How To Winterize An RV

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Certified Mobile RV Technician, Darren Koepp, walks you through the process of winterizing an RV. Follow these step by step instructions to ensure your RV doesn't end up with leaky plumbing this season!
If you are in need of RV Repairs in the Olympic Peninsula area of Washington state, submit a service request on our website at myrvworks.com today!

[@SkylinersYeti]

So many people only use their RV's during the warmer months. I live and boondock in Central Oregon. We boondock on the average of twice each month year around. Winter boondocking on the high desert is great way to get away from the crowds. We also will boondock in the Cascades and nordic ski during the winter months. It takes just over 2 gallons of RV antifreeze to winterize our travel trailer. If I did this after every trip during cold months I would have to use 14 to 16 gallons of RV antifreeze. Also I would have to flush the water system before each trip. My tow truck has an air compressor and I just drain the tanks, water heater and evacuate the water lines with low pressure air ( 25 to 30 psi). I am very carful to remove all water from all water lines, pump, and valves. I have never had any issue with broken valves, pumps or water lines. I do put about 2 cups RV antifreeze in each trap and toilet bowel. When I leave on my next trip all I have to do is refill my fresh water tank and hot water heater. No flushing all that RV antifreeze out of the water system. I have boondocked in weather as cold as zero degrees F and not had any issues. I never use city water when winter boondocking. Once in ten years of winter boondocking I have had minor freezing of the water line to bathroom when traveling during very cold weather. Once back in camp and warmed the trailer the frozen line thawed and all is well no damage. So many people spend big dollars for fancy RV's only to park them for more than half the year. With a little work cold weather boondocking can be great fun. Tomorrow I head to my daughter's home for Christmas. Weather forecast is for temperatures to be in mid teens at night. The visit is so much more enjoyable to have my own space and not to have to stay in a motel when visiting. Year around RVing is great.

[@bookooc5605]

Best video on this subject I have seen . thank you

[@pmh1nic]

Another very clear and informative video. Thanks Darren.

[@koolhandluke2009]

I would love to see a video of how you made that rv antifreeze tank and pump setup. Thank you for sharing

[@MyRVWorks]

Will do! Thanks for the suggestion. I always appreciate when folks give me suggestions on topics to cover. As we are moving closer to the 'winterizing' season I will dust off all of my equipment and try to get a video up in the next month or so.

[@koolhandluke2009]

@@MyRVWorks I look forward to see that video. Thank you for your hard work producing quality training videos

[@litzdog911]

Your videos are awesome! It's getting closer to winterizing season and I'm wondering what sort of pipe adapters you used on both ends of that RV water pump to adapt from your antifreeze tank to pump and from the pump to the garden hose. I would love to build something like that. My spare RV water pump has 1/2' male NPSM connections at the inlet and outlet.

[@jmsteigerwald]

Darren, what are your thoughts of simply blowing the lines out with 30 to 40 lbs of air pressure using your compressor?

[@dwanehoughtaling419]

Another great video. Thanks. You alluded to additional actions required for an ice maker. Can you summarize what those actions might be. Thanks

[@MyRVWorks]

For the ice maker, access where the water connects to the solenoid at the rear of the refrigerator. Disconnect that line, let your pink stuff flow through it. The water line that runs up to your ice maker, on the back side of the refrigerator, some of those have a heater wire wrapped around them. If so, then keep your RV plugged in and that will prevent that section of line from freezing. If not , disconnect the water line from the output side of your solenoid and let all that water drain out. What you don't want to do is run the pink stuff up into your ice maker.

[@dwanehoughtaling419]

@@MyRVWorks Thanks for the clarification.

[@steelpix]

My COLEMAN LITE has only one low point pipe. Why not a second one on it?

[@coreybabcock2023]

You do realize leaving every faucet open and using a blow out plug with compressor does the same thing I've done it with my camper van and no issues

[@greggtownsley]

Do a great job, sir. Thank you.

[@Mik_er28]

The low point drains at 13:20 minutes. I’d like to know where to source those valves if you know. Thanks

[@georgefenrich4119]

Your #200 LIKE! I wish I had seen this last winter, I think I need a new water pump.

[@MyRVWorks]

Hi Goerge, We are so glad to hear that our videos were able to help you! If you would like to support us please consider becoming an "RV Community Supporter" on our Patreon site: www.patreon.com/myrvworks Happy Camping, My RV Works Media Team

[@andrewspies1968]

Thanks so much for the video! i have a question about winterizing. Obviously there is water in the lines once you are done - why not just completely drain out the rig at the lowest point, and leave the valves open throughout the rig? an absence of water and air flow in the lines will prevent expansion, which is what we are after, right?

[@MyRVWorks]

That will not address the issue of water in the toilet valve, sink faucets, shower manifolds, and water pump. You really need to flush those out as well.

[@randallwadsworth2882]

I have a 92 wilderness trailer I live in…. Thrrs a lot of electricity problems with it….. I don’t wanna touch it

[@starhopper457]

This may seem like a dumb question but depending on latitude, are there different "winterizations" that one could apply? Down in South Texas we might get an overnight freeze but nothing extended like up in the northern areas, such as yours. I was debating opening and draining the water filter holder and empty the water heater.

