Winterizing: Antifreeze or Compressed Air Blow-Out?

[Zulu Kono]

Starting to winterize the camper.
Already drained and isolated the WH.
Drained all the holding tanks.
Will pour antifreeze into all my p-traps.
Is blowing out the pex tubing with compressed air
adequate, or do I need to run antifreeze into all of it?
I'm getting conflicting information.

 

[Oldgator73]

I’ve done both, antifreeze and compressed air, with the same results. I’ve not done them simultaneously.

 

[Rene T]

Sure enough if someone here will say to only use air, you may have issues. I use to blow mine out every year and never had a issue. I would never tell you to do it and you would not have any issues. It would all depend if you have a compressor big enough to do the job. Mine was big enough.

 

[Zulu Kono]

Thanks for the quick replies!
The best reason I can think of to use
antifreeze is for pump protection.
Maybe after I blow out the pex I'll pump some in just so I
know the pump isn't sitting there all winter with water in it.

 

[UTTransplant]

Antifreeze always works, even in the deep cold. Why not take the extra half hour and do it right?

 

[John From Detroit]

s blowing out the pex tubing with compressed air
adequate, or do I need to run antifreeze into all of it?

I also have done it both ways.. First winter I used Pink Stuff

NEVER AGAIN

Next year I used compressed dir... Now what I did (Some folks use different methods)
I opened all valves I( could open. Including standing on the toilet.. Then I forced a cycle on the ice maker (This caused it to drain back) and closed the cut off valve to it (Trappign air in that line)
Blew till I ran out of air (6 gallon blower) waited till it re-charged and blew again keeping the pressure to about 50 PSI using a regulator.

I did this about 10 times
Then I closed indoor valves. left the dump valves open till spring.

Thinking and advantage
The pink stuff.. Took me a lot of work to get rid of it all.. Way too much work come spring.
AIR: If the air in the lines ever freezes.. I won't be worried about the RV (And yes air can freeze but you don't want to know the freezing point)
What little water remains in the lines after 10 blow outs..... Well it won't be enough to fill a low spot 1/4 full and you have to be over half full to cause damage.
Never had an issue with an aired out line freezing. Have had a few water filled issues but Well.. Got caught with my water system charged and some sub-zero temps outside.

 

[Kirk]

Is blowing out the pex tubing with compressed air
adequate, or do I need to run antifreeze into all of it?
I'm getting conflicting information.

It is really a matter of risk tolerance and how confident you are that you got all of the water out of the critical parts of the water system. It used to be that RV water lines were made of copper and would split if allowed to freeze but today the use of PEX has made systems such that some water freezing in the lines rarely causes any damage. About the only parts that will damage today if only a small amount is there would be the elbows, fittings and the pump. I used to use antifreeze in the fresh water system but no longer do so, but I do add air repeatedly to make sure that as much water as possible is out. I then close it up and leave it for a few hours, then return to blow things out a second time.

The best reason I can think of to use
antifreeze is for pump protection.

I absolutely agree. Most RV water pumps are not harmed by running dry for a short time so I always run the pump after all water is removed, then let it sit overnight and then run it for a minute or two again but if you have a separate winterizing suchtion line it wouldn't take more than a pint of antifreeze to know for sure that your pump is full of antifreeze.

 

[Tom]

Our 5th wheel came with relatively simple winterizing procedures. All the valves in the wet bay have a winterizing position, and they're clearly labelled. A short hose connected to the city water inlet with the other end in a bottle of antifreeze, turn the water pump on, and antifreeze flows through the pump and the lines. The black water flush hose needs an air connection, and all the P-traps need antifreeze poured down them.

The first time I tried blowing the lines out with a compressor and adapter (last year), I couldn't get sufficient air pressure in the lines. That's when I read the owners manual and realized there was an easier way to do it. I had the resident in-park RV tech blow the black tank flush hose out.

This year, I decided to have the resident tech do all the winterizing before we put the 5W in storage tomorrow morning.

In 35 years of motorhoming, I never had to winterize; Just loaded up the coach, unhooked and drove home, where it rarely gets down to freezing in the winter.

 

[Ray-IN]

My MH owners manual says to use compressed air to blow out the lines. With a washer that cannot be done, so I employ both methods.
I blow out the lines using 40psi air, which then greatly reduces the amount of RV antifreeze required. Then I pump RV antifreeze through the automatic winterizing plumbing attachment.
This usually results in about a cup of clear water exiting each faucet first, followed by pink antifreeze.
Next is winterizing the washer/dryer combo unit, followed by closing each sink drain, blowing out the antifreeze. Then opening each sink drain so the "P" traps are filled with antifreeze.
Water heater and fresh water tank is a no-brainer, just drain and forget.
Black flusher does not require any attention, or hasn't in the past 10 years.
I use 1½ gallons of RV antifreeze to completely winterize the plumbing of my 40'MH.
That method has worked since 2013 for the MH.

 

[gwinger]

I open the low point drains and all the faucets and hold open the toilet valve to help the water drain. Then use the antifreeze. It only takes 1/2 hour to completely fill the system if it has the winterizing kit installed. If you look start looking at the water lines, there are a lot of low spots where water can collect.
As far as dewinterizing, I just fill the fresh water tank with a bleach mixture and flush the system, leaving the bleach mixture in overnight. Then flush using the fresh water inlet.
System clean and no chance that it could freeze.
$10 for pink stuff and couple hours work total. I DON"T want to have to repair a split water line.

