How do I get anti-freeze into the fresh water holding tank?

[Deleted User]

Ok, this is my first winterization and I've read everything I could find on the forum. I followed the photos on how to prevent the antifreeze from going into the Alde, but I'm not sure that any anti-freeze went into the holding tank underneath.

I bought an anti-freeze hand pump and I attached it to the city water inlet. Antifreeze came out of the shower and sink faucets, but I can't tell if any of it went into the holding tank. I poured some down the drains also and the toilet.   I looked under there at the tank, but I just can't tell if any pink stuff is in there. Is there a special place I'm supposed to pour the anti-freeze so that it goes down in that tank?

Also, there is a drain pipe on the underside that is near the cold water drain hole. Its slightly larger diameter than the hot/cold drains.  It has a rubber cap on it, but when I gently tugged on it, it didn't come off. I was afraid to pull hard because I wasn't sure if it was supposed to come off or not. I've already put the antifreeze in so maybe it doesn't matter at this point, but was I supposed to somehow open that drain? 

I have to say as a new T@B owner, I'm disappointed in the guidance available from the company.  I read all my users manuals and they don't even seem to match my model year!

[Deleted User]

I just thought of something....is that drain with the rubber cap maybe the drain for the glycol?  I guess I need to go back out there and trace the drain to see where it goes. Duh! Why didn't I do that today!?!?  I don't know when or why you would need to drain the glycol, but maybe that's what this drain is for?

Nomad

The inlet for the fresh water tank is right above the water hookup connector. The cover just tilts open and you pour whatever in. It's just gravity fed.

ScottG

Note that electric pump line (which runs from the holding tank, through the pump, and then into the main cold water line) also may not fill completely using the city water inlet. After you fill the holding tank, you'll want to open the faucet and run the pump a bit to make sure that line is filled as well.

(Somebody please correct me if I'm wrong on this!)

[Deleted User]

I tried pouring some of the antifreeze into that water flap opening but its open at the bottom and I kept losing antifreeze.on the ground. I didnt try using the water pump though so that soumds like the way to go. 

ScottG

Just to clarify, the pump is for emptying the tank, not filling it. Once you have filled it (as PXLated described above), you run the pump to feed water from the tank into your main supply lines.

The flap thingy does not form a perfect seal. A funnel connected to a length of tubing shoved down the hole will control some of the dribbling. Also, pour slowly, as air in the line can cause it to "burp" back at you.

jkjenn

Camco has a hand pump for getting the antifreeze into the line: http://amzn.to/1kIHqLu

Nomad

A funnel's 1/10th the price ;-)

Mr.Uncle.Bill

Silly question...

We have a T@B U.  I only have a 5 gallon holding tank and a sink.  If there is no water in the system, is there a need to fill it with antifreeze?

ChanW

robyn769, the flap 'clicks' into the fully open position (and yes, it still leaks a little). I can see how you might not have it open all the way, and the bottom would leak a lot in that case...?

ChanW

Mr.Uncle.Bill, if there was never water in the system, there's no need for antifreeze, but you should be sure that there's no water in the low-lying pipes, or the valves, or the pump.
Blow air through the system: open the valves one at a time, and turn on the pump for a little while, until you see no water coming out.
The system drain valve should be close to the lowest point on the piping. Note that the piping drain valve is a separate item from the fresh-water holding tank drain valve.

Mr.Uncle.Bill

ChanW said:

Mr.Uncle.Bill, if there was never water in the system, there's no need for antifreeze, but you should be sure that there's no water in the low-lying pipes, or the valves, or the pump.
Blow air through the system: open the valves one at a time, and turn on the pump for a little while, until you see no water coming out.
The system drain valve should be close to the lowest point on the piping. Note that the piping drain valve is a separate item from the fresh-water holding tank drain valve.

Great, thank you.

ChanW

hmmm. I guess I didn't know your fresh water tank was the removable kind in the Tab U, Mr.Uncle.Bill. I'm pretty ignorant about it, in that case.

The one time I used antifreeze for winterizing (admittedly not very "experienced"), I had a heck of a time getting it rinsed out in the spring. That's the reason I prefer blowing it out.

Nomad

I'm with Chan - Anti freeze makes it harder to dewinterize and sterilize everything in the spring. I just blew mine out good. In fact, until recently when some dealer recommended antifreeze in the lines, it was never mentioned here on the forums that I can recall - just draining, blowing good. The only antifreeze mentioned was in the traps and a little in holding tanks to keep the valves safe.

ChanW

That's funny PXL (funny odd, that is, rather than funny ha ha), because I was under the impression that the general consensus was to use the antifreeze method. (But then again, I was reading the Yahoo group a lot, and I understand that you don't tend to go there.)

I think the antifreeze method is more foolproof, and less time consuming, at least for me, cuz I blow and blow and blow, just to be sure. But I still like the blow method better.

Nomad

Yep, never go to Yahoo. Had never heard of the anti-freeze method till recently.

Verna

I, too, will be using the blow out method with pink anti-freeze in the p-traps, and in the black and gray water tanks (2 gallons total). Since I'll be traveling to Arizona after Christmas, it is possible that I may need to stay winterized until I get to Arizona, except for a week at the Gulf Shores. It would seem to be wasteful to me to rinse the fresh water tank a few times in Arizona due to their ongoing drought, so I will not be putting pink anti-freeze in the fresh water tank . That's my opinion.

