How To Winterize The Holding Tanks And Water Pipes In Your RV
The end of the RVing season will be coming up shortly in the Northern part of the country, and it will be time to get the RV ready for winter storage. One of the main things you have to be concerned about is the internal plumbing in the RV. If you are a new RV owner, here is how you can prepare the water holding tanks and pipes in the RV to protect them against the freezing cold.
You Will Need:
- Drain Hoses
- RV Antifreeze Solution
- Air Compressor
Dumping Station
If your RV has a permanent toilet in it that you use, you'll need to take the RV to a dumping station to remove the waste – the waste is in the black tank. Flush out the tank thoroughly with fresh water. If you attach a transparent hose to the drain, you will be able to tell when the tank is cleaned out – the water in the hose will be clear.
Drain Tanks
You need to make sure all the water tanks (the fresh water tank, the gray tank that holds sink and shower water, and the hot water tank) on the RV are also drained.
The drain valves for tanks are located underneath your RV. Open up the valves and allow the tank to drain out (drain the gray tank into the sewer system out in front of your home).
Be aware, this will only drain out the water that is in the tanks and not the water that is in the piping system. You still have to remove the fresh water in the pipes.
Blow Out Pipes
You want to remove the fresh water from the lines. You need to remove all the water filters to avoid damaging them because the water will flow backwards through your system. Attach an air fitting to the fresh water drain valve. You will use the air compressor and blow air into the tanks to force the water in the lines out through the faucets.
Be careful not to supply too much air pressure, or you could damage your pipes (check your owner's manual to find the right air pressure to use on your RV).
Open one faucet at a time and blow the air through the pipes until water stops coming out of the faucet. You should flush the toilet several times to remove the water that gets flushed back into the toilet's holding tank.
Add Antifreeze
Disconnect the air hose and make sure all the drain valves are closed. Use antifreeze specially made for RVs. Pour about a half a cup into the drains – you only need enough to fill the elbow traps in the drain. Pour a little into each tank to keep any residual water on the bottom of the tanks from freezing over the winter.
For more RV care tips, contact a company like Auto-Truck Services Inc.
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