Since it frequently drops below 32 degrees here, we have to winterize our RV. This means getting all water out of the RV water lines and tanks. There are two methods for doing this, one is to put about 5 gallons of RV safe anti-freeze into your water tank and then pump it through all your water lines. This method requires you to dump and clean out the water lines when you are ready to use the RV again.The second method is to use compressed air to blow out the lines removing all the water. Then you place a small amount of ant-freeze into the drains of your faucets, shower, washer, and toilet. This is the method I want to use since it is much easier to use the RV after this process has been completed. You basically just hook up to water and away you go. The anti-freeze flows into your grey tank and is drained out when you dump the tank.
After watching The RV Geeks video and reading their article I decided to purchase all the products they had used from Amazon. This included the VIAIR air compressor, which I would also use for filling up the tires.
Once the products had arrived my son and I went out to begin the process. This process should take maybe an hour, it took us 8 hours. Mostly because we had some faulty equipment, and didn’t have some tools that we needed, which required trips to the store for tools. We did finally get everything winterized and I later wrote down the following list of steps specific to our RV.
RV Winterizing Process
- Open Water Tank drain the night before
- Turn off Water Heater the night before
- Disconnect the RV from the water supply
- Empty Grey and Black tanks (Leave Grey tank open)
- Open pressure relief valve on Water Heater
- Remove Water Heater drain plug (15/16 socket)
- Flush the Water Heater with wand
- Close Pressure relief valve on Water Heater
- Hook Compressor to RV water inlet in water bay (City connection)
- Blow air into the RV wait until only a trickle of water is coming out of the Water Heater
- Reinstall Water Heater drain plug with Teflon tape
- Turn the water heater bypass located in the closet behind the metal piece
- Remove whole house water filter (use wrench) and reinstall without filter
- Open low point drains in the water bay
- Open each faucet set to warm
- Once water has stopped flowing out of the low point drains close them
- Close all faucets
- Open one faucet at a time on warm, blowing air through the lines. Each faucet, shower, and toilet including wand
- Until water stops coming out
- Ice maker disconnect the yellow hose from the solenoid and blow air through the line
- Close the water line shut off valve, remove the yellow hose and place in plastic bag inside RV,
- Remove the line to the ice maker from the solenoid and wrap in plastic bag
- Run the Washer through a warm load blowing air through the lines
- Run a drain cycle on the washer to remove water
- Pour a half gallon of anti-freeze into the washer and run a second drain cycle
- Pour a cup or two of anti-freeze into each sink drain including the shower drain
- Pour two cups of anti-freeze into the toilet and flush it down.
- Pour two more cups of anti-freeze into the toilet and let it sit
- Using the outdoor shower turn on the water pump and run the pump for 15-20 seconds.
- Turn off water pump and using compressed air blow out the outdoor shower
- Switch the water inlet to the tank side and blow air through the line
- Attach a hose to the black tank flush and blow air through the line
- Close the fresh water tank drain
- Close the grey tank valve and remove the hose
- Leave all faucets open in the RV
I think the next time we do this it will go a lot better and be much faster. As with most things the more you do something the better you get at doing it.