Winterizing Your RV

Today's topic is : "Winterizing Your RV"

Nobody wants to admit it , because let's face it ... nobody wants to see the cold weather arrive . But for some of us , that time of year is here . Another year of camping has come to an end , and now it's about time to winterize your RV . So today , I'm going to discuss a few steps to take when winterizing your RV .

We'll start off with Step #1 :

Drain all of your tanks – If you have anything in your black , gray , or water tanks , then take your RV to your local waste station and completely drain your black, gray, and water tanks .

Step #2 : Make sure you drain the water from the hot water tank - Whatever you do , "DON'T DRAIN THE HOT WATER TANK WHEN IT IS HOT , OR UNDER PRESSURE" . You'll usually find the lever for draining the hot water tank located at the bottom of your tank .

Step #3 :  It's very important to make sure to get all of the water out of your lines , so drain all the pipes by turning on all of the hot & cold water faucets in your RV , and flush your toilet ... and for those of you that might have an outside shower , be sure to turn that on too . If you want , you can use an air compressor to help blow out the water in the lines ... and also use what is known as a “blow out plug” . Which can be found fairly cheap at any RV dealer . I've also seen them in the RV section at Wal-mart too . But if you're going to use this process , then please make sure you set your compressor to 30 psi , with a maximum air pressure of no more than 50 psi . Also, when using an air compressor make sure to walk around your RV and open up all your water valves one at a time .

Step #4 : Locate and open all low point drain lines . There will be a hot and cold water line . You can use the water pump to help drain , but make sure to turn it off as soon as the system is drained .

Step #5 : After you've drained all your lines , then go back and make sure to close all your drains and faucets .

Step #6 : Make sure to by-pass your water heater . It's not important , but if you don't by-pass the water heater , it will fill up with antifreeze before it goes through the water lines , which will waste 6 to 10 gallons of antifreeze. .

Step #7 : Put the RV antifreeze through your water lines – Newer RV's already have a valve with a tube , which makes it easy to pump antifreeze through your water system , if your RV doesn't already have this feature , then you can have one installed . This allows your water pump to draw antifreeze directly from the bottle . If your RV doesn't have this feature , then you can use the existing hose from your water pump , and attach a short piece of hose to it so it can reach into the antifreeze bottle .
Once you have the hose on the water pump ready , turn on your water pump which will suck the antifreeze out of the bottle and into the water system . Starting with the closest faucet , slowly open the hot and the cold water valves, one at a time, and let it flow until you see the pink antifreeze. Close the valves after you see pink . Watch the antifreeze level in the bottle and do not let it run dry . Replace the antifreeze bottle with a new bottle as needed .

Step #8 : Keep opening each faucet (from closest to farthest away) until each one has antifreeze coming out of them. Also, flush your toilet until antifreeze appears. Remember, if you have an outside shower to open the valves and run antifreeze to it.

Step #9 : Turn off water pump . Open a faucet to release the pressure , then close the faucet again .

Step #10 : Pour a few cups of antifreeze down each drain. Also, pour some antifreeze into the toilet and flush into the holding tank

Step #11 : If you have an electric heating element on your water heater , make sure it is turned off .

Step #12 : Double check and make sure all of your faucets and valves are closed .

Step #13 : If your RV has an ice maker , a dishwasher , or a washing machine ... then consult your owner’s manual to winterize those features.



There you have it , you are now done ... and your RV is winterized .