Winter use of RV’s

[Daveb0341]

I am new to using an RV and am learning all there is to know about it. What I am not sure about is the winter months. My question is this: what do I need to do to winterize my RV but still wanting to use it during the winter months. Do I need to drain everything and not use any water for the winter or am I ok as long as I am using the RV. Not sure what I need to do. Any help would be appreciated.

[awol50]

Originally Posted by Daveb0341

I am new to using an RV and am learning all there is to know about it. What I am not sure about is the winter months. My question is this: what do I need to do to winterize my RV but still wanting to use it during the winter months. Do I need to drain everything and not use any water for the winter or am I ok as long as I am using the RV. Not sure what I need to do. Any help would be appreciated.

If you are winter camping in Minnesota, yes. Florida, no.
Get my drift? If you want solid advice, you need to give complete facts of what your situation would be.

[BirchyBoy]

It depends. If you're ok dry camping without water, winterize it and then use it without adding any water to the system. If you want to use water, you'll have to de-winterize it and then winterize it after each use. Once you get the hang of it, it isn't hard.

[ThePowells]

Originally Posted by Daveb0341

I am new to using an RV and am learning all there is to know about it. What I am not sure about is the winter months. My question is this: what do I need to do to winterize my RV but still wanting to use it during the winter months. Do I need to drain everything and not use any water for the winter or am I ok as long as I am using the RV. Not sure what I need to do. Any help would be appreciated.

Dave, this gives us zero information to help you. Where you are would be a great help. New York and Montana have different needs than Florida and Texas. Will the coach be tethered to shore power, sheltered, or have access to supplemental LP gas. What year, make, model, and size of RV? A newer one will be better insulated and be better able to handle a little cold air abuse. Then part of it will be how much attention it will get, or can have while parked. One sitting in a storage yard yard 5 miles away will be different than one in your back driveway.

You can go to the user CP and add to your signature your information including your RV and we will immediately have more information and be able to provide answers that are more applicable to your particular rig and circumstances.

Then again, you will get varied answers depending on the person. I do not plan on doing any indepth winterizing, barring a serious freezing spell for our area, but then again if you believe computer models that are always wrong I will never have to winterize again and invest in pontoon floats. Sorry, I just couldn't resist the last part. There is a frequent poster 20 miles away who will fully winterize. I am like you where I may want to take a weekend and want a quick vamoose. If I do, first step will be dumping tanks. I have tank heaters but my valves are exposed in the wet bay. I will clean my tanks before then so I don't have to worry about that (a frozen poop pyramid is not equal to a nutty buddy) if I do need to completely dump. The next step will be pulling in the slide and running the LP heater with the cabinets and bathroom open.

[smittysrv]

Here's a pretty good video about what's involved in winterizing, including using the RV in the winter while winterized.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3KclDkjfnak

[Waiter21]

I'm winterized for the winter, I drain everything, then fill lines with antifreeze, I use 3 gallons. Its going to be 17 degrees tonight..

When we travel south in Mid December, We use bottled water and flush the toilet with windshield washer fluid or antifreeze for the first few days of travel, until we get to warmer weather, then I do a quick sanitize of the system and fill with water.

When we head back north in February, I'll stop along the road, and re-winterize before we get back into freezing climate.

[okcnewbie]

Originally Posted by Daveb0341

.... Do I need to drain everything and not use any water for the winter or am I ok as long as I am using the RV?.

Depending on the climate and the MH you might be ok as long as you are using the MH. Many MH's have heating that goes to the water tank and lines.

[C.Martin]

I would say...winterize it. Then when you go camping --- carry one of those 6 gal blue drinking water totes with you.

If you have electric...bring a ceramic space heater to cut down on blowing thru your propane.

Use the bath house for hot showers...

You'll really look forward to Spring!

Of course take everything I say with a grain of salt. I live in Florida. The only time I winterized a camper is when I thought it was sold to someone out of state. Turned out to be a scam artist. I've got extra pink stuff laying around now...

Oh...and they do make heated drinking water hoses...if you find a winter site that doesn't turn off the water supply during the winter. Of course...your hose will flow, but thier pipes might not until the sun comes up and the temperatures rise a bit.

[nothermark]

As a general statement RV's are hard to heat and can collect moisture. When it is really cold you are probably better off not trying to use them. When daytime temps are close to freezing and nightime in the teens you will find them more manageable. Adding insulation helps a lot. Tell us what you have and we can tell you more or do a search and you will find many threads about folks spending the winter in their RV. All that advice is applicable. Give us a better idea of what you want to do and we can tell you more.

