Winterizing November 02, 2020, 08:49:30 am Yesterday for the first time I tried my hand at winterizing our LD. I found that, when blowing out the lines, nothing happens when the cold is turned off and the hot turned on: no water or air to be heard or felt coming out through the faucet. Is that a problem? What is the fix? #newbie #allthumbs
Re: Winterizing Reply #1 – November 02, 2020, 10:29:40 am Quote from: sakelsey - November 02, 2020, 08:49:30 amYesterday for the first time I tried my hand at winterizing our LD. I found that, when blowing out the lines, nothing happens when the cold is turned off and the hot turned on: no water or air to be heard or felt coming out through the faucet. Is that a problem? What is the fix? #newbie #allthumbsWhat year and model LD do you have?Chris
Re: Winterizing Reply #2 – November 02, 2020, 11:47:38 am Is the plug out on your water heater? If so, no air would come out the faucets.Jon 1 Likes
Re: Winterizing Reply #3 – November 02, 2020, 11:52:53 am Jon, yes, thank you (duh). So, re-plug the hot water heater and try again. 1 Likes
Re: Winterizing Reply #5 – November 11, 2020, 09:25:20 pm QuoteJon, yes, thank you (duh). So, re-plug the hot water heater and try again.Also, quick tip - something I learned the "wet" way on my first winterizing attempt with air - relieve pressure on the water system BEFORE pulling the plug on the water heater - otherwise, you may get wet...The first time I tried blowing my system, I forgot to drain the water heater, so the first hot water tap I tried kept running water instead of clearing. I realized I still had a full hot water tank, so figured I'd drain that quickly then continue, forgetting the system was still charged. When the plug came out, it drained quickly all right. I got soaked! Lesson learned.Ken 7 Likes
Re: Winterizing Reply #6 – November 12, 2020, 11:16:12 am Ken, that was a classic "The next time I do that it will be a mistake" 2 Likes
Re: Winterizing Reply #7 – November 14, 2020, 05:49:56 pm Some winterizing tips:FMCA Tech Tip: RV Storage - Some Do’s and Don’ts - RV Trader Blog 1 Likes
Re: Winterizing Reply #8 – November 15, 2020, 04:29:44 pm Quote from: JemezKen - November 11, 2020, 09:25:20 pmAlso, quick tip - something I learned the "wet" way on my first winterizing attempt with air - relieve pressure on the water system BEFORE pulling the plug on the water heater - otherwise, you may get wet...The first time I tried blowing my system, I forgot to drain the water heater, so the first hot water tap I tried kept running water instead of clearing. I realized I still had a full hot water tank, so figured I'd drain that quickly then continue, forgetting the system was still charged. When the plug came out, it drained quickly all right. I got soaked! Lesson learned.KenI think most of us have been there done that. 2 Likes
Re: Winterizing Reply #9 – December 11, 2020, 08:52:44 pm Started the winterizing process today using the blowout method spelled out in the LD manual. When I got to the part for the water pump, it says to remove the plastic strainer bowl from the pump housing and clean out the stainless steel strainer. I was surprised to find this when I did. Any idea where these plastic shavings came from? Maybe as a result of the manufacturing process?
Re: Winterizing Reply #10 – December 11, 2020, 09:14:20 pm Quote from: HiLola - December 11, 2020, 08:52:44 pmStarted the winterizing process today using the blowout method spelled out in the LD manual. When I got to the part for the water pump, it says to remove the plastic strainer bowl from the pump housing and clean out the stainless steel strainer. I was surprised to find this when I did. Any idea where these plastic shavings came from? Maybe as a result of the manufacturing process?It could be left over from when the output fitting on the water tank was installed.The filter did its job.Larry 3 Likes
Re: Winterizing Reply #11 – December 12, 2020, 03:25:57 am Hi Greg; never have checked the strainer in my TK. Guess now I will have to look. Wish I had a shutoff valve now, so there goes 48 gallons. Maybe a good time to install a shut off valve. RonB 1 Likes
Re: Winterizing Reply #12 – December 12, 2020, 05:04:12 pm I’m waiting parts for the next step in the winterizing process which requires access to the rear of the water pump. Underneath the blue plastic bag is the converter/charger unit (I covered it while disconnecting the pump’s outlet side connector in the rear of the pump). As you can see, access to the rear of the pump is quite limited by the converter sticking into the cabinet. Can I loosen the mounting screws for the converter and push it out a little to gain more room to work? Are there any electrical concerns, if so? I do have the battery disconnect switch on the coach batteries. 1 Likes
Re: Winterizing Reply #13 – December 12, 2020, 07:16:05 pm Quote from: RonB - December 12, 2020, 03:25:57 amHi Greg; never have checked the strainer in my TK. Guess now I will have to look. Wish I had a shutoff valve now, so there goes 48 gallons. Maybe a good time to install a shut off valve. RonBMy I suggest something like thisAmazon.com: Steck Manufacturing 20085 EZ Pull Plier: AutomotivePut this on the intake side so you don't have to dump water.glenps learned this the hard way when I had to replace a water pump when we were boondocking. As an Amazon Associate Lazy Daze Owners' Group earns from qualifying purchases.
