Winterizing a washer dryer combo unit

[muskoka guy]

This is my first year having a washer dryer combined unit. My friend said he just dumps a half gallon of anti freeze into the drum  and runs the unit through a cycle after he has drained the rest of the system. Anyone have any advice or approve of his method. Thanks in advance.

[Memtb]

     I may be doing a bit of “overkill” on mine, but, I do a little more. Dumping into drum and pumping out will take care of washing machine pump, but (unless you’ve thoroughly blown out the entire system) you will still have water in supply lines to washer. I pump through both cold and hot with the antifreeze, then pump machine empty. I’m probably wasting antifreeze, but it gives some extra “piece of mind”!

     I generally only winterize the washer once per year, so I accept the additional cost as just another “operating expense”!

[Gary RV_Wizard]

If it's a Spendide, that is what the manufacturer recommends. Don't need a half gallon, though, just a pint.

If all else fails, read the directions... 

http://www.splendide.com/XC_Winterize_QuickGuide.pdf

[Mile High]

Because I winterize with antifreeze already, I use the Splendide optional winterizing procedure on the right column.   I do it close to last, then turn it on with a wash cycle on warm, let it fill until I see pink and the drum starts to turn, then power it down, go to spin, and restart it to drain the antifreeze.   I do that a couple of times. 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

The thing that Spendide doesn't emphasize in their instruction is protection for the RV's water lines to the washer. You still need to run air or antifreeze through the hot & cold lines that bring water to the washer. You can disconnect the lines to bleed air/antifreeze through those water faucets, or cycle the washer itself to let the air of antifreeze move through.

The Splendide instructions push antifreeze into the washer drain pump and drain lines, thus protecting them. The water inlet lines in the washer itself are open on one end, so freeze up is not an problem there.  It's the water backed up in the RV lines coming to the washer where a freeze problem can occur if the line is not adequately drained or protected with antifreeze.

[muskoka guy]

Thx all. It is a splendid. Will do the overkill method. I know these things are quite expensive to replace.

[Wi1dBill]

Just did mine...  set the washer to warm water,  start the cycle and watch for the pink anti-freeze to flow.  Stop the cycle, open the door and add several cups of antifreeze.  Set the machine to spin so it will pump the water out of the pump and it will be replace by the antifreeze.  To de-winterize, run it through a cycle without clothes in the machine.

I had to winterize the ice-maker in the fridge also.
 

 
Wi1dBi11

[Gary RV_Wizard]

I know these things are quite expensive to replace.

It's basically just the drain pump that is at risk. Not cheap, but not a total replacement of the washer either. The Spendide's aren't hard to work on yourself either. Often a nuisance to get out of the RV cabinet, but the machine itself is easy to work on and there are excellent service manuals available.

[CWSWine]

It's basically just the drain pump that is at risk. Not cheap, but not a total replacement of the washer either. The Spendide's aren't hard to work on yourself either. Often a nuisance to get out of the RV cabinet, but the machine itself is easy to work on and there are excellent service manuals available.

X@ on this one.  The only thing we had freeze is the washer lines in our 5er and we didn't have a washer but forgot to winterize them.

[Mile High]

When we rescued our MH from Camping World, they had actually messed up winterizing the residential fridge ice maker and it broke the solenoid.  I fixed that and after struggling with figuring out how to do that one, I finally mastered it.