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Old 11-15-2021, 07:10 AM   #1
turbojimmy
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Winterizing Question - Pump not building pressure

Hi all -

I was winterizing my new-to-me Bullet over the weekend. I used the same method that I did on my previous rig. Blew out the lines then hooked a garden hose up to the water pump inlet to suck in antifreeze. My previous rig would suck in the antifreeze via the pump, the pump would build pressure as it would if it were drawing water from the tank and shut off.

In doing the same thing in the Bullet, the pump ran and ran and ran but never built up enough pressure to stop running. It had sucked in enough antifreeze to fill the lines and I got enough pressure at each faucet, hot and cold, to get antifreeze to come out.

I guess I'm not super concerned about the pressure thing since I got antifreeze where I wanted it, but I'm curious as to why I couldn't build up enough pressure for the pump to shut off. The compressed air at the city inlet held just fine. And I'm wondering now if I'm going to have problems in the Spring when I try to use the pump/fresh water.

The only thing I can think of is the water heater bypass - it was gurgling with the pump running. But, again, it wasn't drawing down the antifreeze (the water heater was correctly not filling up with antifreeze).
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Old 11-15-2021, 07:22 AM   #2
Canonman
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You didn't say whether you bypassed the hot water tank. Could be you were also pumping antifreeze into the 6 gallon tank.
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Old 11-15-2021, 07:24 AM   #3
turbojimmy
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Canonman View Post
You didn't say whether you bypassed the hot water tank. Could be you were also pumping antifreeze into the 6 gallon tank.
Thanks - yes I bypassed the water heater. I could see the pink stuff gurgling in the lines by the bypass valve but it wasn't filling the tank.
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Old 11-15-2021, 07:35 AM   #4
flybouy
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My guess would be air in the lines. You have to purge all the air from all faucets AND not run out of antifreeze while doing it. If the jug runs dry then you suck in air and introduce air in the water lines. Air will compress and incorporate into the antifreeze and the pump won't build enough pressure to shut down.
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Old 11-15-2021, 10:14 AM   #5
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As Marshall posted, if there is any air in the lines, and if they were blown out with compressed air then you do have air in the lines. Because of that, the pump will attempt to "compress the air" as it pumps antifreeze into the lines. The pump will have a difficult (almost impossible) task doing that, so the pump probably will never attain enough pressure to shut off, especially with the "liquid source" being a 1 gallon bottle of RV antifreeze. You'll start sucking air from that bottle, compounding the problem long before the pump achieves "cut off pressure in the lines"....

What you're experiencing is expected and normal, as long as you got "antifreeze from each hot/cold valve at each faucet. Don't forget the outdoor shower, toilet valve and the black tank flush.....
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Old 11-15-2021, 10:46 AM   #6
turbojimmy
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Thanks all. Maybe that's all it is - it's trying to compress the air.

I did forget about the black tank flush (never had one before). I can just blast that with air, right? I don't know how I'd get antifreeze into it.
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Old 11-15-2021, 10:56 AM   #7
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Yes, you can use low pressure air to clear the black tank flush... Remember it's a "fragile, plastic, cheaply made anti-siphon valve".. As such, "blasting" it with anything will probably destroy it.

What I do with mine (and I have a brass replacement that's much more sturdy) is to just remove the valve, shake it out and put it in a ziplock bag for the winter. Then I push the "valve stem" in the black tank inlet connector so all the water in that line will drain out onto the ground. Just opening/removing the valve from the line will open the water line from the valve down, into the tank allowing it to drain. That should be all you need to do with the black tank flush.

If you do use compressed air to "blast the line" you may damage the valve... Proceed with caution !!!
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Old 11-15-2021, 01:00 PM   #8
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I never blow the lines first. I pump the antifreeze directly in. That way there is never any air in the lines. I will then blow out the antifreeze. Come spring, I'll fill the lines again under pressure with the garden hose. Fill the fresh water tank, switch over from the garden hose to the water tank, and there is no air in the lines. (or very little that doesn't get purged out.)
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Old 11-15-2021, 02:38 PM   #9
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As has been discussed there are several ways to winterize and the "best way" will vary from trailer to trailer. If you don’t have any freeze damage then "your way" was sucessful. The one thing I would avoid is filling the fresh waterbtank with antifreeze. It's far better IMO to add a winterizing valve and jose to the water pump if not factory installed.

I drain and use a compressor to clear the lines first. My rational is yhat the more water I remove the less water that's there to dilute the antifreeze. On our trailer the FW pump is in the front pass thru on the curbside back panel. The cold line runs under the floor and pops up in the kitchen base cabinet under the sink next to the front door where it feeds the water heater. Both H&C lines feed the sink then go back to the bathtub, bathroom sink then yoilet. The outside shower is outside feed from the bathroom sink. From there it terminates at the outside kitchen sink on the wall behind the toilet. My low point drains for H&C are just below the kitchen sink area.

Long description but needed to fully describe my process. I connect air hose (regulated to 40 psi) to the city water inlet just ahead of the FW pump. I then progress from the nearest outlet and open the faucets to blow out the water. When it finishes spitting water I close those faucets or valves and procced to the next in line until I reach the outdoor sink. I then disconnect the air line.

Then I set up the gallon jug with the winterizing inlet hose in the jug. I go inside and open the kitchen sink faucets turn the faucets on. Then I turn the pump on and when the faucet runs steady antifreeze I turn off the faucet. I then proceed in the same order I used for blowing out the lines. After doing this for 10 yrs. I know how much antifreeze is used and when I need to change jugs. I typically have 3 gal. of anyifreeze, cange jugs with about a cup left in the bottom. The last jug will typically have ab9ut a quart remaining. I'll consolidate the remaing antifreeze into one jug and set it on the bathroom floor in case I beed it gojng forward through the winter to cover the toilet dump valve.

This lengthy descriptionnis what has worked for me for several decades. Each trailer is different and everyone has their own methods.
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