How much air pressure should I use to blow out the pipes?
- Thread starter eagle99
- Start date
jimtoo
Moderator
Hi eagle99,
Welcome to the Heartland Owners Forum and to the family. We have a great bunch of folks here with lots of information and all willing to share their knowledge when needed.
Since I am not one that winterizes I'll let someone else answer, but it will take very little pressure and I would say 40-50# max.
Enjoy the forum and if you would move to the South Texas area you would not need to winterizes.
We do accept Yankees do here now.
Jim M
Welcome to the Heartland Owners Forum and to the family. We have a great bunch of folks here with lots of information and all willing to share their knowledge when needed.
Since I am not one that winterizes I'll let someone else answer, but it will take very little pressure and I would say 40-50# max.
Enjoy the forum and if you would move to the South Texas area you would not need to winterizes.
We do accept Yankees do here now. Jim M
GOTTOYS
Well-known member
I set my air pressure regulator at 40 psi. It worked just fine. Higher pressure won't do any better, all you need to do is push the water out. Didn't want to risk blowing anything apart. After I blew them out I pulled ant-freeze through with my pump. First time I did it this way. Next time I will probably just pull the anti=freeze through with my pump like I always have. Never had a problem doing it that way....Don
SeattleLion
Well-known member
We just blow the water out (bypass the HW tank and drain that by removing the anode) and then put antifreeze in the p-traps. No need for antifreeze in the water lines since there is nothing in them to freeze.
EPaulikonis
Well-known member
Assume you've already checked, but there are multiple HUG manuals that need to be read to do this properly. Manuals recommended 40 psi max. Be sure to get the last drops out of the water pump and check the refrigerator solenoid for water depending on 3-way or residential option. I also put extra RV antifreeze into the P-traps to insure I had some lingering in the gray water tanks.
RoadJunkie
Well-known member
If you're just blowing the system out with air, why bypass the water heater? I just drain the water heater, reinstall the plug, and apply pressure to the city water inlet. Then, let her fly to 50psi as measured at the inlet; to compensate for loss through the air hose. It will take a little while to fill the water heater volume. I then go through the winterization process by opening each water valve, including washer and toilet. Remove the air source from the city inlet, open a hot water faucet valve and let the hot water line normalize to ambient pressure. I do suck up some rv antifreeze into the pump and pour down drain traps. Anything further sort of depends on how cold you anticipate it will get. Seems to work for me.
danemayer
Well-known member
For anyone who has a residential refrigerator, additional winterizing steps need to be taken. Our Residential Refrigerator Guide includes winterizing instructions.
If you google that topic, several videos come up. The one I looked thru recommended no more than 18-20 of air PSI of pressure to blow out the lines. It doesnt require much pressure!
Last winter as an experiment, I poured pure RV (the good prestone -50F stuff) antifreeze into a glass jar and sat in on my outside porch, where I could see it. It froze solid several times last year!
Last winter as an experiment, I poured pure RV (the good prestone -50F stuff) antifreeze into a glass jar and sat in on my outside porch, where I could see it. It froze solid several times last year!
SeattleLion
Well-known member
We bypassed the hot water heater since the hot water tank is a pressure vessel and has 12 gal of volume, which is way more than the entire rest of the plumbing. My thought is that displacing all that water is just more stress on everything and offers an opportunity for some to remain in the system. Also, the easiest way to drain our Suburban water heater is to remove the anode. We do this anyway to make sure it doesn't need to be replaced. Since bypassing the hot water heater is a simple turn of a valve on our trailer, it made sense to do it.
Mind if I ask where you found your are the cold and hot water line drain lines with shut off valves? I have a 2013 Big Country and for the life of me can't find the external water lines with valves that will allow me to drain and blow out the lines.
I much prefer your method of winterizing using air and a bit of antifreeze.
Don
I much prefer your method of winterizing using air and a bit of antifreeze.
Don
JohnDar
Prolifically Gabby Member
On my 2009 BH, the low point drains are on the curb side, just ahead of the entry door. It wasn't too long after that model year that they stopped extending them below the coroplast due to freezing complaints from owners using their rigs in cold winter climates. They may have even stopped putting them on, entirely. Since our usage season runs early May to the end of September, clearing and winterizing them is no problem.
Hard to see in the photo, but there are two lines with valves there. Blue and red lines.
Thanks. This is what I had on my Gulfstream but the BC has only one external drain for the fresh water tank.
A friend puirchased a 2015 Arctic Fox and has the same situation. But he found his drain line valves behind a lower drawer? The drain lines run down onto the coroplast under belly I guess. Is it possible there are no external drains and everything drains into the holding tanks when you pressure blow or use antifreeze?
JohnDar
Prolifically Gabby Member
That doesn't sound like a likely scenario since the only fluids that enter the tanks come via the drain pipes. The water lines would not be plumbed directly into the waste tanks. If there are no low point drains, you can still safely winterize simply by blowing them out until they run dry by opening each faucet (hot and cold), then pumping the antifreeze (again open each faucet hot & cold) until the pink stuff comes out in a steady stream. That will also put antifreeze into the P-traps and some into the tank against the valves.
If you have a washing machine in your rig, you will need to operate it while pumping antifreeze using the setting in the operators manual. Failure to do it properly will give you grief later on, DAMHIKT. Since I winterize my rig at a storage yard, I bring my little compressor and Honda EU2000 genny along. I find it easier to fill a 5 gallon bucket with the antifreeze and attach an extension to the pump intake to get the pink stuff in. Sure beats running back and forth to change a 1 gallon bottle!
Similar threads
