Camper van winterization
Tanks, pump, lines and water heater drained and protected before the first hard freeze, following each manufacturer's procedure.
IllustrationOne cold night is enough
Salt Lake and the mountains around it freeze for months. Water left in a pump head, fitting or water heater expands and cracks it, and you find out in spring. Winterizing means draining, blowing out at low pressure and, where appropriate, protecting the lines with non-toxic RV antifreeze pulled through the pump with a bypass.
Water heaters each have their own rules. A Truma AquaGo, common in builder vans, should be drained with its Easy Drain lever and its filter removed, and Truma doesn't recommend compressed air or antifreeze without its bypass kit. We follow the maker's procedure for whatever is in your van.
Simplified water system. Drain everything, isolate the water heater with its bypass, then clear or protect each line to every fixture.
- 1Low-point drain tank and lines emptied first
- 2Water heater drained per its maker; bypassed
- 3Bypass valve keeps antifreeze out of the heater
- 4Pump pulls RV antifreeze if used
- 5Every fixture run until clear or pink
How we do it
Shut down
Pump and water heater off, heater cooled, faucets opened.
Drain
Fresh tank, low points, pump and water heater by its maker's method.
Blow out
Lines cleared with regulated, low-pressure air where appropriate.
Bypass and protect
Water heater bypassed, RV antifreeze pulled to every fixture where appropriate.
Label
Filters out and the van tagged as winterized so nobody runs the pump.
Good to know
Inside or outside?
If your tanks and lines are inside the heated cabin and you keep the heater running, you can use the van all winter.
Follow the heater's rules
Truma, Isotherm and others have different drain and bypass procedures.
Only RV antifreeze
Never automotive antifreeze in a fresh water system.
Spring start-up
We flush, sanitize, reinstall filters and get everything running again.
Questions about winterizing
Do I need antifreeze?
Not always. Draining and blowing out can be enough depending on your system and water heater.
What about my Truma water heater?
We drain it with Truma's procedure and only use antifreeze with the bypass kit installed.
Can I keep using my van in winter?
Yes, if the water system is inside the heated space and the heater runs. Otherwise, drain it.
Do you de-winterize too?
Yes. We flush, sanitize and get the system running in spring.
Book a winterization
Send a few details and we will call you back with ideas, options and a ballpark.
- 6771 Emigration Canyon Rd, Salt Lake City
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