Touring Coach Winterization; Water Heater Winterizing; Macerator Pump Winterizing - Airstream Interstate 24X Owner's Manual

Maintenance

Touring Coach Winterization

1� Level the touring coach from side to side and front
to rear, turn the water pump off, and disconnect the
city water�
2� Open all the hot and cold water faucets�
3� Open the low point drain valves for the hot and
cold water lines and the fresh water tank drain
plug� The two low point drain valves are located
below the refrigerator accessed by removing the
vent� The fresh water tank drain plug is located on
the front of the tank under the touring coach� The
small amount of water held in the water heater is
drained with the low point drain valves�
4� Follow the winterizing instructions for your toilet in
this manual�
5� While the water is draining from the systems
remove, drain, and store the wet bath and the
exterior shower hoses and shower heads�
6� After the water has stopped running, apply 50
lb of air pressure at the city water inlet� This can
be accomplished at a service station if no air
compressor is available. Air fittings with regulators
can be purchased for the city water inlet� Be sure
the toilet flush valve, toilet shut off valve, all drain
valves, and all faucets are open and the water
pump outlet hose is disconnected�
7� Water pump: Remove the quick-connect outlet
fitting from the pump and turn the pump on briefly
to pump out any remaining water from the pump
head and lines from the tank� Check the water
pump strainer to be sure no water remains� There
should be very little water if the tank is drained�
Be sure to have a catch pan or a rag under the
pump to prevent water from spilling into the touring
coach. Leave the fittings disconnected from the
pump until the system is ready to be used again�
Leave a note on the water pump switch that the
plumbing is not connected�
8� For best practice: remove the house batteries
from your touring coach and store them in a cool
dry place where there is no danger of freezing� It
is very important for optimum life of your batteries
to check them periodically and to keep them fully
charged� This is especially true in winter months,
when the temperature may drop below freezing�
If the period of storage is for 30 days or less, you
may turn off the battery disconnect switch rather
than remove the batteries� Continue to check and
recharge the batteries as needed, at least weekly
in severe weather�
9-14
An Optional method for winterizing protection, is to
add a non-toxic antifreeze (approved for drinking
water system) to the water lines using the following
procedure:
1� Reconnect all lines�
2� Attach a length of hose to the water pump inlet
port� This piece of hose should be long enough
for the free end to be inserted into and reach the
bottom of a RV, non-toxic antifreeze container�
3� Check that all interior water faucets are still open�
4� Insert the hose into a container containing, RV,
non-toxic antifreeze, turn the pump on, and run
the water pump until the RV, non-toxic antifreeze
solution fills all water lines. Flush the toilet.
5� Open the exterior shower faucet until RV, non-
toxic antifreeze comes out of the hose, shut off the
valve, and remove the hose assembly�
6� Close the water fixtures as the RV, non-toxic
antifreeze begins to come out� Shut off the pump
when RV, non-toxic antifreeze has been distributed
throughout the system, and then reopen all faucets
to relieve pump pressure�
7� Disconnect the hose from the pump inlet fitting,
and reconnect the water system inlet line�

Water Heater Winterizing

If the touring coach is to be stored during winter
months, the water lines must be drained to prevent
damage from freezing� Once drained, the water lines
can be "blown out" by applying air pressure at the city
water inlet or RV, non-toxic antifreeze can be added�
The water heater only holds a couple of cups of water
in the heat exchanger, which is drained with the low
point drain valves�

Macerator Pump Winterizing

Plan your winterizing and storage ahead, and be sure
the holding tanks are drained and flushed thoroughly.
This is very important, as the frozen sewage and water
could seriously damage the system� After dumping
the tanks, add RV, non-toxic antifreeze to one of the
holding tanks and start the macerator pump� Run the
pump until the RV, non-toxic antifreeze comes out the
end of the pump hose, then close the dump valve� As
extra protection, open the toilet valve and add RV, non-
toxic antifreeze through the toilet into the Black Water
tank and pour RV, non-toxic antifreeze into a sink drain
to protect the holding tanks, valves, and pump from
residual water freezing�
2022 Interstate 24X