Winterization of RV

[vishwajith]

Hello,

I am planning to rent an RV (C28) for the first time. My plan is to travel to Death Valley, Bryce and Zion National Forest from Nov 25-Dec 1. I have some questions around winterization of RV.

1> Should we be really concerned about winterization of RV assuming the above itinerary ?

2> Should we not use water in RV for kitchen, rest rooms and bath ? I heard the water may freeze thereby affecting the plumbing, Can we use just toilet, assuming we can take bath and other stuff outside RV? Do we need to use anti-freeze instead of water here?

3> Any tips/recommendation for winterization?

Thanks
Vishwajith

[Racine96]

When I stayed on campgrounds where the temps are under 32 degrees, the managers have asked me to keep the water hose connected but on of the faucet dripping inside. Doing this, I never had problems. Of course keep the furnace working all the time.

[DrewE]

Go over your uses with the rental agency or person and see what they say to do. Most likely, if you'll be keeping the RV in use (and so running the furnace, etc. when it's cold), there's no reason to winterize or do anything else particularly different to camp in moderately sub-freezing temperatures, though it depends some on the specific RV model in question. You will need to use water from the built-in tank with the water pump rather than leaving the hose connected and using city water, as the hose will freeze if left in the cold weather (and quite possibly damage the campground's spigot as well).

[Flyfisherman128]

I have used my rv year round for the past 4 years. The key is to use the furnace. The colder it gets the more the furnace needs to run. Im not sure where the waste tanks are located. Mine are external. I had to make provisions for these. But the internal piping is original. Tested to -20°.. I only winterized once -28°. There's no telling what's going to freeze freeze without testing. That being said,, since it's a rental i would winterize.

[Caladan]

If you will be in and using your RV every day, then you shouldn’t need to worry. You will be heating the inside of your RV, which should keep the water inside the pipes in a liquid state. If it is really cold, you can open cabinet doors to heat the areas where the pipes go. Use holding tank heaters too, if your RV has them.

You will need to do something with your water hose, otherwise it will freeze solid at low temps. Store it overnight, re-hookup when you wake up. Run a bit of water through it during the daytime.

We have camped in temps down to 18 F with our class C, and never had any issues.

[cavie]

Youtube is your friend. Winterization of an is pretty much generic.

[rjstractor]

If you're going to be staying in and/or driving the RV the whole trip, you shouldn't have to worry about freezing too much unless temps are extreme. If you are leaving it parked and unheated for any length of time, you will probably have freezing problems if daytime temps are below freezing. But nighttime lows of a few degrees below freezing with highs above freezing seldom cause any problems.

[MDKMDK]

You will probably see sub freezing temps, at least overnight, in Bryce Canyon at 8000'. Water will be a problem. Best to tell the rental place where you're headed, and get their take on it. If you damage the RV by negligence, you're probably on the hook for the repair costs.