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Noob winterization question

TravisG
Explorer
Explorer
My Heartland Torque T29 has three drains. One towards the rear of the trailer and two in the middle with hot and cold lines connected. My question is after draining them all three do I leave them open over the winter or close them? Got them draining open overnight tonight and going to add antifreeze to the lines tomorrow.
2016 Heartland Torque T29
2012 Can-Am Commander X
2015 Dodge 2500 Laramie 4x4
7 REPLIES 7

TravisG
Explorer
Explorer
Thanks everybody. I was thinking about the two up front drains tonight before I added the antifreeze and thought "duh" and closed them. Thanks Dutchmen Sport for the analogy. Water heater is bypassed and anode rod is removed.
2016 Heartland Torque T29
2012 Can-Am Commander X
2015 Dodge 2500 Laramie 4x4

allen8106
Explorer
Explorer
TravisG wrote:
My Heartland Torque T29 has three drains. One towards the rear of the trailer and two in the middle with hot and cold lines connected. My question is after draining them all three do I leave them open over the winter or close them? Got them draining open overnight tonight and going to add antifreeze to the lines tomorrow.


Thanks a bunch, you just reminded me I hadn't opened my low point drains and its supposed to get down in the mid to high 20's here tonight. Done now!
2010 Eagle Super Lite 315RLDS
2018 GMC Sierra 3500HD 6.6L Duramax

2010 Nights 45
2011 Nights 70
2012 Nights 144
2013 Nights 46
2014 Nights 49
2015 Nights 57
2016 Nights 73
2017 Nights 40
2018 Nights 56
2019 Nights 76
2020 Nights 68

BB_TX
Nomad
Nomad
When filling my lines with antifreeze, with the pump running I open one low point drain until I see pink stuff coming out and then close it, then do the same with the other. And I leave them closed until spring when I flush the lines with water. Same as I do with all the inside faucets and outside shower.

The one in the back is probably the fresh water tank drain. I open mine until water stops running, then close it.

DutchmenSport
Explorer
Explorer
After winterizing, replace everything and turn all faucets off. If you are using "Pink Stuff" to winterize the lines, then you want to keep your water heater in by-pass mode until the lines are flushed of the pink-stuff in the Spring.

By replacing all low point caps, flipping the on-board pump back to normal use and turning everything off, come Spring, you won't have anything lost, you know everything is ready to pressurize again, and you won't have any risk of any unwanted "things" crawling into any of the lines (outside the camper, or inside). Keeping the low points closes helps seal the lines a little better. Why leave the inside of your lines potentially exposed to (well ... anything).

If you have a thermal insulated water jug of any kind, when you store it in your garage, or closet in the house, do you leave the lid off, or keep the lid on? More than likely you keep the lid on in storage, and just rinse it when you use it the next time. Why keep the lid on? To keep it from getting dirty, and to keep spiders and critters from nest in it, and to keep from loosing the lid ... right? Same is true for the water system in your camper! Shut everything off, replace everything.

Boon_Docker
Explorer II
Explorer II
If you are going to fill the lines with antifreeze you will have to close those low point drains and leave them closed.

path1
Explorer
Explorer
I don't know if link has your specific answer or not, but might be helpful to you....

https://manuals.heartlandowners.org/manuals/User%20Guides/Winterization%20Guide%20V1.1.pdf

Personally I use compressed air (45psi) to displace water with air, just in case some water might lay in low spots of plumping. Not to mention the toilet valve, that's harder to clear of water by just draining. But that's me.
2003 Majestic 23P... Northwest travel machine
2013 Arctic Fox 25W... Wife "doll house" for longer snowbird trips
2001 "The Mighty Dodge"... tow vehicle for "doll house"

perrodiablo
Explorer
Explorer
Personally, I would not leave them open. I have always used a blow out adapter (Camping world http://www.campingworld.com/shopping/item/blow-out-hose/69232) that attaches to your water intake and allows you to run air through your lines. Just be careful how much pressure you use. I would set my compressor to a max of about 50psi. Open each faucet individually. You will be amazed at how much water comes out. Don't forget to drain the hot water heater. I usually achieve this by removing the anode rod (if so equipped) and opening a hot faucet inside to assist the speed of draining. Replace the anode rod. Then you add your RV antifreeze. Hope this helps.
Tom & Lara R.
Grand Prairie, Texas
2007 30' Rockport TT