Yes, you should drain your RV’s antifreeze after winterizing it, typically before the first use in spring. This prevents potential damage to your plumbing system, ensures safe drinking water, and avoids an unpleasant taste or smell. Draining the system thoroughly is a crucial step in preparing your RV for warmer weather.
Draining RV Antifreeze: A Spring Essential
As winter’s chill fades, RV owners face the important task of de-winterizing their mobile homes. A key part of this process is removing the antifreeze that protected your plumbing from freezing temperatures. Failing to drain it properly can lead to a host of problems, from compromised water quality to costly repairs.
Why is Draining Antifreeze So Important?
RV antifreeze is designed to lower the freezing point of water. While effective for winter storage, it’s not meant for consumption or prolonged contact with your RV’s water system components.
- Safety and Health: RV antifreeze is non-toxic, but it’s not intended for drinking. Residual antifreeze can contaminate your fresh water supply, making it unsafe for consumption.
- System Integrity: Even non-toxic antifreeze can be corrosive over time, especially if it’s not flushed out. This can degrade seals, gaskets, and other components within your plumbing.
- Taste and Odor: The most immediate consequence of not draining antifreeze is an unpleasant taste and smell. This can make using your RV’s water system for cooking or even washing dishes quite disagreeable.
- Flow and Pressure Issues: Concentrated antifreeze can sometimes affect water flow and pressure. Flushing the system ensures optimal performance.
When Should You Drain the Antifreeze?
The ideal time to drain your RV antifreeze is before you plan to use your fresh water system for the first time in the spring. This typically means before your first camping trip or even just before you turn on the faucets for regular use.
Don’t wait too long! The longer antifreeze sits in your system, the more likely it is to cause issues. A thorough flush is a necessary step for a smooth transition into the camping season.
How to Properly Drain RV Antifreeze
Draining your RV’s antifreeze is a straightforward process, but it requires attention to detail to ensure all residual fluid is removed.
Step 1: Bypass the Water Heater
Before you begin draining, it’s essential to bypass your RV’s water heater. Antifreeze should not be run through the water heater, as this can fill it with the solution and require a much more extensive flushing process. Most RVs have a bypass valve system specifically for winterizing and de-winterizing. Consult your RV’s manual if you’re unsure how to locate and operate these valves.
Step 2: Open Faucets and Drains
Once the water heater is bypassed, open all your faucets, including the kitchen sink, bathroom sink, and shower. Don’t forget any outdoor showers or spray ports. Also, open the low-point drains for both your hot and cold water lines. These are typically located near the water tanks.
Step 3: Flush with Fresh Water
Connect a fresh water hose to your RV’s city water inlet. Turn on the fresh water supply slowly. Allow the fresh water to run through the entire system. You’ll see the pink antifreeze begin to dilute and eventually disappear from the water running out of the faucets.
Continue flushing until the water runs completely clear. This may take several minutes per faucet. Close each faucet one by one as the water runs clear.
Step 4: Sanitize the System (Recommended)
After flushing out the antifreeze, it’s highly recommended to sanitize your RV’s fresh water system. This further ensures that any residual antifreeze or bacteria are eliminated, leaving you with clean, safe drinking water.
A common method involves using a diluted bleach solution or a specialized RV water system cleaner.
- Prepare the Sanitizing Solution: Mix your chosen sanitizing agent with fresh water according to the product’s instructions.
- Fill the System: Use your RV’s fresh water pump to draw the sanitizing solution into the entire plumbing system.
- Let it Sit: Allow the solution to sit in the system for the recommended time (usually several hours or overnight).
- Flush Thoroughly: Drain the sanitizing solution and flush the entire system again with plenty of fresh water until all traces of the cleaner are gone and there is no lingering smell.
Step 5: Check for Leaks
After flushing and sanitizing, turn on your fresh water pump and check all connections, faucets, and fixtures for any leaks. This is also a good time to ensure your water heater is properly filled and functioning.
Common Mistakes to Avoid When Draining Antifreeze
Even with clear instructions, some common pitfalls can occur during the de-winterizing process. Being aware of these can save you time and frustration.
- Forgetting to Bypass the Water Heater: This is perhaps the most common mistake. It leads to a full water heater of antifreeze, requiring extensive flushing.
- Not Opening All Faucets and Drains: If a faucet or drain is left closed, antifreeze can remain trapped in that section of the plumbing.
- Insufficient Flushing: Rushing the flushing process means residual antifreeze remains. Always wait until the water runs completely clear and has no odor.
- Skipping the Sanitization Step: While not strictly draining antifreeze, skipping sanitization leaves your water system vulnerable to bacteria and potential lingering tastes.
- Using the Wrong Type of Antifreeze: Always use RV-specific, non-toxic antifreeze. Automotive antifreeze is toxic and should never be used in an RV’s potable water system.
People Also Ask
### What happens if you don’t drain RV antifreeze?
If you don’t drain RV antifreeze, it will remain in your plumbing system. This can lead to an unpleasant taste and smell in your water, potentially contaminate your drinking water supply, and in some cases, can even degrade seals and components over time. It’s a crucial step for maintaining a safe and functional RV water system.
### Can I use my RV’s water pump to drain antifreeze?
No, you should not use your RV’s water pump to drain antifreeze. The pump is designed to move water. Running antifreeze through it, especially if it’s not specifically designed for that purpose, can damage the pump’s seals and components. Draining is best achieved by gravity through open faucets and low-point drains, and then flushing with fresh water from an external source.
### How much fresh water do I need to flush out RV antifreeze?
The amount of fresh water needed to flush out RV antifreeze varies depending on the length of your plumbing system and how much antifreeze was used. Generally, you’ll need enough water to run clear through all faucets and drains for several minutes each. It’s always better to use more water than you think you need to ensure a thorough flush.
### Is RV antifreeze safe to drink after flushing?
While