Oh No! Sureflo water pump frozen solid!

[TomC]

All my fresh water system is under my bed and above the floor-so no freezing as long as it is above freezing inside.

The best way to avoid freezing is just not to be there in the first place-even if you live there. Good Luck, TomC

[TexasBorderDude]

... Never put RV antifreeze in a hot water tank with an anode rod, it dissolves the rod into nasty white powder. 

Brian

Brian, what about the element in block heaters?  I was wondering if there's any effect there.

[Oonrahnjay]

Advice is free today only!  What I would do is arrange a way to drain and blow out the supply lines, hot and cold.  Empty the hot water tank, the storage tanks.  Pour RV antifreeze in the P-traps.  Blow out the toilet valve, the water pump.  You should be good to go with that.  FWIW I do this to my house if I leave for more than a week or so in wintertime, I have it down to a 20 minute exercise.  Never put RV antifreeze in a hot water tank with an anode rod, it dissolves the rod into nasty white powder.    Brian 

     Yeah, a system that's dry isn't going to freeze.  And thanks for the info on the hot water tank.  I'm gonna guess that it would be easy to put in an air port where the antifreeze filler is now.  I'm going to look at that this week. 

The nice thing about pex is that , if it freezes, it won't split.

     That's true but it's the fittings, tanks, valves, etc. that I'm worried about.

Check your toilet flush valve, it is probably cracked too unless you drained it. When mine cracked the crack was invisible. I now keep a spare!    Antifreeze in the toilet will not help.   

     I'm going to check that out.  I have a "pump type" mascerating toilet so filling from the pump with antifreeze and flushing the toilet fills the pump and valves in the toilet with antifreeze.  But now I'm going to start to worry about corrosion, as Brian noted above.  Another good thing to think about. 

...  The best way to avoid freezing is just not to be there in the first place-even if you live there. Good Luck, TomC 

     That's why I've picked up a little temp job in the Caribbean for a big chunk of winter every year -- not practical to take the bus, though, so I have to arrange for it to be safe when I leave it! 

[belfert]

I installed a bypass right above my water heater.  I drain all the water from my water heater using the drain on it and then bypass the water heater before I put RV antifreeze in the water system.

I stopped in Atlanta in 2010 on my way to Arcadia and froze up the lines to my bathroom sink in the 27 degree temps.  They thawed with no damage.  (I had de-winterized when I stopped in Chatanogga.)