campingshadow
Waskom, Texas
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Just got a used RV. It has been in storage for sometime and all water was blown out and then everything shut down for the winter. There is some red stuff in the toilet. That is what I know. Can someone point me to a good video or explanation of how to get the water back on?
I saw something on a website before about sanitizing the tanks. But right now the RV is in the side yard and I do not want to flood it with water. Best option would be to do all this in an RV park where everything goes down the drain…..but temporarily the RV cannot be moved, so side yard it is. Any help will be much appreciated.
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rk911
DuPage County
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The 'red stuff' is likely RV plant-based anti-freeze (AF), although RV AF it is usually a pink color. If it is truly red color I'd be worried that it's something other than RV AF. The purpose of putting AF it in the toilet bowl is to keep the seal lubricated throughout the winter.
An important step in winterizing the RV is by-passing the water heater. This reduces the amount of AF needed to winterize the water system. The by-pass is only needed if AF will be pumped through the lines. If the lines were blown out with compressed air then the by-pass is not needed.
IF compressed air was used to blow out the lines then all you need to do is connect a fresh water source to the CITY water connection in the wet bay. Starting at a faucet the farthest away from the city water connection open the cold faucet until water runs smoothly. Repeat this at all of the other water faucets. If you have no fresh water source then add somewhere between 5-15 gallons of fresh water to the fresh holding tank through the gravity fill. Turn on the water pump and repeat the steps above.
IF RV AF was used then follow the above opening each faucet one-by-one until clear water replaces the pink AF. Keep the water heater bypass on bypass until all of the cold water faucets run clear. Then turn the bypass valve to NORMAL or OFF and run water from the hot faucets one-by-one until clear water flows normally. Alternatively you can empty the hot water tank by CAREFULLY removing the plug, letting the tank completely drain and then backflushing the tank. Replace the plug and follow the above steps.
NOTE: IF the AF in the lines is NOT PINK my concern would be the previous owner used automotive AF and if that's the case then your water lines are contaminated. I've been RVing since 1986 and have never seen RV AF any color but pink. I hope others will chime in.
Good luck and safe travels.
* This post was
edited 05/25/23 08:57pm by rk911 *
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campingshadow
Waskom, Texas
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There is a big bottle of pink RV antifreeze liquid that came with the RV. I will check again and see if that is what came with the RV. Previous owner had used the RV for years so I suspect all should be good. Thanks for the detailed instructions. I will follow them tomorrow. And let ya know how I make out.
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craig7h
Branson MO area
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rk911 gave you some great advice. Let me add and maybe go a different route.
I am thinking of sanitizing the water lines. Look at the water pump, hopefully you will see a extra hose coming from a valve that may have a cap on the end. This hose and valve is used for two things one to winterize by sucking the RV Pink stuff out of the gal. jug into the lines. The second is sanitizing the lines after you flush them out with fresh water. Take a gal. jug fill with fresh water and bleach (i forget the amount of bleach to water) turn on pump one faucet at a time until you smell the bleach. Leave the bleach water in the lines for a short time. Then flush with fresh water again.
I would take this time to clean out the water heater. There is a plastic wand made for that. I think walmart even carries it. The wand will go in the water heater and hopefully clean out any particles that should not be there.
Good Luck
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JKJavelin
Milwaukee, WI
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If it is truly red in color, it's probably holding tank valve lubricant. It's very red. Good for your seals.
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wallynm
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Look on the internet for your year make and model RV the search for instruction manuals!
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way2roll
Wilmington NC
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Could you try calling the previous owner and asking them?
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Flapper
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About sanitizing -
It is something you should do at least once a year, when first dewinterizing. And perhaps again after any period of a couple of months or more of not using. Nothing that grows in the system will make you sick, but can produce "musty" tasting water, or give a rotten egg smell to it.
Traditional is to use 1/4 cup of bleach to each 15 gal of water your fresh tank can hold. Use only plain bleach - no color laundry or smell enhancers, or other additives. Premix the bleach in a gallon of water to weaken it, before adding to your tank. How to depends on your trailer - some have an outside port that you can just pour it in (and then use a hose to fill the tank). Use the water pump to have the bleach water come out of every fixture and faucet. Make sure to also do the same for outside shower/water spigots, the toilet, shower, as well as the low point drains. Yes, you should fill your hot water heater with the bleach water too.
Some will warn about corrosion of the aluminum tank, but the concentration is very low AND it won't be in there all that long. But the heater is one of the best places to grow things. Let it all sit for 4-6 hrs.
Drain your fresh tank, and pull the plug on the heater to drain it. Open your low point drains to drain all the piping. Yes, it is safe to just dump on the lawn, it will not hurt grass/plants at all, and dissipates rapidly.
Fill your fresh tank again, and run clean water through everything to flush any remainder out.
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campingshadow
Waskom, Texas
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Ok….time to admit I am dumb! Took me forever to figure out the bypass valve was nowhere on the water heater…..or at least the part on the outside of the RV.
Now next stumbling block. It is apparently behind a panel in the bedroom under a closet and drawer. Even has a notice on it saying to remove the panel to get access to the water heater.
How nice. Except the panel has no hinges, no pulls, no screws or any way to remove it except for somehow prying it off. My luck I would try that and destroy the panel or the frame around it.
Someone tell me why I was dumb enough to buy another motor home! Is there a secret in a “guys only” manual that tells how to do this stuff? The one I am with is suffering from some mental decline and is no help at all. Figured getting an RV would be good for him to get out and enjoy before his mind is too far gone. So far have not made it out of the yard! ??????
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way2roll
Wilmington NC
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campingshadow wrote:Ok….time to admit I am dumb! Took me forever to figure out the bypass valve was nowhere on the water heater…..or at least the part on the outside of the RV.
Now next stumbling block. It is apparently behind a panel in the bedroom under a closet and drawer. Even has a notice on it saying to remove the panel to get access to the water heater.
How nice. Except the panel has no hinges, no pulls, no screws or any way to remove it except for somehow prying it off. My luck I would try that and destroy the panel or the frame around it.
Someone tell me why I was dumb enough to buy another motor home! Is there a secret in a “guys only” manual that tells how to do this stuff? The one I am with is suffering from some mental decline and is no help at all. Figured getting an RV would be good for him to get out and enjoy before his mind is too far gone. So far have not made it out of the yard! ??????
Have you contacted the previous owner? Are you certain it's behind the water heater? Often they are near the water pump or in the wet bay.
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