WINTER IS COMING!
Winter is coming!
Author: John McBride
Winter is almost here and for some parts of the country it’s already in full swing. To protect your jetter from freezing, here are a few useful tips:
If your jetter comes equipped with a port for compressed air or a “blow down” port, it may only blow down the discharge of the pump and the hose. This will leave water in the suction side and the plumbing. Even the “complete” blow down systems can sometimes leave water in other areas such as the pulsation or bypass lines.
If blowing down with air:
Drain the water tank completely. Leave drain open.
After the tank has drained, close and open ball valves slowly 1 or 2 times, or even leave the part open to drain trapped water from the valve housing (water will get trapped in a completely open or closed ball valve).
Start the jetters engine with the drain valve open and run pump dry for 10-15 seconds at low RPM to evacuate water from the lower side of the pump.
Connect the air chuck to the supplied fitting, letting air push all the water out the end of the jetting hose.
With air still connected, cycle your flow control and pulse valves to evacuate water from hoses and fittings. The water will go back to the tank and drain out the open drain valve.
Disconnect the air hose, as your jetter is now winterized.
If equipped with anti-freeze system:
Fill the anti-freeze tank with RV type anti-freeze. If you already have a solution in the tank, test it to make sure it’s still good for the lowest temperature you’re expecting.
Drain the water tank completely. Leave drain open.
After the tank has drained, close and open ball valves slowly 1 or 2 times, or even leave the part open to drain trapped water from the valve housing (water will get trapped in a completely open or closed ball valve).
Open the valve on the anti-freeze tank allowing solution to flow to the pumps inlet. You will need to shut off the tank valve to do this on most jetters.
Start the engine at low RPM, letting the solution push the water out of the system through the jetting hose. During this time, open and close the pulse valve to fill that system with anti-freeze.
When anti-freeze gets to the end of the hose, quickly cycle the flow control and shut down the engine.
Keep in mind that the anti-freeze will dilute with water every time you winterize and recover. Check the solution periodically to ensure the proper level of freeze protection.
Happy Jetting!
