LOVE this video and your wonderful checklists! This year, I mixed my bleach in a plastic watering can without a sprinkler head. It made adding to the fresh water tank a breeze! Thanks, John!
Thanks, here's a link to the free downloadable process document. Click the link and look for the R-Pod Dewinterization Process document: johnmarucci.com/docs-downloads/
To firekeeper1944 - Love the watering can tip. Used a funnel to add water/bleach solution to the fresh water tank using a sanitized gallon container as per John's suggestions. Because of the angle of the F/W holding tank intake port on our trailer, it was a little messy and slow. John, Thank you for all you do for us your tips and suggestions are awesome. For you negative replies, I remember the the old adage, "You Can Lead a Horse to Water - but yo know the rest....
John, We bought a 179 a few years ago, but due to some unfortunate events, have not been able to use it. However, have been using your videos for upkeep. Now, getting ready to head out and you are refreshing my knowledge on all the things I have forgotten (or never knew). Thanks.
This will be my first season with my toy hauler and as a newbie to the camper world this video was really helpful and well done with easy to follow steps. Thank you for these videos
John: Thank you for your great videos, they are immensely helpful. I have never de-winterized any trailer before but watching your video made it easy. For those doing it for the first time (especially if, like me, they bought the pod already "winterized") here are a few additional notes I would add: 1. Make sure all your faucet valves are closed BEFORE you start. Mine were left open, which I found out the hard way when I turned on the water pump! 2. Make sure the Anode rod is screwed in all the way. Mine was not, it was only placed in maybe 1 or 2 threads, and when the tank pressurized it popped out. No damage but startling! 3. Make sure the low point drains are capped before you start. Again, mine were left with the caps off (the caps, interestingly, were "stored" in the hot water tank compartment.) BTW my hot water heater was in the non-bypass mode. Not sure why, but it was. I wonder if the previous owners winterized it and then put the water tank back into non-bypass mode? Not sure but everything works great now!
Thanks again, John. I use this video every year to refresh my memory on how this is done. We are ready for another year of camping. Have a great camp year. Hope to see you one day on the road. We have some beautiful campgrounds in Tennessee, you should come visit sometime. The Tennessee State Parks are wonderful.
Stacy, this is great to hear. Glad the video is still helpful. I have traveled through TN many times but have not checked out any state parks yet. I'll have to keep it in mind. If you have a few of your favorites, feel free to let me know. Thanks again!
@@JohnMarucci if you go to Fall Creek Falls, go in the Spring or early Summer. Late Summer and Fall, the falls doesn't have much water. It's the tallest falls East of the Rockys.
Thank you so much for walking us through the steps of dewinterization. I was a little concerned I may not have my valves pointing in the correct position. This has helped tremendously. Now I need to learn how to unhitch my R Pod from my Explorer. It's been attached since I purchased it last October. I have the Anderson weight distribution system. Winter came on fast and hard, we all got sick, and I never had the chance to learn how to unhitch. My new Explorer needs to move. I have the 2018 R Pod 176.
Hope you can get out and enjoy it shortly. My weight distribution hitch is a Blue Ox, so I can't readily show you exactly how to hook and unhook with your Anderson. I am sure there are RU-vid videos on your specific hitch. I think you are one of my earliest subscribers. Thanks again for watching!
Great to hear that the video was helpful. All the best as you get started. I have a set of 16 getting started videos if interested: johnmarucci.com/getting-started-with-rving-16-videos/
I left my anode rod out when I winterized it. I noticed some white build up on the threads inside. Should I have left the anode rod in over the off-season? Not sure why it got build up. Maybe some sort of corrosion? Thanks! Love your videos, super helpful.
If you have received help from this video, please consider showing your support financially. Just click the word THANKS and the heart symbol with a $ below the video to help out! R-Pod Dewinterization Process document is on: johnmarucci.com/docs-downloads/
Barton, here is the filler I think you are talking about. Comes in very handy. Thanks for watching! - Camco Water Tank Filler with Shutoff Valve: amzn.to/2Msl9zJ
Question about removing anode rod and replacing. Had no problem removing it, how to get it screwed back in properly? My partner in crime was having trouble with this. Thank you! You've been my tutor since last fall.🤓
It is a bit tricky since the threads are not deep and the anode rod is long. You have to hold it flush to thread it. Don't forget teflon tape on the threads.
