Winterizing RV

[Pvoliver]

Hi all, this may sound silly, but we are new to RVing. We have a 2003 Damen Challenger, 36' Class A. We live in Indiana and camp at least one weekend a month and plan to contiune through the winter season. We love it! Winter will be upon us soon! Last year was mild (very little snow) and they are predicting the same for this year. Ok, now for the questions. Should we winterize between times or what can we do between times to ensure everything continues to work properly? You members are the greatest and we newbies look to you for knowledge and wisdom. Thank you in advance for your assistance!

[trackman]

All suggestions will be dependent upon the weather.
Mild weather-do nothing
Medium weather-drain lines after each use
Harsh cold- full winterize each time

[BFlinn181]

I suggest you at least drain and blow out the water lines between uses.

Camco 36153 RV Brass Blow Out Plug : Amazon.com : Automotive

Also put a cup of RV antifreeze in each trap after draining black and grey tanks.

Blowing out the lines with an air compressor is much easier than filling all the lines with RV antifreeze and then having to flush it clean again.

[Pigman1]

Depends in part on where you keep thee rig and how bad the winter is. We snowbird, but we don't leave until after Christmas. In this part of the country we can expect to see one good snowstorm and a cold snap before that time. I keep the rig inside a farm machine shed and keep it plugged in. In addition, we have added a mod to the LP system that allows us to hook a standard BBQ size LP tank to feed the rig. With power and LP available without having to run to town frequently, I leave the heat on in the rig (set to about 50). We've had temps as low as the mid to low teens in December and have not had any problem with lines freezing. Since we pull the rig out of the barn about 4-5 days before we depart for warmer climes, we do get to see full winter sometimes. Two years ago we had 24" of snow in the driveway the day before we left and 3-4' drifts in front of the barn. Since the rig was already outside, I didn't even try to get the tractor and plow out, I just drove the rig through the driveway snow and left.

[Jim_HiTek]

You could just put a small electric heater in your wet bay, open all your faucets (shore water and water pump off) and pink stuff in your drains. Keep around 3/4 tank of fresh water since thermal inertia will keep that tank liquid for quite a while. Then as mentioned, your furnace set to 50°F and you'll be ready to go. Should be able to do that all winter without problems, even when it's harsh. But keep it nearby...like parked next to the house, not off in some storage facility, so you can keep an eye on it. No one cares about your rig as much as you do.

[Loren B.]

Originally Posted by BFlinn181

I suggest you at least drain and blow out the water lines between uses.

Camco 36153 RV Brass Blow Out Plug : Amazon.com : Automotive

Also put a cup of RV antifreeze in each trap after draining black and grey tanks.

Blowing out the lines with an air compressor is much easier than filling all the lines with RV antifreeze and then having to flush it clean again.

　
This is sensible advice. I think you should take it.

All the other suggestions about using heat will work if you can get the heat into EVERY SINGLE place where there is water.

I have changed a tank that split open because it froze. It’s a lot more difficult than blowing out the water lines and draining the tanks. I was new to RVing then and haven’t made that mistake again.

I guarantee that if a pipe, or even worse, a tank, freezes, you will regret that you didn’t spend the hour or so that it would have taken you to winterize your rig.

– Loren