The most important advice on winterizing your RV or any vehicle is: DO IT BEFORE WINTER ARRIVES!! Have you ever put off the important task of winterizing your vehicle when suddenly, the first cold snap comes, and you are too late!? You rush out to your RV and find that some of your lines are already cracked. You want to kick yourself for procrastinating! Well, here is a fix for that: put a date on your calendar well before winter hits and stick to this date to take care of what you need to do to protect your RV through the winter months.
RV Winterizing Supplies You Will Need
As with any project, be sure to refer to your RV owner’s manual for guidelines specific to your RV. (You, know–when all else fails, read the directions!) You will need the following supplies from your RV parts store:
- Two to three gallons of Non Toxic RV antifreeze. (NEVER USE AUTOMOTIVE ANTIFREEZE!)
- If your RV does not have a water heater by-pass kit installed, you will need to purchase one.
- A blow-out plug
- A wand to clean out holding tanks
- A water pump converter kit
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Winterizing the Freshwater System
The order of steps to take for the winterization process vary depending on who you talk to, but all the experts say that the first step of to drain out all of the water tanks. Here is a sample list:
- Remove and bypass any inline water filters in your system.
- Drain the water from the water heater and the water lines. (Never the hot water heater when it is hot or under pressure). Check your manual, but most water heaters have a drain at the bottom of the heater. Remove the plug, drain and replace the plug.
- The second step requires an air compressor and a blow-out plug (available at your RV store). Attach the blow-out plug to the fresh water supply inlet on the RV. Set the compressor to 30 psi and blow air into the inlet.
- Open up all your water valves, starting with the nearest one, one at a time. Once finished with one valve, close it off and continue to the next until all the valves are clear of water.
- Open up both the hot and cold water faucets, flush the toilet and open up shower heads. These steps should take care of the water in your freshwater system. Then, after removing the air blower, you can then relieve the pressure in the system by opening up a faucet.
- Drain and flush both the grey and blackwater holding tanks. Clean the blackwater tank with a wand or obtain a product from the RV store that will clean both of the holding tanks. “Flush King” is one of the products that will take care of this
Extra Safety Measures
The above is where most RVers stop. However, if you want to make sure that no residual water remains in your lines to freeze and damage your system, you can do the following: put non-toxic RV antifreeze in your lines. For easy to follow step-by-step directions on how to do, this complete with pictures, go to http://www.kinstler.com/how_to/winterize_an_rv/how_to_winterize_rv.html .
You may also order “Winterizing & Storing Your RV” on video or DVD from Kampgrounds of America, Inc. (KOA).
http://thecampingsource.com/item/RV__Winterizing_a_RV/id/561/category.aspx
http://rvservices.koa.com/rvinformation/rvmaintenance/step-by-step-rv-winterizing-checklist.asp
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