It’s that time of year once again. If you’re not a year-round RVer, the time has come to think about winterizing your RV to protect it during the months you’ll be staying put.
Let’s be honest, we know that this isn’t something most people look forward to. Not only is it not exciting to be putting vacations and weekend getaways on hold for a season, but the work of winterizing an RV isn’t what people look forward to when they start their RVing adventure. But it’s an important step to help protect your RV and make it easier to get back on the road in the spring while avoiding unwanted “surprises”.
Properly winterizing your RV can help protect it against things like water damage, mold, and rodents. The last thing you want is to be excited for your first RV trip of the spring only to discover that you have costly repairs that need to be made because you didn’t take the steps you needed to before storing your RV for the winter. So, here is an easy checklist to help you get started:
Clean out the RV
The first step on the list is one of the simplest even if it is a little time-consuming. Give your RV a good cleaning. Do things like:
- Make sure you empty the fridge and freezer completely
- Defrost the freezer
- Take all food out of the cabinets
- Pull out all linens, wash them, and store them at home for the winter
- Wipe down everything inside
- Unplug any electronics or appliances
- Take batteries out of anything so you can put fresh ones in when spring comes
- Remove propane tanks to store separately through the winter
Protect against rodents
Look for any areas that rodents could get in. Remember that they can squeeze through the smallest openings. Stuff any openings you find with steel wool to deter things like mice. You can purchase rodent repellent or even use things like cedar chips or dryer sheets inside your RV to help keep mice away.
Protect against odor
It’s easy for things to start to get a little stinky when they’re closed up and not getting good airflow for several months. You can purchase odor absorbers to help combat this. You can also make your own odor absorbing/air freshener by using things like baking soda and essential oils.
It can also be helpful to use a natural dehumidifier to pull moisture out of the air to fight against mold growth.
Wash the RV
Before winterizing the exterior of the RV, you want to give it a really good washing. Pay extra attention to seals and seams to inspect for any cracks. Once the RV is clean, you can use sealant on any necessary areas. This will also give you a chance to see if there is any exterior damage like cracks or scratches that you may want to have repaired before getting on the road again.
Drain the lines
It’s important to drain water out of all the lines. This includes waterlines, holding tanks, toilet, hot water heater and any other area that could be holding water. Then, you want to put nontoxic antifreeze (the pink one, not the green one) into the water system. Make sure to move it through the different parts of the system to properly protect everything. You also want to depressurize the system and close off the faucets.
Cover the RV
There are a few options when it comes to covering your RV. If you have a garage big enough to store your RV, then you’re in luck. However, if you’re like most people, that’s not the case. You can rent an indoor storage unit for your RV to protect it from the elements. If you don’t want to do that, make sure you purchase a cover for your RV. Covering your tires will also help prevent rot.
Schedule spring maintenance
After all this winterizing, don’t forget that it’s important to have regular maintenance done on your RV in order to help avoid costly repairs. If you are packing up the RV this winter without addressing those concerns, make sure you schedule a time to have it completed in early spring when you get ready for the new RVing season.
Does winterizing seem like a lot of work? It is! Contact the helpful folks in the Sky River RV service department to schedule your winterizing service today!
