How to Winterize Your Rv Before Putting it in Storage

Owning an RV can be a wonderful experience for those that love to travel across country by road. RVs make road trips more comfortable and convenient for families, couples, and even individuals going it alone. The only problem with owning a RV is they can only be used a few times per year. For the rest of the year it is important that a RV owner store their vehicle. During the majority of the year storing a RV is nothing more than protecting it from the worst of weather but during the winter months RV storage takes on new importance.

Before storing your RV for the winter it is extremely important that you take some time to winterize your vehicle. This process will help prevent your RV from being damaged while in storage during the long, cold, months of the year. Winterizing a RV might be time consuming the first few times but completing the winterization process will save you money on repairs in the future.

When the time comes to put your vehicle in storage it is important that you drain your water heater. Make sure that you only drain your water heater when the tank is not under pressure or hot! For best, and safest, results do not drain the water heater until a long period of time has gone by since your last use of the RV. Once the water is drained out of the RV use a water heater by pass kit that will let your RVs anti freeze bypass the tank and go directly to the RVs water lines. These kits are very affordable often costing between $30.00 and $50.00 per bypass kit. When you are adding antifreeze only use pink anti freeze. Using a bypass system will help you avoid having your water lines freeze during the coldest months of the winter. Remember, once the winter is over you will need to flush the anti freeze out of the water lines completely before you begin traveling again.

The next thing you should do is flush and thoroughly clean out your RVs holding tank. This is something that few people look forward to but it must be done before your RV is put into storage for the entire winter. Flushing your RV holding tank will help remove all of the grease and other products that have built up over time. Once you have flushed the tanks use a grease dissolving dish liquid and a cleaning wand to wash out the tanks. Do a good job and wash the tanks more than once to be sure that they are absolutely clean. Not cleaning the holding tanks properly will lead to problems with the tank after the winter and, in many cases, an extremely bad odor when spring comes.

After you have flushed and cleaned your holding tanks purchase fogging oil and spray the oil into the RVs engine intake and generator. This can only be done when using an RV that does not have a diesel engine! Doing this can help protect the cylinder walls of your RV and your manufacturer maintenance instructions might even include suggestions for types of fogging oil to use. If you are not sure where you should be spraying the fogging oil consider seeking outside help.

The next thing you need to do is completely remove the battery from your RV. This will help you avoid a mess with leaked battery acid when spring comes or having to replace a completely cracked batter. Once the battery is removed store it in a safe, warm, place inside your home that people do not sleep in. When spring comes all you have to do is put your battery back into the RV.

The last thing you should do to the interior of your RV is thoroughly clean it. Do not leave any food in your RV even if you are sure it is nonperishable. Wipe down all surfaces, clean all floors, and carefully dry out all cleaned areas to prevent mildew or molding. Once you have cleaned the inside of the RV place vent covers over all air vents to help cut down on musty smells. These covers are easy to install but if you are not sure how to go about installation consider hiring a third party to help you.

When you have completed the winterization process for the interior of your RV it is time to move on to the exterior. Give your RV a good cleaning before putting into storage for the winter months. If possible wax the outside of your RV and then grease the tires to help prevent cracking and other damage. Another thing that you should try to do is place a bit of wood between the tires and the ground of your storage area. If you do decide to place wood below your tire make sure the wood is larger than your tire area.

Winterizing your RV before putting it into storage is an act that will become second nature over time. Taking the initiative to protect your RV from the winter even though it will be in storage will make it easier for you and your family to hit the road when spring comes and it is time to start traveling.