Because the anode rod is so long and fairly heavy when new especially, it tends to tip down when inserting it so the the threads don't line up. You may need to tip it up a bit as you start screwing it back in to get it seated.
Hi John, Thanks so much for the great videos. Could you put on the written directions for the de- winterization like you have for the winterization? Thanks.
I followed your steps to de-winterize this early spring on a trip south to warmer weather. I also sanitized the system; thank you very much for your tips as it went very well. When we returned, I had to re-winterize due to below freezing temps at home. When I de-winterize again, should I resanitize the system (about 1-2 month lapse) or would it be fine to use as-is? My initial thought is to just resanitize. Thanks! My wife and I really enjoy and appreciate your videos!!
Great to hear. For 1-2 months it’s your call on resanitizing. If the trailer sat unused the entire time, I’d likely sanitize again. It sounds like you were using the fresh water tank during this time? If so, you may be fine just running water through it. Your call. Thanks!
Hey John, I just bought a brand new camper that has an anode rod in it. No problem taking the rod out with a 1 1/16" socket but trying to hand screw it back in has been a real test of my patience. I just did the dewinterization and drained everything. I was (by luck or by chance) able to thread the anode rod back in one time. Then when doing the 2nd drain of non-bleached water I was not able to get it back in. I knew I didn't want to cross thread it back in and not being a man of patience I asked my patient wife to try to screw it back in and she couldn't either. I don't know if it needs to be dap and died or what but it's definitely testing me. Once I get it back in I may not drain the water heater again until winter. Have you ever had any issues screwing your anode rod back in? Any advice would be welcomed. Thanks, Dale
I usually put white Teflon plumbing tape on the treads before trying to reinsert the anode rod. Because it is long and the threads are short, it can be difficult to keep it squared to the hole when trying to reinsert it. You can also do the above and put the hex side into the socket and try threading with the rod in the socket. Hope this helps!
I don't have any experience dewinterizing an RV without an actual hot water tank. My guess is that the process would follow this fairly closely. I would recommend searching RU-vid for a specific video with a tankless water heater.
That would be nice. While in FL lately we never used the fresh water tank as we always had city water. So the fresh water tank sat through a lot of hot weather. Now it is all up north camping, so no city water. Really had to sanitize. If you look really close at the shot where I remove the fresh water cap and drain the first time, you can stop the video and see green gunk in the cap! Thanks for watching!
My wife and I are first time rpod owners and we couldn't be more happy with our purchase. Let me just say...I've learned so much about our rpod just from watching your videos. Our dealership really was no help and didn't take the time to explain how everything worked. Needless to say it has made for some pretty eventful camping trips. Your videos are so helpful and have helped save my marriage lol. Thank you again
Great step by step. Thank you. If I followed you correctly, for flushed three times after letting it sit over night. Do you have to remove and replace the anode rod each time?
I think you should flush the lines until you no longer have a bleach smell in the water. This also why you don’t want to use too much bleach in your sanitizing solution. As far as the anode rod, I leave mine in when flushing, otherwise you’d need to bypass the hot water tank and not sanitize it. Thanks!
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John, thank you for this video. Do we need to keep the water pump open when draining the water? Also, do we need to turn off the hot water switch when draining? Thank you so much
Thanks for this video. We just bought a 2020 R-Pod 180 and it seems like the systems are basically the same. The dealer kinda glossed over a bunch of stuff but that is what RU-vid is for right? Ours is winterized from the dealer and man I can't wait for warmer weather to get ours out and start enjoying it. Subscribed as well.
Congrats on the new trailer! We have over 80 videos on the RU-vid channel most of which speak to R-Pod issues directly or indirectly. Hope they are helpful. All the best on your new adventures this year!
Great video, as all the others I have gotten to see. One question: is there some place I could get a clear picture of the valves in positions for winterizing and also for enabling use of the hot water heater. Thanks for your instructional videos and all your time.
