This has become a common question in recent years, as some people have found it impossible to use their campers because the current events. This has led people to ask the question, how long can my camper stay winterized? Some owners have found that their camper will stay winterized for 2-3 years minimum. While your camper may be able to go much longer, it is suggested that you don’t let it go much longer without being cleaned and winterized again.
While RV antifreeze does evaporate, it doesn’t go as fast as water. Keep in mind if you dilute your antifreeze with water inside your water lines and tanks, it may not be able to stay winterized for as long. Some people say that antifreeze should last indefinitely if not diluted with water. While this isn’t necessarily true, your antifreeze will last for many more years than if you dilute it.
If you DO dilute your RV antifreeze, you may want to add a cup or so every month, or re-winterize your camper with some non-diluted. Some RV antifreezes say on the bottle that it can lose it’s power if stored in high temperatures. This is something you should consider when deciding where to store your camper.
Please keep in mind that despite your antifreeze being able to last for years, you may not want to leave it this way if you unless you can’t help it. Some RV and camper owners suggest that after two years, you should empty your water lines and tanks and re-winteriztize everything. Also remember that RV antifreeze leaves a pink residue that will build up over time and be a pain to get off after a couple years.
When re-winterizing your camper, RV, motorhome, travel trailer, etc; make sure your flush all the tanks and water lines well. You may have to repeat a process of flushing and cleaning several times until you longer have pink-tainted water. This may be an issue if you have left your camper winterized for several years, however it’s nothing that time and deep cleaning can’t fix.
If you are winterizing with the intention of leaving your camper vacant for some time, you should definitely try the “dry method” on your camper. This means after you have flushed, cleaned, and ran antifreeze through your system, you blow out the lines using. This way you have no water in your tanks or lines that could be frozen if you encounter a deep freeze.
You may choose to re-fill your water tanks with RV antifreeze after this, especially if you live in an area that gets pretty cold during the winter months. If you plan on driving a little before putting your camper away for good, you will definitely want to consider this as it can help with smell and provide some extra cleaning time (as the antifreeze will slosh around during travel reaching those hard to clean areas). Keep in mind if this is the case, you won’t be able to use your toilet without having to re-clean everything when you reach home.
If you plan on leaving your camper or RV vacant for several months or years, you should take extra precautions to make sure it will be usable when you are ready to get it back out again. Blowing out the drain and lines are very important, as water could freeze inside these pipes and burst or split if the antifreeze fails. You can do this by using compressed air, this is the most common and convenient way to blow the lines.
To prevent any unnecessary damage to your camper and it’s plumbing, you may choose to add a little antifreeze to your tanks and lines every month or every six months (depending on how long you plan on keeping it empty). This way there is always a little fresh antifreeze, and you can keep an eye on what is happening in your camper. This way if your tanks or lines were starting to freeze, you could hopefully flush some hot water through it before it became too urgent of a problem.
Water and time aren’t the only things that could cause your RV antifreeze to go bad, but improper ventilation and sealing could make your antifreeze get stale. When winterizing, make sure that all your tanks and water lines are closed properly and no air will be passing through. Not only will this keep your antifreeze in better shape, but it will help prevent your lines and tanks from freezing.
Continue reading to learn more about when you can de-winterize your camper or RV:
When Is It Safe To De-Winterize An RV?
This is a common question among those who live in areas with unpredictable weather patterns, or those who are new to the RV lifestyle all together. Knowing when to it is safe to de-winterize is one of the trickier parts of learning how to care for your RV, but it really isn’t that hard. To answer the question, most RV owners say that as long as the weather doesn’t stay consistently cold or drop below -1 longer than a few hours, you should be safe to de-winterize.
Depending on where you live, this should be during spring, in between the months of April and June. You will want to make sure it is staying decently warm, even if it is still a little cool in the mornings and nights. Just as long as it is not reaching freezing temperatures for longer than a few hours at night. If it is reaching cold temperatures during the day, it shouldn’t be too much of a problem since the sun will help balance this out.
At the end of the day, you will need to use your best judgement. Some people like to take trips in their RV as early as March, but depending on your area you may not be ready to de-winterize your RV. Keep in mind that you can still travel if your camper is only partially de-winterized, but you may need to use some rest stops until you have got the job done. If the weather feels pretty unpredictable by the time you want to leave for your trip, you may want to not de-winterize until the day before (or the day of) your trip.
Many people choose to winterize on their way to the destination. This actually isn’t that hard to do, and may be more convenient than worrying about your pipes freezing in the middle of the night. This may be even more ideal if you are planning on traveling somewhere very warm, such as Texas or Arizona. Make sure you bring along some extra jugs of water to flush the toilet however, since this isn’t something you will be able to do until after you have de-winterize your water tanks.
So to recap, if you want to winterize your RV and the temperatures are not going in the negatives for more than a few hours, you should be just fine to winterize. If this isn’t the case for you, winterizing on your way to your destination may be the best solution for you. Just make sure you thoroughly equip yourself with the tools you need if you choose the second option.
Check out some of these great products to help you efficiently winterize and de-winterize your RV or camper:
RecPro Non-Toxic RV Antifreeze
This RV antifreeze is the perfect non-toxic option for your RV or camper. RV antifreeze is different than regular automotive antifreeze, and is safer for those working with it. This antifreeze is non-toxic, and can be identified by its pinkish color. Check out this perfect RV antifreeze for your camper.
Camco Permanent Pump Converter
This pump will be very useful for anyone who wants a tool to help with winterizing their camper! This pump will help you pump antifreeze throughout your plumbing system, as well as flush water. Check out this awesome tool to make winterizing easier for you!
Dust-Off Electronics Compressed Air
This canned compressed air is a must have tool for blowing out your camper’s water system. This air can help clean and dry your water lines and tanks, to prevent freezing and bursting over the winter months. Check out this nicely packaged and easy to use compressed canned air.
Camco Feet 25ft Premium Water Hose
This water hose is perfect for draining and flushing out your black and gray water tanks. This will be very useful when you are winterizing and de-winterizing your RV or camper. Check out this super premium quality 25 ft water hose.
We hope this article helped you determine how long your camper can stay winterized. Sharing problems and solutions can make RV living so much easier. So if we didn’t include something that you have experienced, please leave a comment below to share with others. Until then, enjoy, be safe and have fun RVing!
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