NEWBIE WINTERIZING QUESTION. I'm so confused about draining the hot water tank

andyboy

So I'm getting ready to blow out the water lines in my 2021 320S. The fresh water and grey tanks are empty. I turn on the hot water faucets and no water is coming out. This is where my confusion and dumbheadedness come in: could the hot water tank still have water in it that must be drained?

Bayliss

@andyboy, did you already drain the Alde tank by lifting up the yellow flapper valve near the Alde tank, which is how you empty that tank?  When draining the Alde tank, you should also open the hot water valves (sink and showers) to help clear the hot water lines and tank.



I am not familiar with the specifics of the plumbing in the 2021 320 S, but these discussions may help:

https://tab-rv.vanillacommunity.com/discussion/11952/alde-3020-tank-draining/p1

https://tab-rv.vanillacommunity.com/discussion/3852/difficulty-draining-the-alde

IF the Alde hot water tank has water in it, water will not come out at the faucet (except possibly a small residual amount), unless you either:

(1) turn on the water pump (which essentially pushes/sends cold water to the Alde tank as it concurrently forces/pulls heated water from the Alde tank to the hot water valves when they are opened), or

(2) your trailer is connected to the water supply at your house, or at a campground.  That water connection pressurizes the cold water lines and also fills the Alde tank as you open up a hot water faucet (i.e., opening a hot water faucet pulls the water through the water line and fills the Alde tank as it concurrently forces/pulls heated water from the Alde tank to the hot water valves when they are opened.)

NOTE:  I would not recommend turning on the water pump when the fresh water tank is empty (except possibly for a brief period to confirm that the pump is working.)  Regardless, it is not needed for draining your Alde tank.

ColoradoJon

If you are using the compressed air method just open the drain valve and hit the line with some compressed air.  I typically just open the faucets one at a time, run in some compressed air, close the faucet, open another, and repeat.  This will usually force most of the water out of the system, one faucet at a time.  At the end I do the same with the drain valves (all faucets closed) and the toilet flush valve and call it done.  Drop in some RV antifreeze in the P traps and toilet to finish it off.

You can run the pump intermittently and I highly recommend pulsing the pump power on and off with the water lines disconnected and a towel wrapped around it.  You will be surprised how much water comes out, even after draining.

andyboy

Thank you! I did turn on the pump for a minute or two with the fresh water tank empty. Opened the hot water faucet then.
I did not open the Alde valve.
This time!
This was a trial run. I know what to do different next time.
Thanks again!