We are trying to winterize our 2022 Tab 320S Boondock today. We're following the YouTube video that NuCamp put out recently. We blew the water out of the lines with our new air compressor. Put the Nautilus levers in the Winterize position, put the red Alde lever in the bypass position, hooked up a short hose to the Winterize port, put the other end of the hose in a gallon of antifreeze, turned the pump on (the switch inside the Nautilus) and... nothing. We can hear the pump, but nothing is getting pulled in. We tried filling the short hose with AF to help it get going, but still the AF wasn't being pulled in to the fresh tank from the AF jug. Appreciate any thoughts on what we should be doing. It's already cold here in MN. We snuck in one more camping trip while the weather was nice, but upon getting home we were hit with cold. Forecast is down to 32 degrees overnight.
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Try keeping the pump off, add AF to the hose, then turn on the pump.
Here is a link with other ideas for priming the pump for Winterizing.
https://tab-rv.vanillacommunity.com/discussion/14407/winterizing-tab-400-boondock-2021-pump-problem/p1?new=1
By "short", I'd suggest the hose be kept under 3 or 4 feet long; preferably a cut-off garden hose which I think are usually 5/8". 1/2" diameter could work. But it needs to be made of a material rigid enough to resist collapsing from the suction power of the pump (like, don't use nylon).
And if there's any kind of crack or split or hole in the suction hose, the pump likely won't catch prime (kinda like trying to drink through a straw with a hole in it).
And what @Sharon_is_SAM said regarding pump filter.
Is there any chance the pump discharge is up against trapped pressure somehow from the air compressor operation? I don't do that, so not sure what the possibility is.
I assume you do have a faucet open somewhere in the camper when you're trying to get the pump going. It helps.
SW Montana USA
2023 Tab 400 / 2022 F150 XLT Sport 3.5EB
Traded in - 2018 T@B 320 S/2019 Toyota 4Runner SR5
2013 Toyota Highlander 3.5L V6
@Sharon_is_SAM, I must have started this discussion in the wrong place. The heading says "For Sale New/used trailers. Sorry about that.
pthomas: I looked at the Camco antifreeze adapter from Amazon but after looking at all the hose lines on our 2022 T@B 320, I'm unsure which one to attempt to take a part in order to prime the pump. I am also unfamiliar with the metal hose clamps nuCamp uses, how do they come off?
Honestly, I'd rather not take any of those lines apart. The other thing I noticed is that the pump is mounted above (elevated) the inlet lines, making it that much harder to get fluid to the pump to prime it. Does anyone else have any suggestions? It's especially frustrating when I read in other threads that it appears that nuCamp is aware of this particular problem.
2018 Nissan Frontier 4x4
SW Ohio
I just winterized my '21 320 today with the Nautalis System. I noticed when I had the the siphon in the antifreeze jug and turned the pump on first, nothing happen when all the faucets were closed. Once I opend the kitchen or bathroom faucet, it immediate began to suck in antifreeze. That may work ...
2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee
Southern Maryland
2023 T@B 320 S Boondock
2018 Nissan Frontier 4x4
SW Ohio
I'm pretty sure this failure to evacuate air in the piping is the cause of most frustrations in winterizing.
SW Montana USA
As for a closed system & simply raising the jug alone kickstarting things, I can only speculate that air is minimally present at high points in the piping, or is dispersed enough to not affect fluid-packed displacement. Good question.
SW Montana USA
Anyway, I can't get the antifreeze to suck up after I blew out my lines. I have tried everything I know: faucets open and closed, pouring it directly in my short hose...we ordered an RV hand pump antifreeze kit that arrives tomorrow (I hope this works but I'm worried).
Do you have any other suggestions?
2020 Tacoma TRD Off-Road
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=woFYXINF4DM