2025 - Casualty of the Cold

ctechbob

ctechbob

Well-known member
I usually don't go full bore with the winterizing of the coach, since our temps don't usually require it. 2025 is a different story. It has been super cold (for us) here in GA and I managed to get bitten by it. I did blow out all my lines, and added antifreeze to the drains, which is what I did last year. Also drained the freshwater tank. What I did forget/neglect to do, was to drain the stupid little bowl on the intake of the freshwater pump, and yep, it bit me.

Thankfully it appears to be the only casualty and one with no other damage to the coach since it couldn't leak what it couldn't suck up.

Ohh well, $6 lesson.

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I wanted to just blow out the lines last year after reading about how easy it is and just blow until no mist comes out and ended up putting in the antifreeze anyway. I couldn't get one of the shower lines to blow clear so there must be something weird about the line causing a restriction or dip or something. Last thing I want is to have to drop the bottom cover and fix freeze damage I could have prevented. We don't drink water out of the faucet anyway so ain't scared of the pink. We've seen 15f already this winter. Got the first snow and first precip in months yesterday and overnight. 1inch.
 
Azjeff said:
I wanted to just blow out the lines last year after reading about how easy it is and just blow until no mist comes out and ended up putting in the antifreeze anyway. I couldn't get one of the shower lines to blow clear so there must be something weird about the line causing a restriction or dip or something. Last thing I want is to have to drop the bottom cover and fix freeze damage I could have prevented. We don't drink water out of the faucet anyway so ain't scared of the pink. We've seen 15f already this winter. Got the first snow and first precip in months yesterday and overnight. 1inch.
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my Dad never ever used the pink stuff in his RV's.
even though they all sat the winter in MI.
all he ever ever did was drain the tanks, open all the faucets and run air pressure thru the water system until he was happy..

that pink crap is a PITA to clean out of the system if you use it.
 
I run all the faucets past where they run clear and don't worry about it. Like I said we don't drink out of the faucets.

You're saying dad did it right and I'm doing it wrong. Blowing the lines didn't prevent CTBob's fail.
 
Azjeff said:
I run all the faucets past where they run clear and don't worry about it. Like I said we don't drink out of the faucets.

You're saying dad did it right and I'm doing it wrong. Blowing the lines didn't prevent CTBob's fail.
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there is no right or wrong way.. so don't get your panties in a wad..
main point is to get enough water out of the system
that if it freezes it has room to expand and doesn't break anything..
realistically there is more than one way to skin a cat..

next time all Bob needs to remember to run the pump and then take the filter cover off..
that should take care of the possibility of ice in that part of the system.

also explains why making checklists for different repeatable tasks is a good idea...
 
To be fair, it wouldn't have mattered if I ran the pink stuff. The strainer that broke is on the line from the fresh tank to the input of the pump. There's no way to pink that unless you dump about 5 gallons of the pink stuff in the fresh tank and let the pump pull it that way. Has to be spun off and dumped out, there's no other way, so the pink wouldn't have saved it.

Now, I probably could have run the pump dry, that might have done it, I'll have to check that theory.
 
Our GD has a 3 way valve on the intake side of the pump with a 3' piece of hose that you just drop into the gallon jug of pink stuff and suck it through the pump and through the plumbing. Always have to remember to flush the fresh water and city water lines during first use to get all the AF out. The pump is inconveniently placed under a drawer under the oven and would be a bear to get that bowl off and on.
 
You know, now that I think of it, surely mine is set up the same way. I just never used it and never gave it much thought, but I think that is the fairly standard way they build them.

Ordered the whole assembly from Bezos and used just the bowl, threaded on fine, pump back up and working. Whopping $6.99.
 
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MSCH said:
all he ever ever did was drain the tanks, open all the faucets and run air pressure thru the water system until he was happy..
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I used to use the pink stuff in the lines, but now only use it in the traps and the clothes washer. I blow the lines out real well with a lot of air, until there is no mist. The selector valve gets turned to every position, which blows the valve, tank fill lines, and pump out as well.
 
Wayne said:
I used to use the pink stuff in the lines, but now only use it in the traps and the clothes washer. I blow the lines out real well with a lot of air, until there is no mist. The selector valve gets turned to every position, which blows the valve, tank fill lines, and pump out as well.
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you can also blow out the drains in the sinks.... its the water in the P Traps that has a potential to freeze..
 
My little 4 gallon compressor just doesn't have the volume to push all of the water out of the shower lines before the psi drops too far.

Isn't there usually a check valve somewhere, built into the pump or separate, that would prevent pushing water back through the pump into the fresh tank? My pump has a check valve so I figured I couldn't push water back out. Wrong?
 
Azjeff said:
My little 4 gallon compressor just doesn't have the volume to push all of the water out of the shower lines before the psi drops too far.

Isn't there usually a check valve somewhere, built into the pump or separate, that would prevent pushing water back through the pump into the fresh tank? My pump has a check valve so I figured I couldn't push water back out. Wrong?
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I don't think you need all that much volume or pressure, basically any water that settles in the low points is going to get pushed downstream, its just a matter of opening different faucets and such and letting the system bleed itself out.

So you have to put the selector valve ( assuming it has one) on Tank Fill.. and then on city water.. effectively bypassing the pump... most RVs fill the water tank by bypassing the pump or when using pressurized water the electric pump is out of the loop.

you'd still need to run the pump so you can purge the pump itself of any H2O.
 
MSCH said:
you can also blow out the drains in the sinks.... its the water in the P Traps that has a potential to freeze..
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There must be a fixture to seal the drains so all the air doesn't leak out, but I've never seen one.
 
I can' get either the hot or cold to the shower to blow clear (no mist) no matter what I do. I have no problem using the AF and it's not worth the chance of bursting something to just say close enough I'll risk it. I don't know if I've got all the water out, I do know if I've got AF in all the lines.
 
Wayne said:
There must be a fixture to seal the drains so all the air doesn't leak out, but I've never seen one.
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realistically you wrap a towel around the air gun , shove it in the drain and blow it out.. you should be leaving the black and gray tanks open when you do this sort of thing.. or you could use a an old plunger if you just have to have a tool..

there shouldn't be anything in the sink drains except what is in the bottom of the P traps..
 
MSCH said:
realistically you wrap a towel around the air gun , shove it in the drain and blow it out.. you should be leaving the black and gray tanks open when you do this sort of thing.. or you could use a an old plunger if you just have to have a tool..

there shouldn't be anything in the sink drains except what is in the bottom of the P traps..
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Tennis ball/racquetball with the proper holes in it works well too
 
MSCH said:
realistically you wrap a towel around the air gun , shove it in the drain and blow it out.. you should be leaving the black and gray tanks open when you do this sort of thing.. or you could use a an old plunger if you just have to have a tool..
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I'll bet you lunch @ctechbob could print a tool for this in short order. Rumor has it @Azjeff has a 3D printer too and could also whip something up.
 
Wayne said:
I'll bet you lunch @ctechbob could print a tool for this in short order. Rumor has it @Azjeff has a 3D printer too and could also whip something up.
Click to expand...

you could probably use rubber end of a plunger, and put an air fitting thru it..

this sort of comment had me think back to my 41 years working as a Mokanik and working with some guys who
had every tool known to man ( some Mokaniks are tool junkies ) and other guys who could take a whole vehicle apart
using an adjustable wrench and a pliers.
 
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