Hi everyone.
I just picked up my new R-Pod 178 a week or so ago. It is currently still winterized from the selling dealer. I have decided that in the future I will winterize and dewinterize my pod myself and use the compressed air method as opposed to the anit-freeze method for winterization. One of the reasons I am deciding on the compressed air method is that it is quite likely on any given year (including this one) I might do a winter trip or two with the pod, causing me to winterize and dewinterize more then once a season. The other reason is that my water pump and bypass valves are located under the bed resulting in access to the bypass valves more difficult and inconvenient (which results in an added question about the bypass valves needing to set in bypass mode for the compressed air mode of winterizing). I have watched various videos thoroughly and still have some confusion and questions.
All the following questions are specific to winterizing using the compressed air winterization as opposed to the antifreeze method.
1) Using compressed air method of winterizing should the bypass valves be set to allow or block the hot water tank during compressed air operation? The moosepad video shows leaving the valves open allowing compressed air thru, whereas the Forest River video shows the valves are set to bypass the hot water tank. Is it OK to not change the bypass valves and skip this step as in the moosepad video or should they be changed as the Forest River video shows blocking the compressed air to run thru the hot water tank?
2) The bypass valves have me a little confused as to what they are bypassing. They only affect the hot water tank correct? They don't have anything to do with fresh water tanks right?
3) I am confused about winterizing the fresh water holding tank. Is that simply done when the water drains out of the tank? And no further actions are necessary in terms of using compressed air to get every drop out of the fresh water tank (did I miss something in the video)? Any specific operation done to the fresh water tank to winterize it either by the compressed air method or the anit-freeze method? Do people put antifreeze in the fresh water tank for winterization? Or is it winterized simply by draining it with no other actions? Does the compressed air operation also clear out residual water from the fresh water tank when being blown thru the lines? I am really confused here.
4) I don't seem to see any specific information about winterizing the gray and black water holding tanks. Am I assuming correctly that at the end of the season you will empty the gray water tank and empty and rinse thoroughly the black water tank, then they both are sufficiently winterized once you add pink antifreeze (a cup or two) in all the sink drains and toilet flush during winterization?
5) At the very end of moosepad's You Tube video showing winterization using the compressed air method he shows that he closes the gates for the gray and black holding tanks. Nowhere previously in the video does he explain why they would be open. I am a little confused here. I am again assuming that when you are starting the winterization using the compressed air method that you have previously dumped the gray holding tank and have dumped and rinsed the black water tank, therefore they would be closed, and that when you pour antifreeze down the drains/p-traps and flush a couple of cups of antifreeze down the toilet both gray and black tanks are winterized, correct? So why did the moosepad video show at the very end that he had his gates open and then closed them?
Thanks in advance,
John