Winterizing Your RV

Winter is nearly upon us, and that means a chance for below freezing temperatures. This could be disastrous for those mobile home owners who aren't living in them full time- a new water heater can cost upwards of $600, so this is nothing to take lightly- not to mention supply lines, pumps and so on.

If you plan to store your RV, winterizing is a must. There are basically 2 methods of doing this. The first is much faster and easier, but it require the use of a compressor:

1. Drain all holding and fresh water tanks. Drain the sewage tank first so that the remaining tanks will rinse your drain hose clean.
2. Run the pump for about 15-20 seconds until dry.
3. Open the faucets, toilets and drains.
4. With an air hose and the right adapter, blow air through the fill opening for city water. It's a good idea to limit the pressure used to around 30 PSI. Leave the air on for at least a few minutes to blow out any remaining water.
5. Pour about a cup of non-toxic RV antifreeze ( DO NOT use ethylene glycol) into each drain in order to fill the p-traps.

The second way of winterizing your RV does not require a compressor, but is a bit more complicated:

1. Make sure the pump is off and close both inlet and outlet valves on the water heater. Also close the valve from the fresh water tank to the supply lines.
2. Open the bypass valve (if installed) between the inlet and outlet lines of the water heater.
3. Drain the water heater (allow it to cool first!) and the fresh water holding tank.
4. On the supply line from the fresh water holding tank, there should be another valve just past the valve that supplies fresh water to the RV. Attach a hose to this valve and open the valve.
5. Put the free end of the hose into a one gallon jug of non-toxic RV antifreeze (DO NOT use ethylene glycol for this). You will need more than one gallon, depending on the size of your RV.
6. Turn the pump on and open each faucet until you see the antifreeze flowing out, then close the faucets. Also run the antifreeze through the toilet.
7. Pour about a cup of antifreeze into each drain to fill the p-traps.
8. Close the valve leading from the jug of antifreeze, and leave the faucets closed during the cold weather.
9. Make sure the pump is off, and you're done!

I hope this information helps. I have worked as a trailer mechanic and trust me, you don't want problems with broken lines, pumps or water heaters. As they say, an ounce of prevention is truly worth a pound of cure.