De-winterizing and Fresh Water Sanitization Guides

FrontRangeTraveler · May 20, 2017

I'm not having much luck searching for guides or posts about De-winterizing and sanitizing the water system from TapaTalk.

We bought a Mallard M28 last October and Camping World delivered it winterized, so we haven't used the any part of the water system, pump, heater, tanks, etc. I've checked out YouTube videos on how to flush the pink antifreeze and sanitize the fresh water tank, etc, but I admit I wouldn't mind a first time walk-through before I try it myself.

Camping World has a long wait to pay them for it (though personally I think it would be fair if they did the part of the walk-through dealing with the water system they skipped when it was delivered), so I that's not an option (we're taking it out after Memorial Day). Besides, I need to learn how to do this myself.

If there are any Mallard-specific guides, or just pointers to good de-winterizing and fresh water sanitization guides, we'd appreciate the help.

Thanks!

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Oregon_Camper · May 21, 2017

Let's start with the basics of your RV.

Do you have a UDC like the one shown below? I am trying to determine how to ensure your Hot Water tank is still in "Winterize" mode. You don't want to pump the Antifreeze into the Hot Water Tank. It won't really hurt anything...just a PITA to get out.

If you don't have this UDC....then do you know where you water pump is? There might be a valve around there (or back area of Hot Water Tank) that allows you to move to Winterize mode. Find that and come back with a picture.

The entire process will take you about 30 mins. But for me, I like to sanitize the Fresh Water tank over 3-4 days.

JohnD · May 21, 2017

Winterizing and dewinterizing are both pretty easy procedures.

Since your trailer is winterized, your hot water heater should be bypassed . . . leave it this way for now.

You shouldn't need to open up the water heater until you have flushed out the rest of the water system first (ie.- don't want to get the antifreeze in the water heater).

Without city water hooked up yet, leave the pump off, then open up all of the faucets inside the trailer, then go outside and open the outside shower faucet (hot and cold) and let as much antifreeze drain out of it as possible, then locate the low point drains (should be a sticker to show you where they are at on the off-door side), then open them up and let the rest of the pink stuff drain out there.

At this point, don't forget to flush and hold the toilet pedal so that the anti freeze can run out of that water line.

Before I do anything else at this point, I like to fill a pail with clean water and and run it through the water pump to get the anti freeze out it, but not letting it run the pail dry so that clean water stays in the pump so that the antifreeze doesn't come back into the pump.

Next I go inside and close all but one faucet (leave hot and cold open), close the outside shower faucet, but leave the low point drains open, then hookup the city water to the trailer and let the clean water flush out the low point drains until clear, close them then go inside to the open faucet and watch that until it is clear.

Then go through all of the rest of the faucets both hot and cold until clear, including the shower, bathroom sink, toilet, kitchen sink, and leave the outside shower until last.

I like to drain the whole thing and repeat the flush job again just to make sure I got all of that white 'foam' out.

You can leave the city water hooked up, but turn it off for this next step.

To sanitize after dewinterizing, fill the fresh tank about 1/3, then dump 3/4 of a cup of bleach in the tank, fill to about 2/3 of a tank, dump another 3/4 cup of bleach, then fill to full, then using the water pump, run the bleach water mix through to each hot and cold faucet, shower and toilet until you smell the bleach, then let it all sit there 4-6 hours (I like to leave it sit over night).

Then I drain and flush the fresh tank twice, then put about 1/3 tank of water back in the fresh tank, then run the pump to get the bleach out of it, then using city water hookup I flush the bleach water out of all of the faucets.

If you are in the Denver area I can give you a hand.

FrontRangeTraveler · May 21, 2017

Oregon_Camper said:
Let's start with the basics of your RV.

Do you have a UDC like the one shown below? I am trying to determine how to ensure your Hot Water tank is still in "Winterize" mode. You don't want to pump the Antifreeze into the Hot Water Tank. It won't really hurt anything...just a PITA to get out.

If you don't have this UDC....then do you know where you water pump is? There might be a valve around there (or back area of Hot Water Tank) that allows you to move to Winterize mode. Find that and come back with a picture.

The entire process will take you about 30 mins. But for me, I like to sanitize the Fresh Water tank over 3-4 days.

View attachment 51858

Our TT doesn't have anything like in this photo. Once I locate the hot water tank bypass valve I'll post a pic.

Thanks.

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Oregon_Camper · May 21, 2017

FrontRangeTraveler said:
Our TT doesn't have anything like in this photo. Once I locate the hot water tank bypass valve I'll post a pic.

Thanks.

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Ok... Just look for a valve that allows you to bypass hot water tank.

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FrontRangeTraveler · May 21, 2017

JohnD said:
Winterizing and dewinterizing are both pretty easy procedures.

Since your trailer is winterized, your hot water heater should be bypassed . . . leave it this way for now.

