Post by dantexas on Nov 9, 2018 17:06:57 GMT -5
Hi all,
Just a few comments from winterizing my 366FBT this morning, in case it may be of some use to someone (I had not winterized an RV in a few years - and had never had "appliances" before). In addition to a bath and a half, I have a domestic Samsung fridge with ice maker, a Frigidaire dishwasher and Splendide washing machine (separate dryer):
1. To me, the manual is a bit confusing for 2500 and Gold winterizing - and I'm still not sure I did everything correctly. In any case, I decided to do the first four steps listed under the winterizing section (drain holding tanks, drain potable water system, remove plug and drain water heater and run pump until tank is empty). I then set the valve manifold for winterizing and pumped RV antifreeze through the system to all fixtures and appliances - more below.
2. Draining potable water system: I drained and pumped the water system using the three valve drains/spigots I could find (one blue and two red). I did not find an obvious "tank drain". I then ran the pump until the system was empty/dry. Should there have been a separate gravity drain valve for the potable water tank?
3. I used the method of circulating RV antifreeze to fixtures and appliances, and the biggest problem was getting the pump to prime, and keeping it primed. The valve panel is very handy, with the winterize selection option. I connected a water hose (cut to about 6' long) to the City Water Fill and stuck the other end in a gallon jug of antifreeze, which was sitting on the ground. There was an air leak around the hose connection so that was the first place I was losing a prime. Then, I found that the pump would not pull a prime with the jug on the ground or sitting on the bottom of the valve compartment. I would have to lift the jug/hose as high as I could above the ground to get the pump primed, and then it would stay primed until it sucked some air for some reason (hose lifted above liquid level or the jug emptied). I had to re-prime every time. To know whether I had a prime I would open the outside hose faucet while holding the jug up high until good pressure was coming out, then I would go into the trailer to work on fixtures and appliances.
4. I thought I was going to have to let the freezer run through multiple ice-cube making cycles, until the antifreeze reached it, but this Samsung refrigerator has a "test" button on the underside of the front of the icemaker. The Test button causes the ice maker to run through a cycle each time it is pressed. After 10-15 cycles the pink fluid was running through, so I was done with that in no time!
5. The Splendide washer manual has an excellent section on exactly how to winterize using antifreeze in the water system. I attached a photo of that section. I ran it on warm water as recommended, to get hot and cold systems flushed, but I was concerned the hot water might not have gone through so I ran another cycle with just hot. You basically let the drum fill with water, turn it off, and select an empty cycle (cycle B).
6. Dishwasher: just ran a partial light cycle.
Now that the learning curve is behind me, I could probably get the job done in no more than a couple of hours easy. Including pouring some antifreeze into the holding tanks I used about 6 gallons of fluid. Could have gotten by with 5 I think if I had it to do over again.
Thanks
Dan
Just a few comments from winterizing my 366FBT this morning, in case it may be of some use to someone (I had not winterized an RV in a few years - and had never had "appliances" before). In addition to a bath and a half, I have a domestic Samsung fridge with ice maker, a Frigidaire dishwasher and Splendide washing machine (separate dryer):
1. To me, the manual is a bit confusing for 2500 and Gold winterizing - and I'm still not sure I did everything correctly. In any case, I decided to do the first four steps listed under the winterizing section (drain holding tanks, drain potable water system, remove plug and drain water heater and run pump until tank is empty). I then set the valve manifold for winterizing and pumped RV antifreeze through the system to all fixtures and appliances - more below.
2. Draining potable water system: I drained and pumped the water system using the three valve drains/spigots I could find (one blue and two red). I did not find an obvious "tank drain". I then ran the pump until the system was empty/dry. Should there have been a separate gravity drain valve for the potable water tank?
3. I used the method of circulating RV antifreeze to fixtures and appliances, and the biggest problem was getting the pump to prime, and keeping it primed. The valve panel is very handy, with the winterize selection option. I connected a water hose (cut to about 6' long) to the City Water Fill and stuck the other end in a gallon jug of antifreeze, which was sitting on the ground. There was an air leak around the hose connection so that was the first place I was losing a prime. Then, I found that the pump would not pull a prime with the jug on the ground or sitting on the bottom of the valve compartment. I would have to lift the jug/hose as high as I could above the ground to get the pump primed, and then it would stay primed until it sucked some air for some reason (hose lifted above liquid level or the jug emptied). I had to re-prime every time. To know whether I had a prime I would open the outside hose faucet while holding the jug up high until good pressure was coming out, then I would go into the trailer to work on fixtures and appliances.
4. I thought I was going to have to let the freezer run through multiple ice-cube making cycles, until the antifreeze reached it, but this Samsung refrigerator has a "test" button on the underside of the front of the icemaker. The Test button causes the ice maker to run through a cycle each time it is pressed. After 10-15 cycles the pink fluid was running through, so I was done with that in no time!
5. The Splendide washer manual has an excellent section on exactly how to winterize using antifreeze in the water system. I attached a photo of that section. I ran it on warm water as recommended, to get hot and cold systems flushed, but I was concerned the hot water might not have gone through so I ran another cycle with just hot. You basically let the drum fill with water, turn it off, and select an empty cycle (cycle B).
6. Dishwasher: just ran a partial light cycle.
Now that the learning curve is behind me, I could probably get the job done in no more than a couple of hours easy. Including pouring some antifreeze into the holding tanks I used about 6 gallons of fluid. Could have gotten by with 5 I think if I had it to do over again.
Thanks
Dan
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