Putting RV Antifreeze in the Fresh Water Tank - Dos and Dont's

Every week we take a look back at the RV Doctor Gary Bunzer's answers to your tough questions. He has been providing insight into troubleshooting, repair and preventative RV maintenance since 1968.

I am winterizing my Hi-Lo and am wondering about putting RV antifreeze in the fresh water tank and pumping it through the system. That is what the book says to do. I don’t know if that is safe. Can I pull off the pump inlet hose, and put it directly into the jug of antifreeze and pump it through the lines? — Dave A. 

Dave, you can absolutely pump the antifreeze throughout your RV's fresh water system as you suggested. However, please be sure to use RV-specific antifreeze, which is pink and non-toxic. Automotive antifreeze is blue and highly toxic. It can be easier to pump it backwards through a faucet spout using a backflow kit with a hand pump, but it is totally acceptable to pour the antifreeze directly into the fresh tank and use the RV’s water pump to pump it throughout the system as well.

However, you should also know that Lippert has an even easier solution they just introduced called Floë. It's the RV industry's first water drain-down system that integrates directly into your camper's fresh water system. Once installed, Floë uses compressed air pressure to clear your water lines. It's a great, convenient way to clean your RV's freshwater system, saving you time and money without the mess of all that antifreeze.

Whether winterizing your RV or cleaning out potentially stagnant water that's been in your system for too long, Floë is worth a look. Here's all the info you need on Floë.

All effort is made to ensure the correctness of Gary’s responses; however, not all responses will apply in every instance. Some situations may mandate a visual inspection and further hands-on testing. It is imperative that if you choose to follow any instructions or procedures outlined in The Doctor’s Orders column, you must first satisfy yourself thoroughly that neither personal nor product safety will be compromised or jeopardized. If you are in doubt or do not feel comfortable about a procedure, do not continue. Simply call your local RV service facility and make an appointment with them. Remember, the advice, recommendations and procedures offered by The RV Doctor are solely those of Gary. They do not necessarily reflect the opinions, procedures and recommendations of Lippert, this publication or any of its advertisers.