Dewinterizing 5th wheel


mikey76020

New Member
I had winterized my 2005 Prowler Regal with RV antifreeze in all the lines. This weekend, I flushed the lines until the water ran clear. Haven't fired up the water heater yet but the "hot" water is fizzy and has a strong chemical smell. Someone please tell this rookie what he did wrong. I've got to get rid of this condition! Thanks to all. Mike
 
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Guest

Guest
RE: Dewinterizing 5th wheel

do have a bypass on u'r Wh??? if not then u put the pink stuff into the WH tank ,, not a bigg prob unless u hav an anoid rod in it ,, the antifreeze likes to eat at the rod ,, but IMO i would flush and flush again u'r hot water line ,, it will soon come out clean.. :) :) :)
And bty welcome to the forum
but i would look into a WH bypass for next yr ,, if that is u don't have one :)
Also do a search on here about ,, dewinterizing u'r lines ,, u'll be suprized as what u find out ,, and it's not the newbie kinda stuff ,, but the real ,, "have done that and remember stuff" .. and it's here to help all of us out :approve: :approve: :approve: :approve: :approve: :approve:
 

mikey76020

New Member
RE: Dewinterizing 5th wheel

Uh oh. So you aren't supposed to get it in the water heater? Another rookie mistake. I don't know if there is a bypass or not. Guess I better get out the manual and read, huh? Appreciate the info.
 
G

Guest

Guest
RE: Dewinterizing 5th wheel

what type of rv do u have??? i might be able to tell u where the bypass is if u have one ,, i work on these things for a living ,, and u'd be suprised at what people don't know ,, and full timers at that ,, not just rookies... :approve: :approve: :)
forgot to tell u ,, u may get some fizzing out of the lines ,, but don't sweat it just flush and flush again ,,
 
G

Guest

Guest
RE: Dewinterizing 5th wheel

ok to let u in on a trade secret ,, here is what i would do ,, hook up to city water ,, flush all the lines untill they are clear clear ,, unhook city ,, fill u'r on board water tank almost full ,, drain it ,, refill it ,, and then use u'r pump to pump u'r water tanks water back thru the system( that is if u put anti in the WT,, if not skip this) ,, after that .. add 1/4 cup of bleach to u'r WT and then fill it agian ,, let it set for about 15 to 30 minutes ,, if u can drive it around would be better ,, but if not then do as above ,,, then run u'r faucets agian until u smell the bleach ,, then drain again (WT that is ) and fill with fresh water ,, run faucets agian till no more bleach is smelled then drain WT agian ,, then u should be good to go ,, i know it sounds like a long process ,, which other's on here may disagree ,, but it works ,, what the heck give it a try
 
G

Guest

Guest
RE: Dewinterizing 5th wheel

ok did u drain the water heater ,, if so u would have seen the anoid rod ,, depending on the type of WH u have ,, some use the rod and some only use a plastic pug ,, which one does ur's have???
The fizzing i don't think is from the rod ,, it's the anti freeze ,, just flush some more ,, it should go away :approve:
sorry ,, the anode rod is made to take the abuse of the chemical reactions u have inside the WH ,, in short the rod gets eaten up by the scale and stuff that would normally eat away at u'r WH tank ,, but if u have the type that doesn't require the rod ,, then don't sweat it
 

mikey76020

New Member
RE: Dewinterizing 5th wheel

Yes, I drained the water heater and it has a plastic plug. Did not see an anode rod. Appreciate the information about the bleach. I will give it a try. Really, thanks for the tips.
 
G

Guest

Guest
RE: Dewinterizing 5th wheel

no problem ,, let us know how it all turns out ,, and bty there is not a one on here that hasn't done a stupid or dumb thing ,, so go ahead and post away ,, we have done it ,, so we learned from it ,, and hope to pass our stupidity on to some one like u ,, just starting out ,, and we have fun on here also ,, just stick around and u'll become one of the gang ,, bty ,, i also own an rv ,, i have a Alegro Bus ,, 40ft DP ,, so i as u have made some stupid mistakes ,, and have seen alot too ,, but it's all part of rving ,, welcome to the club ;) :cool: :approve: :approve: :approve:
 

mikey76020

New Member
RE: Dewinterizing 5th wheel

OK then...I will make one more confession. I chose a gasoline engine GMC 6.0 liter engine as a pull vehicle. Sure am jealous when the diesel rigs pull past me! ha ha
 
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Guest

Guest
RE: Dewinterizing 5th wheel

now u got the spirit of this forum ,, but i envy u ,, gas is alot cheaper than dielsel ,, and to think i have a 125 gallon tank to fill :eek: :eek: :eek:
U want to trade :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:
Bty ck out some of the other post on here ,, and then u'll really get a look into what we do on here ,, and reply if u like ,, we are in this for fun ,, and as long as u don' get rude or bring a family member in on it ,, we are cool with it ,, like i said just having fun and answering a few tech ques. when we can ,,, but as i said be nice to everyone ,, and they'll return the favor ,, and again welcome to the forums ;) :approve: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:
 

Grandview Trailer Sa

Senior Member
Re: Dewinterizing 5th wheel

Mickey,
Without an Anode Rod, that tells me you have an Atwood water heater. They do not use them. Just keep running the hot water through the lines and the "fizzing" will quit.
 
G

Guest

Guest
Re: Dewinterizing 5th wheel

Now ,, GTS i thought i already coverd that ;) :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:
But Mickey listen to grandview ,, he knows TT and such ,, since he is the number 1 dealer in Va for them ,,, like i said ,, he knows his stuff ;) :approve: :approve: :approve: :approve: :cool: :cool: :cool:
Bty ,, how can he run hot water thru the sytem ,, if the Wh is not online ,, sorry ,, jsut a random thought ,, GTS :eek: :blackeye: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:
 
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Guest

Guest
Re: Dewinterizing 5th wheel

I know ,, i was just poking at u ;) :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:
 

mikey76020

New Member
Re: Dewinterizing 5th wheel

Good evening, friends. So this winter when I put in anti-freeze, can I run it thru the lines and THEN pull the drain plug on my water heater tank? I still don't know how to bypass that stupid water heater. Think that would avoid the FIZZY/STINKY water?
 

H2H1

Senior Member
Re: Dewinterizing 5th wheel

morning Milkey, just follow what Rod and Ken has suggested and you should be ok. I have a 36' MH and my hot water heater cut of valve is in the next compartment next to the WH. I didn't know about it when I took my first trip in it and had a dang of a time trying to get hot water, then the CG manager came by and asked me what I was doing and told me where to look, there it was, turned it to the open position. Then went inside to flipped the on board switch and had hot water in just a few minutes. In the winter just shut it off and drain the water heater, this will save you a lot of anti freeze. god luck and happy traveling :laugh: :laugh: :approve:
 
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