Re Winterizing water pump

[Goldstar]

I just winterized my TT and have blown air through all the water lines and have put antifreeze in all, the drains and the black tank and turned the by pass valves off that go into the water pump. The one thing I did forget was to blow out the water pump itself before hand since I didn’t run it when I was blowing the lines out. Is this a concern we have temperatures that go below -35 below how can I go out getting the water out of it now or can I wrap a blanket around the pump to protect it from freezing. I’ll look forward to your recommendations on resolving this issue before it does get too cold. Thank you in advance for any help.

[travelin texans]

At -35 I'd think wrapping it in a blanket wouldn't help much, unless it was an electric blanket!
If you can get to the pump easily enough to put a blanket on it I'd think removing the lines & let them drain &/or blow air through the pump would be better than the blanket.

[Goldstar]

I agree going to go out to the storage facility and blow it out with air today and leave the outlet end of the pump open so air will get into it insuring it’s completely empty. Thanks for the advice was trying to find an easier way with just wrapping a blanket around it instead. I’ll take my generator and air compressor out to the storage facility to do the job properly.
Thanks again.

[jmnsn57]

If you used the pump to draw the antifreeze and ran it while you opened each water valve both hot and cold sides (don't forget outside shower and kitchen if so equipped) , then the pump will be protected.

[Goldstar]

No unfortunately I chose this year to blow the lines out and leave them empty so the pump wasn’t used at all but I’ll go back and disconnect it and blow it out will be good then till next spring. Thanks for responding to my post much appreciated.

[Wingerdinger]

I live in Minnesota, so we get a long cold winter too.
I have found that just blowing out the lines is not sufficient in some cases. I have had water migrate to low spots or water stay in valves and crack them. Using RV antifreeze after you blow out is the safest method.
Then your water pump, fixtures and even the drains are protected.
It's easy and cheap.

[Royalred]

After you blow air through your system and have drained all your tanks and water heaters its now time to blow or use your water pump to load up your system with anti-freeze until each of your taps start to show the pink fluid and when it does,go to the next tap and repeat this until all taps drain a little anti-freeze.Then pour some anti-freeze down your toilet say 1/2 gallon and the same for you sink drains and also your shower drain If you have a outside shower do that too! I hope all your black and grey water tanks are also drained? Good luck Royalred

[Papa-T]

For the price of RV antifreeze; $2.58 a gallon. Easily can winterize a unit with two gallons. Why take a chance and not have the piece of mind that everything is winterized correctly. Yes don’t forget the outside shower and the low point drains.

[coastn]

X 2

[priest6479]

Yeah, I have to agree with everyone else... just put some antifreeze fluid in there. Trust me you NEVER get all the water out of the lines with Air. Once you flush some antifreeze through there you will see how much water you missed. For a couple of bucks, it's just easy insurance that you won't blow up a pipe in impossible to get at place.

I had my old Hybrid freeze up some years back, with all the drains line opened and water blown out....yet still some random places had cracked on me. luckily wasn't too much challenge to fix but that sobered me up to the realities quick.

[egrum]

I agree with most anti-freeze is cheap compared to an appliance or the cost of repair of a split line somewhere buried in the floor. Running the pump ensures (provided yo dont try to be to cheap. Also when you run air, how do you protect your P-traps? Under sinks, showers etc? water in them will freeze also.
As a side issue I blew out my water lines on the out-side of my house 1 year, assuming as I had air coming out of the hose bibs, all was good. It was til the next year when I wanted to use an outside tap at the front of the house , so when I turned on the water, in-side, to charge all the outside taps I had water screaming out a split in the COPPER line I had ran years earlier to get water available at the front of the house. Never again! I now pump RV anti freeze to all my outside taps.

[Goldstar]

I appreciate all the advice about weather it was good enough to just to use air and blow out the lines and not put RV antifreeze into the lines instead of leaving them empty during the winter. I live in central Canada where the temperatures drop below -35– 40 Celsius with high windchills as well. I’m going to take the advice of many individuals that offered it and be safe and add the RV antifreeze into the water lines than take a chance on cracking them over the winter. Thank you all for your valued advice to a newbie that is still learning many things about looking after and servicing this Travel Trailer.
Thank you all.

