Low point drain 178
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Forum Name: Podmods, Maintenance, Tips and Tricks
Forum Discription: Ask maintenance questions, share your podmods (modifications) and helpful tips
URL: http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=4200
Printed Date: 07 Jun 2025 at 2:23pm
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Topic: Low point drain 178
Posted By: Lefty
Subject: Low point drain 178
Date Posted: 10 Nov 2013 at 8:46am
| I want to make sure I didn't miss anything. Is there only one low point drain on a 178? |
Replies:
Posted By: hogone
Date Posted: 10 Nov 2013 at 9:20am
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my 177 has two, right behind left (driver side) wheel ------------- Jon & Pam 2013 RP177 2010 F150 2017 HD Streetglide 2009 HD Lowrider CHEESEHEAD |
Posted By: kymooses
Date Posted: 10 Nov 2013 at 9:58am
Make sure it's not covered in expanding foam and you just aren't seeing it.  ------------- https://calendar.google.com/calendar?cid=cnBvZC5zcG90dGVyQGdtYWlsLmNvbQ - RPod Rallies https://www.google.com/maps/d/embed?mid=1W1foQXGtrjf8aYly1uh0b-bHPfI&hl=en_US - RPod Owner Map |
Posted By: furpod
Date Posted: 10 Nov 2013 at 11:12am
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There will be three. 1 on the FW holding tank, and 2 for the water lines, 1 hot, 1 cold. Those lines will be below the slide, behind the wheel. They may, or may not, be covered in foam before you use them. ------------- |
Posted By: Lefty
Date Posted: 10 Nov 2013 at 11:22am
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Furpod and Kymooses,
One of you has 177 the other 181. Do all models have more than one low point drain othet than the FW tank? I winterized yesterday using the antifreeze method. So, if I missed a drain other than the FW drain should I go back and find the other drain (s)? Thanks for your help. |
Posted By: furpod
Date Posted: 10 Nov 2013 at 12:18pm
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Yes, they all have 3 drains. If you used anti freeze, then the low points for the hot/cold lines *may* be okay, due to dilution.. but I would go out and find them and open them. make sure pink stuff drains out. In fact, I would just open them and let as much drain out as wants to. Then call it good.
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Posted By: Lefty
Date Posted: 10 Nov 2013 at 2:51pm
| Thanks Furpod |
Posted By: Tars Tarkas
Date Posted: 10 Nov 2013 at 4:01pm
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Yeah, it's not about the model, it's about the systems. If you have a fresh water storage tank and hot water and cold running water, each system has a drain. Just draining is good, but at least depending on how cold your winters are, antifreeze is better, and it's cheap. Way cheaper and less hassle than a broken pipe or pump. TT ------------- 2010 176 FJ Cruiser |
Posted By: Jdub
Date Posted: 10 Nov 2013 at 4:23pm
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My 178 has three....two clustered together for hot and cold water, and the fresh water tank itself. I did overkill by pouring antifreeze into the freshwater tank and pumping it around including throught the hot and cold drains until they ran red as well. We don't drink out of the fresh water tank so I am not too concerned about having antifreeze in it. Hope this helps.
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Posted By: fwunder
Date Posted: 10 Nov 2013 at 6:09pm
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This is my first winter with our Pod or any RV for that matter. This all great info. Thanks! I know it's been discussed many times, but wouldn't draining the system and blowing low pressure air through the system via city water inlet be sufficient in all but the coldest of climes? Oh, and adding a little pink stuff to the sink and shower traps. I don't see any problem with leaving some small amount of liquid in any of the tanks. There is plenty of room for expansion. Of course, this assumes you have access to compressor and can regulate the pressure. I cobbled together a hookup w/regulator which allows me to evacuate the fresh water lines w/20 psi. Is it still necessary to pump pink stuff through the lines? Need schematic of system. I am sure Pink stuff would be a lot easier if you don't have access to air blowout stuff. I know my hodge podge of hardware below is overkill, but I just happened to have the parts sitting around. I blow @ 20 psi until nothing but air out of faucets and toilet. EDIT: After writing the above, I came across this link which indicates that I should either run the pump dry or (easier) pump a little pink stuff through the pump: http://www.rvupgradestore.com/Articles.asp?ID=252 - http://www.rvupgradestore.com/Articles.asp?ID=252  ------------- 2014 RPod 178 => https://goo.gl/CV446f - MyMods and Buying Habits 2008 4Runner Limited 4.0-liter V6 Yes, those are wild ponies dining on grass while dumping tanks! |
Posted By: Keith-N-Dar
Date Posted: 10 Nov 2013 at 6:48pm
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Being neurotic about freezing up the Pod I blow the system out then pump the pink stuff. I want to be sure that no water is standing anywhere to freeze. I know folks that blow out the system and don't use the pink stuff and have no problems, and those who pump the pink stuff through and don't blow out the water first and have no problems. I have never opened the low point drains other than the one on the water tank. The air and the pink stuff takes care of the low points in the lines for me. ------------- Keith-N-Dar Boris & Betty (Boston Terriers) 2011 R-Pod 177 2010 Ford F-150 |
Posted By: Tars Tarkas
Date Posted: 10 Nov 2013 at 7:47pm
Undiluted RV antifreeze is supposed to protect pipes to minus 50. I don't know how well it mixes in the bottom of a still pipe. Probably well enough. But due to their location and purpose, the low point drains are probably the most susceptible to freeze damage of any thing on the pod. If the drains do burst they'd be cheap to fix. Maybe a little trouble, dealing with insulation. How do you flush the antifreeze without opening the low point drains though? TT ------------- 2010 176 FJ Cruiser |