Re: Winterizing Reply #14 – December 17, 2020, 01:19:40 pm Making slow progress on my winterizing. Just got the blowout hose yesterday but now I need to adapt from the fitting on the hose to the fitting on the water pump. Does anyone know what size the water pump fittings are? Looks like a trip to Home Depot.
Re: Winterizing Reply #15 – December 17, 2020, 01:27:53 pm The fitting on the pump has a threaded female collar to match the threaded male fitting on the hose; you should be able to fit the one to the other, no add'l parts necessary.
Re: Winterizing Reply #16 – December 17, 2020, 01:32:10 pm Sean, I'm trying to adapt from the blowout hose that I purchased on Amazon to the water pump outlet so I can blow the lines out. See photo.
Re: Winterizing Reply #17 – December 17, 2020, 05:12:16 pm Hi Greg, you still need to blow out the pump, the strainer cracked from residual water in the strainer in at least one persons post here in the past. You don't need to pressurize the house water lines very much, so you could tape it together for now. If I ever needed to 'winterize' where I store my LD (driveway) I would blow it out, then pump antifreeze from the fresh water tank, throughout and into the traps and black/gray tanks. Then drain the extra 5+ gallons of antifreeze back into jugs for use again. I guess that David in Florida didn't require a bypass kit on the water heater. RonB 1 Likes
Re: Winterizing Reply #18 – December 17, 2020, 05:15:09 pm Quote from: HiLola - December 17, 2020, 01:19:40 pm Does anyone know what size the water pump fittings are? Looks like a trip to Home Depot.Following the lead of Andy, I’ve found that driving the project (RV) to Home Depot and assembling the fittings in the parking lot cuts down on the number of trips.Rich 2 Likes
Re: Winterizing Reply #19 – December 17, 2020, 05:47:14 pm I've installed a bypass valve between the water tank outlet and the pump inlet. It lets me suck antifreeze into the system and through the pump. I also have a bypass on the water heater then I just pump anti freeze through the system. Just not enough room in that pump area for me to work.Jon
Re: Winterizing Reply #20 – December 17, 2020, 06:24:23 pm Hey Gregg,Looks like you have a lot going on with your new "toy". I don't use the blow out winterizing method so I'm not well versed in all the intricacies. But I seem to remember reading somewhere that the compressor you use should be an "oil free" compressor. I am not sure if you were aware of this or not.Happy trails,Steve K. 1 Likes
Re: Winterizing Reply #21 – December 17, 2020, 06:28:00 pm Quote from: HiLola - December 17, 2020, 01:19:40 pmDoes anyone know what size the water pump fittings are? Looks like a trip to Home Depot.Greg,1/2" FPT fits onto the male water pump connections.. I used a 30" toilet water connection pipe that I got at Lowes, although afterwards I saw that they had a 1/2" FPT to 1/2" barb adapter. I think the toilet connection is going back and I'll get that adapter and about 5 feet of vinyl tubing. 30" was a bit short to easily suck the antifreeze.Linda 1 Likes
Re: Winterizing Reply #22 – December 17, 2020, 06:29:57 pm And does anyone know an easy way to get to the back of the water heater in a RB to install a bypass? It's crammed in there behind the furnace and the circuit board.Linda
Re: Winterizing Reply #23 – December 17, 2020, 09:03:41 pm Thanks, everyone! After a trip to Home Depot to get the necessary parts, I was able to complete the blow out method as per the Lazy Daze manual. I had used the non-toxic antifreeze method on a previous RV, which was easy since there was already a water heater bypass installed, but wanted to use the blow out method on the LD since we hope to use it during the winter on a monthly basis. Dewinterizing using the blowout method appears to be relatively simple and quick.The hardest part was reaching the back of the water pump, which was made easier by moving the converter/charger unit out of that space to get more room. The funny thing was, as I was working on the LD this afternoon, it started snowing so I guess I got it done just in time! And yes, Steve, I did use an oil free compressor- an important reminder for those that use this method!Here are some photos of the process. 2 Likes
Re: Winterizing Reply #24 – December 17, 2020, 09:14:58 pm By the way, does anyone know what the copper wire is (on the left side in the photo) coming out of the top of the converter? Is it a ground?
Topic: Winterizing (Read 1571 times)
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Topic: Winterizing (Read 1571 times)
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