Hyfonic Heater Winterization Question

October 31, 2013, 04:09:29 pm

2004 40' Intrigue w/ Tan CC Serial # 11826
I just finished pumping 7 gallons of Antifreeze through my lines both hot and cold.
My book says to cut the power to the Hydonic heater after filling lines with Antifreeze.
I understand that below 35 deg. the basement heat will come on. I do not need it

to come on.

Can you cut the power to the heater without cutting the power to the whole coach?

Thanks

Bill

Re: Hyfonic Heater Winterization Question

Reply #1 – October 31, 2013, 05:39:30 pm

Yahoo Message Number: 92122

Bill,

To my knowledge the basement plumbing bay heat is provided by a heat exchanger that is supplied by the hydronic heater. Killing the power to the hydronic heater will also kill the heat tot the plumbing but remember there are two supplies to the heater. There is the 12 volt supply to the controls and operating devices that are part of the diesel heating and various pumps as well as the 110 volt supply to the back-up electric heat element in the boiler. If 'cut the power' means what I am thinking it means then both supplies have to be shut down. So yes you can cut the power to heater without killing the whole coach.
If you are planning to letting your rig go cold with no heat then I hope you didn't forget the lines to the washer dryer including the drain if you have one, the outside shower head if you have one and the ice maker lines also if you have one. Also make sure that the liquid that remains in the flush is pink stuff and that you have poured some down each sink trap including the shower. The shower is also an easy one to forget to run pink stuff through.
I have never added any pink stuff to holding tanks as long as they had been emptied. The small amount of residual water on the bottom is no problem as the tanks are fairly flexible.
I am surprised that it took 7 gallons. Does your Intrigue have a separate propane water heater rather than using the hydronic heater for hot water? If memory serves that may have been the case in 2004 for the Intrigue. Normally RV's with propane hot water heaters also have a bypass loop that will allow you to drain the heater tank and bypass it when pumping the pink stuff. If you coach does not have the by-pass loop them shame on CC for not installing one in such a high end coach. I bet that it would have had one if CC had been based here in NH rather than the coast of Oregon.
I once owned a 36 ft fifth wheeler and had it on a lot in the White Mountains of NH. We went up virtually every weekend for 3 years and winterized it every time we left to return to our home in MA during the winter months. Actually summer usually occurs here on the 15th of Aug and all the rest is tough sledding. It took 2/3 of a gallon and I would expect there is a little more plumbing volume in a 40 ft coach but not 6 plus gallons. We full timed in our 2004 Allure and I never had to winterize it even though I spent some time in very cold climates during the winter.
Hopefully this is all pretty much a review for you but it might not be for others so no harm done.

Don Seager

Re: Hyfonic Heater Winterization Question

Reply #2 – October 31, 2013, 06:51:44 pm

Yahoo Message Number: 92123

Don

Thanks for the reply. I did everything the manuals said to do but one thing. The washer.
I am not real sure how to do that. Any information would be appreciated.
I did pup 7.5 gallons through the inlet side of the pump and ran pink stuff through
all the lines both hot and cold the toilet and the traps . i only have the Hydonic heater. Our

temperaturely normally do not get extremely cold.

Thanks

Bill

Re: Hyfonic Heater Winterization Question

Reply #3 – October 31, 2013, 07:50:39 pm

Yahoo Message Number: 92126

FYI, the CC 'Tech Topics' document I found claims you need to have 10 gallons of RV antifreeze available to properly winterize most of their coaches. Based on that, I guess 7 gallons is not too bad.

That same document also suggests blowing out or draining the RV antifreeze out of the water lines after you winterize to minimize the bitter taste it leaves. I have RV friends who use the pink stuff, drain and save it for next year.

Gary '07 Allure 470 #31578

Re: Hyfonic Heater Winterization Question

Reply #4 – October 31, 2013, 10:22:26 pm

Yahoo Message Number: 92134

Thanks Gary. At 2.97 a gallon I will pull some of my empty jugs out of the trash and

recycle it for next year.

Bill

Re: Hyfonic Heater Winterization Question

Reply #5 – November 01, 2013, 10:17:08 am

Yahoo Message Number: 92139

Bill

Put in anti-freeze and and run a short cycle.

Dan 2006 Allure 31348 C-9

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