How to Winterize a Camper

Start with the holding water tank. Along with the water, the junks in it will trap the tank, and once frozen, the tank will begin to expand and damage. So drain the holding water tank.

Then comes the freshwater tank. Empty all the water even though it is potable. As mentioned earlier, it will freeze, expand, and finally damage the tank.

Now is the time for opening all the faucets and showers, including the external shower, even though you don’t use it, and flushing the toilet without leaving the attachment wand.

Keep all the water systems in an open state.

Draining the water heater is your next step. First relieve the pressure valve integrated into the heater system to reduce the pressure.

Then, remove the anode rod using the wrench, if you have one. While the steel tanks come with the anode rod to protect the corrosion of the tank from hard water, aluminum tanks don’t have an anode rod. These rods sacrifice themselves to prevent tanks.

After removing the anode rod, water will be drained from the water heater. It is important to drain water from the heater, because heavy water leads to calcification, and in cold weather, the clumps will damage the heater.

While draining the water systems brings out most of the water, there will be water layering the pipes, which can freeze and damage the pipes. To address this concern, we should remove the last bit of water drop from the pipes using the air compressor.

Use a 12V compressor with an attached air filter and a pressure regulator. Plug the compressor into the city water inlet through the tube. Start with 20 PSI of pressure and gradually increase it up to 50 PSI.

This will blow out the remaining water from the water heater tank, as this tank is connected directly to the city water inlet. Blow until the air sprays out. It means that all the water has been removed from the heater tank.

Once the water sprays out of the water heater tank, now pause the compressor and bypass the water heater. Although it sounds difficult, it is just turning off both the cold and hot water inlets and turning on the middle valve between the hot and cold pipes.

This prevents the flow of compressed air or antifreeze solution into the heater tank, thus blowing out the rest of the water system without reaching the heater tank.

Once bypassing the water heater tank, go back to the city water inlet and blow the compressed air. As all the faucets for both cold and hot water, showers, and toilets are already in an open or flushed state, this will expel the remaining water line and finally spray out the air. Now, close all the faucets, showers, and toilets.

All the water has been expelled out. Now, comes the important part in winterizing a camper van, which is pouring RV antifreeze into the water system. Before that, you have to remove the drinking water filter if there is any.

Then, you have to reach the water pump of the RV. This is usually located under the bed, but it’s best to look at the RV manual.

You should remove the inlet hose, which is already attached to the water pump, and attach the siphon hose that connects both the water pump and the RV antifreeze that is in the bucket.

Once you have attached the siphon hose to the water pump and placed the other end of the tube into the antifreeze container, turn on the water pump. This will suck in the antifreeze solution into the water system.

One after one, let all the faucets remain open until they expel the pink-colored antifreeze. Once it expels the pink solution, turn off the faucet. This goes the same for both the interior and outdoor shower.

Flush the toilet with a slight pressure until it flushes the antifreeze solution. Don’t forget to rinse antifreeze in the attachment wand that comes with the toilet.

Pour some antifreeze directly into the toilet to prevent the ballcock from sticking to the rubber seal at the base of the toilet.

Also, pour some extra antifreeze in the sink traps to prevent freezing from the cold winter.

After rinsing the water system with RV antifreeze, leave all the faucets open for the air to flow in and out.

Finally, seal the anode rod in the water heater system with the Teflon tape and secure it tightly in its place by closing the water heater panel.

To winterize an RV, apart from rinsing the water system with antifreeze, you have to do a few other things to begin your journey after winter without any worry.

When the motorhome is stored in the winter without any activity, it becomes a hunting place for rodents in search of food and shelter. So it is important to clean the RV and leave no eatables inside it.

Cleaning the windows, floors, appliances, and furniture without any moisture will prevent the van from growing the mold. You have to disconnect all the electrical appliances. Place mothballs and rodent deterrents to prevent the van from rodents and insects.

Remove all the bedding sets, cloths, and all the other things possible to carry to prevent them from freezing or growing mold or increasing pressure on tires for a prolonged period.

Inspect the rig for any cracks or openings and seal it.Remove the awning, wash it, and store it in a dry place if your RV has the option to remove it. Else, just clean the awning thoroughly and retract it back. Wash the exterior and wax coat it.

Turn off the RV's main circuit breaker switches and disconnect the shore power cable. Fully charge the battery and turn on the battery kill switch to prevent it from draining. Store it in a dry place where the temperature is not freezing. And, it could be your garage.

Many riders just turn them off and leave them inside the camper van. However, it is best to store it in a sheltered location as a safety measure from potential leaks if the camper van is stored for a long time.

Fill the gas tank with the regular fuel and stabilize it using the fuel stabilizer. The fuel stabilizer will prevent the tank from freezing in the winter.

Next, fill your radiator with the antifreeze, and you can use the antifreeze made of ethylene glycol if you prefer. This way you can protect your engine from any possible damage because of winter.

Storing an RV for a longer period will exert strain on tires. Although most of the weights from utilities are removed during winterization, lifting up the rig using the hydraulic jack is best for the tires. This will reduce the weight load of the RV on tires.

If you have the place to store, you can even remove the tires and place them in a dry place till you return.

Just learning how to winterize a camper van is not enough. After preparing the camper van for winter, storing it in the proper place is important.

Those who have the option to store the RV in the private garage or backyard can park in their own space. But there are commercial storage facilities available at many places. It is important to park on a solid surface like concrete. If the RV is parked on a muddy surface, it can bury down and make it difficult to stow it.

Last but not least. Use a UV-protected and mildew-resistant RV cover to cover it from the top to the bottom, including the tires and the awning.

An RV furnace helps to keep your rig warm in the winter. And propane gas is essential to power the furnace.

There are heated thermal rugs available in the market for the floor. This will warm the floor, and you can lay your feet on the floor without the fear of chillness.

Sleeping during the winter without anything to snuggle is like hell. Invest in some thermal blankets and bedding sets to make your bed cozy.

Drinking warm water is what everyone should do to protect you from getting cold. A kettle will give you the hot water without any fuss of manually heating and reheating water in the kitchen.