[MSHappyCampers]

Hi ! Welcome to IRV2! We're sure glad you joined the gang!

I think others have pretty much covered it. Keep her between the ditches!

Good luck, happy trails, and God bless!

[Daveb0341]

I apologize for not being clear in regards to my question. To start out I own a 2018 sunseeker 3010DS. I live in nort eastern Oklahoma. I wasn’t sure how people utilize their RVs during the winter Months. Other than winterizing and unwinterizing it every time, is there another process. Also everyone has asked when am I going to take it to the mountains of Colorado.

So that’s leads me to the second part to my question which is how is an RV used in places like the mountains without it being winterized and still being able to take showers and flush the toilets. So for example, during the day this weekend it will be in the upper 50s but drop to about mid 30s and we are going camping in it, so is there something that I need to do Incase it drops believe freezing.

[ThePowells]

Here are my thoughts...
With my schedule and life, I don't have time to constantly go back and forth on winterization, unless it will be a period of prolonged below freezing periods. I want to be able to decide on Thursday that I am leaving after work on Friday morning for a weekend at the lake. Bear in mind that it stays hooked up to 30 Amp, water, and external (house LP). I would do the same if only on 15 Amps.
For periods of above freezing, I do nothing.
Short periods of 3-4 hours below freezing, I turn the heat on low and pull in the slide for less CF to heat and better sealing of the coach. I close the accordion door to the bedroom. If my tanks are close to half full or less, I turn the tank heaters on. I leave the bathroom door and lower kitchen cabinet open. I turn this stuff on before I leave at 5:30 PM and off when I get home at 6:30 AM. I also have an oil filled radiator heater I leave on, and I have a blanket covering the open area between the coach and cab part. The external dog wash hose and nozzle are removed and the area packed with a towel.
If I am expecting several days of lows in the mid-upper 30s, I remove the water hose.
If several days of below freezing, I will dump and clean the tanks and park it with the valves open and a pan under the connection. I will also open the lid under the bed to allow warm air to the fresh water tank. If it will be more than 3-4 days below freezing, or down into single digits, I will drain the fresh water and isolate the water heater but it stays on.
This is specific to me, my abilities, and equipment set up.
If I am camping, again it depends on abilities. Either on 30 amp or generator, oil filled heaters on, tank heaters and it really cold, pull the slide in. I try to get the coach thermostat just above the thermostat of the electric heaters. My second wake-up in our coach was to a winter wonderland.
I spent the last half of last winter fretting over not having "fully winterized", including two mornings in low teens. This year I will be monitoring what the coach does and backstopping my thought process with checks with an infrared thermometer.
If you don't have it hooked up, you are going to have to make decisions based on your circumstances. There are hundreds upon hundreds of threads on how to winterize and shortcuts to save time. Just type "winterize" in the search box at the top of the page.

Rots of ruck

[nothermark]

Originally Posted by Daveb0341

I apologize for not being clear in regards to my question. To start out I own a 2018 sunseeker 3010DS. I live in nort eastern Oklahoma. I wasn’t sure how people utilize their RVs during the winter Months. Other than winterizing and unwinterizing it every time, is there another process. Also everyone has asked when am I going to take it to the mountains of Colorado.

So that’s leads me to the second part to my question which is how is an RV used in places like the mountains without it being winterized and still being able to take showers and flush the toilets. So for example, during the day this weekend it will be in the upper 50s but drop to about mid 30s and we are going camping in it, so is there something that I need to do Incase it drops believe freezing.

In the winter you can either use antifreeze or blow out the lines or keep the RV warm enough not to be a problem. You have to figure out what works for you. If you live in a milder climate it might make sense to keep it warmish on the few freezing nights. If you have a month or two of below freezing a lot then it would be cheaper to add antifreeze and stay home. I'm not sure I'd ever head for Colorado. ;-)

If you do head out to snow country keep the unit warm, use tank water not city water, and if it's really cold dump your tanks in the evening then flush with windshield washer fluid overnight. That assumes you don't have tank heaters or don't have a place to plug in.

If you are going to keep it warm then you need to plug up the major heat holes. Vent pillows, a heavy curtain behind the drivers seat that goes to the floor, and reflectix between the windows and shades goes a long way toward keeping the heat in. If you are going to be in the unit much invest in a small compressor type dehumidifier. You add a fair amount of moisture to the air between breathing, showers, cooking, and damp clothes.