Simple Steps to Winterize your RV

(Updated Nov. 22, 2024 for length and accuracy)

As the temperatures drop and the seasons begin to change, there are many things people must do to adequately prepare themselves for winter. Especially RVers. As autumn ends, RV owners need to be prepared to winterize their RVs each year to protect them from potential damage during the colder months. 

Where to Start

Winterizing your RV’s plumbing system is a great place to start. This is a two-part process because it involves preparing both the automotive part of the RV and the “house” part of the RV for the cold.

Winterizing the automotive portion is typically as simple as replacing your current coolant solution with antifreeze. However, in order to winterize the house portion, you must follow quite a few more steps. 

Why winterize your RV’s plumbing, you might ask? Failure to winterize your RV could cause the water in the lines and the pipes to freeze. Once the water freezes, it will expand and crack your pipes, which can be costly and time-consuming to repair.

Play it safe by planning to winterize your RV each year, as soon as the temperatures begin to drop into the low 40s or high 30s. Reference this list whenever you are ready to safely prepare your RV for winter storage.

1. Gather materials.

The first thing you will need to do is gather your materials. To start, you need 2-3 gallons of non-toxic RV/Marine antifreezeand some simple tools to remove the drain plugs. Depending on what your RV is already equipped with, you may need a few other tools, as well. You will need a water pump converter kit, or just some basic tubing to connect the antifreeze to your system. In addition, your RV may already have a water heater bypass kit built into it, but if it doesn’t, you will need to buy and install one (more on that later). Finally, you need to purchase a tank cleaning wand and flushing system if your RV does not have one built in. Once you have collected your materials, you are ready to begin to winterize your RV.

2. Remove water filters.

Because you will be pumping antifreeze through your water system, you need to remove any inline water filters that are installed. This will ensure that they are clean and ready to use when you install them for trips next spring. Now is also a great time to replace your filters if they have expired.

3. Drain and flush black and gray tanks.

At a dump station or your campground sewer hookup, empty out your black and gray tanks. Leave the hose connected for a bit longer to ensure everything drains out. Then, flush out both tanks. If your RV does not have a built-in flushing system, you can use your cleaning wand and external flushing system to clean out the tanks.

4. Drain the water heater tank.

Next, drain your hot water heater by removing its drain plug. Be sure to switch this off before draining it, allowing the water to cool before you begin. Replace the plug once it has fully drained.

5. Open all faucets and remove all drain plugs. 

This will allow your water to drain from the tank. Be sure to open both the hot and cold lines and leave them open for a minimum of fifteen minutes to ensure all water has drained out. Leaving your water pump on during this process is helpful in draining the water quicker. Just be sure to turn off water pump once the water pressure is low. This will ensure there is no damage to your pump, which can be caused by running it with no water in the tank.

6. Close all faucets and replace drain plugs once water has drained entirely.

It’s important to remember this step before you start pumping antifreeze into the system.

7. Bypass the hot water heater

Most RVs come with a hot water heater bypass kit already installed. This mechanism ensures that the hot water heater does not fill with antifreeze, which is unnecessary. This wouldn’t harm the heater, but it would waste 6-10 gallons of antifreeze, depending on the size of your tank. If your RV does not have its own bypass system, you can purchase and install one yourself or have the work completed by a local professional.

8. Connect the system to antifreeze.

Next, you need to install your water pump converter kit to allow your RV to pump antifreeze into your system. If you would rather not install a new device, you can disconnect one of your water intake lines and drop it directly into the jug of antifreeze. You may need to connect more tubing in order for this method to work.

9. Turn the water faucet closest to the water pump on.

Turn just the cold faucet on and let it slowly trickle until you start to see pink. Then, turn on the hot faucet until you see pink, as well.

10. Repeat this process for all sinks.

Move to the next sink and repeat this process until you have antifreeze flowing from all the faucets, both hot and cold. Replace the antifreeze jugs when necessary. Don’t forget your outdoor shower if you have one.

11. Flush the toilet until you see antifreeze.

Once you see antifreeze, you can be sure the toilet and septic system have been properly winterized.

12. Pour a cup of antifreeze down each sink’s drain and into the toilet. 

This will ensure that the antifreeze makes it into all of your plumbing lines and into the gray tank. Flush the toilet to ensure some of the antifreeze makes it into the black water holding tank, as well.

13. Prep the RV for final storage.

Turn the hot water heater heating element off and ensure all faucets are closed. Now your RV should be good to go.

14. Consult your owner’s manual for information regarding your ice maker and/or washing machine.

Since each ice maker and washing machine can be quite different, the instructions for winterizing these vary. It’s best to follow specific instructions to make sure these are properly prepared for winter.

Once you have completed these steps, your RV’s water system is officially ready for winter storage. Keep in mind that there are some other tasks that must be completed before your RV is officially ready for winter.

Be sure to check back for our next winter preparation guide, where we’ll discuss important next steps.