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Winterizing 101

(By Sean Russo)

Over the years I have found many rver’s who do not understand the proper way of winterizing their recreational vehicle. Here is what I like to call Winterizing 101. This is the basics to what you need to know when preparing to winterize. These are common winterizing tasks whether you live in your RV Fulltime or you plan on storing it part time, or if you live in an area that gets freezing or below. Most of the winterizing process deals with keeping the water from freezing and causing broken pipes and leaks in your RV. Here are some very basic RV winterizing suggestions:

For those who full-time RV and choose to live in areas where the weather is cold, you will need to take some added steps to make sure that your water lines do not freeze. First, check to see if it is possible to heat your pipes. If not, you may need to talk to your RV manufacturer and see what they recommend for winterizing. If you can heat your pipes, then wrap them with heating tape and put insulation between the supply lines and the access door.

If your RV is stored for the winter, in order to perform the proper winterizing you need to empty all of the holding tanks, the water heater, and the supply lines. Then you can hook up an air compressor with an attachment on the end of the lines and blow all of the water out.

After you have completed that stage of the process hook up a bypass valve right before the water pump and pour a whole gallon of antifreeze into the hose and then turn on each faucet until the antifreeze comes out. Leave the bypass valve there and unscrew the hose. When you get ready to head out, turn on the faucets and put the bypass valve in normal position and wait for clear water to come out.

Lastly turn off all unnecessary appliances and plug up all of the cracks and holes that an animal may enter through.

Below is a printable step by step How to Winterize List that was borrowed from

www.RvLivin.com/forum

1. Locate and drain the fresh water tank.

2. Bypass the hot water tank . There are two valves in the compartment near the water heater. Close the valve that is open, and open the valve that is closed.

3. Locate the water pump and disconnect the inlet hose from the fresh water tank. On units that use an air pressure system, simply pour the antifreeze into the storage tank itself and operate the compressor to pressurize the system. If the inlet hose is in an inconvenient t place, such as under a sofa, you can pour the antifreeze directly into the fresh water tank.

4. Immerse the inlet hose (or attach a suitable length of hose to the water pump inlet side) into a jug of antifreeze solution. A see-through hose allows you to observe the antifreeze being drawn through the pump.

5. Make sure all taps are closed at this point.

6. Switch on the water pump to pressurize the system.

7. Starting with the nearest set of taps, first open the hot and then the cold water valves until the antifreeze solution comes through showing a solid color and consistency.

8. Repeat this procedure on all other sinks and or shower installations, proceeding from the nearest to the further most. Replenish the source antifreeze as required, the quantity of antifreeze needed will vary according to the layout and length of the plumbing lines.

(Note: some coaches have exterior shower facilities and refrigerator ice makers that also must be winterized)

9. Operate the toilet valve until the antifreeze solution appears.

10. Locate the city water connection. This is equipped with a one-way flow valve that only allows water to flow into the unit from an exterior water source. The one-way city water inlet valve has a small internal o-ring seal that could be damaged if the above procedure is done at full system pressure. First shut off the electrical pump, open a faucet to reduce the pressure in the lines and then push in on the center of the valve with a small screwdriver until the antifreeze solution appears.

11. Pour about a cupful of antifreeze into each drain to fill the p-trap under the drain. Also pour a cup or two into the toilet and flush it to the tank. Some “experts” recommend leaving a small amount of antifreeze in the toilet to protect the drain valve.

12. Ensure that all waste water holding tanks are flushed and emptied. Some “experts” suggest leaving some antifreeze in the holding tanks to protect the seals. If you choose to do this, leave the holding tank valves open during the initial process. Close the valves only after the water has been removed. Then run antifreeze into the tanks from a sink and toiled.

This completes the winterization of the water system - by following these instructions, no freeze damage should occur. The process will normally take approximately one half hour for units with a bypass installed - about an hour or so if a temporary bypass has to be installed. Most RV systems will need between one and two gallons of antifreeze solution.