[@jstar1000]

Doesn't putting the water heater back in service mode get a lot of antifreeze dumped in it from what's in the lines when you summarize it? I would prefer to let all that antifreeze dump into the tank and drop out of the still open drain before I button it back up. I know its not toxic but still! That's my .02. Great video as always!

[@coreybabcock2023]

That pump is in the mud

[@americanflika1311]

I saw a dog house nearby, and you were letting the antifreeze spill out onto the slab. Will RV antifreeze kill animals like auto antifreeze?

[@willhopkins7119]

Thet are eco friendly and drinkable in theory

[@MyRVWorks]

RV Antifreeze is 'food grade' not the same as automotive antifreeze. Besides we are running it inside the potable drinking lines in the RV. Non-toxic.

[@charlesrose7212]

Great explanation. I learned a few angles I hadn’t considered. Thanks so much! 😀

[@michaelpatterson5101]

Great job Darren. I watch all your videos. Headed to NRVTA next month. What would you also do if they had a washer and dryer?

[@kenprendergast2574]

I use a diaphragm pump set at 30psi to do air winterize. I use the pump for antifreeze. And just "pop" the valve on the city water inlet to get the antifreeze to push out the water left in it. Many fokes forget the thimble sized amount in the toilet flush valve of water that kills the valve after freezing. Good vid,

[@MyRVWorks]

Thanks for the tip. Since I'm the one that the customer will call in the spring if I made a mistake I go a bit Overkill and flood everything with the antifreeze.

[@Dr-wheel-barrow-opperator]

What about the supply line from the fresh water storage tank to the water pump? I'm not sure if that got "pink stuff" I assume when you drain the water tank. From underneath that automatically reverse flows back into the main fresh water tank and then arbitrarily gets drained when You're draining the tank? At any case I think the supply line between the pump and the fresh water tank would need to be cracked open to allow air for the reverse flow to happen. Or maybe when you hooked up to the "city water" location it goes through there...I'm not sure...I hope this makes sense lol

[@MyRVWorks]

There are so many Plumbing configurations that these manufacturers do on different floor plans. Normally you drain the fresh water tank and that's it. The only way to get the pink stuff ( food-grade/RV antifreeze) in that line is to put the pink stuff in the fresh water tank and let the pump suck it out. That would be an excessive use of the pink stuff though.

[@Dr-wheel-barrow-opperator]

@@MyRVWorks Thank you for your reply, What you said checks out with my assumptions. Maybe I'll try and make a habit to physically blow out the supply line and force any water back into the fresh water supply tank at the time im pumping the RV antifreeze through the supply lines. I can do this when I disconnect at the RV pump to winterize that part of the system. it seems I get a small leak somewhere every other year or so. So, I'm trying to step up my RV game, as I live in Central Oregon and it gets really cold here. Thank you for your help and for mastering your trade. What a great thing for you to do, to take time to help out so many people.

[@THEVROD64]

Excellent. Best Battery maintance would be great Video.

[@DarrenKoepp360]

I have been collecting things in my ‘show and tell’ pile. Batteries and best practices is certainly going to be included. Stay tuned!

[@KevinandKimOutdoorAdventures]

Good info I like the idea of putting back in dewinterize mode on the hot water heater when you are done to save time opening back up in the spring

[@ericschweitzer2454]

Thank you for this video darren. I put together a system similar to Darren's for doing winterization for customers. Mainly so that I could avoid having to access the tight spaces around the water pump in RVs to pump antifreeze into the system that way. So it was disappointing to see that Darren still does that step of tapping into the plumbing at the water pump to winterize the pump itself and the pipes just Downstream of it. Does darren or anyone out there have any idea as to whether or not you could winterize the pump simply by draining the fresh water tank and leaving the pump running with the tank empty so that the pump is "cavitating" or just pumping air and that would clear the pump and any short section of pipe just Downstream of it? Seems like it would

[@jean-claudedesrosiers2661]

Good videos as always but you are wasting a lot of antifreeze... we do it with a compressor and a pressurized antifreeze tank Flush the water Blow the traps Run the antifreeze Leave a bit in the traps Collecting back the antifreeze till the air blow again It takes ½ of a gallon vs 1gal if there's a washing machine The rest is the same Again great videos learning a lot of tips thanks 😁

[@markbartlett1251]

I learned something new today. Thanks again for sharing your experience with us. The detail of the city water not being purged is something I never considered.

[@MrUnterhugel]

Thanks Darren. Being an RV newbie, I really appreciate your videos. Last year, I winterized simply by blowing compressed air into city water inlet, and sequentially opening faucets, and tank valves until I was satisfied that all of the water was removed. Then performed same process on freshwater tank. Then I poured pink antifreeze into drain traps and small amount into gray and black tanks. Finally removed hot water anode and drained all hot water. Is this adequate for the Pacific Northwest or am I missing something? Also, I’m not sure I like the pink stuff in freshwater system - maybe it’s just me.