Costly winterizing mistake March 21, 2003, 10:15:19 am Yahoo Message Number: 20080Hi AllSpent yesterday at an RV center getting our LD checked out after a long winter in the cold. They were running a $100 special on checking out LP, electrical and plumbing systems. I had blown out the water lines following the manuals instructions and thought I Had all the water out but repair shop found a leak from the toilet. It turned out the check value was cracked. I am assuming I must have left some water in there and it froze. Anyway we are waiting on the parts. The shop said they recommend the use of the pink antifreeze instead of purging the lines. I think I will try that method next year. I had read all the winterizing post here and know it has been well debated. The repair facility is a large dealer with some high-end rigs (Nemar, etc) their hourly rate is $85. Is this typical?Jim and Joan 2002 30 IB
Re: Costly winterizing mistake Reply #1 – March 21, 2003, 10:28:46 am Yahoo Message Number: 20081"The shop said they recommend the use of the pink antifreeze instead of purging the lines. I think I will try that method next year."We'll let you know how the pink stuff worked for us this year. We drained everything (we hope) and dumped antifreeze down every drain. This was a very cold winter so if it worked we'll stick with this method. I used to work for a RV dealer and they advised folks with older rigs to use antifreeze because the lines and fittings tend to become fragile with age. I'm not sure about the logic but we'll see. :-)! Re: our leaky tire. It's holding the pressure after several weeks. We have short metal extenders on the front tires and that may have had something to do with a leaking valve. The tires are 2 1/2 years old and in good shape.Karen
Re: Costly winterizing mistake Reply #2 – March 21, 2003, 10:36:25 am Yahoo Message Number: 20082QuoteHi AllSpent yesterday at an RV center getting our LD checked out after a long winter in the cold. They were running a $100 special on checking out LP, electrical and plumbing systems. I had blown out the water lines following the manuals instructions and thought I Had all the water out but repair shop found a leak from the toilet. It turned out the check value was cracked. I am assuming I must have left some water in there and it froze. Anyway we are waiting on the parts. When you purged the lines, I assume you opened the water valves one- by-one. Did you also activate the toilet flush mechanism while purging? If so, then this may be a gravity-fed part of the toilet that cannot be flushed except with a liquid. Which make/model toilet do you have?Steve
Re: Costly winterizing mistake Reply #3 – March 21, 2003, 11:09:09 am Yahoo Message Number: 20084QuoteWhen you purged the lines, I assume you opened the water valves one- by-one. Did you also activate the toilet flush mechanism while purging? If so, then this may be a gravity-fed part of the toilet that cannot be flushed except with a liquid. Which make/model toilet do you have? Hi Steve The toilet is a Sealand model 511 one of their 500 plus series. I did open each faucet one at a time as well as the toilet hand spray. I can't remember if I actuated the foot petal while the air compressor was running. The service technician said I should have used a block of wood to keep the bowl seal open. I just got Sealands manual to answer your question about the model and noticed it has its own instructions for winterizing. they say remove the inlet waterline and flush until all water is drained. I did not remove the line.Jim and Joan 2002 30IB
Re: Costly winterizing mistake Reply #4 – March 23, 2003, 10:34:42 am Yahoo Message Number: 20124I just got Sealands manual to Quoteanswer your question about the model and noticed it has its own instructions for winterizing. they say remove the inlet waterline and flush until all water is drained. I did not remove the line.Jim and Joan 2002 30IB Hi, Jim and Joan. Sorry to learn of your problem. I also winterized per the LD manual and probably will be de-winterizing in a couple of weeks. Since we have the same year and model, I'll let you know if I have the same problem. The coldest it got here in Denver this winter was -6. I don't remember if I actuated the toilet foot pedal while purging the lines, but I did spend a lot of time blowing the lines with the compressor.Chris Horst 2002 IB
Costly winterizing mistake Reply #5 – March 21, 2003, 12:03:52 pm Yahoo Message Number: 20085(snip) but repair shop found a leak from the toilet. It turned out the check value was cracked. I am assuming I must have left some water in there and it froze...Jim/Joan, Sorry to hear of your lesson learned. Can you describe where the RV shop first detected the water? Was it inside at the base of the toilet, somewhere else? I used the "air" technique on my 26.5 MB last fall and am now curious to look for any signs of a similar problem to see what lessons I might not have learned. :-(Larry
Re: [Life With A Lazy Daze RV] Costly winterizing mistake Reply #6 – March 21, 2003, 12:23:42 pm Yahoo Message Number: 20086Quote I used the "air" technique on my 26.5 MB last fall and am now curious to Quotelook for any signs of a similar problem to see what lessons I might not haveQuotelearned. :-( Hi Larry When I went to the rv shop I had not filled the water tanks yet as we will probably get a few more nights below freezing. They put fresh water in to check system and when flushing the toilet they noticed water on the floor and they suspected the check valve and they wanted to pull the toilet. I had them talk to Tim at the LD factory and he thought it was probably just loose connections. The tech checked all connections and still there was a leak. Tim also said I would have to go thru Sealand for warranty. The service shop is doing that but they are sure Sealand will want the damaged parts and being this time of year will suspect freezing.Jim and Joan 2002 30IB
Re: [Life With A Lazy Daze RV] Costly winterizing mistake Reply #7 – March 21, 2003, 12:28:04 pm Yahoo Message Number: 20087Thanks for the prompt reply. We've been on the road for a couple of weeks since the "end" of winter here in Virginia and I didn't notice anything. I wasn't particularly looking, but do so now!!Larry
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