To Winterize or Not? Assessing Your Local Climate
A common debate among RV owners is whether complete winterization is truly necessary, especially if you live in a region with mild winters. The golden rule of RV maintenance is simple: if temperatures drop below freezing for more than a few hours, water in your lines will expand and crack your plumbing.
Even if you plan to use your motorhome occasionally during the winter months, leaving lines full of water during an unexpected hard freeze spells disaster. If you decide against full antifreeze winterization, you must keep the interior heated or completely blow out the lines with compressed air after every trip.
Mastering the Low-Pressure Air Method and Pink Stuff
How Much Antifreeze Do You Need?
For most standard travel trailers and motorhomes like a Coachmen Beyond, you will typically need about 2 to 3 gallons of non-toxic RV plumbing antifreeze (the pink stuff). If you have a large rig with multiple bathrooms, a residential fridge icemaker, and a washing machine, grab 4 to 5 gallons just to be safe.
Step-by-Step Low-Pressure Air Method
- Drain your fresh water, grey water, and black water tanks completely, then open the low-point drains.
- Bypass your water heater using the installed bypass valves to avoid wasting gallons of antifreeze filling that large tank.
- Attach a blowout plug to your city water inlet and use an air compressor regulated to 30-40 PSI to blow out the lines section by section.
- Open each hot and cold faucet, flush the toilet, and run the shower until only air comes out. Don't forget outdoor showers and low-point drains.
- Pour a cup or two of pink antifreeze down every P-trap to protect your drain traps from freezing.
Tires, Covers, and Storage Yard Realities
Leaving your motorhome sitting in one spot all winter puts intense, sustained pressure on your rubber tires, leading to flat spots and premature sidewall cracking. Whenever possible, inflate your tires to the maximum recommended cold pressure, park on level concrete or treated wood blocks rather than bare mud, and consider using tire covers to block damaging UV rays.
When choosing between open-air lots and covered storage, covered or indoor spots are always superior for protecting your rubber roof seals and fiberglass from snow loads and ice buildup. If you keep your rig in a storage yard, always lock your hitch, remove valuables, and check in periodically. Many RVers face the surprise of yard owners moving their trailers for facility maintenance, so ensuring your emergency contact info is up to date with the facility manager is vital.
Finally, avoid the temptation to place high-wattage space heaters underneath your trailer in an attempt to keep underbelly plumbing warm. Unattended electric heaters in tight spaces present a severe fire hazard; instead, rely on proper skirting combined with a low-wattage radiant caged heater specifically rated for RV underbellies if you are actively living in the rig during freezing weather.