David, on the R-Pod Winterization video start at the 8 minute mark and watch for 30 seconds. It will show me bypassing the hot water tank. Just set it back to the valves pointing to the tank when dewinterizing: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-173ozyKAcqk.html
Dealership did my winterizing last fall and removed the anode rod when they bypassed the water heater and left it out for the winter. I should put that back in prior to flushing and sanitizing? I am supposed to bring it back in to have it dewinterized but I don't think that includes sanitizing. seems like something I could do at home and save me the trip into the dealership. Thanks John looking forward to another busy summer of camping 🐸
MN you will need to put the anode rod back into the water heater before beginning the dewinterizing process. You shouldn’t have any problems doing the job yourself if you follow the steps in the video carefully. All the best for this camping season!
John, New RP-179 owners here; just took delivery yesterday. We have become addicted to your videos (in fact, they helped us make our final purchase decision). I have a few follow-up questions on de-winterization and fresh water: - I noticed one of your first steps is to open the hot water heater valves to allow water to fill the unit. Wouldn't this introduce antifreeze remaining in the upstream supply line? I'm guessing the amount and time it's in there is small enough to not cause any problems. - Would you recommend the bleach solution flush as a good first step after taking delivery? There is a gallon or two of water left in the tank that the tech used to demo the system. I'm fairly certain it's potable. The system is all new otherwise and I was wondering if I could get by simply draining the small amount remaining in the tank. - Does the hot water heater switch on the tank monitoring panel control both gas and electric operations? I want to make sure I know how to completely disable the gas operation. Many thanks; I suspect I'll be tapping your knowledge again down the road. ;-)
Gary, congrats on the new R-Pod 179! Glad you are enjoying the videos. To the questions: 1. The reason you un-bypass the hot water tank is to allow bleach-solution water to flow back into it. We want to sanitize it as well. If there is a bit of upstream RV antifreeze that gets in, it shouldn't be an issue. 2. It's always a good idea to sanitize the fresh water tank if water has been left in for any considerable amount of time. It's your call on the situation as explained. I did NOT sanitize either of my new units from the dealer. Some would argue that I should have. I had no issues since they hadn't been used, but you can err on the side of caution and sanitize if desired. One caveat is that we drink bottled water and not from the tap, so that may play into your decision. 3. This is a great question and causes much confusion to owners, and it did so for me as well. To answer, no, the Hot Water switch on the monitor panel only controls the gas. The switch on the hot water tank (outside at the unit) controls the electric heating element. It is pretty important to understand and I may put a video out on the whole issue. In short, if the switch is on at the tank (outside), then you are using the electric water heater element in the water tank. Only do this if you have water in the tank or you may burn out the unit. You can use propane to heat the water using the inside switch next to the water pump switch on the monitor panel. Make sure your propane tank is open. I only use propane when I am camping away from a 30 amp electric hookup (which is rare for me). Usually, I leave the Hot Water switch off at the monitor panel and on at the water tank so to only heat with the electric element. Hopefully, this makes sense. If not, feel free to ping me. Thanks again for watching and congrats again on the new R-Pod!
Thank you for the great info. I dewinterized our 2018 R pod 189 for the 1st.time. We bought it used last August. We couldn't be happier with the purchase! Headed up to Holland Mich. in a couple weeks and staying at Holland state park. John how do you attach a wall mounted coat rack?
Greg, congrats on doing your first dewinterization! Holland State Park is very nice, been there a few times. As far as the coat rack, I haven’t attached a coat rack, but we have added Command Strip hooks on the walls at various places, put extra hooks that hang on the outside of the bathroom door, and I use an expandable hanging rod over the back seat of the truck. I am tentative to drill into the walls. Hope this helps!
Hi John--great video but on the Rpod forum site under "de-winterization" it says that you don't want to send any bleach or anti-freeze through the water heater--your thoughts?
Neil anyway you can post the link to the document you are seeing? I looked at the R-Pod Facebook page and there is a document about sanitizing your fresh water tank and it does talk about pushing the bleach solution through the hot water tank and lines. I suppose the issue is whether you want to sanitize the hot water tank or not. Here is an article that says to do it (Step 11- www.sanidumps.com/sanitizervfreshwatersystem.php). I would rather sanitize both the fresh and hot water tanks, because small amounts of water and condensation can remain in the hot water tank off-season and build up issues. Thanks for the comment and question!
