Just joined November 15, 2017, 12:44:21 pm Hi to all you Lazy Daze owners, i just bought my 1993, 26 foot mid bath Daisy Mae the end of August She's a beauty and the previous owners took such good care of her. I'm so happy to be here. I have a question about winterizing. I flushed the tanks, turned on the pump and got all the water out that way, emptied the hot water tank, then blew out the system with an air compressor, then put antifreeze in each drain. Is there anything else I should do or should have done. I felt pretty confident, but was on another FB group and wondered if I should have done something more to the hot water tank. I blew it out really good. Thanks for being here.
Re: Just joined Reply #1 – November 17, 2017, 07:05:19 am Hi DaisyMae 93. Welcome to the club. I'm glad that you are enjoying your MidBath. Living in San Diego, I've never had to winterize, so I'll have to wait for others to chime in. The blow out plug using the city water inlet, joins the water system at the high pressure side of the pump. So there will be some water left in the pipe from the tank to the strainer, and then from the strainer to the pump. Also some water left in the pump itself. I would put a gallon of pink antifreeze in the water tank and pump that out to the motorhome. Follow that by blowing out the lines again. Do you have the 'winterizing kit' installed on the water heater? The outside water heater drain isn't quite at the bottom, so there could be a quart or so of water left there also. Another good place to have a little extra pink antifreeze. Happy trails with your travels. RonB
Re: Just joined Reply #2 – November 17, 2017, 08:21:59 am Welcome Daisy, I hope you enjoy your vintage midbath. I see you hail from Montana. My favorite winterizing process is to head to the desert. But failing that, I added the winterizing kit to the lines between the water pump and the city water. That way I can suck up some RV anti freeze without adding it to the tank. Though that option works too, just uses more anti freeze.I leave the hot water tank plug out, but first I pump enough anti freeze into it to have some run out the hot water taps. Then I blow out all the lines with 40# of air pressure. Then relieve the pressure and pull the plug so the system is open. Our older rigs have delicate lines and connections so over doing the winterizing routine is prudent. Also, there are a lot of older threads here on this topic. Put the engine and house batteries on a maintainer charger, and Good luck.
Re: Just joined Reply #3 – November 17, 2017, 08:56:25 am I'm having to stretch the season a bit thru Thanksgiving weekend. I'm doing internal coach heating, exterior heat tape and 'baby chick' infrared livestock lights pointing at black plastic plumbing (which is working well without overheating things), and the tank. But I don't know what AV is. A type of antifreeze, or some other magic potion?Chip
Re: Just joined Reply #4 – November 17, 2017, 09:07:25 am "But I don't know what AV is. A type of antifreeze, or some other magic potion?"-----I don't know, either, but here's a list of possibilities. What does AV stand for? 1 Likes
Re: Just joined Reply #5 – November 17, 2017, 09:10:29 am Hi DaisyMae,I would also recommend accessing the water pump and disconnecting it on the outlet side. Place something to catch the water and turn on the pump so then it is clear of water as well. Other than this, you should be good to go!Welcome and enjoy,Paul
Re: Just joined Reply #6 – November 17, 2017, 09:27:45 am Quote from: JCT - November 17, 2017, 09:07:25 am"But I don't know what AV is. A type of antifreeze, or some other magic potion?"-----I don't know, either, but here's a list of possibilities. What does AV stand for?In our neck of the woods, AV stands for Antelope Valley.Welcome, Daisy Mae!
Re: Just joined Reply #7 – November 17, 2017, 10:21:22 am Daisy Mae, welcome to the club. We get winter here in W. PA. We have a 2011 MB and IF your older LD has the same kind of water pump set-up, consider the following if you have not done them: Access the water pump, unscrew the bowl on the inlet side, take out and clean the metal mesh filter, then re-install. Take off (unscrew) the hose fitting from the outlet side of the water pump, and shoot some RV antifreeze into the water pump with an old gravy baster. Good luck with your rig!
Re: Just joined Reply #8 – November 17, 2017, 01:26:53 pm I generally follow the same procedures as the OP. My 07 MIdBath came with the LD owners book so I follow that as a check list. That way I don’t forget to press the city water thingie. As a last step I run a half gal of antifreeze through the strainer and pump. I made a three foot hose assembly that replaces the fresh water line to strainer. I pump the antifreeze through the pump direct from the antifreeze jug. If time is an issue I skip blowing the lines and just pump antifreeze until the Fresh Water system is full of antifreeze. Roughly seven and a half to eight gallons.
