Winter is Here! How to Winterize your Camper

Well Wintertime is here and of course it's time to get those campers winterized so they don't freeze!  Winterizing is pretty simple really, don't make it more difficult than it is.  Here is a quick universal way to winterize your camper.....

• Relieve the pressure off your water heater

• Drain your water heater

• Open up your low point drains

• Drain your fresh water tank

• Drain your holding tanks

• Bypass your water heater if your camper is equipped with a bypass

• Open up all your faucets including outside shower if equipped

• Make sure to also open your toilet valve, either prop it open or have someone hold it open for you

• Install your blow out plug where your water hose would normally hook up

• Hook your air hose to the blow out plug and blow air through all your water lines until no water comes out from any of the faucets or the toilet

• Finally, pour about 1 cup of RV antifreeze down each drain and in the bowl of your toilet and you're done.

This process should take no more than 15-20 minutes and will save you time and especially money come Springtime!

Here is the process with pics added for those of you that aren't sure exactly what these components are or what they look like....

Winterizing Instructions

• Relieve the Pressure off your water heater by flipping up the lever on pop off valve located at the top of your water heater on the outside of your camper

•   Drain your water heater

                                          Drain Plug/Annode Rod on Suburban water heaters

                                                     Drain Plug on Atwood water heaters

• Open up your low point drains

• Drain your fresh water tank

• Drain your holding tanks

• Bypass your water heater if your camper is equipped with a water heater bypass system 

                                          Three valve system on backside of water heater.  Top
                                          valve and bottom valve need to be closed and middle
                                          valve needs to be open in order to bypass water heater.

                                          Single valve system.  Close this valve to bypass.

• Open up (turn on) all your faucets, cold and hot water side.  Make sure to open up your outside shower faucet as well if your camper has one.  
• Hold your toilet valve open as if you are flushing your toilet.  You will have to use something to prop it open or have someone hold it open for you while you are winterizing.
• Install blow out plug where your water hose normally hooks up at your city water connection

• Hook your air hose to the blow out plug and blow air through all your water lines until no water comes out from any of the faucets or the toilet
•  Finally, pour about 1 cup of RV antifreeze down each drain and in the bowl of your toilet and you're done.

Don't let Camping turn into Work!

Way too often I hear stories from customers about camping that just sound like Work!  So many people try to make everything perfect and get too uptight about going camping.  Camping is meant to be a relaxing activity so don't let it turn into something that stresses you out.

For example...you camper doesn't have to be absolutely perfectly level to camp in it.  I see some people spend half an hour trying to get their trailer on dead zero level.  Yes it needs to be mostly level but most of the time when I go camping I just eyeball it and let it go.  You know what, my kids have just as much fun and those s'mores taste just as good even if we are off a 1/4 bubble on our level lol.

Camping is one of the most relaxing and enjoyable activities you can do with your family so just make sure to go into it with a positive laid back attitude and leave your stress at home.  When you start to get aggravated at something just step back and think about why you are camping in the first place.  Your whole family will love you more for it. 

Just Getting Started

My name is Scott Robbins and I am the General Manager and Operator at Robbins RV 

Center in Idabel, OK.  I've never blogged before but have been wanting to for a while now.  I 

created this blog just to share some tips and tricks about camping and campers in general.  I will be sharing viable info on travel trailers and fifth wheels as well as viable info about what camping is and how beneficial it can be.  I'm open to advice and guidance on what people like and don't like so feel free to comment any time.  

Just to share a little about our dealership so you know where I'm coming from....we sell and service towable RVs which are travel trailers and fifth wheels.  We handle 5 different manufacturers of campers including industry leaders like Keystone, Forest River, Heartland, Open Range, and KZ.  We also sell used campers.  We have a full parts showroom and complete service department.  My parents own the dealership and I manage it, my mother is the office manager.  We are laid back and have a low pressure sales approach.  We have a staff of six people including myself plus our friendly mascot Marley which is my lab/pitt mix dog.  I look forward to sharing information and answering questions with this blog.  Thanks for reading.

Scott