Whether you’re just gearing up for winter camping adventures or getting ready to enter hibernation, now is the time to guard your RV pipes against freezing temperatures. Maybe you’ve never dealt with a frozen water pipe and don’t see what the big deal is. Trust us—it’s a big deal.
Frozen RV pipes stop the flow of fresh water, preventing their use and potentially bursting. This can cause some serious flooding and major damage to your camper, which often means expensive repair and replacement costs for you.
Even if you aren’t using your RV, but have neglected to flush and winterize the pipes, any remaining water can freeze, swell, and crack. When it thaws, you may have a big watery mess on your hands.
To help prevent these nightmare scenarios from occurring, we’ve rounded up practical solutions, preventative measures, and helpful maintenance tips to safeguard RV plumbing systems during freezing temperatures and prevent you from dealing with burst pipes and water systems come spring time.
Prevention Method #1: Insulation
Properly insulating your RV is an excellent first step to preventing frozen pipes. There are a number of ways you can go about doing this, but the most important area to target is any exposed piping you may have. Foam sleeves, foam rubber, heat tape, and fiberglass sleeves are all affordable and effective ways to provide extra protection and some low-level heat to vulnerable pipes.
Holding tanks can be even more susceptible to freezing because of their location underneath the RV where it’s not always as well insulated. In recent years, many manufacturers have built RVs with enclosed underbellies to add another layer of protection. If you have an older RV, it’s a good idea to use something like closed cell spray foam insulation to help trap heat on the underside of your RV.
Skirting, which involves creating an enclosed barrier around the bottom perimeter of the RV, is another great way to shield your camper from cold winds and freezing temperatures. As an added bonus, skirting also helps maintain a more stable and comfortable temperature inside the RV since it minimizes heat loss through the floor.
Vents are other places to insulate if you want to prevent drafts and cold air from permeating the interior of your RV. Parts Via offers multiple options from various manufacturers, like Ventmate and Heng’s Industries, when it comes to insulating your RV vent.
Prevention Method #2: Heating Maintenance & Upgrades
To ensure your heating system is running well and working properly when cold weather hits, it’s important to perform routine maintenance. Regularly clean the furnace by vacuuming and wiping down its accessible parts a few times a year. Inspect your vents as well, to make sure there aren’t any obstructions like a pesky hive or nest. Once a year or so it’s also a good idea to have your RV’s furnace inspected by a qualified RV technician.
Another thing to consider when evaluating your RV heating system is whether having a backup heating element like a Camco space heater makes sense for your camping needs. Great as a secondary or even primary heat source, these heaters operate on low pressure LP gas without creating an electrical drain on your RV or requiring a battery connection.
Remember to consider some safety measures when evaluating your heat system, and either add or check that the propane or smoke alarms in your RV are working. Parts Via offers multiple options, including the Safe-T-Alert CO/LP Leak Detector, which detects both gas leaks and CO gas simultaneously. It’s built to withstand the vibration, shock, humidity and extreme temperatures met along the road, so you can count on it to sound the alarm if something goes wrong, wherever you are.
Prevention Method #3: Water Management
A great way to prevent your RV pipes from freezing in cold weather is to drain your tanks, disconnect your hoses, and use antifreeze to protect your RV’s plumbing system. Winterizing your RV can be done at home, or you can have it done at an RV service center. If you choose to tackle the job yourself, check out our handy checklist and how-to guide, which can help you prepare your camper for its winter hibernation.
Remember that before you use any antifreeze in your RV’s water system, you’ll need to make sure you seal any leaks as well as address other possible maintenance issues before cold weather hits. You can seal a leak in your RV’s plumbing with silicone tape, plumber’s putty, rubber sheets, and a pipe clamp or liquid sealant. For helpful reference, RV antifreeze is pink -- and two to three gallons is usually enough for most RVs.
If you’re skipping the winterization this year in favor of some snowbound adventures, consider investing in a heated water hose for your RV water supply. Designed to operate in sub-zero temperatures, these hoses feature integrated self-regulating heating cables to keep drinking water flowing in cold temps.
I Think My RV Pipes Are Frozen. What Now?
Let’s explore some of the warning signs that your RV pipes may have frozen, before it becomes so bad you have water damage and mold to deal with.
When you think of freezing temperatures, “sub-zero” usually comes to mind, but it doesn’t necessarily have to be below zero for pipes to freeze. Cold weather combined with poor insulation, poor heating, and/or old pipes can create the right conditions for a nasty surprise.
If you find yourself thinking you may have frozen pipes, some warning signs to look for include:
- foul smell from drain or faucet
- no water or a slow trickle when the faucet is turned on
- whistling or banging sounds coming from the pipes
- strange bubbling sound when you flush a toilet
If the worst has happened and do you have frozen pipes that haven’t burst yet, immediately turn off the water supply to your RV. Open the faucets and turn on hot water to help any remaining water flow through the pipes.
Opening cabinet doors will allow warm air to flow and reach pipes and hoses. You can also use a heated towel, hair dryer, or heat lamp to thaw frozen pipes, or place a propane heater underneath the RV – but be sure to exercise extreme caution. Placing a heat source too close to the RV's underbelly can lead to a fire hazard, and using electrical devices near water risks electric shock. Once you think the water is thawed, open all the faucets connected to the frozen pipe to get rid of the cold water and allow it to flow out.
If your pipes have frozen and burst, they’ll need repair work. Depending on the severity of the damage, you may need to seek professional assistance to replace the damaged section and mitigate any potential mold.