# Winterizing



## Pbtman (Dec 16, 2017)

I just bought our 2018 Outback 250urs. It was already winterized when I bought it. I just took my sofa off and removed the thin plywood layer underneath the sofa, to examine my plumbing. Im used to a shutoff valve on the water heater input and output as well as a valve in the middle of the bypass. This unit only has one valve on the cold side of the heater and another valve on the suction side of the water pump. (There is no valve on the hot side) Is there some kind of a check valve on the output (red) side of the water heater? 
The valve on the suction side of the water pump has a hose going nowhere. Its just laying down in the floor. I would assume that this is for winterizing. So, that being said, I have another line coming out below the trailer, hanging straight down with a valve on it and a hose barb. Another low-point drain, perhaps??
I can try to post some pics, but my iPad fights me and usually post my pictures upside-down.


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## Stumpy75 (Feb 26, 2014)

Congrats on the new rig, and welcome to the forum.

I don't have a true shutoff on the hot side of the tank either, just a bypass on the cold line. All that does is allow for bypassing the tank while winterizing. I've not had a problem with backfeeding antifreeze into the tank.

The valve and hose on the suction side of the tank is for winterizing. You put the line that goes nowhere into a jug of RV antifreeze, turn the valve, and let the pump send antifreeze though all your lines.

There should be at least three drains on the bottom of the trailer. On mine, the barbed one with the valve is the fresh water tank drain line. There should be two others that have color coded(red and green or black) caps, that are the low point drains for your plumbing system.

First thing I do in winterizing is to open the hot water tank bypass and drain the tank by removing the anode, making sure to flush the sediment out of the tank.

Then I crack open the low point drains and blow out the lines. After that, I pump in antifreeze using the line on the suction side of the pump. Some might say that blowing out lines before pulling in the antifreeze is overkill, but it works for me, and doesn't take that long.

*MERRY CHRISTMAS!*


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## Pbtman (Dec 16, 2017)

Thanks, Stumpy75. So you use compressed air to blow out the lines thru the low point drains? I have one of those little plastic screw in adapters that has the air schrader port on it. Yes, I do have the low point drains. Mine are red and blue with caps on them and I kinda figured that the white one hanging down towards the back of the trailer was the fresh water tank drain. I forgot that they had those. My 2 previous trailers did not have the enclosed underbelly so the drain valve was right on the exposed tank. 
So far, I'm loving this unit. It's my first travel trailers. I've had 3 pop-ups and 2 fifth wheels (back when I had my diesel 3/4 ton (around 10 years ago). We now have a half-ton Dodge 4x4 so we went with the travel trailer. Dry weight is around 5300# and the Dodge pulls it like a champ. I didn't get a good quality weight distributing hitch, also. My truck also has the trailer towing package with the built-in brake controller.
Appreciate your help and feedback. Thanks, again.


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## Stumpy75 (Feb 26, 2014)

No, I blow the lines out by using an adapter like you do. I just crack open the low point drains so I can make sure all the water is out of them when I blow out the system.

At least now they are installing a valve and hose to the inlet to the pump. I had to cut the inlet line and install my own...

Have fun with your new rig!


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## outback266RB (Mar 29, 2018)

Just for us old timers. The older travel trailers and RV has what was called "The Triple" bypass system connected behind the hot water tank, but newer rigs only have the bypass valve located on the cold water side or the fill side of the hot water tank. If you really stop and thing about that would be the only logical place to put a bypass valve at. Again, "The Triple" bypass valve system was on older travel trailers and RVs. Hope this helps to explain this.

2018 Outback 266RB


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## clark261 (12 mo ago)

Using compressed air, you can winterize RV on your own. This is by far the simplest technique to ensure that your RV is completely dry. Of course, you'll need a blowout plug and an air compressor to get started.


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