Roger, are you referring to the nozzle to fill up the fresh water tank? If so, here is the link on my Amazon Storefront; www.amazon.com/dp/B0006IX850/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awdb_imm_1ZC2KFXM9ZWGBQT43V5M
You said few times turn hit water on but I'm assuming you don't mean start water heater. Questioned it a few times, even did turn on the hot water heater because you said turn it on. A little more attention to details? Otherwise good video. Thanks
Joe, if the trailer has been sitting for any length of time during the off-season it likely needs to have the plumbing system purged. So you will still need to run bleach solution through the lines and let it sit 3-6 hours, then flush.
Here are links on my Amazon store to the items you mention: Water Filter: amzn.to/2MzFxVg RV Water Hose: amzn.to/3cP6DCy There is an RV Stater Kit area on the storefront with other items if you are just starting out. Thanks!
Hey John, thanks for the thorough video. One question for you. The pink winterization fluid that heads into the grey water tank, do you leave it there until you do a sewer dump? I have seen video that folks drain it out and flush down the toilet using the grey water valve. I look forward to your video and following your channel.
I followed the video. Did the adding bleach step, then went inside and turned on water pump. Buy water is not flowing from Hot water faucet after several minutes having the pump on. I get a faint spitting but no flow. Do you have any suggestions?
Hi John, just sanitized my 2019 Flagstaff for the first time. I was thinking I didn't drain any RV antifreeze or bleach solution from the low point drain fittings I didn't know if that was an issue or not. I really want to be able to drink my own water, so I went the extra mile this year using same amount of bleach that manufacturer called for, but just did a few extra fresh water flushes. I even used chem strips, like they use in swimming pools and hot tubs to detect any bleach. I was surprised how much bleach was detected after I quit smelling it. Onto my main question. Do you take the caps off and drain the low point drains as well? Took some effort to find them on the new camper but once I got the caps off I was surprised see some pink stuff hiding underneath the caps. Just wondered if you have ever encountered that and if to be safe if I should re-sanitize my whole system again? With plans of heading up to the North Shore Lake Superior tomorrow re sanitizing wasn't really on my list🤨
MN I usually do not drink water from my fresh water tank or directly from city water, so I do not reopen the low-point drain when dewinterizing. I haven’t ever worried about the small amount in the low point. You do have a good point however, that if you plan to drink the water directly from the system that you probably should drain the low point before sanitizing to remove antifreeze and then open again to drain bleach solution. All the best in your travels!
Hello john and thank you for the amazing and informative videos. We are the new owners of an Rpod 171 and still in the learning phase. I do have a question if you dont mind. When flushing antifreeze and bleach solution out, were would be the best place to safely dump the gray and black tank content which would include the antifreeze and bleach solution? Thanks for your time and any insight would be greatly appreciated.
Brian, there is usually only very little in the tanks after dewinterizing. Since I usually dewinterize right before my first outing of the season, I just wait until my first trip is complete and dump the tanks with the contents from the trip at the campground dump station. Hope this helps. Congrats on your new 171! If you have any interest, we have many new to RVing videos and a list to join: johnmarucci.com/getting-started-with-rving-16-videos/
@John Marucci Thank you so much for your response. Great advice and I truly appreciate it. I do have nearly all of your videos saved. As a newbie to the camping world and to Rpods, your videos have been very helpful. I have also subscribed to the email list. Thanks again.
John….is there a reason that I shouldn’t turn the valves back on the water heater and fresh water tank after I finish winterization? Than I don’t have to wrestle the mattress back off in the spring to dewinterize. Thanks, Diane
Hi John. Great video. I’ve used many of your videos and have had great success. Thanks for what you do. Question: I’m a little nervous of using bleach (not sure why I am, but just am). Does the blue “dewinterization” fluid I can buy do as good of a job? Or does this just have bleach in it anyway? Thanks again.
I just followed your de-winterizing to the letter. Then hooked up the "city water" hose to flush too. When winterizing, how do you get any pink antifreeze to the "city water" pipes.....? Or does it just get there with the pink prepping to all other outlets?
In my winterization video, I show how to blow out the city water line with compressed air as part of the process. Basically, that line stays empty off-season. Here is a link to that video if interested: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-3xN2-ahkL5g.html
Hey John, Thanks again for these videos! I pick up my rpod 179 in 18 days (via cross country road trip, Oregon to Ohio). Do you have recommendations for slide out care / maintenance? Recommended cover to prevent leaves and other acculturation?
