winterizing questions

[parkgirl]

I've done quite a bit of searching trying to figure out how to winterize our new trailer and I find it all quite overwhelming. Some questions:

-in a couple of on-line videos they show that at the end of the process they press on the little plastic bit that's inside the main water inlet valve until anti-freeze shoots out there, but then someone asked a Keystone rep and the response was:
from Keystone RV Technical support: Do not push it as it will cause the o-ring on the valve to displace and it will leak.

Several videos recommend doing this however, so does that mean there's some water in that hose? Does anybody do this? I'd like to just go by what the Keystone rep says but he doesn't offer any other method...

--my other question is that some people mention draining the low point valves in the process (sometimes it's the first thing they do, sometimes the last) and sometimes it's not mentioned at all. I was wondering whether this has to do with whether you use compression or anti-freeze. We will be using anti-freeze. Do we need to find the low point valves and drain them? Otherwise how do you get the water out of the p-traps? (I would imagine that even draining the system won't necessarily get water out of the p-traps.) Can you just add anti-freeze and it mixes with the water in the p-trap?

Thanks so much for any help,
parkgirl

[Festus2]

In answer to some of your questions:
I don't push in the release pin in the main water connection. Instead, I have purchased a pump designed to inject RV antifreeze into this connection ensuring that there is antifreeze in this portion of the line. You can buy one of these simple pumps at most RV supply places. As indicated, sometimes you can displace the O-ring causing more problems during the process.
I always open the low-point drains prior to winterizing to make sure that there is no water in that part of the system. You will have to close them off before you pump the antifreeze through the system or else it will all run out the low point drains.
For the P-traps --- I simply pour some RV antifreeze down each drain which will displace and mix with any water there and fill that space with the pink stuff. Don't forget to do the shower.
Other areas that are sometimes forgotten about --- the outside shower and the toilet.
Flush the toilet until pink stuff comes out and turn on each tap for the outside shower.
I've never had any problems with pipe freeze up after I winterize.

[parkgirl]

Thanks so much, Festus. Very helpful! Now I'll just have to find those low point drains. (I was hoping to get a reply saying you don't need to do that!) We are installed at a seasonal campground and we've built a deck along the entire entrance side and so don't have easy access to the underneath part on that side where I suspect they'll be. We'll be crawling under I guess for a look around... and going for a trip to an RV supply place for one of those pumps.

[Festus2]

The low point drains can be recognized by two, usually white or cream-coloured water lines that extend a few inches beneath the underbelly of the RV. They may have a twist cap or some other type of end that you will have to either turn or remove. One line is for the cold water, the other for the hot.
These low point drains should be visible but may not be easily reached.
This process may, at first glance, seem overwhelming, but when you have done it successfully once, it will become routine from then on.
It may help to write out and follow a step-by-step winterizing procedure so that you don't miss out any steps along the way.

[parkgirl]

Okay, so Festus suggests having a hand pump to make sure the main water inlet gets anti-freeze in there. I was researching where to buy one and what they look like and I came across a video (I think by Camco) where they actually use one of these hand pumps to do the entire winterizing, pumping all the anti-freeze through the system through the city water inlet. They make it look really easy doing it that way.

We only use city water and have never used our fresh water tank or the water pump. I dread having to find the water pump and install a permanent pump converter kit to pump the anti-freeze in, so this alternative of just using the hand pump (since we're going to buy it anyway) seems like a nice simple way to winterize.

Has anybody done it this way before?
parkgirl

[Festus2]

Parkgirl -\
The pump that I am referring to is a Camco Antifreeze hand pump kit (36003). I don't use this pump to winterize the whole unit - just that short section inside the main water city water intake and the little spring-loaded check valve inside it.
I use a simple bypass and utilize the 12v water pump to do the pumping for me. Otherwise, if you just use the Camco Hand Pump, you have to manually pump all of the RV antifreeze through the lines.
To make certain I have antifreeze in all the lines, I would rather use the 12v water pump. To use it, I just disconnect the inlet line and connect a short hose to a gallon of RV antifreeze. There is a special snap-in connector that you can get which makes hooking this line up very easy. I turn the pump on (after doing some other winterizing things like isolating the HW tank so you don't fill it up with RV antifreeze) and let the 12v pump do all the work. It is quicker, easier and more effective than the hand pump in my opinion.
Others don't use RV antifreeze but blow out the lines instead. That is another option for winterizing. One system isn't any better than the other except that some folks don't like the idea of having RV antifreeze in their water lines.
\ You don't need to install a permanent pump converter kit at all. Finding the water pump is not that formidable and its location is something that you should know.
Am I helping or confusing?

[parkgirl]

Definitely helping, Festus. I realized that you were only using the hand-pump for the water inlet part not the whole RV but then I happened to see a video where they use it for the whole RV and I thought it looked so simple. I agree that it would be easier on the arms though (and probably do a better job?) to have the water pump do the job so we're going to look for the pump this weekend and see what it looks like and if we can figure out which is the water inlet hose.

I talked to our dealer and he gave me an idea of where the water pump might be is so we'll look there. One more question: is the snap-on connector that you use different from the pump converter kits that they sell for permanent installation? If so, is it called something special or do we just ask at an RV supplier for a snap-on connector for the water pump? Also, when we disconnect that water inlet hose will it be full of water? (If our pump is where we think it is, that might be an issue--difficult access and don't want a flood of water)

Thank you so much for your time and sorry to be a pest.
parkgirl

[Festus2]

First, the water pump intake hose will come up through the floor from your FW tank. The outlook hose/line will come off the pump and go into the interior plumbing system. It probably pass through a cupboard or some other partition before making its way first to the galley sink.

The snap-on, quick disconnect fitting is black and has an O-Ring at one end. the other end is a barbed-type fitting. It is at this end that I slip into a 3 ft section of garden hose. This hose goes into a container of RV antifreeze.
When you go to buy the fitting, you should know what brand/model of pump you have so that you end up getting the right type of connector.

When you find the pump and go to disconnect the inlet hose, it may have some water in the line. Since you have never used the pump, it may have none but if it does, it won't be a lot so you won't have a flood of water. Just place a rag underneath to catch any water that may be in the line.

Asking questions is not being a pest - it is how we learn.

[parkgirl]

Thanks, Festus. Great to get your reply just before we're leaving and won't have internet service for the weekend!
parkgirl