Now to figure out why the Alde wasn't putting out heat after I was done yesterday..... I'll get back to it after it quits raining Thursday. 

KyBawpaw

If it wasn't for my 2.5 gal electric hot water tank, winterizing would be a cinch. I don't have the Aldi system. Kinda glad as it seems compicated. My hot water tank has no drain valve so I have to pump antifreeze from the freshwater tank via the 12 volt pump thru the hot water tank. Gotta push thru at least two gallons antifreeze in order to purge the freshwater that's in it. Anyone else have this setup? Maybe I'm missing a better way to empty this tank. Also it has a shut off valve in the exit line, why I don't know. 
BTW, Walmart's brand of RV antifreeze is about $2.50 a gallon here. Looks and smells identical to the higher priced stuff from Prestone. 

ScottG

Pardon my possible ignorance here, but why put antifreeze in any of the tanks? Even if there is a tiny bit undrained residual water that freezes, wouldn't it have plenty of room to expand without causing damage?

Nomad

I put it in the black/gray tanks just to protect the valves. Not sure if they'd get damaged by a little freezing but they're the most delicate part. More for the assurance than anything else.

Verna

ScottG said:

Pardon my possible ignorance here, but why put antifreeze in any of the tanks? Even if there is a tiny bit undrained residual water that freezes, wouldn't it have plenty of room to expand without causing damage?

Walmart has the pink RV anti-freeze for $2.58/gallon (plus tax, if applicable). By pouring 1/2 gallon into each of the gray and black tanks, that's a really one inexpensive insurance policy against freezing damage. If PXLated, who full times in his T@B, had no problems with freezing and he put the pink anti-freeze in his tanks. I'll follow his lead.

ChanW

ScottG, I thought the same thing, but I found, come spring, that the water trapped within the drain valve mechanicals had frozen and cracked the valve. Just a hairline crack, but it seeped yuck.

I'm not sure how much water ended up there. I thought I'd put antifreeze in the tank.

So now I actually will let the antifreeze drain out of the valve a bit before I close it.

Nomad

Verna - Remember though that I was in freezing temps for just 3-weeks - First 10 were 10 degrees, the rest were just freezing at night. Then I was far enough south where I could de-winterize.

Nomad

Sandra - It's not the outlets or caps, it's the moisture/water in the slide valves. Those are tight or they wouldn't seal so any expansion of water to ice might do them in.

ScottG

ChanW said:

ScottG, I thought the same thing, but I found, come spring, that the water trapped within the drain valve mechanicals had frozen and cracked the valve. Just a hairline crack, but it seeped yuck.

I'm not sure how much water ended up there. I thought I'd put antifreeze in the tank.

So now I actually will let the antifreeze drain out of the valve a bit before I close it.

Good point--I hadn't thought about water settling in the valve slides. Guess I'll slosh some antifreeze in there before it gets too cold! 

Nomad

Slide the valves in/out while the caps are on to get the antifreeze in the seal area.

DurangoTaB

One issue that hasn't been mentioned...try to get your T@B level left-to-right and front-to-back when draining lines (and it helps when blowing them out too)...all 4 of our drains are on the port side.  Our T@B is stored on a starboard sloping driveway; I have to hitch up and move her to a flat area nearby for winterizing.  BTW, I'm a blow it out AND pink stuff winterizer...I guess I'd just rather be safe than sorry (our winters can get pretty cold).  To Chan's point...it is indeed a pain to get the FW tank rinsed out in the Spring...I fill it up twice and drain it twice.

Nomad

I'd do just a little high on the driver's side to drain the 2015+ model fresh water tanks. The drain is behind the door step. I think I'd go a little low in the front at the very end so the antifreeze pools by the dump valves also.

DurangoTaB

Has anyone tried/installed the Camco "pump converter winterizing kit"?
http://www.amazon.com/Camco-36543-Pump-Converter-Winterizing/dp/B0006JJ588/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1446070771&sr=8-1&keywords=rv+pump+winterizing+kit
...seems like one could drain the FW tank as much as possible, then pump pink stuff into the HW and CW lines (and faucet, shower, toilet), making dewinterizing a little easier.

jkjenn

DurangoTaB said:

One issue that hasn't been mentioned...try to get your T@B level left-to-right and front-to-back when draining lines (and it helps when blowing them out too)...all 4 of our drains are on the port side.  Our T@B is stored on a starboard sloping driveway; I have to hitch up and move her to a flat area nearby for winterizing.  BTW, I'm a blow it out AND pink stuff winterizer...I guess I'd just rather be safe than sorry (our winters can get pretty cold).  To Chan's point...it is indeed a pain to get the FW tank rinsed out in the Spring...I fill it up twice and drain it twice.

I do both, as well. I found it less painful to dewinterize if you go to a CG with full hookups to do it. Better safe than sorry.... never know when the next Polar Vortex is coming!

DurangoTaB

Jenn...hmmm...a Polar Vortex...AND El Nino...oh no!  I like your idea of going to a CG with full hookups to do the draining/rinsing.