general ideas that apply?
There is a panel on the outside where you can find the water heater and it has a plug to remove to drain. That takes a large socket or may be done with pliers but risk of tearing the plug if done to often.

Then there will be two ways to do the lines. One is to simply drain them through low point drains but that has some risk as it may not get all the water out of low spots if the are droops, etc.
Better depends on how you are set up. If you have an air compressor, there is often an place on the outside where you attach a water hose for water supply? There are adapters which fit that hose connection and let you use a tire filling type air hose to blow low pressure like 10 PSI through the lines to push water out.
This is done by connecting the air, then going to each faucet to open both hot and cold unitl the water stops coming. I like to kind of judge which faucet is closer but that is not critical, just open, let the water sputter out and reclose to go to the next one?

However there may be more reliable if your RV has the hose built in to suck antifreeze from jugs and into the lines using the RV water pump. If equipted, there will be a valve near the water pump to switch from pulling water out of the holding and and instead pull from the jug! Unusally a clear plastic tube, if you have seen one. If you have drained all holding tanks, then use the tube to draw pink (drinking water safe!) water from jugs and go inside to each faucet and run until pink comes through. Do this with the water heater bypassed to avoid having to run six gallons into fill it!

Pour like a half cup or so in each draing trap to keep that water from freezing and some in the stool. I feel better when I pour some into the black and grey holding tanks as they can still have a bit in them as well as some at the big drain valves. The point to me is that anitfreeze is really cheap and easy compared to replacing lines or holding tanks!

I'm in Central Texas where things are pretty much left with no plan for winter and I know doing it in crisis mode is not the best, so I will let others throw in there thoughts and wish you the best!
We got the news last week that the state has now done all it plans to do and they have exempted the oil and gas suppliers that provide the fuel for the power plants! Really a group of forward thinkers involved!

**creativepart** · 12-23-2021, 01:18 PM

I just looked at Tumwater's weather forecast. You have a max of 4-days of teens at night and mid-twentys to 30 during the days.

If this was my RV I'd bring it home, plug it in and run the furnace set at about 55 degrees and just ride the cold spell out. I'd use the furnace rather than a space heater because it heats up more of under floor of the TT than using a space heater.

After those four days you warm up to pretty much above freezing all day and most nights. The few nights below freezing after this cold spell are all in the very high 20's followed by over 32 degrees every day.

pjabbott · 12-23-2021, 05:11 PM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l8ELN0LUg7E

I followed the instructions above. It’s not the same model so things were in different places, but it was pretty much the same thing. I don’t know why dealers charge $99 to do this, it was pretty straightforward. Worst part was having to go to Wally World on December 23rd.

Scratch that, I do know *why* they charge so much…

RV-Travelers · 12-23-2021, 11:01 PM

Here are a few links to articles about winterizing. A search will turn up many more.

https://www.rvzone.com/blowing-out-r...vs-antifreeze/

https://rvlove.com/planning/how-to-w..._source=RVLIFE

In my case, I blow out the lines with compressed air and then run some RV antifreeze into the system from jugs. Blowing out the lines probably isn't necessary, but it only adds a few minutes to the process.

If you introduce RV antifreeze into your water system and have a water filter in-line somewhere, remember to remove the filter and replace it with the diverter plug (which I'm assuming came with your RV).

Marine359 · 12-24-2021, 03:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pjabbott

I live in an area where we normally don’t get hard freezes so I don’t winterize. But next week it is predicted to get down into the teens for several days in a row. What can I do? Normally I just run a space heater inside. Should I drain the hot water heater? Try to drain whatever water is remaining inside by opening the low water drain valve? Pour some antifreeze down the sink?

Edit: It’s a 2021 2108FBS.

Winterizing a 2108 takes only 25 minutes, and cost less than $1.00 if you already have a compressed air fitting for your city water intake hose fitting, and you have a tire inflator or air compressor. Here are the quick steps. It goes much faster with two people, one on the inside and one on the outside. Your floorplan is exactly the same as mine except for the front bed. I’m presuming here that you’ve already emptied your black and gray tanks.

1. Open the fresh water tank drain located just forward of the axles curb side
2. Drain the hot water heater by unscrewing the plug.
3. Open the low point drains located behind luan panel beneath the bathroom sink.
4. Position hot water bypass valves to bypass position. They’re behind the luan panel under the bathroom closet.
5. If the fresh water tank is now empty, run the water pump until it runs dry.
5. Set your compressor for 40psi.
6. Open one faucet valve at a time, and blow air into the city water inlet u til you see water come from the tap, or the low point drains until the water stops draining. Do both cold and hot valves. Start at the front (kitchen sink) and work your way to the back.
7. Don’t forget the shower valves, and remove the hose from the fixture and lay it open on the shower floor with its shut off valve open.
8. Toilet should be last. Open the foot valve and blow it out while it’s open.

