Winterization 2015

[kycamper]

How do you rinse out the tank after you drain the excess??

[jtelles3993]

Good timing on this thread. I've got a few months yet to get this done, but this is the info I need to get the job done..

[mrt]

[div][font face="comic sans ms" size="3"]I just purchased a new unit and have never done this before so the info you have provided is great.  I noticed in the Livin' Lite manual that they do not recommend an alcohol based antifreeze in the ABS P-Traps.  Do you use something else for the P-Traps as the pink stuff is ethanol?

Cheers

Mike

[/font][/div]

[david]

The pink stuff is not alcohol. It is propylene glycol, the same stuff you drink for colonoscopy prep -;).

David

[mrt]

[font size="3" face="comic sans ms"]I did a little more research and it turns out "pink" comes in three different flavours. 

1.  Propylene Glycol Base
2.  Propylene Glycol / Ethanol Base
3.  Ethanol Base

My local store up here in the Great White North sells #3.  I'm now searching for the Propylene Glycol now.  Here's a link that discusses all three

http://mainecamperdealer.com/what-you-need-to-know-about-rv-anti-freeze/


Also, watch out for recycled fluids as they may contain some nasty ingredients.  Here are 3 brands that are virgin and recommended.

1.  Dow Corning - Dow Frost
2.  Walmart - SuperTech RV
3.  Walmart - Marine Antifreeze
4.  Camco - Easy Going-50 

Mike

[/font]

[charliem]

[quote source="/post/16395/thread" author="@mrt" timestamp="1446412338"][font size="3" face="comic sans ms"]I did a little more research and it turns out "pink" comes in three different flavours. 

1.  Propylene Glycol Base
2.  Propylene Glycol / Ethanol Base
3.  Ethanol Base

My local store up here in the Great White North sells #3.  I'm now searching for the Propylene Glycol now.  Here's a link that discusses all three

http://mainecamperdealer.com/what-you-need-to-know-about-rv-anti-freeze/


Also, watch out for recycled fluids as they may contain some nasty ingredients.  Here are 3 brands that are virgin and recommended.

1.  Dow Corning - Dow Frost
2.  Walmart - SuperTech RV
3.  Walmart - Marine Antifreeze
4.  Camco - Easy Going-50 

Mike

[/font][/quote][font size="3"]Very good info. Didn't know all that. Thank you, Mike.[/font]

[gnies]

[quote timestamp="1444687675" source="/post/16001/thread" author="@gleamb"]I was told that you could use one of those little pumps you attach to your drill, bought at Home Depot, and just pump the pink stuff into the city water inlet. Does that sound realistic, or do I have to install that Camco winterization kit??[/quote]I installed the Camco winterization kit and ran antifreeze through all the line, did that last year too. Was easier this year because the kit was installed already!

[jtelles3993]

I've decided to drain  everything, blow the lines, and just antifreeze the traps. I bought a Camco air adaptor for the job. Couple of questions:

What's a good pressure to use?

Will this get the water out of the toilet valve David mentioned?

How about the water pump?

[tinkeringtechie]

[quote timestamp="1448467052" source="/post/16782/thread" author="@surfsup"]I've decided to drain  everything, blow the lines, and just antifreeze the traps. I bought a Camco air adaptor for the job. Couple of questions:

What's a good pressure to use?

Will this get the water out of the toilet valve David mentioned?

How about the water pump?

[/quote]The pressure should be 40-50 psi (same as it would be for water). As long as you open the toilet valve when there's air flowing then you should be good to go. I normally run the water pump dry after draining the fresh tank to make sure the surrounding lines are empty. You'll also need to dump the little strainer basket since there always seems to be water in there.

[scout]

thanks surfsup & techie, I had the same question...this forum sure eases the head scratching! (for some of us)

[charliem]

[quote source="/post/16783/thread" timestamp="1448467889" author="@tinkeringtechie"]The pressure should be 40-50 psi (same as it would be for water). As long as you open the toilet valve when there's air flowing then you should be good to go. I normally run the water pump dry after draining the fresh tank to make sure the surrounding lines are empty. You'll also need to dump the little strainer basket since there always seems to be water in there.[/quote][font size="3"]FYI for those concerned about bursting pipes: The Camco regulators are set at 40-50 psi. The Valterra high flow regulator is set at 50-55 psi. The OEM pump shuts off at 55 psi. Techie's 40-50 psi recommendation seems pretty good. [/font]

[daplumbr]

As noted in other threads, it's both pressure and volume when using air for blowing out the water lines. The 40-50 psi is fine, but it takes a while before the water stops spurting from the most distant valves/faucets when using air. Some of the smaller air tanks won't have enough air volume to get all the water out. My 20 gallon shop compressor is probably overkill, but my little portable 2 gallon compressor isn't enough. 

[billmoore]

My portable 3 gallon compressor seems to do a pretty good job. It has two pressure settings, so I set the tank pressure to the max 150 PSI, and the tool pressure to 50 PSI. I also shoot each faucet/valve multiple times, letting the pressure fully recover between each. It helps a lot to have two people when you are doing this, one outside with the air hose, and one inside to open/close each valve.

[jtelles3993]

Thanks for the feedback and guidance. Hey Tinkeringtechie, is the strainer basket part of the water pump? Not familiar with that..

[jtelles3993]

..It helps a lot to have two people when you are doing this, one outside with the air hose, and one inside to open/close each valve.

I bought a male air connection that threads right onto the city water connection, so I should be able to do this job alone?