Trailer Winterizing and Cold Weather Maintenance
As temperatures start to drop below zero during the Fall, ensure you make time to service and winterize your RV before damage can be done. It’s not too difficult or time-consuming, but if you do need help, contact your local Excel Tent Trailer service center.
Service and Maintenance
End of season is a good time to do some regular maintenance, repairs, and updates, so there’s less to do in the spring when you’re getting ready for the new camping season. And remember, if you need help, contact your local Excel dealer as they’ll have certified techs to take care of your maintenance, from new batteries, brakes, tires, appliances, plumbing, propane systems, winterizing, and storage preparation.
There are some other things that should be done to ensure that not just your water lines but tour whole trailer stays in the best shape possible over the colder months. Here’s a shortlist of things to look out for to keep your RV in tip-top condition over the Winter:
Winterizing
Winterizing is one of the the first things that needs to be done when it starts to get cold; this involves draining all of the water from the trailer, emptying all of the tanks, including grey, black, and hot-and-cold water tanks, flushing the water lines, isolating the hot water tank, and filling your plumbing systems with winterizing fluid to prevent damage from any remaining water the may freeze (remember to isolate your hot water system before running anti-freeze through your plumbing as it can cause corrosion in the hot water tank.
Winterizing is normally a fairly straightforward procedure, but it’s vital to get it done before temperatures drop to freezing. If not, then damage can occur to your RV water systems which can be costly and time-consuming to repair.
Batteries
Don’t forget to disconnect your RV batteries and put them on a trickle-charge over the winter to keep them in good working order.
Open cupboard doors
Opening up any of your accessible cupboard doors and move everything out of your cupboards will help prevent mold and bad odors from forming.
Avoid mold in your fridge freezer
Prop open the doors of your fridge-freezer as this will prevent moisture buildup and mold inside the refer.
Reduce RV humidity
Use Dri-z-air or another type of moisture absorber or dehumidifier; use one for every 10′ of RV to absorb moisture from the air. And check them often throughout the winter as you may need to replace them regularly.
Move cushions and mattresses away from walls
Moving your cushions and mattresses away from the sides of your unit will help prevent damp and mold accumulating in your upholstery from any condensation that may form on the inside walls of your RV.
Close windows and check them for cracks
Make sure any windows, vents, and doors are completely closed so that rain, snow, and moist air don’t get into your RV. And check your windows through the winter for cracks and breaks; if you see any, cover them up and get them repaired in the Spring.
Remove all food and liquids
If you’re removing all of the water from your RV in case it freezes, it also makes sense to remove other liquids too, such as pop cans, water bottles, juice boxes, cleaners, soaps, and shampoos; they can all freeze and explode, make an awful mess and can cause damage.
Remember to remove any food items too as this can be an attractant for rodents.
And speaking of rodents…
The ‘outside’ likes to come in when it gets cold, and rodents such as mice will chew up pretty much anything inside your trailer to make a nest for themselves. Put down some deterrents if you can, just in case mice or rats do think about breaking into your trailer. But try and avoid lethal traps because if you kill a mouse in your trailer, the decay and smell can attract other types of infestation.
During the Winter
Clear snow from your RV roof
When it does snow, watch out for it building up on your roof. A little snow is fine, but if it starts to get a foot thick or more, then you need to clear it.
Most of this is common sense, but many of us forget about all of these little things once the main winterizing process has been done; we just assume that the RV will be fine until Spring. But as many of us have found out, this isn’t always the case. By adding these points to a ‘Winter maintenance’ routine, we can save ourselves a few dollars in repair bills in the Spring.
Contact Excel Tent Trailers or your local dealer for your winterizing & maintenance needs, and remember to look us up on Facebook!
