Winterizing in general, tech over precaution?

[Wolf8U]

So I got done winterizing my 2016 Hurricane 34F, drained water tank and hot water tank used air pressure to get water out of the pipes and ice make. Added anti freeze, yes the pink stuff, through the pump, first rig with this option and ice maker. So the water tank is empty, the hot water tank is drained the best that it does, and the ice maker was blown out with air for several minutes at intervals, did not want to overheat the jump cycle, lv. I know there is another jump to make it empty, however I don't know the letter sequence for that.

So, the previous owner, damage the outside ladder to the point it is no longer usable, so I'm in the shop getting it replaced with an OEM ladder and some generator issue. So as I'm about to leave I see the tech that does the winterization, so I asked him the question about running anti freeze through the ice maker, and since I have never had a pump for antifreeze, only had tank fill before, and leave some in the tank? He said he always runs it through the ice maker and leaves it in the fresh water tank, but also puts it in the hot water tank. Now I have never put anti freeze in the hot water tank before, my last rig was a 2000 Four Winds class C, the one I have now is a 2016. Has something change in the hot water tank winterization that I am unaware of, or is this tech over doing precaution? What about the ice maker and fresh water tank?

Thank you ahead of time for your thoughts.

[Judge]

Here are my thoughts on this subject......

When pipes, hoses, etc. are under pressure and full of water, the water expands when it freezes and depending on the pipe / hose material, it can split based on how much the material is able to flex and expand.

Flushing the lines (cold and hot) with antifreeze will circulate it through all the lines if you open every faucet / shower until it is pink and then blowing them out with air will prevent any damage from freezing.

If you have emptied the fresh water tank, there is no need to put any anti-freeze in the tank. Even with a little residual water that might freeze, it won't do any damage because there is plenty of room for expansion.

If you have blown all of the water from the ice maker supply line and the ice making unit, you should be just fine.

That being said, the RV anti-freeze solutions out there also claim to lubricate seals, etc. Running it through the system and then draining / blowing it out would be good enough for me. Most of them have burst protection to -50 to - 100 so if the tech filled the hot water tank with it, there should not be an issue but I see no reason to do it.

[Wolf8U]

Originally Posted by Judge

Here are my thoughts on this subject......

When pipes, hoses, etc. are under pressure and full of water, the water expands when it freezes and depending on the pipe / hose material, it can split based on how much the material is able to flex and expand.

Flushing the lines (cold and hot) with antifreeze will circulate it through all the lines if you open every faucet / shower until it is pink and then blowing them out with air will prevent any damage from freezing.

If you have emptied the fresh water tank, there is no need to put any anti-freeze in the tank. Even with a little residual water that might freeze, it won't do any damage because there is plenty of room for expansion.

If you have blown all of the water from the ice maker supply line and the ice making unit, you should be just fine.

That being said, the RV anti-freeze solutions out there also claim to lubricate seals, etc. Running it through the system and then draining / blowing it out would be good enough for me. Most of them have burst protection to -50 to - 100 so if the tech filled the hot water tank with it, there should not be an issue but I see no reason to do it.

Thank you.

[cavie]

Never put antifreeze in the FW tank or the WH, it is to hard to remove. You can not empty a FW tank that has a saggy bottom. There is more than enough room in the FW tank for any frozen water expansion. WH will be empty.

[Bob Denman]

But on the other hand: they do claim that it isn't poisonous...

[BYoshida]

Was he talking about a tankless water heater? That you do run antifreeze through. But I've never put antifreeze in a tank water heater nor the fresh water tank.