Best way to winterize?

[Jamo]

It's time to put the motorhome away and I'd like to know the best way to winterize. Is putting antifreeze in the lines good or is trying to blow out all the moisture from the lines the best? I have an '89 Winnebago 27' Chieftain. Where does one blow air into the water system?

[tmsnyder]

Drain hot water heater.   Bypass if equipped.

Drain fresh water tank.  Your RV may be set up with drain valve(s) located at low points in the plumbing.

Drain the hot water tank.

Dump the black and gray tanks.

Dump some pink antifreeze in the sink and shower traps.

That would be at a bare minimum and I think that's what the manufacturer says to do. They should be designed for an easy winterization.

I go a little further.  I connect a regulated air hose at about 20psi to blow the water out, then connect a hose direct to the pump and pump in pink antifreeze and run it out of all the faucets and toilet.  And then I blow the pink stuff out.   That way if anything is left in the lines it's maybe just a little pink stuff in the low spots. 

[skloon]

I blow out the lines use the pump to get the pink anti freeze through every tap and the toilet and toilet rinse thing  and dump anti freeze in every drain costs me 15$ and gives me peace of mind in northern alberta

[Oz]

Going to add a little more to this beyond winterizing the water system.
Here's a checklist I found useful for overall winterizing:

https://www.classicwinnebagos.com/forum/index.php?topic=8452.msg40994#msg40994

[Eyez Open]

Ive found over the yrs air does not freeze. Open at create a low drain point. At the same time open the the faucets the high point.

It's all down hill from there.

[Oz]

I assume adding the pink antifreeze, as previously advised, is a good idea, after draining and or blowing out as much water as possible.  I don't have an air compressor, so I drain as much as I could.  Of course, that leaves water in low areas of the plumbing and components, which could be bad news.  So I added the pink stuff.  You really don't want water alone in there, not just because of freezing, but during warm periods, having water and air in the plumbing could lead to mold growing in there.

[tmsnyder]

Too good to pass up:

It's getting to be that time of the year again for those of us in the Northern states of the USA.   Time to start thinking about winterizing.  Here's the best winterizing method available, imo.   It has only 2 steps!

Step 1:  Get in your motorhome and start driving South
Step 2:  Stop driving South when you see palm trees

Congratulations, you have successfully winterized your RV!  See you again next year.

[Oz]

I think I've seen you post that before... lol!

:)rotflmao

[ClydesdaleKevin]

LOL!!!  That's what we always did...so I wasn't able to offer any good suggestions on this thread.  In all my years of being a fulltime RVer, I have never ever once "winterized" our coach.

Kev

[tmsnyder]

I think I've seen you post that before... lol!

:)rotflmao

I probably stole it from you!

[tmsnyder]

LOL!!!  That's what we always did...so I wasn't able to offer any good suggestions on this thread.  In all my years of being a fulltime RVer, I have never ever once "winterized" our coach.

Kev

That's just being smart!

[c farmer]

I use compressed air and blow the lines out.  I have a attachment that hooks to the city water line on the RV.   Drain hot and fresh water tanks.  Hook up to compressor and open valves one at a time. Even the pooper.   Just keep doing that until you have no water coming out.  It takes awhile but I dont want antifreeze being in the water I use.   I do it to my old rv and my Aunts 2019.  No issue yet.

[yellowrecve]

Plastic is very forgiving. I fixed a lot of copper and steel in the day. A broken steel line behind the tub was fun. When plastic came available you could push it through those spots.
Les