Quote:
Originally Posted by wildwest450
It's not possible for a single drop of water to expand to the point of breaking a water line. I think we need to pump the brakes on these winterizing legends.
I have been only using air to winterize my camper for the last 3 winters without issue (besides the spray port I forgot about ) My water pump on my camper is buried behind false walls and other such nonsense and would require a lot of effort to access. If you have any basic knowledge of the plumbing/water system, winterizing with air is just as effective as antifreeze.
I do live in Tennessee, BUT, we get well below freezing for extended periods up on the plateau. It was single digits for a solid week here last winter, there's no way a poorly flushed system wouldn't have frozen. Having said that, I do thoroughly blow all ports and tanks out, and make sure the low point drains are completely dry. I do it to the point that there's not even water vapor coming out of the faucets. It probably takes a solid 20-30 minutes of continuous air pressure, I run 35-40 lbs. I also put 8ozs of antifreeze down every drain and in the toilet.
Having said that, if your water pump is easily accessed, by all means run some antifreeze through it. If you have one buried like I do, you can do a thorough winterizing with compressed air. I would have zero reservations about parking my camper in Alaska after winterizing it.
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Right, one drop won’t bust a pipe, but it could crack a joint or seal. I’m in PA and we sometimes go a month below freezing allowing ice to have all sorts of swelling time to crack PEX joints that have been known to crack driving down the road.
Something additional to consider is rubber gaskets will degrade faster if they are left dry. My rig stays winterized for about 6 months that’s a lot of time to dry and crack.
All I’m saying is that it’s a risk which, for some owners, is eliminated for $7 and 15 minutes. Ultimately, do what you want, it’s your rig. For me, I’ll take the extra precautions for my piece of mind.
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