How Do I Winterize My Camp Trailer or RV?
For those of you who are new to the world of camp trailers and RVs, winterizing your camp trailer is one of the most important things you can do each year for your trailer. You may have heard the term “winterization” before, but may not be aware of what needs to be done to properly prepare your camp trailer of RV for the coming winter months.
What is Winterizing?
In a broad sense, winterization merely means you are preparing something like an automobile, boat, or RV for the coming winter season. Because your camp trailer/RV is technically both a vehicle and a home-of-sorts, there are a few things that need to be addressed both on the exterior and the interior of your trailer/RV.
One of the primary systems that you want to protect in your trailer is the plumbing system. Similar to sprinkler system lines in your yard, freezing temperatures can cause incredible damage to any plumbing line if not properly winterized. Not only will this result in a watery mess to clean up when spring arrives, but will leave you with a significantly sized repair bill.
How To Winterize Your RV
There are 8 essential steps for winterizing your trailer:
Wash & wax your trailer
Remove inline water filters (if there any in your RV)
Drain all lines connected to faucets and toilets
Bypass your RV water heater
Introduce antifreeze into your water system
Activate your water pump
Confirm antifreeze is in your water line
Check your RV owner manual for any specific steps related to your winterizing individual RV
Wash & Wax Your Trailer
This step is not a critically necessary step, however taking your trailer to an RV car wash to pressure wash any bugs, road grime, or dirt off the trailer is always a good idea. Using a high pressure wax on the trailer will make your first springtime RV wash a much easier experience.
Remove Inline Filters
If your RV has an inline filter at the sink faucet, chances are there is a bypass hose that you can install after you’ve removed the filter. Ensure that your fresh water tank is completely drained. Additionally, make sure that your gray and black tanks are flushed and drained entirely as well. Finally, make sure that your water heater tank is completely drained.
Drain All Lines
Many new RVers make the mistake of assuming that because the tanks are drained, the lines are drained as well. Often times, this is not the case. After draining all of your tanks (fresh water, gray, black, and water heater), open all faucets and flush the toilet to ensure that the lines are empty. If your RV/trailer has an exterior shower, make sure that those lines are drained as well. Similarly, if your RV/trailer has an outdoor kitchen sink, open the faucet there as well.
Bypass RV Water Heater
Many new camp trailers and RVs come fully equipped with a simple water heater bypass kit. The purpose of this is to ensure that you do not waste gallons and gallons of antifreeze running through the water heater. The bypass kit directs antifreeze around the water heater, saving you time and money in the winterization process. If your trailer or RV does not have a bypass kit, most RV dealerships are able to install one for you.
Add Antifreeze
Using a water pump converter kit, start to add antifreeze into the water system of your RV/camp trailer. Similarly, you can also disconnect the inlet side of the RV’s water pump (there will be a line coming in from your fresh water tank), and connect that line to a full jug of RV/Marine antifreeze. Be sure to not use automobile antifreeze for this step.
Activate Water Pump
The purpose of activating your onboard water pump is to pressurize the lines with the antifreeze. Once you have activated the water pump, slowly open each facet/valve until you see antifreeze coming out of each faucet/valve. Similar to the step above, ensure that you check any outside water faucet such as an exterior shower hose or exterior kitchen sink.
Confirm Antifreeze Is In The Line
Finally, flush the toilet until you see antifreeze coming out. Finish by pouring 8-16 oz of RV antifreeze down each drain (shower included). This will prevent any remaining water that did not drain from freezing. Finish by ensuring that your water heater’s electrical heating element is not still activated (some RV’s and camp trailers do not have this). If you are unsure if your RV or trailer has this, we recommend consulting your owners manual. And finally, close all faucets now that your lines are pressurized with antifreeze. Done!
Consult RV Owner’s Manual
It is always a smart idea to check the owners manual for your individual RV/camp trailer as some have unique systems that require extra or different winterization steps. While the vast majority of the winterization process remains similar, make sure that your individual RV/camp trailer is perfectly winterized for the coming cooler months.
Using the above steps for winterizing your trailer may seem overwhelming, especially if it is your first attempt at winterizing your own trailer. As you get started, though, you will find that it is a process that can easily be done. Happy camping!