Winterization & Dewinterization - Helio O Series Owner's Manual

5. WINTERIZATION & DEWINTERIZATION
In order to shield your trailer from the bad weather of the winter
period, every owner needs to winterize his or her trailer. Because
of the ice, the most important thing is to remove the water from all
the pipes and tanks in the unit. Here are the steps to follow:
1) Emptying the tanks
The first step is to empty all the tanks (drinking water tank,
gray and black waste tanks, and water heater).
• Water heater
- To empty the water heater, unscrew the cap located on the
outside of the trailer in the water heater control panel. You
will need a 1" 1/16 wrench.
- The cap is made of metal because it has an anode. This
type of tank requires an anode in order to absorb rust
and minimize wear inside the tank. An anode with some
holes in it is still good; it is simply doing its work. However,
an anode with only a thin centre rod measuring a few
millimetres must be replaced. When in doubt, we invite you
to bring your anode to an RV parts store or come directly to
your Helio dealer. We will be able to inform you if the wear
of the anode is minimal or if it must be replaced.
- Do not put the cap back on before the dewinterization
of the next spring.
• Gray and black tanks
- To empty the gray and black tanks, you must proceed
as you would to empty the waste tank. First, attach the
draining hose to the end piece of the draining system.
Then, open the gray and black handles until there is no
more waste water in the tanks.
• Drinking water tank
- It is also mandatory to empty your drinking water tank
and the water pipes before the winterization process.
Under your Helio trailer, you will find a discharge hose
that extends out the back side next to the tank. For the
water to flow out, open the valve located inside, next to
the tank. Remember to close the valve before putting in
the antifreeze.
- We also recommend that you turn off the pressure in
the city water inlet of your vehicle (main outside water
connection). The water could become trapped in the check
valve and come out. To do this, remove the inlet filter if
applicable, then gently push on the end of the check valve.
2) Winterization
It is important to turn off the cold water inlet of the hot water
tank and open the two bypass valves to prevent the antifreeze
from entering the water heater and allow it to circulate
directly to the hot water circuit. This is the one and only reason
for bypass valves. They must be in an "open" position during
winterization and in a "closed" position during the summer for
the water to circulate normally through the water heater.
Your Helio's sytem has two valves forming the letter "T" at
the intersection of the cold water and bypass. Turn the valve
parallel with the pipe for the water to circulate in bypass mode,
that is, directly to the hot water circuit. The perpendicular
position is used for the water to enter the water heater.
• Water pump
Locate the water pump (if you do not already know where
it is) by starting it and listening to its sound. For Helio
trailers, it is located inside, in the right-hand box under the
seat. Then, you must do one of the following two things:
1) disconnect the water inlet pipe and connect an auxiliary
one in order to pump the antifreeze directly from the
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