Whether the groundhog sees his shadow or not, when the weather starts to break one thing comes to mind for RV enthusiasts: camping season! And what better way to get a jump on the camping and travel season than de-winterizing your RV. You may not have your travel plans mapped out for the season, but you can get prepared by de-winterizing so that your RV is ready for the road whenever that first warm weekend beckons you. Here are some RV de-winterizing tips to get you prepped for a fantastic spring, summer, and fall.
Flushing the Antifreeze
The first step in RV de-winterizing is clearing out the anti-freeze. When an RV is properly winterized, the system is filled with anti-freeze to store it safely through the cold winter months. So, when the weather begins to warm and the travel bug begins to bite, you need to flush the antifreeze before you can use your RV. But this is a relatively simple process and one that can be done when the threat of a hard freeze is past and warmer weather is right around the corner.
All you have to do is flush it out with your city water inlet. Hook up a water line to through the city connection and open any water faucets in your RV. This will draw the fresh water through the plumbing system. It’s a good idea to let each faucet run for at least a minute or two, ensuring the system is fully cleared.
Then, you’ll want to make sure to undo the bypass on your water heater that you hopefully did when winterizing. Make sure it’s filled with clean water before you turn it back on, too! Finish off by dumping your gray and black water holding tanks as soon as you are able.
Test Your Batteries
It is best to disconnect and store your RV batteries over the winter to avoid damage. But remember that they will discharge passively during the winter even when they are stored properly. You’ll want to inspect them for signs of damage or corrosion before you reconnect them. If they look good, you can reinstall them.
If you are using lead-acid batteries, you’ll want to make sure the water level is adequate to begin charging. They can be topped off safely with distilled water once they have been fully charged. If you are new to camping, or not fully confident when working with batteries, a certified RV repair technician should handle this step. Working with batteries can be potentially dangerous if they aren’t handled correctly.
Sanitize Your Water Tank
Now that you’ve flushed out the anti-freeze, the next important step in RV de-winterizing is sanitizing your water tank. This step is important because it keeps your water supply safe and helps eliminate and prevent odors that could come from the plumbing system. This is an easy step since everything has been flushed out already, simply close all the drains and shut off every faucet. You’ll then completely fill the water tank with a mixture of bleach water. (Two ounces of bleach per 15 gallons of water tank capacity is a good ratio.)
Once the tank is full, turn on your water pump and open all the faucets until you can smell bleach. When you do, close the faucets and let the sanitizing mixture sit for a few hours. Bleach has been used as a sanitizing agent since the mid-1800s and kills viruses, bacteria, mold, fungi, and germs. So it is an extremely useful and proven disinfectant!
After a few hours have passed, you simply drain the bleach water and flush the tank through every faucet again. Continue flushing the system out until the bleach odor is completely gone and then your water tank is sanitized and safe for use.
Check the Tires
Now that you’ve finished with the interior RV de-winterizing, it’s time to look down. Down to the tires, that is. You may notice that the tire pressure seems to be low. This is normal. Time and temperature fluctuations between seasons will generally leave your tires a little lower. For this reason, it’s good practice to check every tire when you go through your RV de-winterizing checklist and inflate them to their proper levels.
An air compressor can make it quite quick and easy to maintain your RV’s tires. If you don’t have one, this could be a good time to drop a hint. It can be a perfect gift for the RV enthusiast and many compressors are sized to be easily stored in an RV.
While you are checking the pressure, be sure to check over your tires for any cracks. The winter can be harsh on rubber, so it’s a great time to look at the tire treads as well.
Exterior Inspection
The last part of an RV de-winterizing process should include a thorough cleaning and inspection of the exterior. It is possible that your RV may have collected a lot of dust, cobwebs and bug stains over the winter.
Cleaning off the residue from being in storage, as well as anything collected throughout the previous season, will get your RV shined up and ready for the road. And since you’ve already looked down, now you can look up! An inspection of the stuff up high – the roof and awning – is important, too. This is the perfect time to inspect for gaps, cracks, missing sealants or caulking both on the roof and all over your RV’s exterior.
No exterior inspection is complete without a close look at the silicone seals on the exterior walls and the dicor sealant along the roof. You can take some time to caulk these areas. If you do plan to re-caulk, make sure you prep the areas first by cleaning them with some rubbing alcohol and wiping away any dirt before you get started!
Once you’ve accomplished the exterior inspection and cleaning, your RV will be fresh and gleaming inside and out. Here’s a checklist you can download and use each year to be sure your RV de-winterizing is complete and you are ready for a wonderful season of travel!
Contact RV Wholesale Superstore
The professionals at RV Wholesale Superstore are ready to help you find the perfect RV for you and your family. Visit us in-person at 5080 W. Alexis Road, in Sylvania, OH or call us at (419) 786-1126
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