It’s early Spring and everyone’s thinking about de-winterize their RVs. Here’s a brief overview of the water system de-winterizing process with some tips to get around some the annoying issues that may occur during the process.
Preparing to De-Winterize
De-winterizing your RV should be relatively easy if you winterized your RV properly. Its basically the reverse of the initial winterization, and the steps are virtually the same for most types of RV. Be aware that some processes will vary, depending on your camper’s exact specification and design, so remember to check your user manual for specific instructions.
In outline, you need to flush the RV anti-freeze from your plumbing, sanitize the fresh water system, and check that items such as appliances, seals, and the gas system are all in good working order. You should also perform a deep clean of your black water tank too.
Make sure you have all the tools and supplies you need to complete the de-winterization process before you start!
Tools and supplies for De-winterizing
Your RV de-winterization and checks require the use of specific tools and products. Make sure you have the following to hand before you start.
- Screwdrivers: manual or powered
- Socket wrench with a range of sockets
- New anode rod for the hot water heater (unless the old one is uncorroded still good)
- Freshener for your fresh water holding tank
- Silicone sealer or caulking: for patching up any deteriorating seals on windows, doors, hatches, etc.
- Roof sealant: for re-sealing your roof seals if they are looking in poor shape
How to De-winterize an RV
The first and most important part of dewinterizing an RV is clearing your plumbing of antifreeze. Before starting, you’ll need to make sure you can access the front and back of your water heater. The front of the water heater is always located on the outside of the RV and is the access point for checking the anode rod and inspecting the overall heating system for damage. The back of the water heater is located somewhere inside the RV; often inside a closet or inside the lower kitchen cupboards – occasionally a water heater may be hidden behind a drawer, behind paneling, or elsewhere. This is where you will turn the water heater bypass on and off.
Flushing Antifreeze
The exact order for doing this might be slightly different if, when winterizing, you decided to bypass the water heater and not fill it with antifreeze. In this case, you can access and inspect the anode rod and drain caps before flushing the system, but if you did add antifreeze to the water heater – which you shouldn’t really do since it can cause corrosion or damage to the heater or heating components – flush the system before inspection.
1) Close your black and gray water valves.
2) Decide if you need to flush the system before inspecting the water heater:
- If there is antifreeze in the water heater, be sure your low point water drains are closed, and move on to Step 3.
- If you bypassed the water heater when winterizing, find the exterior water heater panel, and inspect the anode rod for calcification and other damage. Replace if necessary.
- Use plumbing tape on the anode rod when you replace it into the heater to prevent leaks. Once you are finished, carry on to Step 3.
3) Locate the back of the water heater inside the RV and turn off the bypass so that water flows freely through your water heater.
4) There are two different ways you can flush out the water system with fresh water:
a) If you have access to a city water hook-up, you won’t need your RV pump to circulate water through your system; this means if you have a winterizing kit installed on the pump, you can remove it any time before or after the system flush.
- Connect your RV to the city water.
- Open all the faucets (hot and cold) at the same time, including your outside shower.
- Turn on the fresh water.
- Hold the flush pedal down on your toilet until the water runs clear.
- Proceed to Step 5.
b) If you are filling your freshwater tank and flushing the system using the on-board water pump and you have a winterizing kit installed, you’ll need to remove the winterizing kit before performing the flush.
- After removing the winterizing bypass kit, fill your freshwater tank with water.
- Turn on your pump and open all the faucets, including your outside shower.
- Hold the flush pedal down on your toilet until the water runs clear.
- Proceed to Step 5.
5) Once the water running out of the faucets is completely clear, close them.
- If you are connected to city water, turn off the water and disconnect from the source.
- If you used your pump, fill the rest of the tank with fresh water.
6) If you’re using a freshener product, add it to your fresh water holding tank.
- Note that optionally you can add a quarter-cup of bleach per 15 gallons of tank capacity to your water tank, and flush it through the system as an extra cleanse. If you have a sulfur (rotten egg) smell coming from the hot water taps when you turn them on, you may need to leave the bleach in your system overnight to kill the bacteria that has grown in your hot water tank over the winter.
7) Open up all your faucets one more time and run your water pump until the fresh water tank is completely empty
- This will allow the freshener or bleach to flow through all the pipes as well; refill the tanks and flush until you can no longer smell the freshener or bleach.
- You may need to do this several times.
This completes the de-winterization process for your RV’s water system.
Note: Please contact your RV service company if you do not feel comfortable de-winterizing your camper.
