Please help me winterize my 2021 Imagine 2400BH

[GDPadventures]

So we couldn’t resist going to FLOrida for Christmas, New Years and then some additional days because it was just so beautiful, but now have to go back home to the freezing cold and I have never winterized either of the rigs I’ve owned…I really don’t want to mess up this wonderful blessing of a vehicle. Please help me 🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼

[Jlawles2]

First thing I would do is drain and blow out the water lines. After that follow the winterization procedure in the manual using RV antifreeze.

[howson]

So we couldn’t resist going to FLOrida for Christmas, New Years and then some additional days because it was just so beautiful, but now have to go back home to the freezing cold and I have never winterized either of the rigs I’ve owned…I really don’t want to mess up this wonderful blessing of a vehicle. Please help me 🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼

Welcome to Grand Design's (technical) Owner's Forum. Take a moment and please read the Welcome Letter to New Members: https://gdrvowners.com/forum/main-fo...to-new-members

To your question: there are a lot of resources available regarding winterization. First place--your owner's manual. Don't have it with you? No problem. At the top of this page is a link (far right) to where GD keeps electronic versions. Download a copy and refer to the instructions.

Enter "Winterization" and check the "Title Only" box and do an Advanced Search using this forum's tools (search is explained and referenced in the Welcome Letter). There are a LOT of threads on this topic.

Enter RV WInterization site:YouTube.com into your search engine. There are many excellent videos on the topic.

After all that, if something's not clear fire away with your specific question.

Howard

[GDPadventures]

First thing I would do is drain and blow out the water lines. After that follow the winterization procedure in the manual using RV antifreeze.

Thank you! I read that blowing out the water lines is a good first step before running the antifreeze through the lines; but unfortunately I don’t have the tool to blow out the air. Can I just let everything drain out and then just run the rv antifreeze through the lines??

[Cate&Rob]

As I have described on previous threads . . . blowing out the lines with air before introducing antifreeze does not really accomplish anything. The antifreeze will push out either all the water or some of the water in the same way. Creating pockets of air in the lines will cause the onboard pump to cavitate and have difficulty smoothly drawing in the antifreeze. I have winterized many boats and my RV without using air. As far as I know, the factory does not use air before antifreeze when preparing for winter shipment.

Definitely drain the water heater and put it on bypass before introducing antifreeze. As you open each faucet (one at a time) catch the water that comes out before the antifreeze in a bowl, to prevent this water from ending up in a holding tank. Remember to run some antifreeze into the drains to winterized the traps.

Rob

[TedS]

Yes, you can just drain then fill the system with antifreeze. Don't forget to bypass the water heater when you fill with antifreeze. You are good when you see antifreeze run out of every faucet and toilet, one at a time. Put a cup or two of antifreeze in the holding tanks and sink traps.

[GDPadventures]

Thank you all very much for your help! Just want to understand what amount of antifreeze if any can go in the gray/black tanks. All the videos I’ve seen for winterizing has the antifreeze coming out of the faucets/shower and draining directly into the tanks. Should I allow this to happen and then drain those tanks?

[Jlawles2]

GDPadventures Most people catch the antifreeze so they can minimize the amount needed. There are no issues with letting it run into the holding tanks. The only reason I said to blow out the lines is to minimize antifreeze dilution. As Rob stated there are mixed reviews on using just air. Either way the pump will need to draw air (I think most RV pumps are diaphragm pumps so there should not be cavitation in the normal sense).

Depending on the size of the camper, it could be 2-5 gallons required, not including the HWH.

[Cate&Rob]

GDPadventures

There will always be some liquid (maybe 1/2") left in a "fully drained" holding tank. This is because of the way that the drain gate valve attaches to the end of the tank. Letting the antifreeze go down the drains and into the holding tanks is never a bad thing. It will combine with the water in the bottom of the tank to help prevent this from freezing (at least at mild "below freezing" temperatures) If you can avoid adding more water to an "empty" holding tank, by catching it in a bowl before the antifreeze come out of the faucet and goes down the drain, this will increase the antifreeze content in the bottom of the tank and lower its freeze point as much as possible.

Rob

[GDPadventures]

Awesome! Thank you all very much for your help!

[Guest]

Here are some videos to add to the comments above. Blowing out the black tank flush would be nice but it should drain via gravity if installed correctly.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XJ3lnI_Jqy4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xtQawh-01kc

Jim

[Cate&Rob]

Guest
Hi Jim,

A good reminder on the black tank flush. The line is supposed to follow a downward slope all the way from the vacuum break to the flush nozzle in the tank . . . but many (most?) do not. On mine, the flush line goes under several obstructions before rising back up to the connection to the tank (see attached picture). Leaving water in this line is probably OK because the hose is flexible enough to survive freezing. Blowing out this line will leave liquid in the bottom of the downward loop as soon as the air can pass over the partially filled line (like any "blown out" line). The safest way to winterize is to include pumping antifreeze through the black tank flush line.

Rob

[Guest]

Good point Rob,

Curious how your introducing anti freeze in this line?

Jim

[Cate&Rob]

Good point Rob,

Curious how your introducing anti freeze in this line?

Jim

Hi Jim,

Once the trailer water system is filled with antifreeze, I connect the "outside shower" hose to the black tank flush to fill the flush line with antifreeze.

Not wishing to restart the "separate hose from the post for black tank flush" debate, the black tank flush connection (if used as designed) is a sanitary connection as long as it is never connected to a contaminated hose.

Rob

[Guest]

Hi Jim,

Once the trailer water system is filled with antifreeze, I connect the "outside shower" hose to the black tank flush to fill the flush line with antifreeze.

Not wishing to restart the "separate hose from the post for black tank flush" debate, the black tank flush connection (if used as designed) is a sanitary connection as long as it is never connected to a contaminated hose.

Rob

Ah ok. I believe my outside spray nozzle cannot be removed from the hose so I will need to come up with an adapter. I do not have an outside shower. Good idea though where even with a short hose to force the spray hose into would get the job done.

Jim