As the temperatures start to drop and the leaves turn and fall, it’s that time of year again—RV winterizing season. How you handle it says a lot about your RV style. Are you the hands-on, DIY type who loves the satisfaction of doing it yourself, or do you prefer leaving it to the pros and keeping your gloves clean?
Winterizing your RV yourself can be surprisingly satisfying. You get to know your rig inside and out, make sure every pipe and valve is properly cared for, and maybe even save a few dollars along the way. Plus, there’s a certain pride in saying, “Yep, I did that,” while the antifreeze sloshes through your system like a wintertime potion.
On the flip side, hiring a service has its perks, too. Professionals can zip through the process quickly, double-check everything, and give you peace of mind that your rig is ready for the cold months ahead. They’ll check your RV for leaks, too, which could save you big bucks in the long run. For some, this makes it worth paying for convenience, especially if your RV is a larger model with more complex plumbing.
Of course, there’s always room for creativity—or a story or two. Some RVers joke about swapping out the pink antifreeze for something “more natural” (don’t try that at home!), while others have elaborate checklists and rituals that make winterizing almost ceremonial.
Whatever your approach, winterizing is all about protecting your home-on-wheels so it’s ready for the next adventure.
So, what about you? Are you the DIY winterizer, elbow-deep in hoses and valves, or the type to hand it over to a trusted service and relax?
Take our poll and let us know how you prepare your RV for the cold months ahead. Thanks!
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RVT1234
This is only the 2nd winter we’ve had the RV. We live in Northern Indiana and store it outside. The first winter we took it to an RV repair service center. This year they are booked till December, so we are winterizing it ourselves today. There is nothing like being forced to do something to learn how to do it.
We are Sunbirds so we never have to worry about winterizing the coach.
Other: I ALWAYS winterize it myself.
I checked “other”. I always do it myself. The one time I had a local RV service center do it, they did not bleed, or pump the A/F at the city water fill.
They also did not pump the A/F into the black tank flush.
I also open the low point drains until the pink stuff comes out.
other. Since I use my trailer all year, I will air out the lines when very cold weather is predicted but I keep my trailer by my house and I keep a heater to maintain a warm temperature and turn on the tank heaters when the weather will get very cold (plumbing is on or around the tanks so keeping the tanks warm will keep my plumbing system warm).
Six RVs over a 30 year period I’ve winterized and summerized every time myself.
Other. Always do it myself. Just finished up yesterday before the cold spell we’re supposed to get arrives tomorrow.
DIY. For our larger unit that stays in Texas and used as a winter home, I ‘winterize’ it in the spring. We found out the hard way that Texas can freeze before we arrive. And many items don’t do well in 120F summers and must be removed. Besides who wants all that stagnant water left sitting in the system? The smaller unit we use more for travel is also ‘winterized’ if it is going to just sit for more than a half-dozen weeks at any time of the year.
I winterize and de-winterize (if that’s even a word) several times in the winter – we camp year round.
John S., I believe the word you’re looking for is summerize.
I do not trust RV techs/their shops. NEVER have I had work done in a shop that I didn’t have to fix when I got home.
Full timer
We stay in the South and never had to winterize except for a heated water hose.
I always winterize the RV myself. Our motorhome has complexities like auto tank fill valves, a hot water spigot line way up to the front, as well as another in the water bay, a shower water-saver recycling valve, washing machine, dishwasher, ice maker line, water softener, macerator, and more. The job takes me 3 to 4 hours…some of that because I’m “belt & suspenders” by both blowing out lines and running -75°F RV antifreeze.
I have my own detailed checklist and just don’t trust the teenager some RV dealer might assign the job to. The time it takes me is well worth knowing its done correctly.
I have winterized in trailer by myself in the past. But as I age, I have decided to have someone else do it. Especially since they also do a routine check of a few other items, and found that my roof really did need some re-caulking this year even though they did it last year.
Same here
As others have said, there needs to be another choice: “I ALWAYS winterize myself”. Because I have never used a service to winterize any of our 3 RVs. It’s so easy to do with a compressor and a gallon of RV antifreeze, I have done it in cgs. and rest areas before heading back into Colorado from our snowbird trips south of I-10.
I live in the Mojave desert. What is this “winterize” of which you speak?
Paid to have it done the first time. Saw all that it entailed and have done it myself ever since. Keep.adding items to the list of other things that need done thanks to RVTravel!
I haven’t needed to winterize my RV for a long time but the reason is somewhat twofold. We aren’t full-time but use our RV year round and love cold weather camping. We have a true 4 season coach. The other reason is, when we’re at our stick-n-bricks, the DP is parked in a climate controlled environment. Even when we had our travel trailer, it was stored in a cave where it stayed around 55°f year round.
We have always done ours. No shop needed. Not that hard to do.
I winterize my rv by taking it to Florida.
I use my air compressor to blow all of the lines including the water heater and toilet and then pump antifreeze in them after I turn the bypass off. It only takes about 2 gallons or so because I capture and reuse what goes through the sinks.
When I lived in Virginia, I rarely winterized, just kept the heat on. Most of that time, the RV was a Class B and was my daily driver and sometimes mobile office. Now, I winterize by driving south.