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Old 10-13-2018, 06:31 PM   #1
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Best way to temporarily winterize Escape?

Looking for ideas...

Taking Escape to Sparks, Nevada for the Christmas Holidays for two weeks. We will be staying in a resort, so Escape will be in the parking lot while we are there. I suspect the temps will go down into the 20s.

Since we full-time, I have never winterized our Escape. What is the smallest air compressor I can use to blow out the water, since it will be sitting in the parking lot for two weeks? After that, we will be heading south again, so we will be using the plumbing again.

Or, should I not worry about it?

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Old 10-13-2018, 06:35 PM   #2
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Vodka is cheap in Nevada! Drain the water heater and pump vodka through the lines. I'm serious.
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Old 10-13-2018, 06:49 PM   #3
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Fred, if you have the E-Z winterizing set up, just drain your water heater and fresh tank, turn the valves to water heater and hook up 1 gal of rv antifreeze and turn on your pump, fill your lines with antifreeze and done. One man operation, 10 minutes max.
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Old 10-13-2018, 07:12 PM   #4
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Hi Fred
If you dont have a winterizing T valve you can get a manual suction pump that will hook up to your fresh water inlet and pump the antifreeze directly out of the jug and through your fresh water system. Isolate your hot water heater and pull the anode. Then like Jim says, drain your fresh water tank. Open each tap one at a time and pump antifreeze till it comes out each one and the toilet flusher. Take the shower hose off and open it at the head and drain the water out of the hose. This Would save you needing a compressor and the whole pump rig does not take up much room. Comes blister packed and costs like $20. That’s what I used last winter in Iowa where it got in the-20s for a couple weeks. My 21 does not have a winterizing T valve either and I probably won’t mess with installing one. Took 2 gallons of RV antifreeze @2.69 a gallon.
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Old 10-13-2018, 07:34 PM   #5
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Just did mine. Remove the city water screen and press the valve inside to release any water before hooking up the pump.
Don't forget your exterior shower, if you have one.
Attached Thumbnails
Hand pump.jpg  
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Old 10-13-2018, 07:42 PM   #6
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Thanks Glenn, I forgot the screen plunger. And don’t have an outer shower. But I did have good luck with the little hand pump.
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Old 10-13-2018, 07:52 PM   #7
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Wife and I get to yell at one another, just like backing the trailer. She can't hear me, cause she's inside the trailer to open taps, and I can't hear her because of the traffic noise ( and she claims I'm deaf ). Only takes a couple strokes of the pump for antifreeze to start flowing and if she doesn't open a tap, you can't pump at all.
Instructions are to dump antifreeze into the P-traps too, but I wonder why? There is lots of room for expansion, but I do it anyway.
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Old 10-13-2018, 09:06 PM   #8
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Put some water in a small open bucket, and leave it outside in freezing weather. You might get away with it, but you'll likely find a cracked bucket later. The trap is much more restrictive to the expanding ice.

Accessible traps can be removed and fully drained, instead of filling them with antifreeze. I pull and empty the traps that I can reach, then put them back and let surplus antifreeze from flushing the water lines sit in the traps.
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Old 10-13-2018, 09:15 PM   #9
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Don't know what the "smallest" compressor is that you can use to blow out the lines but I've done it with this one coming home from trips south in the winter. Maybe the specs will help. https://www.viaircorp.com/portables/300p
I use an optional extension hose and a fitting for the city water fill.
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Old 10-13-2018, 09:51 PM   #10
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Vodka is cheap in Nevada! Drain the water heater and pump vodka through the lines. I'm serious.
I second the motion.
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Old 10-13-2018, 09:56 PM   #11
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I truly wasn't kidding! Easy way to unwinterize... hookup to water, have a martini glass handy and a couple of olives. You get a martini (or two) out of the deal before the clean water starts flowing...
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Old 10-13-2018, 10:36 PM   #12
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Drain the fresh tank, hot water heater, blow out the water lines with compressed air, pour a bit of rv antifreeze down the drains, and empty the black and grey tanks. When you are ready to use the water systems again, just add fresh water and your set to go.
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Old 10-15-2018, 01:38 PM   #13
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Another winterizing question. We have a 2017 19 and plan to replace the anode rod this year when we winterize. We didn't need to do it last year. I know nothing about them in terms of size for the unit. I could just pull it and go buy a new one but would prefer to have it on hand to do the whole thing at once. I did not see it in the literature but maybe I missed it. Are there different sizes or are they all the same. Thanks a million. Just got back today from our last outing of the year and can't wait till next year. Planning trips already.
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Old 10-15-2018, 01:48 PM   #14
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Another winterizing question. We have a 2017 19 and plan to replace the anode rod this year when we winterize. We didn't need to do it last year. I know nothing about them in terms of size for the unit. I could just pull it and go buy a new one but would prefer to have it on hand to do the whole thing at once. I did not see it in the literature but maybe I missed it. Are there different sizes or are they all the same. Thanks a million. Just got back today from our last outing of the year and can't wait till next year. Planning trips already.
Hi: mcdonner... Different thickness' different metals. Aluminium or magnesium I think. Seems the cheaper ones don't last too long either. Alf
escape artist N.S. of Lake Erie
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Old 10-15-2018, 01:50 PM   #15
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I truly wasn't kidding! Easy way to unwinterize... hookup to water, have a martini glass handy and a couple of olives. You get a martini (or two) out of the deal before the clean water starts flowing...
Hi: Donna D... I like mine shaken not stirred and dirty too!!!
As dry as the Sahara doesn't hurt either. Alf
escape artist N.S. of Lake Erie
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Old 10-15-2018, 01:52 PM   #16
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Thanks Alf but I am still confused. May just pull it and take it to our local RV place to find a replacement.
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Old 10-15-2018, 02:04 PM   #17
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Thanks Glenn, I forgot the screen plunger. And don’t have an outer shower. But I did have good luck with the little hand pump.
Iowa Dave
Dave ,we ran our onboard pump until the faucets ran dry . Then we blew out our water system using compressed air through a fitting connected to the city water connection .
We then pumped RV anti freeze throughout the system .
Is it still necessary to pull the city water screen and push the check valve ?
I have not had a problem with this method with 2 other FG trailers but is the Escape
different ?
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Old 10-15-2018, 02:04 PM   #18
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Thanks Alf but I am still confused. May just pull it and take it to our local RV place to find a replacement.
Yes that is the simplest way, but you may not need one yet. I just put a wine bottle cork in the water heater over the winter, no since having the anode corrode while sitting unused.
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Old 10-15-2018, 02:08 PM   #19
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Quote:
Originally Posted by steve dunham View Post
Dave ,we ran our onboard pump until the faucets ran dry . Then we blew out our water system using compressed air through a fitting connected to the city water connection .
We then pumped RV anti freeze throughout the system .
Is it still necessary to pull the city water screen and push the check valve ?
I have not had a problem with this method with 2 other FG trailers but is the Escape
different ?
Yes, push the check valve, that little bit of water can freeze and cracking that plastic fitting.
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Old 10-15-2018, 02:10 PM   #20
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Seems the cheaper ones don't last too long either. Alf
escape artist N.S. of Lake Erie

Could be completely wrong, but since the anode is sacrificial ( it corrodes instead of the tank ), it seems to me that the better one wouldn't last as long since it's doing its job.
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