Pete, I don't use a slide out cover, but I do have a 5' ladder I use to brush off the slide out every trip before we break camp. Once we slide in, we wipe it down again inside. Never had an issue. The main deal is keep an eye out for any leaks. If you are like me, you cannot seem to camp without it raining! This will mean you'll get a chance to see if you have any leaking around the slide out. My 179 had a very small leak toward the bed side of the slide which we took under warranty and got fixed. Like I mentioned in the Maiden Voyage video, keep a punch list of items and use that warranty the first year to get things fixed. Since you will be no where near your purchasing dealing, look for a Forest River dealer nearby who will do warranty work. Congrats and thanks for watching!
I'm a newbie to all of this. I saw you drain the fresh water tank twice. I am wondering what you do with the grey and black water tanks you have drained into with the faucets, shower and toilet?
velojayf Thanks for the good question. When you dewinterize, the gray and black tanks should be ready to use after completing the process. You would then dump them next time camping. Thanks for watching!
No sure if you still monitor this, but we purchased our camper last season (2022 Prime Time Avenger). I am getting ready do dewinterize and one things is confusing me. The hot water heater was bypassed of course when the antifreeze was put in to the lines. Shouldn't I run the water on hot and cold side, flush toilet, run the outside shower, etc., before I open the valves for water to go in to the water heater? Since there is not antifreeze in the heater, I planned on taking the valves out of bypass mode after clearing all lines. I am not doing the bleach thing this year. I will be good to do it that way, correct? Thanks for your time in making your videos, helps out a lot.
Jeff, any reason why you wouldn't sanitize the system? My freshtank gets pretty bad green gunk in it offseason. Not the best to circulte it in the plumbing system. Thanks!
@@JohnMarucci We don't drink the water from the holding tank and don't plan on doing any boondocking. That could change, and I get doing it. My camper is new and we only used it one time last season. I did hear the bleach can be hard on the seals in the water pump, etc.
We have a 178. We had intermittent hot water-it would run hot, warm, then cold. I did the dewinterizing myself and was told I didn’t open one I’d the valves by the water heater. Would this cause the aforementioned symptoms? Thanks for the video!
It shouldn't cause that, however, if you are only running the water heater on electric, the 6 gallons will go fast. You can run on both electric and propane should you want quicker recovery. I have to take Navy showers when in the Pod or I'll run out of hot water quickly. Here is a video on the hot water heater: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-M1qjlSardTM.html
@@JohnMarucci Thank U. I was thinking about what I did last year....I recall turning two valves. And I can relate with the modified showers. We have an outdoor shower and shower canopy. It is too uncomfortable for me to use the indoor shower....I prefer more space. Thanks for the RU-vid link.
Howdy John, been watching and following your winterization and dewinterization for a few years but finally subscribed! We're going through the dewinterizaiton steps and the water won't flow out of the sink (hot and cold) but flows out from the rest of the rpod (toilet, bathroom and outdoor shower). It did work for a few moments (lots of air) but then just shut off and will not flow. What did I do wrong??
Eric, Great! I was just about to suggest removing the end of the sink faucet to see if the aerator or screens were clogged. I had a similar problem. Glad you able to solve the issue. Thanks for subscribing!
Doing it this weekend for the first time, thanks for the tutorial! Question, at 6:30 why do you need to turn off the water pump before rinsing the bleach out of the toilet? I didn't quite follow that part. I'm thinking it's just to rinse the seal as you mentioned. I will probably just do the outdoor shower first, then turn off the pump and rinse the bleach out of the toilet with a bucket of fresh water. Unless I a missing anything?
Ed, good catch as we didn’t show flushing the antifreeze out of the line to the toilet. You will need to keep the pump on and flush the antifreeze out of the line going to the toilet, then once it runs clear it will be bleach solution sitting on the toilet seal. Turn the pump off and flush the bleach solution into the tank and pour some regular water on top of the seal. Hope that makes sense. Thanks for the comment and for watching!
