Already thinking about your very first camping trip of the year? Well, before you can pack the RV and hit the open road to visit your favorite destinations, you need to take time and dewinterize your camper.
As fall wound its way into winter, you prepped your RV for cold-weather storage – now, it’s time for a little spring maintenance. Learn how to give your on-the-road home a thorough checkup before heading into all of those warm-weather adventures.
Why Do You Need To Dewinterize Your RV?
If you simply yank the cover off your camper and start up the engine, you can put yourself (and anyone who’s along for the ride) at risk. While your RV is in storage, wear and tear still happens, just in a different and often less obvious manner.
Sitting unused can lead to wear on belts, seals, and electrical wiring, especially as winter weather and temperatures fluctuate. Tires can degrade, batteries can empty or lose much of their power, and all of the key fluids under the hood and within your camper’s plumbing can freeze, thaw, and cause problems.
So, taking a weekend to assess your camper; check the interior, exterior, and under the hood; and perform preventative or much-needed maintenance before you hit the road can ensure you have a smooth and safe first camping trip in the spring.
How to Dewinterize Your RV Step By Step
To make sure your RV is ready to hit the road, you’ll need to perform an inspection of key areas of maintenance and safety. Start with what’s under the hood – your vehicle’s engine and electrical system – and work your way along the outside to check the tires and their potential road performance. Then, you’ll want to check your RV’s most critical systems inside and out. This includes fire safety systems and the propane system.
Here’s how to walk through the process of dewinterizing your camper so your RV is safe, road ready, and prepared for your very first camping trips when spring arrives.
Engine and Electrical Maintenance
Here’s an overview of what to check or repair:
- Inspect all battery connections for corrosion around terminals
- Clean any buildup around terminals
- Inspect hoses, belts, and rubber seals or components under the hood for cracks or degradation
- Replace any rubber components that are worn or unusable
- Check your RV’s battery and battery fluid levels (charge or top off as needed)
- Inspect the air filter and replace if dirty
- Prime your generator, running it to prevent dry starts and freshen fuel in its lines
- Test your RV’s electrical appliances
Tip: For a more thorough test of your electrical system, like a deeper run-through of how your DC and AC electrical system is working, you’ll want to have a professional run some diagnostic testing. This can not only catch wear, but also offer insight into just how efficiently your RV’s electrical is performing.
Tire Maintenance
Your tires play a key role in your camper’s road safety, so you’ll want to make sure they haven’t begun developing signs of wear that could leave you stranded – or cause an accident – when driving.
Here’s what to check as you dewinterize your RV:
- Check all tires, including the spare, for proper inflation
- Inflate any lower-pressure tires to the recommended PSI
- Inspect tires for signs of damage, like cracks, cuts, scrapes, or sidewall damage
- Check tread depth on each tire (and replace those measuring below 4/32”)
- Repack wheel bearings, especially if it’s been a year since the last repacking
If any of your tires are looking too worn or weak in tread depth, it’s better to replace them. Too much wear, particularly on the tread, causes your RV to lose its grip and traction on the road.
Propane System Maintenance
While your RV’s propane system is more about firing up the appliances inside your camper rather than the essential automotive parts under the hood, it’s still a critical system to check. You don’t want to run the risk of a propane-related disaster striking when you fire up the stove or try to heat water for a shower at camp.
Here’s a checklist to give this interior system a thorough checkup:
- Double-check that all propane appliances are properly turned off
- Inspect each appliance for dust, debris, or even nests of insects or critters
- Check all propane lines, taking a close look at seals and hoses for cracks and damage
- Check your propane level and refill if it’s below 80%
- Open valves and check for leaks (all you need is soapy water that’ll bubble if a leak appears)
- Test each propane appliance one by one, and let them run a couple of cycles
Tip: When you’re individually testing your RV’s propane appliances, make sure it’s a test that lasts minutes – not just seconds! Just because an appliance like the stove turns on doesn’t mean it’s actually operating properly. Instead, let it cycle once or twice to ensure it’s working up to its usual par.
Fire Safety Systems Maintenance
Ensure your RV’s most critical indoor safety equipment is functional by performing the following dewinterizing checks:
- Test and check the batteries in any smoke alarms
- Test and check the power (or batteries) in your carbon monoxide detector
- Check the expiration dates on any fire extinguishers and if they need to be recharged
Test your LP detector
RV Water System Cleaning & Maintenance
Your plumbing system might not be top of mind until you’re ready to use it at a campsite, but it’s one aspect of your RV that can see some significant changes while in storage. And no one wants burst pipes or an extra-gross holding tank discovery while far from home.
So, here’s a checklist that’ll walk you through how to flush out, clean, and maintain your camper’s water system before you head out into the wild.
Drain and Flush the Plumbing System
If you used RV antifreeze while your camper was in cold storage, you’ll need to completely drain your water pipes and flush any remaining antifreeze out. Here’s how to do so:
- Hook your RV up to a fresh water source
- Open all faucets (including bathroom and kitchen faucets)
- Run water through the faucets until it’s visibly clear
- Test all valves while you’re hooked up to water, flushing the toilet, running the shower and sinks, and any outside water sources
Sanitize Your RV’s Plumbing System
Once the antifreeze is cleared out of your RV’s pipes and plumbing, you’ll want to clean out the system as another defense against any unsafe additives or bacteria potentially ending up in your shower water (or worse, drinking water).
Here’s how to sanitize the whole system:
- Add 1 cup of bleach for every 60 gallons of water
- Pump water through the plumbing system until you get a faint whiff of bleach
- Shut all valve and let the bleach-water mixture sit for 12 hours
- Run fresh water through the pipes again until all bleach is emptied
You’ll also want to sanitize one more aspect of the plumbing system: your RV’s holding tanks.
Though the fresh, gray, and black tanks were likely emptied and cleaned before your camper went into storage, you don’t know if mold or bacteria built up over the course of winter.
To sanitize RV holding tanks:
- Fill your tanks one-third full with water
- Add an RV-safe soap into the tanks
- Drive your RV around so the mixture cleans every corner of the tanks
- Use a spray wand to deep clean every corner of the tanks’ interiors
- Dump the contents (where it’s safe to do so!)
Clean & Inspect Your RV’s Interior
Even if your camper has been locked up in storage, dust and dirt can still sneak inside. Freshen up your on-the-road home by cleaning and inspecting every inch of the interior by:
- Cleaning all surfaces, from the floors to the counters to the cabinets
- Checking water filters and air filters (and replacing if dirty)
- Cleaning any bedding or removable fabric items, like curtains
- Checking inside cabinets for signs of pests
Once you’ve thoroughly cleaned the interior, you’ll also want to restock your RV with your camping essentials. Now’s the time to add more towels, fresh bedding, cleaning products, cooking equipment and other must-haves you’ll use during your travels.
Exterior Cleaning & Maintenance
Lastly, it’s time to wash your RV’s exterior. After all, you want it to look great and function properly while you’re on the road. In addition to basic cleaning, though, you’ll want to use this once-a-year opportunity to perform some exterior maintenance, too.
Here’s a checklist for your camper exterior maintenance and cleaning:
- Check windows, window seals, doors, door seals, and paint for any damage
- Take a close look at your roof and its seams and seals
- Repair any cracks in caulking or seal any areas where wear is apparent
- Wash your RV from the top down with your favorite exterior cleaner
- Rinse the exterior, including awnings and any pull-out areas
Now, you’re ready to hit the road and get back to the fun part: Camping!