DE-Winterizing Your RV

After the cold winter months, your RV needs a little TLC before it is ready to hit the road again.

It is time to de-winterize your RV to get it ready for a new year of adventures.

De-winterization is the process of undoing the preventative work done during winterization. Flushing plumbing and appliances of antifreeze is the most crucial step.

If you used non-toxic RV antifreeze to protect the water system from freezing, you need to run fresh potable water through the entire plumbing system until all traces of the RV antifreeze are removed. To do this connect a potable water drinking hose to the city water connector on the RV and run fresh water through the entire plumbing system, to include sinks, shower, outside shower, toilet, and washing machine if applicable.

The RV antifreeze that was in the plumbing system is now in the gray and black water holding tanks and can be emptied when you have access to a suitable waste disposal site.

Sanitize the RV Water System:

Make sure all the drains are closed and any drain plugs are reinstalled. Take a quarter-cup of household bleach for every fifteen gallons of water your freshwater tank holds. Mix the bleach with water into a one-gallon container and pour the solution into the fresh water holding tank.

Now Reconnect the bypassed water heater.

Reconnect your charged RV batteries:

Battery condition is dependent on how well the batteries were cared for during winter storage. When batteries are in storage, they lose a percentage of current through internal leakage. A battery can discharge up to 10% a month when it is in storage.

Remove any steel wool mesh you placed in the vents to help keep critters out.

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