Low point drain 178 - Event Date: 10 Nov 2013 - 30 Nov 2013

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.

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.

Originally posted by Keith-N-Dar 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.

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

I'm going with the Wisconsin folks! That's like close to the arctic circle. They know cold!

Originally posted by Tars Tarkas Originally posted by Keith-N-Dar 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. 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

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.