Low point drain caps

[GMcKenzie]

Originally Posted by flybouy

Justin Wilson the Cajun Chef used say he was a safety engineer (he was in real life) because he wore a belt and suspenders. I like that approach.

I use compressed air to blow out the lines then pump the pink stuff thru via winterization valve on FW pump. At the minimal cost of the antifreeze I think it's cheap insurance. Then I remove all three drain caps and set them inside the front compartment as that's where my FW pump is.

Why? My thinking is the the only need for the antifreeze is to replace the water that won't drain. This makes chasing the antifreeze out in the spring a lot quicker.

^^This. I'd rather know I'd run AF through the low point drains and leaving the caps off (or in my case the valves open) is easier.

Done for the season so I have to do this soon (too soon)

[beeje]

Originally Posted by Customer1

I remove the caps after running antifreeze. There is no benefit to leaving the antifreeze in the lines.

You are correct there probably is no benefit to leave the antifreeze in the lines however leaving any caps off invites mud wasps or whatever to build a nest inside of the open cavity

[PinTwister]

I always blow out my lines, close the water heater bypass, pull my anod rod, open all faucets, and low point drains. I leave my RV like this all winter. I want to know if it would be safe to close the system and make it ready to use after cleaning out all the water. I live in Michigan, and it can get very cold for extended periods of time. Please only reply if you actually know if this will work or not. No educated guesses, please.

[JRTJH]

Originally Posted by PinTwister

I always blow out my lines, close the water heater bypass, pull my anod rod, open all faucets, and low point drains. I leave my RV like this all winter. I want to know if it would be safe to close the system and make it ready to use after cleaning out all the water. I live in Michigan, and it can get very cold for extended periods of time. Please only reply if you actually know if this will work or not. No educated guesses, please.

You can't "clean out all the water"... No matter how long you blow out the lines, there's going to be some water remaining and there's no way to predict where it will pool after you close the system completley.

If you're not going to use antifreeze in the system, then I would not close the faucets, low point drains or reconnect the water pump. In an open system, there is space for the ice to expand, if you close the faucets, install the caps on the low point drains and reconnect the water pump, you make them a closed space where water can accumulate (or be pushed into if it freezes further down the line)....

Leaving them open allows "a little bit of expansion space" which may be all you need to avoid damage....

The "nice thing about RV antifreeze" is that even if it freezes, it doesn't expand. That allows it to "displace water in the lines" and no matter how cold it gets, it won't expand causing damage.... I keep 2-3" of antifreeze in my toilet bowl. Regularly, in January/February it will be "slushy to solid ice" but never has caused any damage (because it doesn't expand when frozen)...

So, to answer your question, No, I would no close up the system and make it "ready to go in the spring". Doing so IMHO, increases your risk of damage, especially if you don't use RV antifreeze after blowing out the lines.

[mikec557]

If it's not too far off topic, how exactly does one "blow out" the water lines?

[JRTJH]

Connect one of these to the city water inlet, attach a compressor (regulated to 35-40 PSI, any higher could cause damage to the PEX/fittings/faucet washers, etc) and remove the low point drains. That will use compressed air to "blow the water in the system to the point of least resistance which is the low point drain that's open.

It normally takes about 10-15 minutes of putting a finger on the low point drain opening and even raising the trailer tongue then lowering it to "encourage the water to flow to the low point drain and be forced out of the system.

Open and close every faucet, one at a time, to maximize the flow of air to a single point opening in the plumbing system.... I try never to close all of the possible drains at once, just to protect the plumbing system from a malfunctioning compressore regulator, but that's just me, not a requirement....

Here's the typical fitting. https://www.amazon.com/Camco-Brass-C...s%2C169&sr=8-1

[mikec557]

Originally Posted by JRTJH

Connect one of these to the city water inlet, attach a compressor (regulated to 35-40 PSI, any higher could cause damage to the PEX/fittings/faucet washers, etc) and remove the low point drains. That will use compressed air to "blow the water in the system to the point of least resistance which is the low point drain that's open.

It normally takes about 10-15 minutes of putting a finger on the low point drain opening and even raising the trailer tongue then lowering it to "encourage the water to flow to the low point drain and be forced out of the system.

Open and close every faucet, one at a time, to maximize the flow of air to a single point opening in the plumbing system.... I try never to close all of the possible drains at once, just to protect the plumbing system from a malfunctioning compressore regulator, but that's just me, not a requirement....

Here's the typical fitting. https://www.amazon.com/Camco-Brass-C...s%2C169&sr=8-1

Thanks for the info. The short video at the Amazon link was also informative.

[Javi]

Originally Posted by mikec557

Thanks for the info. The short video at the Amazon link was also informative.

Make sure to keep the air pressure at or below 40 psi when doing this

[08quadram]

I just blow mine out with air. Never had a problem here in Iowa. Gets -30 and colder here also. I leave faucets open, but close the low points. Any residual water in the lines should not cause an issue with faucets open. The water itself doesn't "crack the line" its the increase in air pressure from expanding ice. I've never even unhooked the water pump. Just ran it for 30 seconds.

[Mr Mojo]

When I bought my trailer in 2018, the low point drain caps were in with the outside water heater compartment. Forgetting they were there, when I hooked up water and turned it on, I was trying to figure out why I wasn't getting much water. Then I remembered that I didn't put the caps on.