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How to Unwinterize your RV

Maintenance

Winter’s over—thank goodness. You’ve packed away your sweaters, boots and heavy coats and can finally take out the trash without wincing in pain. In fact, it feels pretty nice outside.

For RVers, that means only one thing: it’s time to hit the road and get out to the campground. But first, it’s time to get your RV ready for the season. Just like all the winterizing work you did back when it started getting cold, it’s time to get your RV ready by unwinterizing your RV.

Follow these steps to unwinterize your RV and get it ready for another great year of camping.

WATER

The hardest part about winterization is making sure pipes don’t freeze. (When water freezes inside of a pipe, they break, and that spells disaster for the plumbing inside your camper or RV.) To prevent this, special RV antifreeze is used.

Unsurprisingly, RV antifreeze isn’t something you want to drink. To wash all that nasty stuff out of your RV’s system, you’ll need to do the following steps:

Clean your freshwater tank with a diluted bleach solution, or our preferred Spring Fresh cleaner.

Rinse out your freshwater tank with clean water.

Drain the tank by opening the hot and cold faucets.

Hook up a freshwater source such as a hose until all water runs clean in all faucets, including showers, toilets, baths and sinks.

Taste a little of the water. If it tastes a little like anti-freeze, keep washing it out.

Finally, make sure all the spigots and knobs are in their right place—be it closed or open. If you still have odor or foul taste in your water you can use Taste Pure water freshener in your tank to improve it.

RUBBER

When your RV sits in one place all winter, it doesn’t do great things to your tires. No matter how old your tires are, they need to be adjusted every once in a while to ensure they don’t bow, bend or crumble under a bunch of static pressure.

Start your RV’s season off on the right foot by giving your tires a thorough look. Is there any evidence of wear on the sidewalls? Is the tread depth deep enough? Do they have enough air in them to support the weight of your trailer or RV?

The roof of your RV is also susceptible when stored over the winter. Chances are, it’s made of rubber, and winter is not always kind to rubber. Give the roof of your RV a thorough evaluation before hitting the road.

ELECTRIC AND GAS

The electric and gas systems in your RV might not be apparent, but you’ll definitely notice something’s awry when they’re not working right. To maintain your RV’s electric and gas systems and get them ready for the spring, do these two things.

First check the health of your battery. There’s nothing worse than being out on the road in the middle of nowhere with a dead battery, and it’s a problem that can easily be prevented. Check the condition of your batteries, and charge them with a battery charger if necessary.

Many RVers don’t know how bugs, especially mud wasps (also called daubers), love the gas system of your RV. They’re attracted by the aroma of the propane that you use to power your refrigerator and stove. You might want to consider an appointment with your local RV dealer or repair center for an LP-gas system inspection to ensure that there are no bugs or dangerous leaks in your system. We sell special screens to go over the output of your gas appliances to prevent insect nesting in your burner systems.

By keeping a close eye on the water, electric and gas systems of your RV, as well as the delicate rubber parts of your RV, you can prolong its life and have an awesome season of camping in your RV.

Guide To New RV Ownership