# After Winterizing,leave Faucets Open Or Closed



## Richard1

Ok, I have been camping for 25 years, I have always closed my faucets after winterizing, like the instructions say on the camco hand pump box and other sites. . But now I read on the shurflow pump instructions it says to leave the faucets open after winterizing, I also called the shurflo company that stated leave the faucets open. When you really think of it , it would make sense to leave it open because what really breaks water lines when the water freezes, is that when the faucets are closed there is no room for expansion when the freezing occurs so it ruptures the pipe. What, or who do you think is right? These are both large and reputable companies.

Thanks
Rich


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## battalionchief3

but if you put in the pink stuff what is freezing that needs to expand? Would an open faucet really stop a line from breaking, maybe only if it was freezing at the faucet, right??


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## Rubrhammer

I would leave them closed. Water freezes at a lower temp under pressure and boils at a higher temp under pressure. I can't believe I remember that from high school chemistry. If you have water in the lines and not antifreeze you're asking for trouble but I don't know where you are.
Bob


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## Sayonara

I opened mine and drained the pink stuff out the low point drains and saved it for next year. Dont be fooled. the pink stuff turns to slush in extreme cold and still expands slightly. it could still do damage. So ive been told.


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## Oregon_Camper

Open or closed...no difference in my book.

Water will expand...not move up the water line and drain out an open value. I'd say close the value, but that's just my .02c.


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## Sayonara

No problem.... we'll take your .04c total....


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## tdvffjohn

One of those 'never gave it a thought' questions. Its winterized.


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## CanadaCruizin

I winterized using the pink stuff in all lines. I leave the faucets open. After last years winter, one of the outside shower lines was cracked from water freezing in the threads of the hose, you know the part that connects the feeder lines to the faucet. I've capped off the lines inside the TT and haven't replaced the connection to the faucet. We haven't used the outside shower often enough (yet).


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## battalionchief3

I guess it depends where you live. In SE Mich it gets a lot colder then So. Md. We get below freezing but it rarely stays that way in the day. If you have a shore line at home like I had put in you could plug in a small elec heater and keep it at a low setting to combat the deep freeze.


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## Oregon_Camper

Sayonara said:


> No problem.... we'll take your .04c total....


Only offered up .02c...so please don't take the other .02c, cause then I'll have no option left to give. And you all know how much I like to chat...


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## CamperAndy

Open is safer. Open all tub, sink and shower valves. I also leave my black and gray tank valves open. The pink stuff will expand if cold enough and can damage still piping.


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## elbmas

My dealer recommended that I leave them open. Said that the antifreeze will expand slightly. I know that would raise the pressure, but certainly not to 30# like city water comes in at or what the pump puts out. Either way I left them open, figured a system vented certainly could not hurt.

elb


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## camping479

Can certainly tell it's winter time and we've got lots of extra time on our hands to think about things like leaving faucets open or closed.........









Mike


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## tdvffjohn

Now here is something I never gave a thought to. Looking back tho, mine have always been closed because that is what happens when I winterize. 7-8 campers and plenty of cold weather, never have had a water leak of any kind.


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## Oregon_Camper

tdvffjohn said:


> Now here is something I never gave a thought to. Looking back tho, mine have always been closed because that is what happens when I winterize. 7-8 campers and plenty of cold weather, never have had a water leak of any kind.


...x2


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## Camping Fan

Oregon_Camper said:


> Now here is something I never gave a thought to. Looking back tho, mine have always been closed because that is what happens when I winterize. 7-8 campers and plenty of cold weather, never have had a water leak of any kind.


...x2















[/quote]

X3. Plus when you buy a new trailer, it comes winterized from the factory, with the faucets closed on delivery.


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## Rubrhammer

If you leave the faucets open, the cold air has a direct cotact with the fluid in the line. If anything is going to freeze that point will, or at least it will freeze first. Then where can the expansion take place after that anyway? My vote is close them.


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## Oregon_Camper

Rubrhammer said:


> If you leave the faucets open, the cold air has a direct cotact with the fluid in the line. If anything is going to freeze that point will, or at least it will freeze first. Then where can the expansion take place after that anyway? My vote is close them.


x2


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## CamperAndy

Direct air contact is not needed to freeze the liquid in the pipes and the never ever happened to me comments are not valid either. Also using the argument that the manufacture has the trailers winterized and the valves closed holds no water (or ice), heck they only get the labels on the black and grey tank valves right 50% of the time, how would they know they got the valves in the right position. The argument that the freezing point of water drops as pressure goes up has little weight in this application due to the low working pressure of the water system would only delay the freeze point by a fraction of a degree and the system would have to be pressurized to start with.

Using RV anti freeze also only delays / lowers the freeze point of the liquid in the system. When it turns slushy it still expands and can still cause over pressure failures.

Once you winterize with RV anti freeze open all drains and valves. any pockets of liquid left in the system will typically not have enough volume to expand to the breaking point of the water system piping. Filling the system with a non compressible liquid (even one with a low freeze point) and having the valves closed can lead to failure. I did not say will, I said can.


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