You shouldn't need to open up the water heater until you have flushed out the rest of the water system first (ie.- don't want to get the antifreeze in the water heater).

Without city water hooked up yet, leave the pump off, then open up all of the faucets inside the trailer, then go outside and open the outside shower faucet (hot and cold) and let as much antifreeze drain out of it as possible, then locate the low point drains (should be a sticker to show you where they are at on the off-door side), then open them up and let the rest of the pink stuff drain out there.

At this point, don't forget to flush and hold the toilet pedal so that the anti freeze can run out of that water line.

Before I do anything else at this point, I like to fill a pail with clean water and and run it through the water pump to get the anti freeze out it, but not letting it run the pail dry so that clean water stays in the pump so that the antifreeze doesn't come back into the pump.

Next I go inside and close all but one faucet (leave hot and cold open), close the outside shower faucet, but leave the low point drains open, then hookup the city water to the trailer and let the clean water flush out the low point drains until clear, close them then go inside to the open faucet and watch that until it is clear.

Then go through all of the rest of the faucets both hot and cold until clear, including the shower, bathroom sink, toilet, kitchen sink, and leave the outside shower until last.

I like to drain the whole thing and repeat the flush job again just to make sure I got all of that white 'foam' out.

You can leave the city water hooked up, but turn it off for this next step.

To sanitize after dewinterizing, fill the fresh tank about 1/3, then dump 3/4 of a cup of bleach in the tank, fill to about 2/3 of a tank, dump another 3/4 cup of bleach, then fill to full, then using the water pump, run the bleach water mix through to each hot and cold faucet, shower and toilet until you smell the bleach, then let it all sit there 4-6 hours (I like to leave it sit over night).

Then I drain and flush the fresh tank twice, then put about 1/3 tank of water back in the fresh tank, then run the pump to get the bleach out of it, then using city water hookup I flush the bleach water out of all of the faucets.

If you are in the Denver area I can give you a hand.

Thanks John, that's a very thorough and easy-to-follow explanation. Our Mallard has a small sink in an externally accessed pull-out "party center" near the rear of the rig, so I assume I should just treat that as another sink.

Is it necessary (or recommended) to flush out the grey and black tanks? Since the TT was delivered winterized they were never used.

Thanks for the offer to help, but I'm in the Springs.

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FrontRangeTraveler · May 21, 2017

Oregon_Camper said:
Ok... Just look for a valve that allows you to bypass hot water tank.

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One would think Camping World techs would know to bypass the water heater when they winterized it, but I'm not taking anything for granted in this case.

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Oregon_Camper · May 21, 2017

FrontRangeTraveler said:
One would think Camping World techs would know to bypass the water heater when they winterized it, but I'm not taking anything for granted in this case.

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LOL....I am sure they did. Just trying to help you De-Winterize now. 😊

Once you do it you'll realize how easy it is and wonder why you were ever thinking of paying someone to do it.

FrontRangeTraveler · May 21, 2017

Oregon_Camper said:
LOL....I am sure they did. Just trying to help you De-Winterize now. 😊

Once you do it you'll realize how easy it is and wonder why you were ever thinking of paying someone to do it.

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FrontRangeTraveler · May 21, 2017

John, you said:

"Before I do anything else at this point, I like to fill a pail with clean water and and run it through the water pump to get the anti freeze out it, but not letting it run the pail dry so that clean water stays in the pump so that the antifreeze doesn't come back into the pump."

Do you pour the pail of water into the fresh water tank? Am I correct that when hooked up to city water, the pumps aren't used, so the pail of water would have to go in the fresh water tank, right?

"Then I drain and flush the fresh tank twice, then put about 1/3 tank of water back in the fresh tank, then run the pump to get the bleach out of it, then using city water hookup I flush the bleach water out of all of the faucets."

At what point do I open the valves to the water heater and run fresh water into it? Should I avoid letting any bleach water into the water heater?

Thanks.

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FrontRangeTraveler · May 21, 2017

Oregon_Camper said:
LOL....I am sure they did. Just trying to help you De-Winterize now. 😊

Once you do it you'll realize how easy it is and wonder why you were ever thinking of paying someone to do it.

So far, this is the only valve inside the TT that's accessible without tools. It's located under the bathroom sink. It's very hard to see the labeling on the valve handle, but I don't see anything else even close. Sorry, the first pic should be in portrait orientation.

Also, this rig has two water heaters (or at least two switches on the monitor panel). I'm checking the manual to make sure a single valve is used for bypass to both water heaters.

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danemayer · May 21, 2017

FrontRangeTraveler said:
So far, this is the only valve inside the TT that's accessible without tools. It's located under the bathroom sink. It's very hard to see the labeling on the valve handle, but I don't see anything else even close. Sorry, the first pic should be in portrait orientation.

Also, this rig has two water heaters (or at least two switches on the monitor panel). I'm checking the manual to make sure a single valve is used for bypass to both water heaters.

