Thanks.
Just go to the hardware store and tell the guy working there you need to convert your male part into a female part. He will know what you are talking about. They get these types of questions all the time.
Washing machine hose is the quick answer but I imagine you can find a F/F hose adapter
Ahh... Very good.. I didn't think of that. At the time of leaving I won't be using it anyway. I'm hoping to get a more sturdy blowout connector. The one in the pic looks a little fraigile compared to some of the others I've seen. Thanks
I just cut about 3 feet off the end of an old garden hose, with the female connector intact. Used a hose clamp to attach a male air hose quick-disconnect to the cut-off end of the hose. Pop that into the end of the hose from your compressor, and you're good to go.
One piece of advice - make SURE you turn off the breaker to your water heater BEFORE you blow out your water lines, unless you like replacing both elements. DAMHIKT.
Jerry
Washing machine hoses are female on both ends.
Even better.. I wish I had an old garden hose laying around. I guess I have all summer to eyeball other people's trash. I always shut off and drain the water heater .. thanks. And I drain the verticle lines in the house with no problem.. The only area I have had problems with is the horizontal lines along my basement ceiling.
In the past I had used an old air mattress inflator to get 'just enough' water out of there. It worked one year. But last year I forgot the inflator at my other place. And I ended up with a break that I slapped some gator bites on. Luckily the water was turned off when it broke and it was in an easy to get to spot..
This year, I want to do it right, so I'm using a compressor. What pressure should I set it at? I'm seeing specs of 50-80 for an RV. So I'm guessing 65 will be ok for my house...?
I have a oustide hose spigot that is one floor (+/-) higher than another one and they are at opposite ends of the house. So I've been blowing it out through the high one and out the lower one. I leave them open when I'm gone hoping any water that's left will have a place to move to when it freezes..
I soldered in two quarter turn valves with a blowout fitting on one to the inside of where I wanted to blow out the water.
Water > quarter turn valve without fitting > short lenth of tubing > quarter turn valve with fitting.
I shut off the first valve, then unscrew the fitting on e the second. I just stick an air line with a rubber tip into the opening and let it rip. No water left in the lines downstream.
Mortimer Schnerd, RN mschnerd at carolina.rr.com
You'll find a double female 'gender changer' at any decent hardware store.
s
I use a shop vac for clearing AC drain lines and I wonder how it would work for emptying potable water lines? Here in the South East we never really think of draining the water lines unless a house is being closed up for a very long period of time. Pipes don't freeze up around here unless the temps drop into the low teens for several days. That's something that doesn't happen often.
TDD
or remove a hose from a neighbors washer at the curb on trash day
The first time we winterized after buying the place, paid a plumber $25 to do it and followed him around. IIRC, he said to set the compressor around 70.
Blowing it out from high to low sounds like a good idea.
The other thing the plumber did, that I thought was a good idea, was to pour a cup or 2 of RV antifreeze down all the plumbing drains, and into the toilet tanks and bowls. Didn't see you mention that anywhere.
Jerry
If that is a tire valve type connection for the compressor, it wan't handle much volume. Just sticking the air nozzle into a short hose chunk would work much better. A standard push button air nozzle will limit it also. If have one, a sandblaster nozzle will work better, or just plumb a ball valve onto a length of hose with a garden hose female end and a compressor male air hose fitting on the other end.
Ah..there we go..
Yea I use RV antifreeze for the drain traps in all of the fixtures. I use a gallon for each toilet and half for the sinks and shower fixtures. I forget where I read that to use that amount. But if anyone can confirm I'm overdoing it let me know.
I have a little place in S. Florida that I refer to 'my office that I sleep in' as I mostly work from home when I'm down there. I'm glad not to have these issues there. I just close the accordian shutters and I'm gone. Not much to worry about there. We've had a pretty good freeze this last winter. But it didn't affect any pipes or anything. In 20 years haven't had any freezing problems..
Easier and what I do in 2 minutes in a place I let freeze to -15f is have a ball valve at the lowest point in the basement to drain pipes, I just open all faucets and use antifreeze in toilet and traps. Air is to much work. I can be winterized in 5 minutes. My basement never freezes even without heat all winter so the main, washer and tanks are ok.
I also do the dishwasher. Before you call me on that one..:o) .. That is a PITA. And the washing machine. That's easy, no tearing it apart. Just run some antifreeze in it during a pumping cycle and done. Hardest is the dishwasher. Got to drain it and drain that one valve.
I would imagine that good plumbing design and installation considers draining a system in the colder climates. I don't know but I would think, after all these years, there would be plumbing codes that required the installation of fixtures to allow draining the potable water lines.
TDD
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