RV Plumbing: Preventing Frozen Pipes in Winter

Okanagan winters are milder than the rest of the province, but a single cold snap below -10°C is enough to split a water line or crack a pump housing. Freeze damage is one of the most common spring repairs we see, and almost all of it is preventable.

If You're Storing the RV: Winterize Properly

1. Drain the fresh water tank and open the low-point drains.
2. Drain the water heater. Turn it off and let it cool first, and bypass it so it doesn't fill with antifreeze.
3. Blow out the lines with low-pressure compressed air, or pump RV antifreeze through every tap until it runs pink. Do hot and cold sides, the toilet and any outside shower.
4. Pour antifreeze into every P-trap and a little into the holding tanks.
5. Dump and flush the black and grey tanks before storage.

Use only RV/marine antifreeze, which is non-toxic and pink. Never use automotive antifreeze.

If You're Living or Camping in It

• Use a heated fresh-water hose, plugged in and wrapped at the faucet end.
• Keep the furnace running. Many RVs heat the underbelly and tank bay from the furnace ducts, and a space heater inside won't reach them.
• Keep the grey valve closed until the tank is mostly full, so it doesn't freeze in a thin layer, then dump in the warmest part of the day.
• Skirt the coach to keep wind out from underneath.
• Tank heater pads help, but check they're actually working before you rely on them.

Spring Check

When you de-winterize, pressurize the system and look for drips under sinks, behind the water heater access panel and at the pump. Catching a cracked fitting early stops it from rotting the floor. We offer winterizing and de-winterizing service at our Okanagan Falls shop.