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That looks like the anti-siphon valve for the black tank flush. If campground water pressure goes negative, it prevents contamination of the campground water supply.

Most water heaters have 1 switch for 120V AC electric operation and a 2nd switch for propane/12V operation. You can get more information from our Water Heater Usage Guide. And our Water Systems Guide and Winterization Guide may help you locate the water heater bypass valve(s).

FrontRangeTraveler · May 21, 2017

danemayer said:
That looks like the anti-siphon valve for the black tank flush. If campground water pressure goes negative, it prevents contamination of the campground water supply.

Most water heaters have 1 switch for 120V AC electric operation and a 2nd switch for propane/12V operation. You can get more information from our Water Heater Usage Guide. And our Water Systems Guide and Winterization Guide may help you locate the water heater bypass valve(s).

Yep, I didn't look close enough, one is the DC switch and the other for shore power. I feel silly missing that, but I'll swallow my pride.

Thanks for the links, that helped. I thought this was the "furnace" access panel, but it is for the water heater (or both?). I see the drain plug, but still can't tell if it's been bypassed, and if so, how to open it. The photos in the docs don't make it obvious (or I'm just dense and missing something obvious).

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danemayer · May 21, 2017

The water lines enter and exit the water heater tank on the other side - inside the coach. Some coaches have a single lever in the docking center to bypass the water heater. Others have a set of 3 valves on the water lines that enter and exit the water heater tank. I expect you probably have the 3 valve setup.

Look at pages 4 and 5 of the Winterization Guide. Page 4 shows the single lever in the Universal Docking Center, which is standard on luxury coaches. Page 5 shows the 3 valve system. You'll have to figure out how to get to the other side of the water heater. On some trailers, you take down the rear wall of the pass through basement storage. On others, you may have to remove a drawer or a panel inside the living area.

FrontRangeTraveler · May 21, 2017

danemayer said:
The water lines enter and exit the water heater tank on the other side - inside the coach. Some coaches have a single lever in the docking center to bypass the water heater. Others have a set of 3 valves on the water lines that enter and exit the water heater tank. I expect you probably have the 3 valve setup.

Look at pages 4 and 5 of the Winterization Guide. Page 4 shows the single lever in the Universal Docking Center, which is standard on luxury coaches. Page 5 shows the 3 valve system. You'll have to figure out how to get to the other side of the water heater. On some trailers, you take down the rear wall of the pass through basement storage. On others, you may have to remove a drawer or a panel inside the living area.

It must be in the basement pass through. There's a panel with screws near one side that's on the "skinnier" side, next to the external water heater hatch. I'll remove that and let you know what I find.

Thanks to all for the help.

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FrontRangeTraveler · May 21, 2017

You were right @danemayer, it is the 3 valve type. It wasn't easy, but I got a pic. I think I can follow the guide from here to verify it's set to bypass, and how to open it up after flushing the antifreeze.

I'm assuming it's proper to flush the antifreeze into the holding tanks and dump it at a dump station, as opposed to just letting it run down the street into a gutter (even though it's billed as non-toxic and biodegradable).

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danemayer · May 21, 2017

I'm assuming it's proper to flush the antifreeze into the holding tanks and dump it at a dump station, as opposed to just letting it run down the street into a gutter (even though it's billed as non-toxic and biodegradable).

Might be a tossup. Many areas have prohibitions against releasing gray or black water except in a dump station or sewer. But some places have prohibitions on what you can dump down the sewer in a dump station.

The dump station would be my first choice.

FrontRangeTraveler · May 21, 2017

danemayer said:
Might be a tossup. Many areas have prohibitions against releasing gray or black water except in a dump station or sewer. But some places have prohibitions on what you can dump down the sewer in a dump station.

The dump station would be my first choice.

I was thinking of what would come out with the low point drain valves open. Even though the grey and black tanks have never been used, I wouldn't drain them in the gutter.

But then my neighbors wouldn't necessarily know where the pink stuff is coming from. I'd rather not get people riled up unnecessarily.

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JohnDar · May 21, 2017

Unless you winterized with antifreeze, the only thing coming out of the low point drains is water, not waste.

In the earlier photo showing an anti-siphon valve, what happened to the hoopla about the RVIA decree that it has to be above the toilet? It's clearly below the bowl.

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FrontRangeTraveler · May 21, 2017

JohnDar said:
Unless you winterized with antifreeze, the only thing coming out of the low point drains is water, not waste.

In the earlier photo showing an anti-siphon valve, what happened to the hoopla about the RVIA decree that it has to be above the toilet? It's clearly below the bowl.

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The bowl in the photo is the sink, not the toilet, so I think the valve probably sits at least a few inches above the toilet.

Camping World did winterize it with the pink RV antifreeze, so I'm visualizing a rivulet of pink liquid trickling down the street to the nearest storm drain.

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