The coldest months are almost here. Is your RV ready for winter? Whether this is your first year winterizing an RV or your 20th, you might have come here because you’re looking for information on how to protect your RV from the harsh winter weather. In this article, we’re going to break down winterizing your RV for both storage and travel, and, and a little holiday bonus, we’re even going to show you one way to make money off your RV during the winter months!
WINTERIZING YOUR RV FOR STORAGE
If you plan on storing your RV for the winter, then you’ll need to take a few specific steps to ensure that your RV is safe. First, make sure you’re storing it in a place where excessive snowfall won’t damage your roof. Storing your RV under a shed is one great way to safely park your RV for the winter. This way, you won’t have to worry about the heaviness of excessive snowfall hurting your roof, and you won’t have to worry about any leaks developing. This alone can save you a lot of money and time!
Aside from storing it safely, the other consideration that you’ll need to make for winterizing your RV is plumbing. Any water in your system can cause damage if it’s exposed to freezing temperatures. Sure, freezing temperatures won’t always harm your plumbing, but if your plumbing is affected by freeze, you could be looking at a major repair and a lot of money. It’s far more cost effective to go ahead and take care of your RV before any problems arise. Winterizing your RV plumbing might sound like a hassle, but it’s really not as hard as it seems. Here, we’ll outline the steps you’ll need to take to protect your RV plumbing this winter.
First, you’ll need to go ahead and drain all the tanks in your RV. This means flushing the black water and grey water tanks, as well as the fresh water tank. It can be tricky to get all of the water out of the tanks, but you should aim to get as much water out as possible. The less water that’s left in the tanks, the less water that can freeze and potentially cause damage.
Next, you should drain the water heater, ensuring that you completely empty out any water in the tank. Once this is done, you can close the drain valve. For the next step, you should open all of the faucets in your RV, including the kitchen and bathroom sinks and shower. This step ensures that you’re getting as much water out of the pipes as possible. Make sure to step on the toilet pedal to drain out water there, too. Once you’ve drained out as much as possible and there’s no more water running, you can close the low point drains.
You can protect your fresh water piping with a non-toxic RV approved antifreeze or use air pressure to push out any water that might be left in the lines after you’ve drained them. Remember – every bit of water you get out can make a big difference.
The last consideration you’ll need to make for winterizing your RV is appliances. Follow manufacturer’s recommendations, located inside the user manual, to determine these steps.
WINTERIZING YOUR RV FOR TRAVEL
If you plan on traveling this winter, then you’ll need to take different steps to ensure that your RV is safe for winter.
One of the obvious concerns is insulation and retaining heat. The more efficiently your RV retains heat, the better. One way to optimize the way your RV holds heat is to build an enclosed plywood bottom with insulation to go along the bottom of your trailer. This can help hold in heat and save propane, which is another point we’ll get to in a moment.
Protecting your RV’s water lines is as important during travel as it is during storage, because damage can be quite costly and can occur in freezing temperatures. One of the best ways to protect your water lines is to use heat tape along the lines and wrap them in Styrofoam pipe insulation. Your sewer line can be reinforced with hard line PVC to ensure that it’s sturdy enough for winter temperatures.
The last thing to consider when winterizing for travel is propane. Not only should you ensure that you’re carrying enough propane, but you’ll want to extend the use of propane. You can conserve propane by properly insulating your RV and by using electric heaters to generate heat.
These steps can greatly help make your RV more efficient for the winter while making you more comfortable during travels.
RENTING YOUR RV FOR THE WINTER
Whether you plan on storing your RV for the winter or traveling, there is one way you can actually make money on your RV this winter! If you’ve considered renting your RV out, then RV rental management can help you make the most money off of your RV this winter. When it comes to winterizing, RV rental management can help make recommendations for what should be done. Then, they can work around your schedule to book renters. This is a great way to keep your RV in great shape through the winter, as you can rest assured that maintenance will be kept up and winterization will be completed. Plus, it makes it easy for you to make extra money during the winter.
Getting your RV ready for winter doesn’t have to be a hassle, but you should make sure that you’ve done everything in this guide to ensure that your RV is ready for the cold months. Don’t forget to give Minnestay’s RV rental management a call to make money during the winter months and beyond!
