How to DE-WINTERIZE & SANITIZE Your Pop Up Camper’s Water System!

This video details how to de-winterize and sanitize your pop up camper’s water system, including the water holding tank, pipes, water heater, water pump, sink, and shower! De-winterization is very straight forward and simple. De-winterization simply involves flushing the RV anti-freeze from your pop up camper’s water system. I like to flush the water system utilizing both the city water hook-up as well as utilizing the water tank and water pump to flush clean, potable water through the system. This ensures that no RV anti-freeze is left in the system. Once your flush your water system, you can then un-bypass (is that a word?) your pop up camper’s water heater, if it has one.
Next up, is sanitizing your pop up camper’s water system. In order to sanitize your water system, you need to introduce a chlorine solution, which is 1/4 cup of household bleach to one gallon of water, per 15 gallons of water system capacity. Let this sit in your system for three to fours hours. Alternatively, double that amount (1/2 cup of household bleach to one gallon of water), and allow the solution to sit in the system for one hour. Subsequently, flush the system so that the chlorine solution is removed. If you can still smell (or taste) the chorine solution after flushing, you can utilize a vinegar solution consisting of one quart of vinegar to five gallons of water. Flush the vinegar solution through your water system.
This will ensure your pop up camper’s water system is free of RV anti-freeze and sanitized for another season of camping. We sanitize our water system once per year.
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[@ItsPoppin]

Thanks for watching! How often do you guys clean out your water system?

[@gguswiler]

This is our first year owning a pop up camper so I did it twice so far. Once I didn’t agitate the water in the tank but did run the water through the lines. The second time I mostly did the tank. I am planning on once a year after dewinterizing.

[@ItsPoppin]

Thats what we do!

[@lolalandmark6133]

Never have but now i will thanks to this video

[@DanPrescott]

We try to do every 6 months or every three if we are not getting out every month. The one thing we worry about is the holding tank collecting mold so I will be putting a access port to the tank to be able to fully scrub out the tank once a year.

[@crazialan]

I just got my first pop up (a 1989 Coleman Sun Valley) and I just wanted to let you know like so many others that your videos are my go to for everything. I just finished the sanitization process for the water tanks! Keep em coming and I'll be watching every single one!

[@brandonberg4870]

Just bought a pop-up...your channel inspired the family. Thanks for all the awesome advice. My wife and I love your videos!

[@ItsPoppin]

Thanks!

[@CakeEataz107]

New pop up camper here. I really appreciate your channel and have been watching video after video. Really helped build confidence and understand how the camper works. Keep up the outstanding work!

[@JohnCrowley-ij1ox]

Great helpful videos. You might want to mention in many locations that you shouldn't drain any antifreeze or bleach solutions into storm drains as they often go into fish bearing streams etc. and this will result in significant stream habitat damage. Its a hassle but it needs to go into a septic or city drainage system from a grey storage.

[@MrDavidsk44]

Thank you very much for the update.i appreciate you and your comments .

[@stevenrogers4832]

Great instructional vid. Bleach should be of the sanitation formula, and not of the new types on the market. I let ours set longer, about 6 hours before I begin draining process, and final fresh water rinse. Thank you for reminding me to remove everything in cabinets to check for leaks in system. I had forgotten to do that on our unit. No leaks, dodged a bullet this time. I also use low pressure air to blow out our water lines for winter storage, it is easier, do not like using pink antifreeze. Personal thing! Side note, our unit will be repaired from hail damage in two weeks, we are ready to get back out there. Wife gets cranky when we can not go camping, she is so happy now I have to remind her to get out of the truck and go in the house. Have a great day, hope to see you out there.

[@ItsPoppin]

Glad to hear!

[@jereldonovan834]

You changed your opening logo sequence!! Gotta say I liked the older cursive one better. That said my wife and I are big fans of your videos, keep it up 👍

[@TheMayorOfSteelhead]

I feel cool, thanks man!

[@djbenny8093]

Thank you for this video! I always wondered what that extra hose connected to the water pump was for. I actually waited a little too long to winterize this season and had to warm up my water pump with a hair dryer! It worked though and now I'm all set for next year.

[@rebeckaevans1225]

Thank you for your videos! We just bought our first, 2nd hand trailer and your videos have been very helpful.