Have enjoyed many your very helpful videos concerning the r-pod 179, and have even went to your Amazon store a few times. When de-winterizing the r-pod 179, I want to pull out the air filters from the Dometic air conditioner and clean them. I've pulled on them hard but they seem stuck. I never have been able to get them out. I'm afraid to pull harder for fear of breaking something. Have you got a trick or suggestion?
Rod, thanks for the support of our efforts. I can't say why your A/C filters are hard to pull out. Mine were very easy to pull out. Sometimes, the manufacturer tapes them in so they don't fall out during installation, so I'd first look for any tape. Otherwise, not sure why they'd be stuck. Thanks!
@@JohnMarucci By chance, I loosened the two primary screws holding the cover on as I began my attempt to remove the cover. That's all it took to free up the filters. Got them cleaned, put back in and screws re-tightened. Not sure why the filters were in a bind but doesn't matter now. Good to go now!
The valves for the hot/cold water tank also has a third one between hot and cold. I don't see it in your video? Also valves seem upside down compared to your video so a little confusing..Help!
The valves are set differently for models and years unfortunately. In general, the valves need to be pointing to the tank for water to flow into the tank.
Hi John, I dewinterized my r-pod 179 over the weekend and noticed a little water laying in the front storage area on the water heater side. Traced it back and found two things. No 1: On the outside bottom seam of the water heater, just behind the panel door, there wasn't nearly enough sealant to keep the water out when you pull the anode rod to drain. Number 2: The fresh water intake hose clamp was loose as was the fixture it attaches to. I guess what concerns me the most is I found a lot of pipe dope on that hose connection. not sure if that is routine in the construction or if they were trying to do a quick fix. So I don't know what was used and if it was safe for drinking water. Just wondering if anyone else has had a similar encounter and have seen that dope sealant on the refresh water intake hose and fixture of their trailer. I don't know how you would periodically check that without removing the bed. Yikes!
MN, the pipe dope is a mystery to me. I would post the same question to the R-Pod Owners forum and see if anyone else has run into this. Hope this helps... www.rpod-owners.com
MN, first step is to un-bypass the water heater tank so your sanitized solution can run through the tank and all lines. The pink antifreeze will be forced out of the lines as you start to flush the system. Thanks again for the great question!
JOhn...Do you have any tips on fixing the sagging window valances on the rpod? I have a 2019.5 and I have a few that are loose and I am afraid of them falling completely off. Thanks
Carl, there are screws inside the valances and sometimes hidden within the valance fabric. Hopefully they just need to be tightened. If you've done this and the valances are still not snugging up to the wall, the screw holes may be stripped. In this case, I would try to re-sink the screws in another location behind the valance. Sorry, I don't have any videos on the subject. Likely there are folks on the R-Pod Owners forum who have more details: rpod-owners.com
Hi John Appreciate the videos my question is do you drain your gray after this just there to the environment or do you go to dump station gray only as it is mostly water w some winter anti and some bleach ? thanks
@@JohnMarucci I had this same question and I'm not sure I understand your response. If you end up running several tanks of water through the system (bleach and fresh) you would have over 100 gallons of grey water to get rid of. What do you do with it if you are doing this at your home?
@@bamiller3 I **think** that the only water that goes into the grey tank is what you run through the faucets in the kitchen and bath faucet. You don't run the full 30 gallons through those faucets....You run only a small amount through the faucets and then drain the rest of the water from the tank directly. For weight purposes I would probably safely drain and dispose of that grey water at home and not drive with it, but thats just me. and you can prob monitor it loosely with the control panel inside. I also realize you asked this 8 months ago and am surely aware of all this by now lol, but just in case.
I am dewinterizing my Rpod 179, I have followed the steps and let bleach solution sit overnight. Full tank, the cold tap is spurting water in kitchen but hot water only air. Nothing out of bathroom faucets or shower head, air. The pump is on during this process. Outside shower some water and more air. I am a newbie so please help me find a fix. Thank you
First thing I would check if I have water in the fresh water tank is my water filter near the water pump. It could well be clogged. Sure sounds like water isn’t being pulled in from the fresh water tank by the water pump. Thanks!
I am the third owner previous owner did not use it much. Filled the fresh water and never used it. I have been through all your steps to dewinterize , bleach in fresh water yet. Should I drain and put fresh in to see if that will help. Do fresh water a few times ???
