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Old 10-26-2018, 06:19 PM   #21
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Quote:
Originally Posted by wildwest450 View Post
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.


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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Old 10-28-2018, 01:33 PM   #22
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Here's a good article from Doityourself rv

RV Winterizing And Winter Storage: Off-Season Tips
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Old 10-29-2018, 06:30 PM   #23
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I have only used anti freeze in the drains since we started camping in 1987. The only line break we ever had was one night while camping at the beach in 15 degree weather a low end old style drain cracked in the night. When the sun came out the next morning water started spraying outside. I ran to the hardware store and got a replacement and had it fixed before lunch. We just got back from a trip on Saturday and I blew out all the lines and drained the hot water tank. I haven't added antifreeze yet because that doesn't become an issue for me till the forecast calls for 28 degrees or less. I usually won't wait but, till they start calling for really cold weather I won't stress over it and we may be using the RV again before it gets that cold.

Never once have I put antifreeze in the supply lines in 31 years of RVing and never had a broken line. Not suggesting that if it's what you want to do you should or shouldn't. It's just my routine to blow the lines out for about 15 minutes till there's nothing but air coming out.

Years ago I made a connector with the male end of an old garden hose and the male end to the air compressor and a hose clamp. I keep a Harbor Freight 100PSI pancake air compressor on the camper but, if I'm at my house I just use the big compressor and I dial it down to about 20 - 25 PSI. I walk around in the RV opeing and closing faucets and the toilet till all I'm getting is air. This includes pulling the drain on the hot water tank and letting it empty. You don't have to get every single drop of water out of the tank. Just till your not getting much and it's just kinda spitting. Then pour some red anti freeze in the sink and toilet drains. That's all there is to it.

Last Christmas/New Years we were camping when it was so bloody cold on the East coast. Our pipes froze at the beach two nights in a row, and on that second day they didn't thaw out. I finally went outside with a hair dryer to get the water flowing again. We decided to call it and bug out. No damage to the camper though.
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