With winter about to hit, many of you will be storing your RV for the season. Whether you're planning on storing your RV in a garage or outside, there are a few steps you should take to winterize your RV before you leave it to sit for an extended period of time. Follow these steps and your RV will be ready for your first road trip of spring!
Drain Your Water Tanks
Winterizing an RV primarily involves making sure the water and drainage lines are prepared for cold weather so they don't get damaged. Start by draining the fresh water tank as well as the gray and black holding tanks. This should be done at a sanitary dump station so waste gets disposed of properly. You will also want to clean out the black tank.
Drain the Water Heater
It's important to make sure the water heater is not hooked up or hot when you are draining the water heater. Once the heater is cool, bypass the water heater and remove the cap and drain the heater.
Open All Faucets & Valves
Open all hot and cold faucets in your RV to drain any remaining water in your system. Don’t forget the toilet, shower, and any other water system you have that has a valve.
Blow Out Excess Water
Use a blow-out plug attachment with an air pump or compressor to completely clear out your lines of water. Once all water has been blown out of the lines, replace the caps on your drains and close any faucets and valves.
Add antifreeze to the water system
Depending on where you live, putting anti-freeze in your water lines may not be necessary. If your RV will regularly be exposed to below freezing temperatures, however, you will want to add anti-freeze to the lines so they are protected.
To pump anti-freeze into your lines, install a bypass valve, such as the Camco Pump Converter on your water pump and pump anti-freeze directly from the bottle through your water system.
Turn on Your Valves and Faucets
Turn on the cold water of your valves and faucets and wait until anti-freeze begins to come out. Repeat this for the hot water as well. Make sure you flush the toilet as well and leave a bit of anti-freeze in the bowl. Also pour a bit of anti-freeze into your drains.
And that's it! Your water system will now be protected against freezing temperatures throughout the winter and you won't have any unpleasant surprises when you prepare your water system for the spring. Visit our winterizing page for our entire selection of RV winterizing products and please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us via email, Facebook or a leave a comment if you have any questions!
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