Aqua-hot winterization

I have a new coach, for me, that has an Aqua-Hot system. I just want to be sure and remove the old boiler anti-freeze and replace with fresh solution in the coiling system inside the unit for winterization reasons.  My unit has a drain which I opened and emptied the main tank but wasn't sure if the coils would also drain with the opening of that drain.  Is there a way to remove the old solution with air?

Thanks,

Mike

Which water system are you talking about? I wouldn't think replacing the boiler antifreeze (non-potable system that does the heating) is needed every year, especially not for winterization. I'd pay careful attention, though, to the fresh water that goes through the boiler. The manual on the Aqua Hot I had made the point to be sure you ran pink stuff through it, rather than just blowing it out with air, since there are such tiny, convoluted swirls in there that they say cannot get all the water removed with air. So, rather than risk a several thousand dollar repair, I followed their instructions. I made certain that ALL the hot water faucets ran pink.

Thanks, Larry.  I just purchased this unit in the summer of 2017 and do not trust that the previous owner, he may have the right stuff in there but I just wanted to start fresh and purge all liquids from the Aqua-Hot system. My unit has a drain for the main large tank and I drained that but their must be the coiling system that uses the boiler anti-freeze that I also wish to replace with fresh new stuff.  The pink stuff you referenced in your response, is it the non-boiler type anti-freeze we all use in the drain traps, etc. ?

Thanks,

Mike

A key distinction here is that the boiler system is completely separate from the tap water heater that runs through it. The boiler fluid is a specialized antifreeze solution that needs periodic changing but not annual winterizing. The tap water system, though is part of the coach water system and does require either draining or a winterizing, potable water antifreeze to prevent freeze damage.

Learn more about these on the Aquahot site at http://www.aquahot.com/faqs.aspx

Thanks Gary.  Is there a way to just blow out and replace the coiling system boiler anti-freeze?

Thanks,

Mike

I'm not sure what the "coiling system" is and I'm not sufficiently versed in the system to know the answer.

The only thing I can think of that sounds like "coiling system" is the heat exchanger that heats the house hot water from the boiler system that provides heating to the house heat vents. Is that what you refer to? 

Thanks for all your help Gary and others. I learned the coils in the Aqua-Hot system transport potable water to shower and used for the heat exchangers in the coach. The large tank in these units contain the boiler anti-freeze and water at a ratio of 30 -50 percent. The coils snake their way through this tank of liquid which gets heat from the boiler anti-freeze. I did drain the large main tank and replaced it with a new mixture of boiler anti-freeze and water at a rate of 50% water and 50% boiler anti-freeze.

Thanks again everyone.

Mike

We have Aqua Hot on our coach. It's not a good idea to winterize by blowing out the air, as in traditional methods. My water pump is in the wall of a storage bay. Here's what I do, and it takes about 15-20 minutes.

Go to any hardware, or big box store and buy one of those braided silver hoses that are used to hook up water to a washing machine. They come in various sizes. You'll need one that will reach from the water pump to wherever you can sit the bottle of pink stuff so it won't tip over while you are doing this task.

Screw the hose on to the water inlet of the water pump (its an exact fit). Stick the other end in an open bottle of the pink stuff. In my system, I generally need 4 bottles of the stuff because I have a washer/dryer combo. Have them open and ready to go. Now, have someone (the DW perhaps) go in to the coach and first turn on the water pump, and then each water facucet in the motorhome (one at a time, not all at once), including all sinks, showers, and lastly the toilet. The water pump will suck the pink stuff out of the bottle very quickly, so have a communication system where you can tell your partner to stop when you need to change bottles. We use hand held walkie talkies. Your partner should let you know as soon as the pink stuff is flowing in first the hot water and then turn it to the cold water. Do that for each sink and water outlet inside the coach, including the shower. Then open the toilet and let it run until the pink is coming out. I usually have some left over, and take that in to the coach and dump it down each drain, including the shower. We have done it so many times, we can complete it smoothly in about 15 to 20 minutes.

Its especially important to get the pink stuff running through the hot water because that winterizes the water system of the Aqua Hot. If those coils freeze they will rupture and you are looking at an expensive repair bill. Blowing air through doesn't get the water out of the bottom of the coils.

I follow the Splendide winterizing for the washer/dryer combo.

The only other way to keep the Aqua Hot from freezing is to stay below Interstate 10 from November to April!

Go to any hardware, or big box store and buy one of those braided silver hoses that are used to hook up water to a washing machine. They come in various sizes. You'll need one that will reach from the water pump to wherever you can sit the bottle of pink stuff so it won't tip over while you are doing this task.

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My '07 Saratoga came with this setup (plastic, though, not braided), as did my Ventana. Otherwise, I do much what you are doing, but I don't need the second person. But I first blow everything out with an air compressor (hot and cold both), then redo the hot with pink stuff -- the cold is fine with just air.