Re: Just joined Reply #9 – November 17, 2017, 10:21:21 pm Quote from: paul banbury - November 17, 2017, 08:21:59 am I added the winterizing kit to the lines between the water pump and the city water. That way I can suck up some RV anti freeze without adding it to the tank. Though that option works too, just uses more anti freeze.Our older rigs have delicate lines and connections so over doing the winterizing routine is prudent. Also, there are a lot of older threads here on this topic. Put the engine and house batteries on a maintainer charger, and Good luck.The older PEX plumbing is much more fragile than the newer version of PEX, and is prone to cracking if any water is left in the lines. The older PEX was subject to damage by chlorine, in the water, that causes it to become brittle.Cracked lines or broken fittings can be very difficult to access and repair, BTDT.After blowing out the lines and valves with air, adding anti-freeze ensures that any remaining liquid, that pools, will not cause problems. Water can still remain in the system, even after blowing the lines clear. Surface tension holds a thin layer of water inside the lines and fittings. If the air compressor permits, blow the lines out for a several minutes, the longer the better.The toilet inlet valve is often damaged by frozen pooled water, causing the plastic body to crack or it damages the shaft seal.Adding RV anti-freeze is cheap insurance.Larry
Re: Just joined Reply #10 – November 18, 2017, 11:13:49 am So, Ed, what did you mean by 'AV'? Had the first frost of the season (not forecast) last night in the South Bay (CA); already back up to 42° headed for 65°. No winterizing is needed here, thankfully!
Re: Just joined Reply #11 – November 18, 2017, 02:04:32 pm Larry W. wrote: "...The older PEX plumbing is much more fragile than the newer version of PEX, and is prone to cracking if any water is left in the lines..."What is that dividing line, in terms of model years?Or is it stamped on the tubing, "old" or "new" Chip
Re: Just joined Reply #12 – November 18, 2017, 07:29:04 pm The old tubing is polybutylene, and I’d grey colored. Not translucent. 1 Likes
Re: Just joined Reply #13 – November 19, 2017, 09:20:37 am Will the water pump work backwards if I reverse the polarity? Not at full efficiency of course, but enough to draw a little AF down in the strainer without taking apart the supply-side plumbing? I did the LD checklist for air purge, but am not confident that the pump is really empty. When I run it (30-45 seconds) without outlet plumbing, it still gurgles and spits a little. Sending low-psi air back down the outlet side didn't seem to clear it -- although it emerged from last winter unscathed.On edit: I guess inlet-side disassembly would be beneficial from a mesh-cleaning standpoint.Chip
Re: Just joined Reply #14 – November 19, 2017, 09:53:21 am Quote from: Ed & Margee - November 18, 2017, 09:08:09 pmAsked and answered. Asked, certainly, but not clear on the answer. After reading the post several times, I am guessing he means the air vent. Only thing I can figure. Anyone else know?
Re: Just joined Reply #15 – November 19, 2017, 11:58:56 am Quote from: Chip Chester - November 19, 2017, 09:20:37 amWill the water pump work backwards if I reverse the polarity? Not at full efficiency of course, but enough to draw a little AF down in the strainer without taking apart the supply-side plumbing? winter The pump is not reversable, it’s check valves control the flow direction.A two way valve, on the inlet side of the pump, will allow pulling anti-freeze through the pump, preventing freeze damage.Larry
Re: Just joined Reply #17 – November 19, 2017, 01:07:55 pm Larry, I didn't see the correction in Ed's original post until Chris pointed it out; Ed meant 'AF' (anti-freeze) instead of 'AV'. (My fingers frequently get up to similar keyboard mischief ! )
Re: Just joined Reply #18 – November 19, 2017, 04:29:36 pm For the OP. If your ever put water in the windshield washer reservoir or if the vehicle is still newish to you and you do not know what the previous owner was using consider running the washer pump a while and replacing the washer fluid with fresh antifreeze windshield washer fluid. Next year you will not have to worry about this step unless you use regular water in the reservoir.
Re: Just joined Reply #19 – November 19, 2017, 06:51:55 pm "...and replacing the washer fluid with fresh antifreeze windshield washer fluid."I cannot remember a time when I ran straight 'water' in my washer tank! Being a CA Valley Rat, I run antifreeze fluid as a matter of course, just in case I find myself in the mountains during freezing weather.
Re: Just joined Reply #20 – November 19, 2017, 07:04:19 pm Quote from: Lazy Bones - November 19, 2017, 06:51:55 pm"...and replacing the washer fluid with fresh antifreeze windshield washer fluid."I cannot remember a time when I ran straight 'water' in my washer tank! Being a CA Valley Rat, I run antifreeze fluid as a matter of course, just in case I find myself in the mountains during freezing weather. Im the same way ... most of the time. This summer I was out so put water in because of the bugs (I'm on the east coast). It occurred to me the previous owner of the Dazy Mae might have done the same.
Topic: Just joined (Read 466 times)
previous topic - next topic
Topic: Just joined (Read 466 times)
previous topic - next topic