HimNHer
USA
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Joined: 12/24/2007
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This is my first year winterizing this coach and I want to ask you guys a question. Our fridge is a 12' Norcold 4 door with icemaker, do you run the pink stuff through the ice maker too? Last year the selling dealer did just that, (we bought it in November) now it's up to me. I read the Norcold manual and it says to unhook the water supply and drain it, etc. We've never used the ice maker and really have no use for it, but it was an option that came with the fridge. What do you guys do? Can you drain it and leave the water supply to the fridge turned off permanently?
Him
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TSK
northern Wisconsin
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Joined: 11/02/2005
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We roll out the fridge so we can access the solenoid valve on the back of the fridge cabinet. It will most likely be on the bottom right in the back. Find the solenoid valve, and slide off the two spade connectors. Make up a jumper wire from a 10 foot extension cord. Cut the female plug off, and crimp 2 number 12 spade slide on lugs onto the wire ends. You can also put a switch inline so the solenoid is energized only when needed. When blowing out the water lines with a 20 psi regulated air supply, flip the extensiob cord switch and it will open the solenoid valve to flush out the water. When you pump the pink RV antifreeze into the piping, energize the switch again, and you will see the pink come into the cuber unit. Remove the temporary jumper lead, and reinstall the 2 spade lug slide on's. We just did this in our park model yesterday, and it worked perfectly. Our park neighbors have a new Wildwood Pak model and they did the same thing. Happy Camping!
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BillArf
New York & Florida
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Joined: 03/21/2005
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TSK wrote:We roll out the fridge so we can access the solenoid valve on the back of the fridge cabinet. It will most likely be on the bottom right in the back. Find the solenoid valve, and slide off the two spade connectors. Make up a jumper wire from a 10 foot extension cord. Cut the female plug off, and crimp 2 number 12 spade slide on lugs onto the wire ends. You can also put a switch inline so the solenoid is energized only when needed. When blowing out the water lines with a 20 psi regulated air supply, flip the extension cord switch and it will open the solenoid valve to flush out the water. When you pump the pink RV antifreeze into the piping, energize the switch again, and you will see the pink come into the cuber unit. Remove the temporary jumper lead, and reinstall the 2 spade lug slide on's. We just did this in our park model yesterday, and it worked perfectly. Our park neighbors have a new Wildwood Pak model and they did the same thing. Happy Camping!
Your post is very good! Activating the solenoid while applying air pressure to the solenoid water feed line is a must if you want to winterize the ice maker properly. Only thing I disagree with in your post is the use of pink antifreeze. MOST if not all RV ice maker manufacturer's recommend that you do not use pink antifreeze but activate the solenoid and force air through at the same time to remove water in order to winterize. Again, your post is very good!
Bill in NY & Fl
2002 Fleetwood Southwind 32VS
Ford/V10
'07 Jeep Wrangler/Blue Ox
Overbilt Lifts, Inc. bike lift / '01 Harley Fatboy --> Look at my lift setup HERE
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GerryB54
The Jersey Shore, NJ
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Joined: 08/22/2003
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I just remove the solenoid valve completely and bag it and store it inside, blow air thru the line to the icemaker itself, and run pink stuff thru the water feed line to the valve right at the solenoid valve area. I use paper towels to dry out the icemaker (I know it's made to freeze water but I want the stale water out!)
I guess easy access to the lower rear of the fridge from outside allows the way I do it.
Not sure why you wouldn't use such a great device as an icemaker in your RV, but like many that don't, they just remove the icemaker (for more freezer room) and the solenoid valve completey, there shoud be a water supply line with a valve near the solenoid valve, just run your antifreeze to it as you would winterizing any other device, open the valve when feeding antifreeze into your system, when it flows out the end, turn off the valve.
**GerryB54 - 2005 Fleetwood Bounder 34F Class A - 3 Slides **
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TSK
northern Wisconsin
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Our fridge is a GE home model refigerator, since we have a cottage style Park Model. As one would expect, there are no printed intructions for winterizing the unit, due to it mainly being a house type, A/C only model. RV winterizing fluid should not hurt any plastic PEX type tubing/piping or rubber gaskets used in the construction of an icemaker. The fluid sits in RV/Coach faucets,toilet seals and water heaters with no ill effects. We went on the casual advice from others in our park that have winterized their icemaker units in the past. They have smaller park models and fifth wheel units with different type fridges. Hope the Northern Wisconsin winter is good to us this year.
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wa8yxm
Wherever I happen to park
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Joined: 07/04/2006
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I would (And do) disconnect the water lines and the electric lines from the solenoid, blow the lines out, bring the solenoid indoors and/or shake all the water out of it as well...
Just don't forget where you put it..
Solenoids in 2006 were 12 bucks at camping world.. 2008 it's 45 bucks at Serv-All (At least they are more or less universial, that is any ice maker solenoid will likely work)
Nothin adds excitment like something that is none of your business
John is Near Kenwood TS-2000 housed in a 2005 Damon Intruder 377
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GerryB54
The Jersey Shore, NJ
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TSK wrote:Our fridge is a GE home model refigerator, since we have a cottage style Park Model. As one would expect, there are no printed intructions for winterizing the unit, due to it mainly being a house type, A/C only model. RV winterizing fluid should not hurt any plastic PEX type tubing/piping or rubber gaskets used in the construction of an icemaker. The fluid sits in RV/Coach faucets,toilet seals and water heaters with no ill effects. We went on the casual advice from others in our park that have winterized their icemaker units in the past. They have smaller park models and fifth wheel units with different type fridges. Hope the Northern Wisconsin winter is good to us this year. No disrespect, but to me it's just odd to "winterize" a device that sits in a freezer all year long, I just prefer not to have to deal with RV antifreeze in my batches of ice and the possibility of a taste in my cubes. The only water that enters the icemaker is the water from the tube from the solenoid valve that fills the tray, blowing out the water from the tube and drying off the icemaker should be more than sufficient. The solenoid valve does need to be "winterized" or removed and stored in a warm, dry place, though.
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wa8yxm
Wherever I happen to park
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This I understand.. You don't winterize the ice maker itself, you winterize the water valve and lines leading to it. As for the ice maker,, After you blow out the lines let it cycle one more time
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TSK
northern Wisconsin
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For a bit of clarity, I wiped out the actual ice cube surface in the freezing unit with numerous sheets of paper towel to remove any residual antifreeze fluid. Using the same jumper wire setup in Spring, the lines to the icemaker will be flushed out until clear water flushes through the entire setup.
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