Winterizing Question 2005 Suncruiser

Hello:  I have stubbed my toe on a winterizing problem in our 2005 35A Suncruiser (W24).  While winterizing today, she gobbled up 4 gallons of RV antifreeze and I'm still not seeing normal output at all the plumbing points (past experience is that I can do the deed with about 2 gallons).  With water pump on and running, I get just a dribble of pink out of the cold and hot in the kitchen and bath vanity, nothing yet from shower.  I do get pink in the toilet, but water pressure is very low throughout the MH.  When I turn off the water pump, I get nothing from the cold side (bath and kitchen) but I get a sputtering of pink from the hot side, almost like it's pressurized.  I've done this 5 years in a row without issue (not my first state fair) but something has changed or is amiss.  To insure I'm not suffering a brain *f*, I went back and reread the owners manual to insure correct positioning of the water heater bypass and winterization valve, water heater is drained, pressure relief valve is closed and the plug is threaded in.  I am getting pink out of the water fill inlet in the plumbing bay when I depress the center button (never did this before so I don't know if it's normal behavior or not).  MH has been parked about 3 months after our last 1000 mile trip (relocated from Indy to Denver) and the coach was behaving before I parked it.  I scanned the posts for winterization issues but don't see anything that parallels my issue.  I suspect that either A) I am older than I think and I'm doing something really dumb or B) something [like maybe a check valve] has come adrift.  Any thoughts would be appreciated.  Thanks,

Hi, I have the same unit as you do.  I know you said you made sure you bypassed the water heater, but that is definately the first place I would double check.  Also, go around to the other side and in your sewer compartment, make sure your switch isn't in the "tank fill" for the city water hookup.  Our units take about 2 1/2 gallons to completely Winterize our system, and that includes NOTHING in the fresh water tank and water heater.

If you have switched the water heater bypass then I would suspect that one of the one-way check valves at the water heater has failed, causing the heater to fill with antifreeze.  You can confirm this by removing the drain plug from the heater--if you get pink out that's your problem.

Yep ...I had a check valve that was not fully closing, and allowed anti-freeze to backflow into the WH ...two different dealerships changed out the electric bypass valve under warranty w/o discovering that the REAL problem was check valve.

Thanks for the guidance everyone, I'll pull the water heater drain plug tomorrow morning to confirm the problem.  FrontrangeRVer, any idea where these check valves are located?  Do I need to remove the water heater from the outside to access (yikes.. I hope not).  We're new to the Parker/Elizabeth area and I don't know any RV repair outlets yet. 

There are two check valves located at the rear of the water heater.  Not sure how you access yours.

I pulled the water heater drain plug this morning and found the missing pink stuff so it sounds like one of the check valves has failed.  Now I need to work on locating them within the coach.  Thanks everyone.

Indy. someone at Winnebago should have their head examined for 1.  Installing the water pump in a hard to get to area, and 2. having to crawl under the motorhome to get to the water heater.

Yes, I have had to get at the water heater by crawling under the motorhome, and you will notice an access panel secured by screws on the SIDE panel that gets to the water heater.  Your valves are in there, although Im still not certain that's your problems as these dont often fail.

The check valves for the water heater will be right where the in and out lines connect to the tank.

The check valve on the hot water out line is the one I would check. One other possibility is the diverter valve. Mine started leaking last winter. It was the last thing I checked since it had only been used twice in 6 years. Once 6 years ago and once 5 years ago.

Thanks everyone.  I'll advise the outcome as I get into it. 

In order to check for possible failure of one or more of these valves without wasting a bunch of pink stuff I have changed my winterization routine slightly.  Before draining my fresh water I turn off the water pump,  bypass the water heater and drain it.  Once it's drained and before I put the drain plug back in I turn on the water pump again--if I get water out of the heater then I must have a failed check or bypass valve.

I believe that your check valves are labeled 'V-6' in View F on page 6 of the plumbing diagram for your rig: http://www.winnebagoind.com/diagram/2005/05_g35a_plumb.pdf

Thanks Chris, just what I was looking for. 

I have the same model as you and Mark. The first year I tried to winterize I had the same issue as you but what I found was
the label on my bypass valve was labeled incorrectly. More than likely the plumbing was reversed during the build. So I just
keep that in mind each year -- Normal is Bypass and Bypass is Normal.
Frank O.

Thanks for the information Frank.  I didn't  have a problem for the first 5 years so I suspect that the labeling is OK on the coach.  I see you folks are in Colorado too, we just moved here and love the area. 

Indyrvfolks, when you get to those check valves, particularly if you have to pull the water heater (I have one next to the water heater and requires pulling the water heater, the other is close to the bypass valve and accessible), you might want to consider replacing them with a better quality check valve.  The OEM stuff, made of plastic, employs an "O" ring in a groove as part of the seal.  The "O" ring becomes dislodged, for whatever reason, and the seal fails.  Camco makes an all-brass checkvalve (their item 23303) which does not have the "O" ring and is a bit more reliable...they're not high dollar items and can be found in most RV stores.

Hey Indy,
We are off to Rocky Mountain NP this weekiend (Morain CG). If you have some free time head on up and look for us. This will be
our last trip for the year before we winterize. You, Mark and I should plan a get together in the future and compare notes with
regards to our Coaches over some cocktails. Camping in CO can be fun in the fall as the colors are great and the wildlife comes alive.
Happy travels -- Frank O.

Thanks tennsmith, sounds like good advise.  I'd hate to do the job twice.  Frank, thanks for the suggestion, I sent you a pm.

Hi Ho:  Or better yet, get rid of the check valves altogether and use compressed air to winterize.  Takes less time.... No pink stuff to get rid of, and in the spring (or whenever) just put water in the tank and go.

I  have used pink stuff, but can see no advantage, especially where check valves are not reliable.

Dirk