[priest6479]

That is definitely a good point .. Guys be sure to dump some anti freeze down your drains ... flush out any water that might be in the P-Traps

Originally Posted by egrum

Also when you run air, how do you protect your P-traps? Under sinks, showers etc? water in them will freeze also.

[Monarch]

Don't forget to flush the toilet with antifreeze.

[dagst1]

I have blown out my campers now for the last 14 or 15 years - 3 different campers and have never had a line freeze. If done correctly it is safe but if you are not thorough it could be a problem. Still use a little antifreeze down the drains. The main reason i started to blow out the lines was we use our camper in the winter and between times if it would freeze we then had to antifreeze then flush out the lines to use the camper. After a few times that's a lot of antifreeze.

Now this works for me. YOU DO WHAT YOU FEEL COMFORTABLE WITH.

[drzaius]

I've been blowing the lines out on 2 fifth wheels over the last 18 years or so & have never had problems with lines breaking. I do put antifreeze in the all the traps & holding tanks.

To winterize the water pump, I just disconnect the outlet hose & run it for a few seconds until no more water comes out. Done.

The thing with antifreeze is that it takes a LOT of water running through the lines to flush out the residual taste. Yuck! That's the main reason I use air.

[DavisK]

I've been doing the same as dagst1 on my last 2 campers. Like drzaius, I also run my water pump dry to remove all of the water. I've never had a frozen line.

[Goldstar]

I live in Canada where it gets sometimes below -35 to -40 at times thought I could just blow out the water lines with my compressor at 40 PSI and it will be good to go. I had air came out of all the taps water lines and bottom drains of the trailer as well. After many individuals giving me their personal thoughts on the different process to do and why add Antifreeze is it needed at all. I decided to put Antifreeze into my trailer after all just to be safe. Once I started running the water pump and putting Antifreeze in the lines the amount of air and water that was still in the lines shocked me. I couldn’t believe that anything water was left in the lines at all but I was wrong. I would rather be safe than sorry and need to do plumbing work on my trailer in the summer when I want to enjoy it. Lesson learned

I have one question with my 2012 Sunset trail reserve 31BH how much RV Antifreeze should it take to winterize it I went through 6- 3.78 litres of antifreeze and that’s with the hot water tank by passes as well.
I do have an outdoor kitchen and outdoor shower as well in this trailer.

I found one thing out on the water taps in the kitchen, bathroom, outdoor kitchen remove the screens on the spouts mine were plugged up and antifreeze wouldn’t come through the taps till I took them off.

[Crossroad Rick]

Well After you blew out your lines, Have you removed the plug in the HWT. If you have and you have your bypass valve in the right position.Than there is know way that you can get 6 jugs into the lines of that trailer. I just did my trailer, it is a little smaller than yours but I maybe used almost 1 1/4 jugs. I am sorry to tell you but if you went through 6 jugs it could only be in one place, in your tank if the plug is in or you just kept the antifreeze flowing and it is in the grey tank. Check the level on your gauges. It has to be somewhere in the HWT or Grey tank. This a pick of a tank in bypass position. Also one pic of a 2 valve tank. You might not have the valve by the hot water outlet as my Cruiser didn't have it. There is a one way check valve on the hot water side meaning nothing goes in only out. But the other two valves are there very simple close water in and open bypass valve, If it is not this way than you have filled your tank. On my Cruiser I had a ten gallon tank what size is yours. Good Luck.

[Goldstar]

I have a 40 gallon grey tank and a 40 Gallon black tank I did shut off the cold and Hot by pass lines going into the hot water tank I believe. Here are some pictures of the shut off vale’s next to the hot water tank and the water pump. The one on the top is the hot water shut off valve and at the bottom there is the cold water by pass valve. There is a line that goes into the water pump at the top it has a hose on it I believe is for winterizing the trailer that’s the line I used to put Antifreeze into the water lines. There is another off valve that I opened that is just behind the line I used to put antifreeze into it that one I left open. I understand if Zi did put Antifreeze into the hot water tank it won’t cause any damage to it hopefully I’m correct. I would appreciate any advice if I did something wrong when I winterized it.