27N Winterization

dandr614 · 07-06-2021, 05:40 PM

Hello all, while I know early, just wanting to make sure I have any tools at the ready ahead of when I need them but what tooling should I have at the ready to make do it myself winterization as easy as possible? Reading through the manual as well as looking online just wanting to take in any additional tricks from those of you that have done it, things you may be willing to share, etc. Thank you in advance.

Regards,

wyocamper · 07-06-2021, 07:54 PM

I drain the fresh water tank and water heater, then use one of these to blow out all the lines. Both sinks, shower, toilet and outside shower. Empty the filter cup on the water pump too. Connect this to the fresh water inlet, and turn the knob to "Normal".

Then I dump the holding tanks and pour a couple gallons of pink AF in all the drains and toilet. I want to make sure it's in the p-traps, but I also want enough in the tanks to protect the dump valves from freezing. The stuff is cheap and non-toxic, so no reason not to use plenty.

It's not at all uncommon for us to have a week or two when the daily high temp stays in the negative single digits, and this process hasn't failed me yet. I don't pump AF through my lines and haven't needed to, but that's a personal decision.

powercat_ras · 07-06-2021, 10:28 PM

The compressed air method mostly works you just make sure you limit air pressure to under about 40 PSI so you don't rupture anything. You still have to drain the water tank and empty the black and grey tanks. You still need to remove the filter from the inlet side of the water pump.

To winterize a 27N the Winnebago specified way ( I own one, I hate when people give you bad information becauser they own a different camper ).

Drain black and grey tanks

Open the elec/water compartment door on the driver's side and open the fresh tank drain valve

Open the door that exposes the water tank and open the drain valve near the pump.

Remove the drain plug from the hot water heater (making sure both hot water heater on/off switches are OFF and they must stay OFF while the water is drained

Open the back passenger side compatment door and using a phillips head screwdriver, remove a metal panel, open the drain valve below. Turn the bypass valve behind the water heater to bypass.

Open all faucets in the RV, press and hold down the toliet flush lever for about 15-30 seconds

Open the spray valve on the outdoor shower. Open both outdoor shower valves.

Using a finger, push in the check valve button on the city water inlet, hold until water stops dribbling out

You will still have a bit of water trapped in low points in the water lines. You can charge the lines with RV antifreeze to be totally protected. For me it takes 2 one gallon jugs of the "red stuff".

You first close all the water valves you opened earlier in the process. Make sure city/fill selector valve is in city position.

The tube you use to charge with antifreeze is by the water pump as is the valve you turn to connect the tube to the water pump inlet. Turn on pump. Hold down toilet flush valve until red stuff starts to come out. Do same with each faucet, and outdoor shower.

Finally change the selector back to the water tank position, and unscrew the debris filter on the inlet side of the water pump. This will make sure if any water remains in the inlet side of the water pump it won't freeze and break the debris filter.

wyocamper · 07-07-2021, 07:58 PM

Sorry, was I giving "bad" information with my reply?

powercat_ras · 07-08-2021, 10:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wyocamper

Sorry, was I giving "bad" information with my reply?

No. I got ahead of myself - I expected someone without a Vista 27N to give advice that would not be accurate for it, since it happens so often.

Only suggestion is when advising someone to apply compressed air to their plumbing system, you tell them exactly how in case they don't already know how they can damage their plumbing and/or damage their fresh water tank due to overpressure if the don't do it in exactly the right way.

Someone asking how to winterize needs that kind of detailed advice IMHO.

be happy · 07-09-2021, 03:39 AM

I have a question for powercat, you mentioned in your very good post about the "red stuff". This is in relation to rv antifreeze, I have never seen red its always been pink in color. I tryed to find info on the red thinking I have been missing something over the years. Whats special about the red over the pink?

dandr614 · 07-09-2021, 11:15 AM

Thanks to you all for the information for my utilization and consideration, it is really helpful and I do appreciate it.

powercat_ras · 07-09-2021, 10:59 PM

By "red stuff" I just mean any RV antifreeze in gallon jugs that is dyed a red-ish color. Call it pink if you like.

be happy · 07-10-2021, 05:28 AM

Randy
Thanks

wyocamper · 07-10-2021, 09:03 AM

Just FWIW, my Vista has frozen solid twice now (pretty sure it's three, but I can't recall the 3rd one for sure). First time was when we first got it in Sept 2017, I ran into problems on the way home and it had to be towed back to the dealer where it stayed until mid November. I got it home and parked it and that night we dropped into the teens and stayed below 20ºF for a few days. It hadn't been in my possession during that period and winterization wasn't the first thing on my mind. When I finally went and checked I discovered that it hadn't been winterized or even drained and the 1/2 full fresh water tank and lines were all frozen solid. I turned the furnace on, set it to 82º and left it for a couple days. Came back and was able to drain the tank and blow out the lines and surprisingly enough all was well.

A couple years later my younger brother and his wife stopped by for a night on their way to Yellowstone in early October and stayed in the MH. That time of year is usually our "Indian summer" and we have beautiful weather, but that year it dropped into the single digits for the whole week. I hadn't filled the propane tank and it ran out after that first night, and everything froze solid again. The water pump had been left on and I assumed it was going to be ruined, even had a replacement in my shopping cart on Amazon. But I went and got propane and ran the furnace for a couple days and the weather warmed up and pretty soon it thawed out and I was able to winterize.

I always try to make sure it and get it fully winterized before we get a freeze, but now I know that if I don't get to it in time or we get ambushed by a sudden hard freeze it's not the end of the world.

Morich · 07-10-2021, 01:01 PM

Exactly how to set for winter can often be a matter of what we each like to do and what our own specific RV has involved.
Use of the rec/pink stuff is one example of how we may each want to adapt things. I do not like to leave the pink in the lines, nor do I like to pour it down the drain each time as that makes me have to make a trip to get more. however, I do like the idea of it only freezing to a slush rather than solid enough to break things, so this is how I deal with using it in the lines.

I set the suction line and jug to pull the pink in and run it to each faucet and outlet. That lets me know that the pink has replaced any clear water in all the lines. But why dump it down the drain every season?
I like clearing the lines of most of the water or liquid but find it does have a chance of leaving some in low spots. When I want to be sure, I run the pink and then run the air and force almost all the pink out and back into the jugs to save for next year!

Maybe not a lot of money saved but it does save the nuisance of going to buy more each year!

PJTroyer · 07-11-2021, 10:38 PM

I just traded a 2019 View for a 2021 Vista 29V.

My question is how to drain the fresh water tank. So far I have to turn on the water pump after I open all the drain valves for the drain to flow. Seems like gravity should be sufficient? Does not seem right to have to use the pump.

danhannah · 07-12-2021, 12:02 PM

Excellent list Randy.

I will just add to this sentence:

"Open the back passenger side compartment door and using a phillips head screwdriver, remove a metal panel, open the drain valve below. Turn the bypass valve behind the water heater to bypass."

This is a big piece of horizontal sheet metal about 2ftX2ft, maybe 12 screws, something you would never think you had to remove to winterize.

Once you get in there, you'll find a few three-way valves, the type you never know which way to turn to drain, or what position does what. (There's a similar three-way on the water pump.) Once you figure out what valve position does what, write it on the water heater foam in magic marker, a year is too long to remember these details...