Well, it seems that I will be getting my rig this week. At last! As it turns out, I was invited to a party next weekend at a location that's only about 75 miles from where I'll be parking the coach all of August... and there's a campground right across the street from the bar (guess they take drinking and driving seriously there...).

At any rate, the rig needs to be dewinterized and filled with fresh water. Is that something I can do at a campground, or would that be frowned upon? If it's the latter, what are my other options for finding a source of water?

I have a feeling this could be a really educational weekend...

As long as you used RV antifreeze it won't be a big problem this time of year. Later when lots of folks are doing it there can be an issue with large volumes of antifreeze from multiple rigs.

We never had more than a gallon of antifreeze in our rig when we let it sit over the winter and it never bothered our septic system when we flushed it out. Folks that put in a dozen gallons and fill the water heater aren't doing themselves or their flushing location any favors.

The water source isn't usually the issue, it is the park's septic system so if they object at your destination look for a park with a city sewer connection.

Next time you winterize consider blowing the system out and just putting a dollop of antifreeze in the P traps and toilet. It is a heck of a lot less work and your "supervisor" won't be making faces at the taste of the water for two weeks either!

Thanks for the reply, Stan!

I don't have any say at all on how the coach was winterized since I'm not the one who did it. I'm buying it that way, the owners gave me the choice of taking the coach like that this week, or waiting three weeks to pick it up. Let's just say that dewinterizing is the least scary RV task I've encountered so far, so I didn't feel it was worth waiting three weeks!

Okay, so I think I'll be on a city sewer connection and the POs used RV antifreeze (it's pink), so there shouldn't be a problem.

Cheers,

To follow up on Stan's post, there are a couple of more things to consider. Does the water heater have antifreeze in it, or was it bypassed? If bypassed, was it done with one of the permanently installed valve sets, or did they do it the old fashioned way by disconnecting the water lines and hooking them together?

The reasons that is important is that you need to be sure that you get any antifreeze out of the water heater and that every thing is flushed and filled. Most RVs today have a bypass system installed behind the tank where the water lines connect. If yours does it will have a line connecting the two water connections with a valve between and one or two other valves as well. The cross connect valve should now be open, the other two closed. To get ready to go you need to reverse it to the cross valve closed and the other one/two open.

You also need to remove the water heater drain plug and empty out anything that is in it. Remove the drain plug and then open the pressure relief valve to get it drained. I would catch the antifreeze in a bucket and dispose of it in a sewer. If some should spill, just dilute it with water and it will be fine as it is not poison.

You should also open the low point drains for the hot and cold water lines, and all of your faucets inside and allow everything that will drain out to do so. Once that is done, put the drain plug back into the water heater, shut the faucets and low point drains, connect the city water and flush everything, running water from each faucet repeatedly until taste & color are gone.

This is also a good time to sanitize the water system. To do that, just follow these instructions. Once everything is completed it is a good idea to put some water into the fresh water tank and remove city water. Then turn on the water pump and allow it to stop running. When that has happened, listen for it to cycle for at least 1/2 hour as a leak check on your system. If it runs every few minutes you probably have a leak, but if it stops as it likely will and does not run again, your system is good to go and you can turn it off and go back to city water.

Kirk, thanks for all the detailed info!

How do I know if there's antifreeze in the water heater? Do I just remove the drain plug and check for pink liquid?

For a convuluted reason that doesn't need exploring at this juncture, I won't be able to ask the POs exactly how they went about winterizing the coach.

Thanks,

Rae,

One addition to Kirk's great detailed instructions. Some water heater drains are not exactly at the lowest point leaving a little liquid in the bottom of the heater. Sludge and a little antifreeze can sit there too. If you can without upsetting the Campground owner (its hard to catch the water coming out of the water heater drain), before refilling the system shut everything but the water heater drain and run city water into the system. Run it until the water coming out the drain looks clear. If there was any antifreeze in the heater, this will flush it out a lot faster than diluting it and running it through the whole hot water system.

Happy Camping!!

TCW, great tip, thanks!

I'll admit that I haven't had a chance yet to see what the hot water drain looks like. I thought it would be like a home tank with a place to screw in a hose for draining?

It is just a threaded hole with a plug in it. Holding a 5 gallon paint bucket or a dish pan under it work well.

If you are feeling fancy get or make a flush wand and flush the crud out of the tank. They are easy to make with a hose cap, section of copper tube and some epoxy or Camping World will sell you a pre-made one.

http://www.campingworld.com/shopping/item/tank-saver-flushing-tool/14677

quote:

Originally posted by Stanley P. Miller:

or Camping World will sell you a pre-made one.

Hmm... I'm not sure I feel like paying for something composed of elements I have at home. Might as well convert some of those plumbing parts of mine into usable objects so I have an excuse for taking them with me.

The link didn't have a picture. What I'm imagining is that I essentially have to epoxy or solder onto a length of copper pipe a thingamabob that will enable me to screw the hose into it. Correct?

What a great idea--I can think of other uses for this 'power washer.' You folks are such a fountain of knowledge!

Drat it is hard to find a decent photo... This one will have to do.

http://www.rvupgradestore.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=1562

The bend in the end helps to direct the water stream down and into the bottom of the tank. You need to use a good flow of water and around 1/4 tube to get enough flow to kick the bigger chunks out since the drain isn't on the bottom of the tank. Adding a shut-off on the hose end is handy too.

quote:

How do I know if there's antifreeze in the water heater? Do I just remove the drain plug and check for pink liquid?

Just remove the drain plug and empty it. If it is clear water you will know and it should be drained anyway. But since your rig was winterized, it will either have antifreeze or it will have air. If it has air, then you need to look for a bypass to change so that you can fill the water heater again. Make sure that you have water in the water heater, before you turn on the heat.

quote:

Originally posted by Stanley P. Miller:
Drat it is hard to find a decent photo... This one will have to do.

Yup, that's what I was envisioning. I'm pretty sure I have all the necessary parts except the shut-off. So even if I have to buy that, it'd still be cheaper than buying one.

Thank you for taking the time to find a picture!

Cheers,

quote:

Originally posted by Kirk:

quote:

How do I know if there's antifreeze in the water heater? Do I just remove the drain plug and check for pink liquid?

Just remove the drain plug and empty it. If it is clear water you will know and it should be drained anyway. But since your rig was winterized, it will either have antifreeze or it will have air. If it has air, then you need to look for a bypass to change so that you can fill the water heater again. Make sure that you have water in the water heater, before you turn on the heat.

Thanks for the additional info. I should be good to go now.