Master Guide to Winterizing RVs

Hi Bobby. I don’t have the specs of everything that your RV has but I do have a good template with the instructions on how to winterize all RV’s. The same principal applies to all RVs, getting the water out of the system. This includes the lines, hot water tanks and all holding tanks. The lines can be cleared using pressurized air or siphon anti freeze into the system to push out all of the water. Here is the steps for winterizing:
Start by draining all of the holding tanks, this includes the fresh potable water tank and all gray and black waste tanks. You then want to drain the hot water tank. Atwood/Dometic models have a 7/8″ or 15/16″ plastic drain plug and Suburban models use a 1 1/16″ steel drain plug that has an anode rod attached to it. Both of these drain plugs are located on the outside of the hot water tank near the bottom. Pull the plug and leave it out during storage. Once the tank is drained you want to bypass the tank.You don’t want to add anti-freeze to the hot water tanks so you want to bypass it. Most RV’s are equipped with a way to do this either by valves on the back of the hot water tank or a valve in the wet-bay to put the water lines in bypass. Most travel trailers and some 5th wheels use the valves on the back of the tank, most 5th wheels motorhomes use a manifold system that has a valve in the wet-bay. I will provide a diagram showing how to set the valves on the back of the tank. There are many different set ups and can vary from year to year but the basic idea is to divert the cold line to the hot line without anything going into the tank. Some RV’s don’t even come with these valves and they would need to be installed if aren’t present.
Once the tank is in bypass you want to drain as much water as possible from the water lines. There should be some low point drains under the RV, these can be in many locations and are different on every model but there are typically two side by side. They can have turn valves, caps or even a valve inside the RV to release the water outside. Open both of these lines and then open all faucets inside. This will drain most of the water out of the lines. You then close everything back up. If you skip this step it is not a big deal but you will end up using more anti-freeze than if you didn’t. This is because the anti-freeze will mix with the water in the lines and you have to run more to clear out the mixture. Most RV’s use 2-3 gallons based on the size and extra features. Larger 5th wheels and motorhomes that include things like washers, dishwasher, macerator pumps etc will use a lot more. You can now add anti-freeze to the system. Most RV’s are set up to do this at the water pump. You want to locate the pump and see if there is a valve attached to it with another hose. If there is, this is the siphon hose. You turn the valves to open up the additional hose and put the hose in your jug of anti-freeze. Turn on the pump and let the pressure build up until the pump turns off. You can then go to each fixture one at a time and open the valves until solid color anti-freeze is coming out. On faucets make sure to do both hot and cold lines and also select the different spray settings for the nozzle if there are multiple ones. Make sure to get the toilet and outside fixtures as well like an outside shower or sink. You also want to make sure to open the lower point drains as well. Once anti-freeze is coming out of every fixture that water can come out, you are done siphoning. If you do not have this siphon feature at the pump, you can install your own using a kit or you can use a manual pump at the city water connection. Once the lines are finished you can then take the remainder of the anti-freeze and poor it down all of the drains to fill the P-traps and prevent them from freezing.
Here are some videos on winterizing as well:https://www.rvrepairclub.com/article/winterizing-m/
Thanks
Dan-RV Repair Club

Hi Gwen. There will be a drain plug on the outside of the tank. There are a few different models but the most common are Suburban and Atwood/Dometic. Suburban will have a metal drain plug in the center near the bottom of the tank under the burner. Atwood/Dometic will have a plastic plug in the same area or sometimes on the left side of the center near the bottom. Remove this plug and the water will drain out. Suburban uses a 1 1/16″ socket to remove the plug and Atwood/Dometic use 15/16″ socket. This is of course as long as no one installed something after market like a petcock valve. I will share two pictures of the two common tanks and where the drain plugs are located. I hope this helps!
Dan
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