At this point, all the water should be cleared from your plumbing and cannot cause an expansion freeze, except the P-traps. Pour 1.5 cups of pink anti-freeze into each of the traps; kitchen, bathroom sink, shower.

The other method involves pumping anti-freeze into your plumbing through the fresh water pump pick-up hose located under the kitchen sink. I don’t use that method because it takes a few purges of the fresh water tank before you can get the taste of the anti-freeze out of the water supply. Also, many people pump in the anti-freeze before opening the low point drains, in which case the ant-freeze mixes with fresh water and becomes totally useless. If you want to use the pump through method, make sure you drain the plumbing first.

You’ll get tired of trying to remove the screwed on luan panels after winterizin, so install some magnetic catches and drawer pulls like this:

randyb · 12-24-2021, 06:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Marine359

You’ll get tired of trying to remove the screwed on luan panels after winterizin, so install some magnetic catches and drawer pulls like this:

Nice mod on the access panels! I'm copying that one.

PeterAtt · 12-29-2021, 05:48 PM

This is what I do. Live in the south and only gets cold for a few days.

Quote:

Originally Posted by creativepart

I just looked at Tumwater's weather forecast. You have a max of 4-days of teens at night and mid-twentys to 30 during the days.

If this was my RV I'd bring it home, plug it in and run the furnace set at about 55 degrees and just ride the cold spell out. I'd use the furnace rather than a space heater because it heats up more of under floor of the TT than using a space heater.

After those four days you warm up to pretty much above freezing all day and most nights. The few nights below freezing after this cold spell are all in the very high 20's followed by over 32 degrees every day.

golden13 · 12-29-2021, 08:38 PM

You absolutely need to winterize properly, and no, pouring it down the drain won't cut it.

You must have the water pump turned on, and find where you can suction up the anti-freeze, so the pump can force it into the plumbing. This varies by what rig you have. Once you find your pump, there will be a short piece of hose, preceded by a valve. When a valve is open, it points the same direction as the hose, when it is closed, it appears perpendicular to the hose. It's best to turn this valve off, or put your thumb over the hose end, so the pump doesn't suck air into the pipes.

Then have a helper open up the faucets, (cold only) one at a time. Once the faucet runs pink, shut it off and move to the next faucet in the house. Usually, this is: kitchen, bathroom, shower, and toilet. Just hold the flush lever down until the flushing water runs pink! This, combined with draining your water heater, and fresh, grey, and black tanks will keep your rig safe.

When my wife and I do this, a walkie-talkie is immensely helpful since handling the anti-freeze jug is an outdoor deal, and doing the faucets is an indoor job.

golden13 · 12-29-2021, 08:43 PM

Not a bad idea, but I sat through the "Great Texas Deep-Freeze" last winter. I had my furnace running constantly, and it did not keep my water supply from freezing.

**creativepart** · 12-30-2021, 09:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by golden13

Not a bad idea, but I sat through the "Great Texas Deep-Freeze" last winter. I had my furnace running constantly, and it did not keep my water supply from freezing.

Your “water supply”? As in the hose connection? Or your supply from your Fresh water tank?

And the Texas deep freeze was really deep and really long especially in Northern areas of TX around DFW.

And did you see any damage to your RV pipes or just lose water flow for a short time?

golden13 · 12-30-2021, 11:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by creativepart

Your “water supply”? As in the hose connection? Or your supply from your Fresh water tank?

And the Texas deep freeze was really deep and really long especially in Northern areas of TX around DFW.

And did you see any damage to your RV pipes or just lose water flow for a short time?

Good question, and good point. It was actually the fresh water hose from shore water that froze, though the RV park also lost water for almost 2 days. So, yeah, as far as preventing damage, it wasn't a problem. I stand (partially) corrected! Thanks!

**creativepart** · 12-30-2021, 12:09 PM

Yeah, when we see a freeze predicted for overnight while in a campground we usually fill the fresh tank during the day and then disconnect the hose from the RV. Depending on the forecast for the next 24 to 48 hours we'll just live off of the fresh tank rather than connect the city water.

I know there are heated city water hoses but since freezes are occasional and predictable we don't feel like spending that money.

We spend Jan/Feb in Tucson (we leave for AZ a week from today) so freeing is not too much of a problem However, it does get cold as far south as Tucson and it snowed a little bit during our stay there last year.