08C210P Roadtrek winterizing the exterior tank

[youngnretired]

Last night while turning into a boondocking spot, we bottomed out on a root and broke the piping from the bottom of the Roadtrek's exterior tank. It looks like just the "T" fitting is broken, and I'm 95% sure the tank is OK. The "T" fitting also had the drain valve on it to drain the whole system.

We'll need to winterize the van likely in the next week possibly by Dallas before heading north for home.

Does anyone know how the piping from the bottom of the tank runs to the rest of the vehicle and will i have to get this fixed in order to properly pump antifreeze thru the piping and winterize the piping from this tank? Or since the line going to the chassis and it's disconnected, will that essentially drain itself of water as I drive? The interior tank and everything else is fine and I can winterize the system thru that tank. Just don't know about the lines specifically from the exterior tank.

Thanks

 

[GroupB]

Don't have to get it fixed.

You can delete that tank from the fresh water system by turning two valves so that 1. the interior tank does not drain into the exterior tank and 2. the water pump will draw from the interior tank.

To winterize with antifreeze, use the interior tank and proceed as normal. The exterior tank and its piping is already winterized at this point.

Two items to remember is to address the outside shower like the rest of the faucets and lastly, drain the sewer tanks and dump enough anti freeze into the gray tank via the drains to protect the traps and run it through the macerator to protect it.

 

[youngnretired]

Thanks. That answers the question.

 

[otr]

based upon the quality of your photos it looks like it will be a pretty easy DIY fix!

 

[youngnretired]

Just this morning, I discovered that the left side of the large storage cabinet is raised a bit and rubbing on the fiberglass of the camper shell. Not too bad, but that will have to be addressed as well.

 

[youngnretired]

Dumb question: 08C210P Roadtrek. When winterizing, the manual says to depress the plunger in the city water connection. Should this be done to only let off the pressure built up from the water pump, or done until all the antifreeze runs out? Also, leave the city water tank fill valve or close it?

 

[GroupB]

To relieve pressure in the fresh water system, the plunger in the check valve at the city water fill can be depressed and/or the manual fill valve can be opened. I leave it open.

If the water has been purged from the lines with antifreeze (including the line from the city fill valve to the interior tank), I wouldn't drain any out until spring.

After season one of RVing, I switched to compressed air to purge the water lines and antifreeze for the drains only.

 

[booster]

On our Roadtrek 190 the city fill connection is a dead end drop so you need to get the water out of it.

Drain the system as much as you can to start with tank valve and with the upper tank if you have one also open so it empties into the lower tank.

Open the outside faucet valves and the inside faucet and then flush and hold the toilet so all the air can get in the top and water out the bottom.

Then push in the fresh inlet check valve and drain what is in there.

Close it all up again and put in the antifreeze either through the lower tank or with a kit at the pump.

Run the pump and open the faucets one at a time until you get antifreeze out them and flush the toilet until it gets antifreeze out.

Push the inlet check ball again until antifreeze comes out.

Put a cup of antifreeze in each of the traps or use enough to get some into the tanks, especially if you have an macerator.

Run the macerator until you get antifreeze out of the hose. Be sure to open both tank valves to get antifreeze into them.