Winterizing your RV require managing an amount of water in the RV’s plumbing system. If the RV’s plumbing system contain water, that water can freeze in the winter month. When water freezes, it expand and can split or break the plumbing system.
While using antifreeze is one part of the winterizing process, ensure that no water remains in the plumbing system is the primary concern. The concentration of antifreeze you use are important. The concentration will determine how cold it is before the antifreeze mix with the water in the RV plumbing system freeze.
How to Winterize Your RV Water System
A fifty fifty blend of antifreeze and water will work in climates like the southern region of the United States or coastal areas. However, if the winter temperature drop into the negative teens, a fifty fifty blend is not the best solution for winterizing your RV plumbing system. A sixty forty ratio of antifreeze to water will provide more protection for the plumbing system and allow it to remain in safe condition in colder temperatures.
Choose a ratio that match your specific climate and ensures that the temperature of your antifreeze solution cannot allow it to freezing. You must use RV antifreeze and not automotive antifreeze. RV antifreeze use propylene glycol as the liquid solution that prevent the water in the plumbing system from freezing.
Propylene glycol is safe to use in the potable water line in the RV. Automotive antifreeze use ethylene glycol as its liquid solution. Ethylene glycol is toxic to human and other pets and is unsafe to use in the potable water lines.
If you use automotive antifreeze, the ethylene glycol will contaminate your water system. Additionally, the antifreeze would of been considered hazardous waste. Ensure that the antifreeze you use contain propylene glycol to keep your water system safe.
The volume of antifreeze you need is more than the size of your fresh water tank. You must take into account the volume of liquid that can remain in the RV’s plumbing lines. Additionally, there is volumes of water that can remain in the P-traps and dead legs of each fixture in your RV.
Small trailers will require less antifreeze than large motorhomes due to the amount of plumbing line and plumbing fixtures. You can winterize your RV using one of two method: the compressed air method or the antifreeze method. With the compressed air method, you force air through the RV’s plumbing system to remove any remaining water.
With the antifreeze method, you pour antifreeze into the plumbing system to ensure that antifreeze fills each low spot in the plumbing system. Many people prefers to use both methods to ensure that all water is removed from the plumbing lines and all P-traps is filled with antifreeze. When spring arrive, you will have to flush the antifreeze from your RV’s plumbing system.
Run water through each plumbing fixture in your RV until the pink color of the antifreeze are gone. However, flushing the plumbing system with fresh water is not the only thing you will have to do. Additionally, you will have to replace the water filter cartridge in your RV.
The water filter may have picked up the antifreeze during the winter. You may also want to perform a sanitizing cycle in your RV using a diluted bleach solution. Finally, rinse the RV’s plumbing system with fresh water to remove any residual chemical used to sanitize your water system.
You can use a refractometer to measure the antifreeze concentration in your RV’s plumbing system. A refractometer is the only way to accurately measure the freeze point of the antifreeze solution. If you guess at the antifreeze concentration, you may be incorrect.
If you are incorrect in your guess, the antifreeze may freeze and damage the plumbing system. Place a few drop of the antifreeze solution on the refractometer prism to get an accurate reading of how much protection the antifreeze can offer your plumbing system. Using insulation or heat tape is an additional step you can take to winterize your RV.
However, they are not a replacement for the proper antifreeze concentration. You can use foam wrap to insulate the underbelly plumbing line of your RV. Additionally, you can use heat tape to insulate your RV’s plumbing lines.
However, these methods are not as important as the proper concentration of antifreeze and remove any liquid water from your RV’s plumbing system.