 

[NY_Dutch]

Our Landau just gives instruction on opening the various drain valves for winterizing, but back when I did it, I also blew the lines out as extra insurance. Plus antifreeze in the traps of course. Since 2010, we've just headed the motorhome south instead of winterizing.

 

[DutchmenSport]

The debate between antifreeze and blowing will never be 100% agreed on. Basically, it boils down to what you feel most comfortable with.

Some folks don't like the antifreeze method because of the work it takes to flush the lines once weather breaks. This is true to a degree. But personally, I've never found it that much of a challenge. All you do is hook up a garden hose and just run water through everything. If the water heater is by-passed and no antifreeze was ever put in the fresh water tank, flushing lines takes about 5 minutes.

I have an ice maker in my refrigerator and we have a Splendid washer and dryer. I have learned how to use the antifreeze to winterize both. Blowing air through them just does not cut it.

Unwinterizing (flushing the RV antifreeze from the washing machine and the ice maker is a little more tedious and time consuming than anything else. But I also know the RV antifreeze protects everything. Moving motors and pumps in a washing machine, ice maker, and water pump ... well, I'm not leaving that to chance with air only. I want the water completely displaced with antifreeze.

After displacing the water with antifreeze, I then BLOW the lines.

As far as the P-traps (under the bathroom sink and under the kitchen sink, I take them off and dump them out and leave them off until weather breaks. I put a plastic bag over the open pipe to keep smells from coming up. Removing them and dumping the water in them is absolutely the best way to protect them.

The bathtub, and the washing machine do not have p-traps. They have those hype valve things. Whatever antifreeze comes out of the shower faucets and the washing machine is enough to displace any water (which should be none) in those contraptions.

My suggestion if you want to do it right:

Bypass the water heater. Then:
First, Run the pink antifreeze through everything. Second, Blow out the antifreeze. Third, remove the P-traps.

Come Spring, replace the p-traps, hook up to city water with a garden hose, turn on the water and just let everything run for about 5 or 10 minutes (unless you have an ice maker or a washing machine, then you have to take some extra steps). Now do your Spring water line sanitization and you are good to go.

Because we travel between the Northern states and the Southern state from December to March several years now, it is not uncommon for us to winterize and unwinterize 3 to 5 times during those months, as we travel in and out of the freeze zone states. Running the pink antifreeze is no big deal. It's not a difficult task. And it does offer the most satisfying peace of mind.

 

[uchu]

Do both. Peace of mind.

 

[Larry N.]

Basically, it boils down to what you feel most comfortable with.

Done correctly, that's true in most cases, but for those of us with hydronic heaters (Aqua Hot/Oasis), it's a must to put the pink stuff through the hot water side because all of the tiny nooks and crannies inside the heaters boiler system won't let enough air flow through to get all the water out, thus creating a potential (almost a guarantee) of a several thousand dollar repair after the first long freeze of the winter.

Since the OP has a travel trailer that shouldn't be a problem, and generally it's not a problem for gas motorhomes, but just in case someone with a hydronic system reads this they need to understand that their rig is different. The manual does warn about it, for those who read manuals.

 

[Zulu Kono]

I went ahead and used antifreeze.
First I ran the pump dry and emptied the P-traps.
Then I made a gizmo that attaches to the pump
inlet and goes into a bottle of antifreeze.
Pumped two gallons in through every faucet including the toilet.
Then emptied the P-traps again.
Now I'm considering opening the low-point drains and
letting out what wants to drain out, but leaving the rest in.

 

[Babe2201]

I think you should have opened the low point valves before. Won't the antifreeze drain out?

 

[Larry N.]

Now I'm considering opening the low-point drains and
letting out what wants to drain out, but leaving the rest in.

I normally drain those low points, then close the valves, prior to the remaining procedures of winterizing.

 

[Zulu Kono]

I think you should have opened the low point valves before. Won't the antifreeze drain out?

I did open them before, then I closed them and ran antifreeze in.
There's no water in the system at this point, so what would it matter?
I'm thinking it might minimize the residue and make flushing the system next year easier.
This is my first winterization, so I'm sort of experimenting.
Maybe I won't open them.

 

[Krazeehorse33]

Unless your memory is better than mine since this is your first I would write down what you did and save it so when you are successful in the spring you will be able to easily repeat next fall.

 

[Babe2201]

I did open them before, then I closed them and ran antifreeze in.
There's no water in the system at this point, so what would it matter?
I'm thinking it might minimize the residue and make flushing the system next year easier.
This is my first winterization, so I'm sort of experimenting.
Maybe I won't open them.

I did open them before, then I closed them and ran antifreeze in.
There's no water in the system at this point, so what would it matter?
I'm thinking it might minimize the residue and make flushing the system next year easier.
This is my first winterization, so I'm sort of experimenting.
Maybe I won't open them.

You did not post that before. I have only had to do it twice and I blew the lines out but I do not see any point in opening the low point valves now.