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Winterizing Question

JoshuaH
Explorer
Explorer
This summer we bought a 17Ft. Hybrid camper that replaced a pop up. This is my first experience with a camper having a water heater, shower etc, the pop up just had 1 sink.

I've read about how to winterize using RV antifreeze, seems pretty easy. I was wondering, is there any reason why I can't use compressed air to blow out all the water in the lines? I have an air compressor, wouldn't be hard to make an adapter that will hook to the water connection.

Thanks!
24 REPLIES 24

aftermath
Explorer II
Explorer II
JimK-NY wrote:
I don't understand the reluctance to use RV antifreeze. I think I paid about $3 for a gallon at Walmart. I just disconnect the water line from the bottom of the pump, screw on a piece of tubing and suck up antifreeze until I see pink at each faucet. The only nuisance I have is dealing with the water heater. It seems to leak each Spring when I replace the plug and fill it up. I bought new plugs so hopefully that issue is done.


On my first trailer I had a nice valve by the water pump under the bathroom sink. It was very easy to winterize using the pink stuff and I did it each year. I purchased my Airstream and my model has the water pump under the hall closet, way to the back. I can see the pump but to access it is almost impossible. To install a valve would require removal and even then getting at the hose would be quite the challenge.

I called the dealer and the tech told me they just blow them out. He expained how to do it and that is what I have been doing for 9 years. Any mistake was made by me. I forgot to blow out the spray nozzle on the sink and it broke. I did it TWICE! Man, slow learner here.

If I had a choice I would actually do both. First blow it out and then run the pink stuff just to be sure. Overkill but some like that approach. Air works, be careful and thorough and take your time.
2017 Toyota Tundra, Double Cab, 5.7L V8
2006 Airstream 25 FB SE
Equalizer Hitch

drsteve
Explorer
Explorer
JoshuaH wrote:
What section at walmart do you find it in?


This time of year, they usually just set a pallet of it in the middle of the main aisle. Probably near the automotive or outdoor departments.
2006 Silverado 1500HD Crew Cab 2WD 6.0L 3.73 8600 GVWR
2018 Coachmen Catalina Legacy Edition 223RBS
1991 Palomino Filly PUP

JoshuaH
Explorer
Explorer
What section at walmart do you find it in?

JimK-NY
Explorer II
Explorer II
$15, Whoa! I thought Lowe's was high at $5. Try Walmart, Lowes and Home Depot.

JoshuaH
Explorer
Explorer
I have not been able to find it for less than $15 per gallon. If I could find it for $3 I would not care for sure!

JimK-NY
Explorer II
Explorer II
I don't understand the reluctance to use RV antifreeze. I think I paid about $3 for a gallon at Walmart. I just disconnect the water line from the bottom of the pump, screw on a piece of tubing and suck up antifreeze until I see pink at each faucet. The only nuisance I have is dealing with the water heater. It seems to leak each Spring when I replace the plug and fill it up. I bought new plugs so hopefully that issue is done.

drsteve
Explorer
Explorer
JoshuaH wrote:
Well I didn't think that would be a problem as long as we kept the furnace running. I don't camp when its really cold, but possibly below freezing at night, 30s-40s during the day.


With that temperature range, you have nothing to worry about. It takes prolonged below freezing temps to freeze the water in your lines, especially with the furnace running.
2006 Silverado 1500HD Crew Cab 2WD 6.0L 3.73 8600 GVWR
2018 Coachmen Catalina Legacy Edition 223RBS
1991 Palomino Filly PUP

JoshuaH
Explorer
Explorer
Yea I still plan to buy some RV antifreeze to use in the drains, and of course if we ever pack up from camping at a site when its below freezing I'll have to use antifreeze.

BTW that adapter worked wonderfully, this week we had our first frost so I blew all the lines out the day before. My 8 Gallon Harbor Freight compressor had no problems what so ever even with every tap open.

ddndoug
Explorer
Explorer
JoshuaH wrote:
Thanks. We like to camp off grid in the winter, after pricing RV antifreeze I got to thinking I'm going to be spending a lot of money each time we go, would save some money to just blow out the lines.