Posted By: dsmiths
Date Posted: 10 Nov 2013 at 7:49pm
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I am with Keith N Dar, I use a blow out plug to clean the pressure water inlet but then I go under the sink, switch the valve on the water pump and pump the pink r.v. antifreeze through the system. this is after you take out the anode rod on the water heater, replace or retape it and switch the bypass valves on the water heater. It only takes about 30 to 50 minutes to winterize the system and it sure beats making expensive plumbing repairs. sleep tight little pod. spring is around the corner. ------------- Dane and Donna Smith 2011 RP-172 2008 Chevrolet Trailblazer 4X4 lift kit prodigy wireless brake controller |
Posted By: Jdub
Date Posted: 10 Nov 2013 at 7:52pm
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Posted By: Keith-N-Dar
Date Posted: 10 Nov 2013 at 8:28pm
When I am done with the air there is no water in the system, so the pink stuff is pure in the lines. In spring I fill up the tank and start the pump, then run the water in each location until they run clear. Pink stuff gone. ------------- Keith-N-Dar Boris & Betty (Boston Terriers) 2011 R-Pod 177 2010 Ford F-150 |
Posted By: Keith-N-Dar
Date Posted: 10 Nov 2013 at 8:33pm
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FWIW I shared what I do. If anyone wants to use the low point drains then they should. FR puts them on the pods for a purpose, and I don't want to have anyone not do what they feel is the right way to winterize just because of the way I do it. It has worked for me but YMMV. ------------- Keith-N-Dar Boris & Betty (Boston Terriers) 2011 R-Pod 177 2010 Ford F-150 |
Posted By: fwunder
Date Posted: 10 Nov 2013 at 9:15pm
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I'm going with the Wisconsin folks! That's like close to the arctic circle. They know cold! I do think, however, the best way to winterize is to go south! fred ------------- 2014 RPod 178 => https://goo.gl/CV446f - MyMods and Buying Habits 2008 4Runner Limited 4.0-liter V6 Yes, those are wild ponies dining on grass while dumping tanks! |
Posted By: Bill-GA
Date Posted: 10 Nov 2013 at 10:46pm
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Aside from the FW tank drain, I have 2 low point drains that point straight down with caps. I ALWAYS opened and drain them. I blow out the lines first, then drain them, then add pink stuff. It usually only gets down to 20 degrees for a week in GA, but I'd be concerned that the small amount of water would freeze and cause damage. Blowing the lines out with air doesn't clear those downward pipes. It takes about 2 minutes to do it ... Better safe than sorry. I moved south from the NE ... But not south enough!
 ------------- Bill & Bev 13 yr old dachshund 'Elsa' 2010 RP-176T (tent & slide-out) 2011 Toyota Tundra 2WD TV |
Posted By: Tars Tarkas
Date Posted: 10 Nov 2013 at 11:54pm
You might be surprised if you were to open the low point drains after you blow out the lines and before you put any antifreeze in. Not saying your method doesn't work. Obviously it does. Probably mostly due to diluted antifreeze and the Pex tubing, or whatever it is the pipes are made of, that tolerates at least some freezing without bursting. The drains are like appendixes though; water doesn't circulate in them and you can't blow them out without opening them. For what it's worth, the caps on my drains are only hand-tight. No tools needed to open or close them. TT ------------- 2010 176 FJ Cruiser |
Posted By: hogone
Date Posted: 11 Nov 2013 at 7:03am
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a couple questions when blowing lines out. do you just turn on all the faucets and pull the toilet handle all at once or one at a time? also i recall last year after i finished pumping af through the system, the last thing i did was open the two low water drains and quite a bit of clear water came out prior to the pink stuff, so there definitely is some left over water down there. ------------- Jon & Pam 2013 RP177 2010 F150 2017 HD Streetglide 2009 HD Lowrider CHEESEHEAD |
Posted By: furpod
Date Posted: 11 Nov 2013 at 11:12am
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when I blew out my lines, I hooked up my compressor, set it to 30 psi or so, opened the low points and let it blow for a few minutes, then did each valve separately, and let it blow until I felt it was as dry as it was going to get. In all honesty, my take on it is this.. your pod is plumbed with PEX. PEX can be frozen solid and it will not burst. Seen, it done it. In fact was just thinking the other day of doing a demonstration directly of such, since I have some PEX tubing and fittings laying around.. The big danger, IMHO is the water pump, faucets/valves, P traps, and WH. NONE of those will survive a freeze. They are what you are trying to protect with winterization. So, no matter what method you use, as long as THOSE are protected, the rest is gravy. ------------- |
Posted By: kymooses
Date Posted: 11 Nov 2013 at 3:58pm
Shall I come over with the camera? We can call it Pod-Busters. We'll debunk fails, document mods, and blow something up at the end of each one? ------------- https://calendar.google.com/calendar?cid=cnBvZC5zcG90dGVyQGdtYWlsLmNvbQ - RPod Rallies https://www.google.com/maps/d/embed?mid=1W1foQXGtrjf8aYly1uh0b-bHPfI&hl=en_US - RPod Owner Map |
Posted By: techntrek
Date Posted: 11 Nov 2013 at 9:25pm
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In the instructions I've posted (link in my sig), I recommend opening the low point drains, and the other valves, one at a time. Just long enough to see dark pink.
------------- Doug ~ '10 171 (2009-2015) ~ 2008 Salem ~ http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=1723 - Pod instruction manual 
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