I have a question regarding a scenario that you may have experienced in the past since you're made the trip from MI to FL in the colder months. In our case, we live in IA and are planning a trip to the south (NM and AZ) next December. I will need to winterize our '18 RP-179 in the fall but somewhere along our route heading south in early December I'd like to de-winterize so all of the plumbing will be available during the bulk of our trip. My question is this -- where are the best places to stop and de-winterize the Pod while traveling? Thanks in advance for your suggestions.
Gary, we just did the MI to FL in January and recently the reverse trip back to MI. On the way down we were winterized until we hit Georgia, where the temps were no longer below freezing at night. We selected a private campground from the AllStays app that had full hookups. Once we are set up there, we ran city water through all the lines and pushed the pink anti-freeze into the grey tank. Because of the full-hook ups, it was easy to dump the gray tank before heading out the next day. We we not going to use the fresh tank the whole trip, so we didn't bleach the fresh water tank (see de-winterization video). Hopefully this helps. All the best, thanks for the questions and for watching!
@@JohnMarucci Thanks for the tip. It makes good sense to overnight at a full hook-up site to leverage the capacity of the gray/black tanks. I'm guessing if we wanted to sanitize the fresh water tank we could pump most of the bleach water out through the sinks to minimize the amount left needing to be drained out of the tank. A quick refill to rinse and another flush and drain and we'd be ready to go.
i John, is there any merit to using white vinegar in the fresh water tank to neutralize the bleach along with anther rinse. I am new to all this and saw this step on another youtube video. On the surface it seems like a waste of water.
Paul, I have never used vinegar. If you use the proper amount of bleach in your solution, I've haven't had an issue after rinsing. Thanks again for the comment. All the best!
Sam, I put the links for the insect screens in the description and in the pinned comment for the video... ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-GqlqgaH7nus.html
Can you please confirm the amount of bleach you are using? You say "1/2 cup" but it looks like you're actually filling about 1/2 of the entire measuring cup, which works out to something like 2 cups. Thank you!
Scott, the correct amount of bleach is 1/4 cup of bleach per 15 gallons of water. Since the R-Pod fresh water tank is 30 gallons, you need to mix in 1/2 cup into the tank. The Pyrex measuring cup I showed was 1-cup and I filled it half way. Thanks!
If the handles point toward the water heater, then water will flow into and out of water heater, otherwise it is bypassing the water heater. Look closely from timestamp 1:20-1:40 on the dewinterization video and it shows the proper position to un-bypass the water heater. Thanks for watching!
I am using water from my house using a garden hose to fill up the fresh water tank to purge the plumbing lines of the bleach solution. The last step was connecting this same garden hose directly to the city water inlet to further purge using the city water and not the fresh water tank. Hopefully this helps.
Robert, I don’t drink water from the fresh water tank. I generally use bottled water for drinking and use the fresh water tank for showering and rinsing dishes. The exception is if I am connected to city water, then I generally use a Brita filter for drinking water. Thanks!
I'm not too sure the bleach is good for the anode rod if you have a Suburban water heater. I ran across a video where a tech mentioned a chemical reaction occurs, which may not be good for drinking water.
Lisa, the anode rod is fairly inexpensive and what I usually do is inspect it during dewinterization. If it needs it, I will replace it after sanitizing the tank and lines. The problem with not allowing the bleach solution into the hot water tank is that you won't sanitize the hot water tank and lines going to/from the hot water tank that have been sitting unused off-season. If you are in milder climates, that can be a real health issue with mold. Even in colder climates this can happen off-season. I suppose I would rather have a clean tank and lines prior to use for the season. Hope this helps.
The floorpans are very close for sure. I think it will come down to price and experience with your local dealers. Certainly check both out in person, compare tank sizes, amenities, warranties, etc. I actually looked at the Winnie Drop before I purchased my first R-Pod 171 in 2016 and liked them. I think they were $5-7k more which swayed me to the R-Pod. That and the size of the user community of the R-Pod being so much larger for interaction and support. All the best!
Once I dewinterize and open the tank I leave it this way until I winterize in late fall. I use the hot water tank all camping season. There is a sister Winterization video that speaks to this: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-173ozyKAcqk.html
