Blow Out Water with a hand pump?

danmcgrath2014 · October 2023

I am new to winterizing. I keep my tab outdoors in California. antifreeze is not necessary. I want to drain all of the water from the trailer for four month winter non-use. 1) Do I need to drain the water heater tank as well as fresh water and gray water tanks? 2) I do not have an air compressor. After draining everything, can I use an adapter and blow out the remaining water with a hand pump?

Dan
2023 Tab 360 boondock
San Francisco Bay Area

ScottG · October 2023

You do need to drain the Alde's water tank as well as the others. However, in most cases the Alde should drain when you open the CW low point drain. If in doubt, you can also drain the Alde by opening the blue valve with the yellow flap--it's on the CW supply line just before it enters the Alde.

I've always used a compressor to blow my lines out, but I know there are others who have successfully done this with a hand pump. If nobody else chimes in, you can probably do a search to get more details.

manyman297 · October 2023

As long as your low temps don’t reach freezing you really don’t even have to blow the lines out. But if you’re the cautious type (like me) you may want to at least consider a small 1 gallon compressor. It will at least give you some oomph to be able push water through the lines. Any part of the lines that is potentially full of water poses a burst risk and there are plenty of areas where that could happen. A 5-gallon pancake compressor is ideal for peace of mind though.

bjn2 · October 2023

It takes a lot of air volume to blow out the plumbing lines, so most hand pumps won't do the job. If you had a high volume pump like the ones used to inflate rafts, that might work if you could figure out an adaptor.

Marceline · October 2023

danmcgrath2014 said:

I am new to winterizing. I keep my tab outdoors in California. antifreeze is not necessary. I want to drain all of the water from the trailer for four month winter non-use. 1) Do I need to drain the water heater tank as well as fresh water and gray water tanks? 2) I do not have an air compressor. After draining everything, can I use an adapter and blow out the remaining water with a hand pump?

Dan
2023 Tab 360 boondock
San Francisco Bay Area

If you're in the Bay Area (sea level-ish) I'm not convinced it's worth the effort. I used to use a compressor, but now I just open the low-point drains. I store my camper on rural property near Fairfield and it occasionally gets down to freezing but it's never long enough (a few hours in the middle of the night) to do any damage.

Make some reservations and camp all winter! The coast can be beautiful in January.

tabiphile · October 2023

Acknowledging that in such a warm area, anti-freeze may not be necessary, but what happens to the lines where moisture sits for those noted 4 months? It's not a sterile or clean environment absent water or anti-freeze. What is growing in the for 4 months? I'd be inclined to use anti-freeze regardless of the absence of freeze concerns.
And, if I'm going to use anti-freeze, why bother with blowing out the lines? The anti-freeze pushes any remaining water (after you have drained) out.

pthomas745 · October 2023

I live in Socal, and I have the equipment to blow out, mostly in case I need to winterize while on the road. Which is the whole point of using the "blowout" method.

There are many compressors that can do this job, including....a decent bike pump. Yes, they work. (I'm sure it will take a bit of time!) Owners in this group have used them. They have used "decent" tire inflators, including the Ryobi battery operated types. I'm taking all these owners word for it when they say: these things work. The idea that you need a compressor big enough to inflate a blimp is not entirely correct. I have a small Viair that fits in a shoe box and does the job just fine, and I never will have a need for a 40 pound compressor in the back of my vehicle. Many owners in Tab world use these smaller types of compressors. They may take a few extra minutes, thats all.

Lots of threads about compressors.

https://www.google.com/search?q=bike+pump+site:tab-rv.vanillacommunity.com&client=firefox-b-1-d&sca_esv=575364559&sxsrf=AM9HkKmy2vk4PeZ_5bZCx-Yd5_ax_2ZvmA:1697856548676&ei=JDwzZbDqKInRkPIPur6NyAo&ved=0ahUKEwiwjNrDkIaCAxWJKEQIHTpfA6kQ4dUDCBA&uact=5&oq=bike+pump+site:tab-rv.vanillacommunity.com&gs_lp=Egxnd3Mtd2l6LXNlcnAiKmJpa2UgcHVtcCBzaXRlOnRhYi1ydi52YW5pbGxhY29tbXVuaXR5LmNvbUjBK1CRCVivJXABeACQAQCYATagAcMIqgECMjW4AQPIAQD4AQHiAwQYASBBiAYB&sclient=gws-wiz-serp#ip=1

bubbazanetti · October 2023

This is my method. Works like a charm and no nasty chemicals.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xKmJe1Jg2ac

manyman297 · October 2023

@tabiphile Any growth would be killed during your first-of-season sanitation flush with bleach solution.

Mickerly · October 2023

If your in a spot, your car probably has a tire inflation pump. It takes time, but will work.

danmcgrath2014 · December 2023

This is Dan
Thanks everyone for your help.
Be well

Blow Out Water with a hand pump?

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