Tips for Winterizing RV Ice Maker Without the Mess
Winterizing RV ice maker outlines is one of individuals chores that often gets skipped until the 1st hard freeze will be already in the particular forecast, but making water in all those tiny plastic pipes is really a recipe for a very expensive repair bill come springtime. In the event that you've ever dealt with a damaged solenoid valve, a person know exactly how much of a head ache it is to pull a large fridge out of the tight cabinet in order to fix a component that costs fifty bucks but requires four hours in order to reach.
Most people make sure to pump antifreeze via their faucets and flush the toilet, however the ice maker is a bit of the different beast. This doesn't just operate when you turn a tap; it operates on the own schedule, which usually makes getting the particular water out—or the antifreeze in—a little bit of more complicated than the rest associated with the rig's domestic plumbing.
Precisely why the Ice Maker is So Delicate
The main issue is that the water outlines feeding your ice maker are extremely thin. Unlike your own PEX plumbing outlines that have the little bit of "give" to them, the solenoid device and the small feed lines are usually made of rigid plastic or thin copper. When drinking water freezes inside that valve, it expands with enough force to crack the particular housing. You won't even know this happened before you de-winterize in April, switch the water upon, and suddenly find a puddle forming through your kitchen slide-out.
Furthermore, the ice maker is often saved in an uninsulated area of the RV, or it's located on an external wall. This means it's usually the particular first thing in order to freeze when the temperature dips. Even if you're maintaining the interior from the RV warm whilst camping, those lines behind the fridge are exposed in order to the cold air coming through the external vent.
To Blow Out or Pump Pink?
There are usually two schools associated with thought when it comes to winterizing: using compressed air to blow away the lines or even using RV-specific pink antifreeze.
If you opt to blow out the lines, you need to end up being careful with the stress. You'll wish to fixed your compressor in order to about 30-40 PSI. Anything higher and you risk throwing out a fitting right off the back of the fridge. The challenge here is how the ice maker won't "open" the valve unless it's calling for water. You can't simply blow air via the system plus expect it to clear the ice maker naturally. You need to manually cycle the device while the air pressure is used to ensure every single drop is moved out of the solenoid and in to the ice holder.
The antifreeze method is debatably more reliable because you can actually notice the "pink stuff" reach the ice tray, offering you visual confirmation that this line is protected. However, it does indicate you'll spend a bit more time flushing the machine in the springtime to eliminate that strange chemical aftertaste in your ice cubes.
Starting out: The particular Filter Factor
Before you do anything, check in the event that your fridge has a built-in water filter. This is a big one. If you depart the filter in while pumping antifreeze, the filter will certainly do its job—it will try to filter out the antifreeze. This results in a clogged filter and a giant mess.
Most modern RV refrigerators have a bypass plug that will you should place in place of the filter. If you don't have got a bypass put, you'll simply have to sacrifice a filter or even, better yet, bypass the fridge's filtration system entirely if your plumbing allows regarding it. When the filtration system is managed, you're ready to tackle the lines.
How to Manually Cycle the Ice Maker
Since you can't sit down around for 2 hours waiting for the fridge to obtain cold enough to make a batch of ice, you should "force" a routine. On most regular Norcold or Dometic units, you can do this simply by removing the top cover from the ice maker unit inside the freezer.
You'll usually see a large gear or a series of test ports. By making use of a small piece of insulated cable (a "jumper wire") to bridge the particular 'L' and 'H' ports, you can trick the electric motor into thinking it's time for you to harvest ice. Because the fingers start to rotate, the particular water valve will certainly click open for approximately seven to 10 seconds. This is your window. In case you have surroundings pressure or antifreeze in the outlines, this is whenever it will move through the valve.
Pro tip: Keep a towel or even a small bowl inside the freezer in order to catch whatever arrives out of the particular fill tube. You don't want the puddle of antifreeze freezing towards the underside of your fridge shelf.
Methods for the Antifreeze Method
When you've decided in order to go with the particular pink stuff, here's a quick rundown of how to be able to occur without losing your own mind:
- Drain the system: Open up your low-point pumps out and obtain as much fresh water out of the main lines as you can.
- Bypass the heating unit: Make sure your water heater is usually bypassed so a person aren't filling a 6-gallon tank with expensive antifreeze.
- Pump the particular pink: Connect your antifreeze to the water pump and change it on. Run all your faucets till they're red.
- Cycle the ice maker: Now, use that jumper wire trick mentioned earlier. You may have to cycle it two or three times. You'll hear the the solenoid click, then a hiss of air flow, and finally, the stream of red liquid will hit the ice tray.
- Shut it lower: As soon as you see pink, turn off the ice maker and the fridge.
Working with Residential Fridges
If your RV has a home fridge (like the Samsung or Whirlpool), the process is usually slightly different. These units often have got internal computers that will don't like being messed with. With regard to these, the easiest way is frequently to just let the fridge run while the RV is connected to an antifreeze source.
It's a bit of a waiting game. You'll have to wait around for the fridge to get cold enough to induce a cycle, then wait for it to dump the "ice" (which may actually be pink slush). It takes longer, but it's safer than poking around the particular electronics of a $2, 000 residential product. Just make sure you stay close by so that you can empty the particular ice bin before it overflows along with slushy antifreeze.
Don't Forget the particular Outside Line
One thing people often forget will be the secondary line. Some fridges have a water dispenser in the door mainly because well as a good ice maker. These are usually on two separate circuits. If you've got a door dispenser, make sure you run that till it's pink too.
Furthermore, take a look at the back of the fridge through the exterior access panel. In case there's a long loop of plastic material tubing tucked back there, attempt to drain it as much as possible. Sometimes gravity works against you, and water can get stuck in a "U" shape in the particular line, which will crack even if the rest of the system will be dry.
Springtime Prep: Reversing the particular Process
Once the birds start chirping and it's time to get the RV back on the particular road, don't just turn the ice maker on and start using it. You need to flush that system thoroughly. I usually suggest running at minimum three or four full cycles associated with ice and throwing them away.
If your own ice still smells like a hormone balance lab, you can run a mixture associated with water along with a little bit of white vinegar through the particular lines. It will help neutralize the smell and taste from the RV antifreeze. Once that's done, play a brand-new water filtration system, and you're back in business.
A Little Hard work Goes a Long Way
It feels just like a lot of methods for a couple ice cubes, however the alternative is much worse. I've seen individuals have in order to dismantle half their kitchen cabinetry just to get to a leaking water line behind a fridge simply because they thought the "ambient heat" of the garage area would be good enough to keep the lines from freezing. This rarely is.
Take the extra twenty minutes this weekend break to make sure your ice maker is bone-dry or full associated with antifreeze. Your future self—the one who desires a cold drink after a lengthy day of generating next summer—will certainly thank you. Winterizing is never fun, yet performing it right the first time indicates you won't be spending your first camping trip of the year mopping up a flood.