Neat looking Gizmo

[countrygirl]

I found this in an ad from Campingworld yesterday and it looks pretty neat. It is a way to blow the last bits of water out of the lines after draining.

I thought I would see if you all thought it would be too much pressure on the type of plumbing lines in the TM. The price is not bad only $8.99.

http://www.campingworld.com/shopping...out-hose/38534

[Virginia Deacon]

I probably wouldn't take the chance on damaging the water lines, water pump, or fittings. Opening all the faucets and the vent on the hot water heater, then opening the drains underneath and letting gravity take care of draining the water works OK for me.

Happy Camping!

A lot of air compressors have an adjustable regulator that you can set so that you don't exceed 30 lbs or so. In that case, I don't think that it should hurt your plumbing.

I have been doing the same thing with my air compressor with hooking it up via a rubber hose to the front drain lines, and then blowing all of the faucets and finally the lines to the rear drains. Although I have never had a bad taste in my water, I am having 2nd thoughts to doing this, as it is probably not very clean air coming out of the line. Just look at gunk that comes out of the bleed valve when you drain the condensate out of your tank. I think this year I am going to rig up something to use with my scuba tank, although I haven't figured out how I am going to regulate the 3000 lbs. in the tank down to 30 lbs or so.

Chap

[commodor47]

When winterizing don't forget to remove the outside shower head. I also learned the hard way to remove the kitchen sink tap. Opening all faucets inside the TM (don't forget the outside shower faucets) and opening all 4 low point drains has worked as indicated in the TM manual. Other than the frozen sink tap, we've not had any freeze problems after draining down the TM lines.

In general, air compressors can be adjusted making it possible to avoid damage to the water lines or associated apparatus. However, most compressors will collect and concentrate latent moisture from the air which could condense in the water lines of the TM. On the other hand, the better compressors can remove or prevent moisture infiltration.

Dick

[countrygirl]

Thanks everyone!

High quality air compressors will not put oil or water into the lines. Mechanics that run air tools want clean air.

Cheap air compressors that are not designed to prevent water/oil from entering the lines is a little different.

I was about to suggest using a shop vac to suck the lines dry, but if you suck too hard then the lines might collapse. Just the opposite of expansion caused by compressed air.

[Wavery]

Originally Posted by PopBeavers

High quality air compressors will not put oil or water into the lines. Mechanics that run air tools want clean air.

Cheap air compressors that are not designed to prevent water/oil from entering the lines is a little different.

I was about to suggest using a shop vac to suck the lines dry, but if you suck too hard then the lines might collapse. Just the opposite of expansion caused by compressed air.

Actually, technicians that use air tools have an oiler in the line that purposely adds oil to the air to lubricate their tools.

It is very common to have an air compressor that has a water separator and an oiler attached in the air line somewhere. I even have this one on my home air compressor (because I use air tools).
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=92261

[Bill]

Originally Posted by PopBeavers

I was about to suggest using a shop vac to suck the lines dry, but if you suck too hard then the lines might collapse. Just the opposite of expansion caused by compressed air.

Wayne -

A shop vac doesn't sound like a bad idea. Even if it could create a perfect vacuum (which it can't come close to), the negative pressure would be less than 15 psi, and I can't imagine that any of the plumbing system would collapse under that kind of suction. My guess is that a shop vac might generate 5-10 psi at most.

A shop vac in blow mode might be an even better idea. It won't generate very much pressure, but unlike most home compressors, it will generate a high volume of air. High volume / low pressure ought to be just right for this application. Just be careful not to blow any dust or dirt into the system.

On the other hand, the thing that none of these approaches can do is to ensure that you remember to open all the places where water can hide. Commodor47 mentioned the outdoor shower head and the kitchen sink sprayer, for example. If you don't remember to open these things, forced air won't clear them. And if you do open them - well, they'll drain by gravity, so the forced air still doesn't improve the process. Similar situation for the water pump. It can hide a few drops of water in the pump chamber, so you're supposed to run the pump for a couple seconds after everything is drained. If you forget to do this, forced air won't clear it.

So all in all, I'll stick with what I've been doing - just gravity-drain everything, touch the pump switch, and call it a day.

Bill