Where did my rv antifreeze go?

[maldds1981]

Tried to winterize my rv today and ran into an issue. Drained all lines and emptied the hot water heater. Set my Anderson valve to winterize, turned the hot water heater bypass to the correct position, hooked up my hose to the antifreeze, turned on the pump and it sucked up three gallons of antifreeze without any fixtures being turned on. Could I have a defective Anderson valve that put all the antifreeze into my water tank?

 

[danemayer]

Have you checked the water heater to see if that's where the 3 gallons of antifreeze went? A bad bypass valve, or a bad check valve on the water heater output could have allowed the antifreeze into the water heater.

It's possible but less likely that the Anderson Valve, on WINTERIZE, would have quickly leaked 3 gallons of antifreeze into fresh tank. If you had previously drained the fresh tank, you could open that drain valve and see if 3 gallons of antifreeze comes out.

 

[maldds1981]

I checked the hot water tank and it was empty. I tried using the water from the water tank (which I drained by using the faucets) and there wasn't any antifreeze coming out the faucets. Maybe only 3 gallons of liquid there isn't enough to get pulled into the plumbing system? It has me dumbfounded.

 

[danemayer]

If the water lines had been drained, some amount of antifreeze might have been consumed filling the PEX and re-pressurizing the lines. But 3 gallons sounds like a lot for that.

 

[travelin2]

Don’t know where it went but I only use 3 gallons for water lines and traps in my BH


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[rhodies1]

Tried to winterize my rv today and ran into an issue. Drained all lines and emptied the hot water heater. Set my Anderson valve to winterize, turned the hot water heater bypass to the correct position, hooked up my hose to the antifreeze, turned on the pump and it sucked up three gallons of antifreeze without any fixtures being turned on. Could I have a defective Anderson valve that put all the antifreeze into my water tank?

i winterized my Bighorn today and it took 3 gallons to complete. It does sound like it went to your water tank . Open the drain valve and see if any runs out. It’s either in the water tank or water heater. No other place for the antifreeze to go... unless you have a broken line and it pumped it into a cavity, cabinet or underbelly.

 

[maldds1981]

This may sound like a stupid question, but where is the drain for the fresh water tank? I looked for one, but couldn't find one. That's why I emptied the fresh water tank by using the pump and faucets. My previous rv (2009 Cameo) had a clearly marked low point drain.

 

[rhodies1]

This may sound like a stupid question, but where is the drain for the fresh water tank? I looked for one, but couldn't find one. That's why I emptied the fresh water tank by using the pump and faucets. My previous rv (2009 Cameo) had a clearly marked low point drain.

On the underbelly of your rv there should be a 1/2 in line protruding out of the underbelly.It should be white or blue and have a shut off valve attached.
if you do not see this type of pipe then you should contact Heartland customer service and ask them where your tank is located in reference to your rig.It is possible it was never put out thru the coroplast and is lying beside the tank.
There has to be a drain on your tank, if not you will always have some water remaining in the tank, your pump will not completely pump it dry.

 

[maldds1981]

Thank you for your reply. I'll bet my drain line was left above the coroplast when my inept dealer's service dept. replaced my defective black water tank right after taking delivery of our unit. They totally destroyed the underbelly and did a really crappy job of replacing the coroplast.
And while I'm on my pulpit, this rv has been the worst as far as systems not functioning the way they should and me having to fix whatever has gone wrong with it. We even had to cancel a trip we were on because the hydraulic system failed to function after the dealer had supposedly fixed it for the second time. Try being in this unit with the slides in and a 10 foot kayak inside.
Personally, I would not buy another Heartland product again. These rv's are built to get them out of the factory and not to really please the customer. I called Heartland customer service with some of our problems and the answers I got seemed to be just to get me off the phone.
I hope I do find the drain above the coroplast that I have so nicely repaired.
Sorry to vent, but this fifth wheel has been nothing but problems since purchased.

 

[danemayer]

The fresh tank is most often located above the axles. For that tank location, the drain would be on the forward edge of the tank, which would put it just in front of the axles, within reach of the off-door-side.

 

[maldds1981]

Thanks. I'll check in a couple of days.

 

[Chrisandsama]

My fresh water drain is directly behind the rear spring shackle off door side.

 

[maldds1981]

Thank you. I'll check it out.

 

[SNOKING]

If you had the low point drains open and turned the pump on, the pink stuff could have gone on the ground and you may have missed seeing it. I pumped about a half gallon of pink stuff on the ground winterizing our little guy two weeks ago. Chris

 

[Chrisandsama]

If you had the low point drains open and turned the pump on, the pink stuff could have gone on the ground and you may have missed seeing it. I pumped about a half gallon of pink stuff on the ground winterizing our little guy two weeks ago. Chris

No low point drains on the 32RS that year.

 

[sengli]

I wasnt aware that heartland had done low point drains for years. I guess I am lucky I have had three new fifth wheels from heartland and only one had a small leak from an over tightened fitting. Sounds like your dealer was the main culprit here on the "repairs" they performed to your under belly area. I make it a point to not take things to the dealer for fear they will make it much worse. My rigs usually only take about two gallons of anti freeze, with another for the drains.

Blue line shown on photo is the fresh water drain line.

 

[maldds1981]

The "repairs" that were made were warranty repairs. I've fixed many things on my own just so I don't have to take it to the dealer.
If there is no low point drain, how do you drain the fresh water tank to winterize?

 

[Fox]

The "repairs" that were made were warranty repairs. I've fixed many things on my own just so I don't have to take it to the dealer.
If there is no low point drain, how do you drain the fresh water tank to winterize?

Low point drains are separate from a fresh water tank drain.

My Bighorn only has a fresh water tank drain.
My former Jayco had two additional low point drains (one for the hot/ one for the cold) used to drain both water lines.

 

[Chrisandsama]

The "repairs" that were made were warranty repairs. I've fixed many things on my own just so I don't have to take it to the dealer.
If there is no low point drain, how do you drain the fresh water tank to winterize?

Refer to my earlier post on location of fresh water drain.

 

[Gary521]

The "repairs" that were made were warranty repairs. I've fixed many things on my own just so I don't have to take it to the dealer.
If there is no low point drain, how do you drain the fresh water tank to winterize?

You drain the system thru the water heater drain plug ( or anode rod ). Fresh water tank drain is separate.

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