Jared Gillis from All About RVs has prepared a comprehensive tutorial about winterizing your RV.
For many people, their RVs go into hibernation over the winter, much as a bear does. If that’s you and you live in a cold climate with temperatures below freezing, you will definitely want to winterize your rig.
I know a lot of people dread this task. But trust me—If you want to protect your RV investment and be ready for fun again come springtime, you MUST do it.
Broken water and sewer pipes in an RV are no fun at all.
In addition to how to winterize an RV in regards to the plumbing, Jared also talks about protecting tires and batteries while your RV is hibernating over the winter. But the meat of the video concerns the plumbing.
When winterizing an RV you have two main choices:
- Fill the pipes with antifreeze
- Use an air compressor to fill the lines with air
For option one, you can get a small kit that helps you with the process.
Even when using the second option, you will still need about a gallon of antifreeze.
Personally, I would opt for the compressor. A small compressor will do the job and this is a handy tool to have in your rig anyway. But Jared talks about both methods.
How to winterize an RV with an air compressor
When it comes to how to winterize your RV with a compressor, there are several steps you must take that Jared outlines in the video:
- Start with the water heater. Even though these are usually tankless on an RV, there are a few things to keep in mind when winterizing.
- Next, turn your attention to the water pump and ensure there is no water in the system.
- Before you start winterizing you will need to adjust your compressor so you don’t have too much pressure, which could potentially damage your pipes. You also need to remove any inline water filters you might have installed.
- Once you have the compressor working, you will check fixture by fixture through all your RV water outlets, both inside and outside, to make sure all the water is out of them.
- Jared next shows how to add a little antifreeze to drains to keep them from freezing.
- Of course, you also want to ensure that your black and gray tanks are empty.
RV winterizing with antifreeze
For those who prefer the antifreeze method of winterizing an RV, Jared also demonstrates exactly how to accomplish that. You can expect to use 3-4 gallons of antifreeze for this method, possibly more depending on the size of your rig.
(More on antifreeze for RVs here.)
Whichever method you choose, winterizing an RV that will be stored in cold temperatures is essential. Don’t skip this video!
##RVT1124
Just installed a Floe 12 volt compressor into my trailer. Blowing out the lines took less than 1/2 hour! I did it on the last morning of our last trip of the season. When I got home, I bought a gallon of antifreeze and did the sewer lines, and done!
Referring to the water heater, this article says, “Even though these are usually tankless on an RV,…”. WRONG. Was this article written by an AI generator?
I disagree with completely draining the black tank. Keeping the black tank bottom “wet” with a gallon or two of water keeps the remaining solids from drying hard to the bottom of the tank which begin the building of the dreaded “poop pyramid”. The black tank should be drained normally after the last trip, then add back a couple gallons of water with deodorizing tablets (they need water to work properly). I do this through the toilet. When winterizing, pour a gallon of RV antifreeze into the black tank through the toilet….and leave some in the bowl to keep the flush seal wet. This will keep the tank wet, deodorized and freeze-free. A dry black tank is never a good idea.
Thank you, Cheri! Yes, Jared is one of the handiest RV YouTubers I’ve ever seen. Watching him effect a repair or an upgrade can be mesmerizing. We don’t winterize. We use our DP year-round and have it plugged into 50-amp service when we are not actually traveling. In that case, we set the thermostat at 45° F to ensure the heater for the fresh water and waste tanks is operating.
I very much appreciate all the information provided and find it very useful. What about the ice marker? Does the water line to the ice maker need any attention when winterizing the RV?