You'll still want to have RV anti-frz on hand to pour in your drains each time you return. In my opinion, a couple of dollars of anti-frz down the drains is cheap insurance against p-traps and black and/or grey tanks cracking due to water freezing in them.

Doug
2009 Four Winds Hurricane 33T
F53 Ford Chassis w/Triton V-10

Harvey51
Explorer
Explorer
Is that 40 psi with all the taps open, closed or what? I am guessing you set the compressor to 40 psi max, then it goes down to 2 or 3 psi when a tap is open - and a tap should always be open while winterizing so the air is flowing fast enough to carry away water in the bottoms of the pipes. Being liquid, antifreeze doesn’t need to flow fast to push water.

I use a gallon of antifreeze every fall, then buy for next year when it is on sale. We carry our drinking water in two jugs so we never taste antifreeze residue and don’t need to use bleach in the water system.

I prefer the antifreeze method because we sometimes get camping weather in Winter but need to be able to winterize when it turns cold again. Nice to just carry a jug of pink stuff instead of a compressor. And winterize in half an hour.
2004 E350 Adventurer (Canadian) 20 footer - Alberta, Canada
No TV + 100W solar = no generator needed

JaxDad
Explorer III
Explorer III
wa8yxm wrote:
Screw adapter in and set regulator on Compressor (I used a 6 gallon pancake 150 PSI job) to 50 PSI.

Let 'er blow. When it ran out of air go inside and .......

LOOP By now the air compressor has recovered so BLOW again.. When it runs low stop blowing and have some coffee. ENd loop
I ran 5-10 cycles of the loop.. Eventually I ran out of coffee :).


If all you do is take an expired or scrap (but not rusty or damaged) propane tank and “T” it into the system between the compressor and regulator you will dramatically reduce the number cycles required.

Because of the length of air hose I use for projects in the yard I made up a portable reservoir with a discarded 100 pounder that permanently lives on a hand truck. I replaced the valve with a T that has both a male & female quick disconnect fittings. By putting the tank near my work the volume of air flow is not restricted by a long run of small diameter line.

JaxDad
Explorer III
Explorer III
LarryJM wrote:
JaxDad wrote:


That could only be an issue if you don’t blow the lines out properly. I did an experiment a few years back for sceptical friend to show him how well it works. I took a 100’ coil of clear fuel hose and hooked to to tap, then with it standing vertically hooked it to the compressor with the regulator set to 50 psi. There wasn’t a drop left in the line.

The issue arises when someone uses a very small compressor that can’t maintain the required pressure for very long, or just doesn’t perform the task correctly.


Depending on who you ask 50psi is more pressure by almost 2 times as what a lot of folks recommend for the max air pressure to blow out your lines and is from what I can tell at the very max of what anyone recommends.

Larry


The water system is ‘rated’ at 50 psi, city water pressure, that’s not the burst point. In an air system PSI is the ‘driving force’, volume is the amount of work. Sort of like the air version of volts and amps.

DrewE
Explorer
Explorer
Large volume is relative, of course. A cheap 10 gallon, 4ish cfm compressor does fine for me. The tank size is pretty much irrelevant here since it's running basically continually during the process. A massive body shop compressor is not required by an means.

If your RV is set up for cold weather operation, using the water system in below freezing conditions (with the furnace on etc.) is fine; it's designed for that. There is a lot of variation in how well RVs are set up for cold weather use, though, ranging from not well at all (pipe runs exposed underneath, etc.) to reasonably decent (pipe runs and tanks all inside the insulated envelope, maybe tank heaters, double-pane windows, etc.) Obviously without heat any RV will freeze eventually if the average ambient temperature is below freezing.

jerryjay11
Explorer
Explorer
I don't have a need for a large, big volume air compressor so I use RV antifreeze. Awhile back I used my small air compressor to blow out the lines in a Class B until I ended up replacing the toilet valve two years in a row. So as suggested earlier if you don't have a high volume air compressor then use RV antifreeze.