For anyone putting a motorhome, travel trailer or camper away for a winter where it can freeze. Water left in a line, a pump or the water heater can freeze and split it, and you find the leak in spring. So most of this list is about getting water out and keeping it out.
There are two common ways to protect the plumbing: pumping pink RV antifreeze through every line, or blowing the lines out with compressed air. This list uses antifreeze. The winterizing section of your owner’s manual shows where your rig’s drains and bypass valves are. Read it before you start, because valve layouts differ a lot between makes.
Put the water heater in bypass before any antifreeze goes in. Without the bypass, the tank fills with antifreeze you then have to buy and later flush out.
- Read the winterizing section of your owner's manual — It shows where the low-point drains, the bypass valves and any winterizing valve are on your rig.
- Buy RV antifreeze labelled for drinking water systems — Automotive antifreeze is not safe to drink, so never put it in RV plumbing.
- Empty and flush the black and gray tanks at a dump station — Rinse the black tank until the water runs clear.
- Remove any inline water filter cartridges
- Turn off the water heater's gas and electric and let it cool — Never drain it hot, and never switch it on again while it's empty.
- Open the pressure relief valve, then remove the water heater drain plug or anode rod — If you pulled an anode rod, check it and note whether it needs replacing.
- Drain the fresh water tank
- Open the hot and cold low-point drains and every faucet — Let the lines drain fully, then close the drains again.
- Put the water heater in bypass
- Connect the pump to the antifreeze, using the winterizing valve or a pump converter kit
- Run each faucet, hot side then cold, until antifreeze comes out pink — Start at the faucet nearest the pump and work out to the farthest.
- Do the same at the shower, the toilet and any outdoor shower
- Pour a little antifreeze down each sink and shower drain — This protects the P-traps and the tank valves below them.
- Winterize the ice maker or washer if you have one, following its manual
- Turn off the water pump and close all faucets
- Remove all food and clean out the fridge, then leave its doors propped open — A closed fridge grows mold over winter.
- Seal gaps where pipes and cables enter, to keep mice out
- Set out moisture absorbers inside
- Close the propane tank valves
- Disconnect the batteries, or store them charged on a maintainer — A battery left flat over winter can freeze and be ruined.
- Add fuel stabilizer, then run the engine or generator so the treated fuel reaches its lines — Check the manual for how long to run each one.
- Wash the outside and check roof seams and window seals for cracks — Reseal cracks now. Water that gets in over winter rots the walls from inside.
- Retract the slide-outs
- Inflate the tires to the pressure on the RV's tire placard and cover them from the sun
- Chock the wheels and fit a breathable RV cover — A plastic tarp traps moisture against the paint.
- Write down every drain and valve you changed — You'll need the list to de-winterize in spring.