Air Compressor not blowing out lines

ELK

Hi T@B friends. I am winterizing and have a 12 volt tire inflator that I use to blow out the lines....only it doesn;t. I follow the directions in the manual but when I attach the compressor to the city water intake....the gauge does not move.  I know it works because one year I pushed really hard on the connection and the needle rose...adn I have filled tires with it. Am I doing something wrong?  I open all the lines per instruction...

ALso....I used a gallon of RV antifreeze in the fresh water tank...turned on the pump, flushed, opened the faucets and nada. DO I really have to put 3 gallons in?

TIA

Liz

Sharon_is_SAM

@ELK, you need to keep all your outlets closed, pressurize up to no more than 50 psi, then open a tap to clear the water.  You may need to close the tap and repressurize and do it again.  Do this for your sink(s), toilet, and hot and cold water drains.  How are you attaching your compressor to the city water connection?  You need an adapter to screw into the city water hook up.

I am not sure how important this is if you are only going to turn around and fill your system with antifreeze.  Regarding the antifreeze and pump, not sure what you mean by flushed?  Are you sure your pump is primed?  You may well need more antifreeze but first you need the pump to pressurize.

ELK

Ah....do I pressurize by using water? Thereby having to restart the process of winterizing? Thanks

ELK

I have a 2015 T@B with wet bath

Sharon_is_SAM

After you empty your fresh water tank. Alde tank and hot and cold water drains, then blow out the lines.  You add the antifreeze to your fresh water tank and your pump will pull the antifreeze out of your fresh tank (just like it does with water) and prime the pump/pressurize the system with antifreeze.  Just like when you go to use your empty pump with a full fresh tank of water, it needs to pull the water through the pump and clear the air out.  Once it does that, the pump stops and you then know it is ready to provide service to your taps/shower/toilet.

Does that help?  Don't think of it as any different than using water.  The pump will work the same with antifreeze.  

ScottG

I'll add that yes, you probably do need to put more than a gallon of antifreeze in the fresh water tank. Many have reported issues with the pump not priming or losing its prime when the level in the tank is too low. 

dsfdogs

I recently watched this informative video from TheFitRV.com guy testing the blow out method using a tire inflator. I thought it was a good visual. https://www.thefitrv.com/rv-tips/can-you-winterize-your-rv-with-a-tire-inflator/

jgram2

 So this is how @Verna used her bicycle pump to winterize her 320 all those years! Thanks @dsfdogs! While I understood the concept theoretically, having the visual, especially the 50 ft. garden hose holding a volume of pressure really helped my poor pea brain.

Michigan_Mike

A bicycle pump will work but a pancake compressor works even better.  

ELK

thanks all!

ELK

I put 2 gallons of RV antifreeze in and turned on the pump. waited, turned on faucet and nothing. I can hear roiling in the lines...do I need to open all the faucets at once?  I waited with them closed....and nothing. I waited with them open...nothing.  The valves are in winterized mode.

ELK

I do feel aircoming out the open faucett and can hear water....but only feel air. How long does it take? Been out there about 1/2 hour.  Waiting

ELK

Fixed it...tilted the Little Guy forward!

Sharon_is_SAM

The pump usually runs just after you turn it on, then turns off once pressurized.  Check to make sure your connections on either side of the pump are secure and the filter is snug.  

Sharon_is_SAM

With that little volume in the fresh tank, it may be too little to be picked up at the outlet.  Try putting the tongue down to see if it can pick up the AF.  If that doesn’t work, put the tongue down.  You can always put the intake side of the pump tubing into a gallon of AF and fill your plumbing that way - may be easier.