Air for winterizing?

[MontanaGolfer]

All good thoughts. Any thoughts on procedures with a suburban on demand water heater??

[Mikelff]

I actually do a bit of both. I blow out the lines with 45psi. I made a check list that I follow religiously so I don't forget something. Blow out each line one at a time starting at the back outdoor shower, and work my way to the front. Don't forget washer hook ups if you have them.. I have forgotten them but caught the error with the check list. Once everything is blown out, all the low point drains and crossovers blown out and drained, I dry run the water pump for a few seconds to make sure it has no water and its under air pressure when I run it.. I blow out the toilets and foot pedal lines. When I blow out the lines I make sure they have no droplets coming out . Try to blow things out thoroughly. I then put the anti freeze in all the p traps, shower drain, toilets I leave all the faucets open, low point drains open and fresh water tank drain open. I put antifreeze in all the grey and black tanks. I have an Atwood hot water heater so don't have to worry about anode rod. I do keep the hot water plug in just enough to keep it from falling out. My rig is 41’ with two bathrooms, With all that, I still go through 4 gal of antifreeze. I lived in Michigan and now in North Texas and never had any frozen pipe issues. That check list has saved my bacon several times. I don't have to flush my system in spring. Just close up all the valves and I’m ready to go. Easy peasy.

[JRTJH]

Do yourself a "prove it to me" kind of test.

Hook up your air compressor to your city water inlet and blow out all the water lines... Then open your low point drains and blow them out for a few minutes. Take as many minutes as you want..... Then, with everything "blown out and ready to store" with the compressor still blowing air into the lines, place one finger over one of the low point drains (where the air is blowing out of the lines). If your trailer is built like mine, when you remove your finger, you'll get a "flash of water/mist of water". Then, to compare, do the same "finger test" on the other low point drain... Same result ??? Mine blows water from each low point drain.

Repeat the test and you'll get the same results... Four times, five times ??? Yep more water coming out of the low point drains every time you remove your finger....

What does that mean to your effort to "winterize using the compressor method" ???? To me, it tells of a conditon where the compressor can't remove all the water (because 40 PSI at 10 cuft of air can't push water uphill).

If you're happy with just using compressed air, then go for it. But, if you "HATE PLUMBING REPAIR WORK" as much as I do, you'll become a "suspenders and belt" kind of guy and do both, expecially if you live where the temperature often drops below -20F and stays there for weeks on end.

Come spring, I expect to dewinterize and go camping, not spend the next week trying to locate a split plastic fitting or replacing toilet valves or faucets before I can drag the trailer to our favorite "opening day of bass season fishing hole".... YMMV

[Ddaddyo]

Been Using Compressed Air for 57 years, never a problem. Blow out all lines twice. Drain the Water Heater. Don't forget Outside Shower and the Black Tank Washout!

[61Hawks]

I have always used air for winterizing. I drain all lines and set my compressor at 60 psi and start with the toilet and move to the sinks, shower, outside shower and finish again with the toilet. I then use about a cup of antifreeze down each trap and leave all taps open. I have never had a problem and by the way I live in Calgary so we also know super cold.

[Ed wrobel]

I blow out the lines and use antifreeze just for my own peace of mind. So far so good

[Mike71954]

Hi there, I also live in Edmonton. I blow out my waterlines with 30 psi air - make sure that you open the low point drains as well and blow out as much air as possible this can take a little while. I put anti-freeze in the P traps and empty the water heater. Don't forget to cover the toilet seal with anti-freeze as well. This has worked well for me so far. Getting to the pump to Ed antifreeze the water lines in My rig is a nightmare.

[Mike71954]

Hi there, I also live in Edmonton. I blow out my waterlines with 30 psi air - make sure that you open the low point drains as well and blow out as much air as possible this can take a little while. I put anti-freeze in the P traps and empty the water heater. Don't forget to cover the toilet seal with anti-freeze as well. This has worked well for me so far. Getting to the pump to Ed antifreeze the water lines in My rig is a nightmare.

[Max23]

Originally Posted by JRTJH

Do yourself a "prove it to me" kind of test.

Hook up your air compressor to your city water inlet and blow out all the water lines... Then open your low point drains and blow them out for a few minutes. Take as many minutes as you want..... Then, with everything "blown out and ready to store" with the compressor still blowing air into the lines, place one finger over one of the low point drains (where the air is blowing out of the lines). If your trailer is built like mine, when you remove your finger, you'll get a "flash of water/mist of water". Then, to compare, do the same "finger test" on the other low point drain... Same result ??? Mine blows water from each low point drain.

Repeat the test and you'll get the same results... Four times, five times ??? Yep more water coming out of the low point drains every time you remove your finger....

What does that mean to your effort to "winterize using the compressor method" ???? To me, it tells of a conditon where the compressor can't remove all the water (because 40 PSI at 10 cuft of air can't push water uphill).

If you're happy with just using compressed air, then go for it. But, if you "HATE PLUMBING REPAIR WORK" as much as I do, you'll become a "suspenders and belt" kind of guy and do both, expecially if you live where the temperature often drops below -20F and stays there for weeks on end.

Come spring, I expect to dewinterize and go camping, not spend the next week trying to locate a split plastic fitting or replacing toilet valves or faucets before I can drag the trailer to our favorite "opening day of bass season fishing hole".... YMMV

^^^^^ What he said. I just purchase from a local big box 3 gallons of RV anti freeze. It was on sale for a whopping $2.80 per gallon. Isn't $8.40 pretty darn cheap to just be on the safe side?? Bet you can't replace 1 broken frozen piece of anything in that RV for $8.40. Do what you want but, to me, thats awful darn cheap insurance.

[Alibaddy]

We have the demand hot water heater that does not have the recirculation feature. I communicated with suburban who told me that because there is no sacrificial anode I can put antifreeze through the heater. I blow all the lines first with air at the recommended pressure of 30 PSI from the keystone manual, then Purge all lines with plumbers alcohol, making sure that I do also put alcohol through the bypass line at the water heater which is still present, and then blowing the antifreeze out with compressed air. One thing I had never done in the past but I learned I should have done is to blow the line for the black tank flusher. I winterize the water line for the ice maker by running two cycles of ice making with the water line shut off. I should point out that this is a domestic refrigerator, not an RV refrigerator.