TrailManor Owner's Forum - View Single Post

11-06-2002, 08:11 AM

A bypass for the hot water heater is a must in my view and certainly a reasonable expense.  Our dealer explained that first of all, if you didn&#8217;t have a bypass, you would have to buy more antifreeze to winterize the unit or disconnect the hot water tank altogether.  The space to work in there is small enough that my slightly larger than average hands just won't fit.  The guy who installed my bypass had to unhook the entire  sink to do it.  Also, if when draining the system in the spring, you didn't get all of the antifreeze out of the hot water tank, it would really affect the taste and smell of the water.  

I thought the bypass was a value for the money.

My method for winterizing was this (and I hope it was right) first, I opened the drain plugs and got as much out as possible.  Then, I took out the anode rod to get out the last of the water.  (I should note here that whether your hot water heater can drain most or all of the water via the low point drains must be different for different models of TM. )  Once that was done, I closed the valves, then changed the valves on my hot water tank bypass to prevent antifreeze from going into the hot water tank.  I then placed a gallon jug of antifreeze near the water pump and disconnected the hose that runs from the fresh water tank to the pump.  I then turned the pump on and went through each of the faucets, first turning on the cold water, and letting it run until pink, then the hot water and let it run until pink.  This took awhile since I also have the outside shower.  Less than two gallons later, I was done, then placed the remainder of the antifreeze in the traps.

Regarding mice and other infiltrators, I started a string on that last year, and people have lots of ideas, such as sprinking borax or Comet around the trailer, to moth balls, to dryer sheets in the drawers to discourage ants.    Probably a lot depends on where you store your unit and how likely such critters are to get in.  Obviously, it IS possible, so you may want to take advantage of any suggestions from that old string (entitled Ants and other unwanted critters) .

Good luck!

11-06-2002, 08:11 AM	#2
arknoah Guest Posts: n/a	Re: Winterizing, Etc. A bypass for the hot water heater is a must in my view and certainly a reasonable expense.  Our dealer explained that first of all, if you didn&#8217;t have a bypass, you would have to buy more antifreeze to winterize the unit or disconnect the hot water tank altogether.  The space to work in there is small enough that my slightly larger than average hands just won't fit.  The guy who installed my bypass had to unhook the entire  sink to do it.  Also, if when draining the system in the spring, you didn't get all of the antifreeze out of the hot water tank, it would really affect the taste and smell of the water.   I thought the bypass was a value for the money. My method for winterizing was this (and I hope it was right) first, I opened the drain plugs and got as much out as possible.  Then, I took out the anode rod to get out the last of the water.  (I should note here that whether your hot water heater can drain most or all of the water via the low point drains must be different for different models of TM. )  Once that was done, I closed the valves, then changed the valves on my hot water tank bypass to prevent antifreeze from going into the hot water tank.  I then placed a gallon jug of antifreeze near the water pump and disconnected the hose that runs from the fresh water tank to the pump.  I then turned the pump on and went through each of the faucets, first turning on the cold water, and letting it run until pink, then the hot water and let it run until pink.  This took awhile since I also have the outside shower.  Less than two gallons later, I was done, then placed the remainder of the antifreeze in the traps. Regarding mice and other infiltrators, I started a string on that last year, and people have lots of ideas, such as sprinking borax or Comet around the trailer, to moth balls, to dryer sheets in the drawers to discourage ants.    Probably a lot depends on where you store your unit and how likely such critters are to get in.  Obviously, it IS possible, so you may want to take advantage of any suggestions from that old string (entitled Ants and other unwanted critters) . Good luck!