Low point drains

[wildwest450]

I don't have any. I was under the assumption that all rv's had them? The only tube sticking down from the under belly is my fresh water drain.

[wahoonc]

Originally Posted by dawniewest

I don't have any. I was under the assumption that all rv's had them? The only tube sticking down from the under belly is my fresh water drain.

Keep looking? My 16' Coleman has 3, one near the kitchen area and two more under the rear bath. Though given Dutchman's lack of QC they may have left them off of your trailer.

Aaron

[wildwest450]

Originally Posted by wahoonc

Keep looking? My 16' Coleman has 3, one near the kitchen area and two more under the rear bath. Though given Dutchman's lack of QC they may have left them off of your trailer.

Aaron

Should it have them? It's easy to see with the enclosed underbelly that they're not there.

[HornedToad]

Most trailers have the red/blue pex drain lines hanging down under/through the underbelly with spigots/bibs.

The first trailer I owned had T handle pull valves for the drain lines between the bath & kitchen were the supply lines came together in the bottom of the base cabinet.

[wahoonc]

Originally Posted by dawniewest

Should it have them? It's easy to see with the enclosed underbelly that they're not there.

I have never seen an RV with a water system without at least one low point drain.

You say you have an enclosed underbelly, I have a sneaking suspicion they may be tucked up inside the belly somewhere and they forgot to put them through.

Aaron

[wildwest450]

Turns out, i'm as stupid as everyone's been telling me I am. They are not in the underbelly, but on the outside of the frame back by the black/gray water dump.

In my defense, they didn't jump out and bite me.

[HornedToad]

Colin Powell says: "there is no such thing as a stupid question, only stupid answers".

[RSGordon]

I looked for an hour and could not find the low point drains. I called the service department where I bought my TT. He directed me to look behind the structural beam a few inches in front of the very back of the trailer. There they were in plain sight. I had missed them because visually, the back of the underbelly appeared to be the end of the trailer but as I learned there exists a narrow area between the beam and the back end and that is where the low point drains are located. You can see the area in relationship to the rear bumper and spare tire.

[Adair1965]

I stumbled upon mine shortly after I got mine home as I crawled around under my trailer just because I was curious. Lol

[wildwest450]

Originally Posted by RSGordon

There they were in plain sight. I had missed them because visually, the back of the underbelly appeared to be the end of the trailer but as I learned there exists a narrow area between the beam and the back end and that is where the low point drains are located. You can see the area in relationship to the rear bumper and spare tire.

Funny, mine were hiding in plain sight also.

[rcharrette]

Thought I'd save starting a new thread since this is related.
Is it normal to have to close the low point drains back up before pulling in the anti freeze through the water pump?
I ask because my camper got a "bit cold" last night and I winterized it today. Initially I left my low point plugs out and it sucked in a gallon of anti freeze. In a panic I started searching the camper to see where a pipe had possibly cracked. Finally I saw the pink stuff draining out the low point pipes. I reinstalled the plugs and everything seemed to go fine after that.
Just seemed weird to me those would need to be in. I still left out the hot water tank and fresh tank plugs.

[RSGordon]

You want to flush the water out of all your supply lines (cold and hot) first. I won't repeat the detailed sequence here as it is readily available elsewhere. After doing so I then open the low point drains just long enough to drain the water from them until I see the antifreeze come out. So the only suggestion I would make is to drain the low points drains after you drain the other supply water lines. Then close them after you see RV antifreeze come out.

[rcharrette]

Ok, got it all right except that step. I drained low points at the same time as hot water and fresh tank (at the beginning). Everything else went perfect, got pink antifreeze out of all faucets and bypassed the hot water heater. I think I'll just need to go back out and pull the low point plugs again to get that antifreeze out.
Thanks for the help.

[Chalkie]

Last year, I drained everything and then pumped in the pink stuff. This year, on the advice of three neighbors with RV's, I made a fitting so that I could hook up my compressor to the trailer. I blew all the lines clear, then opened the bottom drains, the blew a bit more. I have left the bottom drains open and all the faucets "turned on". Two neighbors who have had large RV's longer than us say that is the only way they will do it.

The advantage, according to them, and I can see the logic, is that you do not have the hassles of clearing all the pink stuff and getting the water lines to run "clean" again in spring. Makes sense to me.

Hopefully this will work out OK. We will be heading for warmer climes after the New Year. We are going to take the trailer, still winterized, as far south as we can go in a day before we check things out. Time will tell.

[wahoonc]

Chalkie,
I have been down to -10°F with just blowing the lines, only thing that froze was the beer I forgot to take out of the fridg.e

I used to use antifreeze in the pipes, now all I do is blow the lines and dump antifreeze in the drain traps. Blowing the lines with a compressor is a piece of cake.

Aaron

[wildwest450]

Originally Posted by wahoonc

I used to use antifreeze in the pipes, now all I do is blow the lines and dump antifreeze in the drain traps. Blowing the lines with a compressor is a piece of cake.

Aaron

Yeah, now that I know my stupid water pump is not accessible without major work, I think I may just do the air + antifreeze in the traps. It's not like anything can freeze after the lines are cleared.

[wildwest450]

Hmm, I forgot about the water pump, I did use it on our last trip just to be sure it worked. Can you just run it for a few seconds to clear it out?

[wahoonc]

Originally Posted by dawniewest

Hmm, I forgot about the water pump, I did use it on our last trip just to be sure it worked. Can you just run it for a few seconds to clear it out?

That is what I do... mine is buried somewhere, haven't found where. Suspect under the left side cabinet by the bed, at least that is where the sound comes from, no screws or anything on the front of the cabinet either.

Aaron

[rcharrette]

Yea, we are only here at home in Colorado for 2 weeks but this morning it was 15 degrees out!! I don't think our furnace would have kept up and it would have cost a fortune in propane trying. We are planning to take off on the 23rd and head to Sedona, AZ then onto Tucson over a few weeks. After that we'll store the camper in Phoenix, AZ (hoping not to winterize again) until January then pick it up to head for San Diego for the rest of the winter
We had the camper here last Spring and had a few cold mornings and when I went out to check things the pink antifreeze had come out of the kitchen faucet and was a slushy icicle!

[wildwest450]

Originally Posted by wahoonc

That is what I do... mine is buried somewhere, haven't found where. Suspect under the left side cabinet by the bed, at least that is where the sound comes from, no screws or anything on the front of the cabinet either.

Aaron

Hard to believe they would hide something as important as a water pump. Idiots.
Man I miss my 2004 KZ hybrid, solid as a rock and everything was easy to work on.
Well, I don't miss it that much It was a great little starter camper.