Winterizing: Compressed Air vs. RV Antifreeze
TWO VALID METHODS, DON’T HALF-DO EITHER ONE
Seasonal guide
Winterize your RV before freeze damage
Protect the fresh-water system, traps, and water heater before freeze damage turns into PEX archaeology.
Active corridor: Montana · Wyoming · Idaho · Washington — case-by-case beyond.
Field notes
One night below freezing with water still in the lines can split a pipe, crack a water heater tank, or ruin a pump. Here’s the full procedure, both directions. Winterizing Procedure De-Winterizing Procedure Beyond the Water System
De-Winterizing in the Spring
DON’T ASSUME IT’S READY UNTIL YOU’VE CHECKED
Beyond the Water System
WINTER STORAGE PREP TOUCHES MORE THAN JUST PLUMBING
Don’t Want to Do It Yourself?
Full winterizing and de-winterizing service, done right the first time, with a real inspection along the way. We come to you.
Owner checklist
- Drain the fresh water tank, gray tank, and black tank completely first
- Open the low-point drains and let the lines gravity-drain
- Bypass the water heater — never push antifreeze through the water heater tank, and don’t leave it full of water either, drain it via the drain plug/anode
- Compressed air method: blow out each line at 30–40 PSI max (too high can damage fixtures/seals) until no more water sputters from each faucet, hot and cold, plus the toilet and outside shower
- Antifreeze method: use a water pump converter kit or siphon hose to pull RV-specific (non-toxic, propylene glycol) antifreeze through the pump, run every faucet hot and cold until pink fluid appears, then the t
- Close all low-point drains and re-install the water heater drain plug/anode (torqued but not overtightened)
- Take the water heater out of bypass mode
- Sanitize the fresh water system with a diluted bleach solution (roughly 1/4 cup bleach per 15 gallons of tank capacity), fill, let sit several hours, then flush thoroughly before drinking from it
Related: Preventive & seasonal · Spring de-winterization · Plumbing service
Pricing teaser
Trip fee $75 within 30 miles, then $1.50/mi. Labor ~$150/hr (1-hour minimum, billed in 30-minute increments). Diagnostic $150 applied toward repair if you proceed. Seasonal winterize $175 · trip prep $225 when quoted for your corridor stop.
Active corridor: Montana · Wyoming · Idaho · Washington — case-by-case beyond. Credentials (text): Victron Professional Certified Installer · weBoost Authorized Installer · Peplink Certified Associate · Dometic Professional Certified.