[@kacieo777]

My husband and I just purchased our first ever pop up. (Coachman Clipper) The dealership winterized it for us and that's how we brought it home. We've watched lots of videos on how to dewinterize (including this one), and we're pretty confident we'd be able to do it ourselves, but... There's no gray water tank on our pop up. So my question is, when I drain all this antifreeze (or bleach solution when we're sanitizing the water system) out of the camper, what do I do with the liquid that's been flushed out? We'd likely collect it in buckets so it's not going all over the lawn/driveway, but what's the safe way to dispose of it? Answers I'm seeing on the internet are all over the place. Some are saying pour it straight on the ground. Some say don't. Some say pour it down the house drain. Others say that's not septic safe (which is what our home has). I'm so confused. I just want to make sure that whatever we do will not harm our pipes or property, or pose a health threat to our pets. Advice welcome!

[@calebmorton]

Your video editing is really coming along!!!

[@ItsPoppin]

Thanks!

[@yorgle]

I notice at 2:30 you're holding open the flap that covers the crank port. If you got a rare earth/neodymium magnet and epoxied it to that door, you could open it, and it would stick to the diamond plate of the side of the camper. :)

[@ItsPoppin]

Clever!

[@seanambramurray9237]

Thanks for the info

[@crash6669]

LOVE the shirt!!!

[@chrispeskett8394]

Great video. Would love one for winterizing as the instructions in the book are pretty well useless.

[@ItsPoppin]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/qZ_HameOrMt8ga8

[@chrispeskett8394]

@@ItsPoppin Perfect! Thanks!

[@caseysayre4250]

what kind of hose are you using to attach from your house to the trailer?

[@skipwilliam5639]

I added the electric lift to mine last week. Took it camping and cant lower the liftgate now as it hits the lift motor DOH..lol

[@lolalandmark6133]

I hate that! I parked so carefully once and when i went to put the stabilizer out they hit a curb! Had to move the whole rig lol. Its always something

[@gguswiler]

This is I guess more of a water system question. Do you leave the water pump on all the time when pulling water from your fresh water tank OR do you turn it on and off when using and not using water?

[@ItsPoppin]

When we're at the campsite, I leave it on. When we're sleeping or when we're away from the campsite, I turn it off. That way, if something fails, your water pump isn't pumping water where it doesn't need to be.

[@suziwilson412]

I have a NTM 2007 Select 12HW. My question is, in order to bypass the HWH, I only have to leave it in the off position? Is that correct?

[@ItsPoppin]

Turn the valves running to and from the water heater so that the valves are perpendicular to the pipe. Then turn the valve in the middle of those two, on the bypass pipe, so that the valve is in-line with the pipe. This will allow water to bypass the water heater.

[@Wendessa]

Do you have a video for installing a water pump for the tank system? Mine did not come with it and I have a tank that has been winterized by the previous owner but not a clue how to get it out of the lines without a water pump!

[@ItsPoppin]

We do not. If your pop up doesn’t have an electric pump, is your sink manually pump operated? We’ve never had a manually pumped operated sink; however, I can only imagine the best way to de-winterize one would be to open up all the drain valves, including low point drains. Then, close the drains up and manually pump out any remaining antifreeze. Finally, a good flush and sanitizing would be in order. Are you able to find a manual for your specific pop up. If so, it should detail how to de-winterize your water system.

[@Wendessa]

@@ItsPoppin I cannot locate a manual unfortunately. I’m gonna have to get a pump and figure it out.

[@chloelinton7108]

Do you have to be connected to electric to run the water pump? Or battery

[@ItsPoppin]

Just battery

[@UsNCollord216]

Do you have any advice for undercoating the entire trailer? Do you do it? Obviously avoiding the pulley system, but spraying some sort of flex seal or bedliner to keep the plywood flooring from rotting seems like a good idea. I’m in the desert but travel to wet areas and don’t want any rotting. Thanks

[@ItsPoppin]

No, I don't do it. However, our jayco is undercoated from the factory. I'm not sure exactly why jayco does that but other manufacturers don't. My best advice would be to ensure no water gets in from the top and not worry about the underside.

[@UsNCollord216]

@@ItsPoppin thanks! Do you sell any merchandise? I want a shirt with your logo and a subtle “it’s poppin” on it!

[@ItsPoppin]

Stay tuned

[@johnh4173]

do you need to winterize if you drain the system?

[@ItsPoppin]

There’s still a surprising amount of water in the system even after you drain the low point drains, so I’d still recommend it. Also it’s a good idea to introduce antifreeze into the pump if you have one as it won’t drain.

[@caseysayre4250]

What were you using to level the trailer?

[@ItsPoppin]

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[@caseysayre4250]

@@ItsPoppin Thanks. I meant the thing you drove the wheel up on and you were using a drill to adjust it?

[@ItsPoppin]

BAL leveler