How We Winterize Our Camper Van Before the First Freeze, by Wild Mile Wanderers on YouTube. 10 min 37 s.
- Video length
- 10 min 37 s
- Time to do it
- 2 hours
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Steps
- 7
What you need
Steps
Sanitize the fresh water tank before you drain anything. Add tank sanitizer at the dose printed on the bottle, fill the tank, run some through each tap, then drain it all out.
Open the low point drains, the tank drain and every faucet, hot and cold, so the system empties. Pull the water heater drain plug or anode and leave it out for the winter.
Blow the lines out with compressed air set to 25 to 30 PSI. Open one faucet at a time until only air comes out, then do the toilet, shower and outside shower.
For the house lithium bank, follow the Volta FLEX storage protocol for your system. Bring the pack to the charge level Volta specifies, then shut the system down as the manual describes.
Hook the NOCO Genius5 to the chassis AGM battery and leave it connected through the winter. It keeps the starter battery topped up so it does not drain in the cold.
Check the roof and exterior seals before the hard freezes. Look for cracked lap sealant around vents and roof racks, worn window seals and loose fixtures, and reseal any gaps.
Work through the final checklist: tanks empty, lines blown out, heater drained, batteries on maintainers, seals checked. Lock up and check on the van once a month.
Tips and common mistakes
Never blow the lines above 30 PSI, because higher pressure can split fittings and push seals out.
Pour a little RV antifreeze into each drain trap so the traps do not crack.
When you go up the ladder, have someone foot it and keep three points of contact while you inspect the roof.
Photograph the water heater plug and valve positions so spring recommissioning goes faster.
Questions
What air pressure should I use to blow out the water lines?
Set the regulator to 25 to 30 PSI. Higher pressure can damage fittings and seals.
Do I still need to winterize if I use the van in winter?
If the van stays heated and above freezing it can be fine, but any hard freeze with water in the lines risks split pipes, so drain and blow out whenever it will sit cold.
How do I stop the starter battery going flat over winter?
Connect a smart charger such as the NOCO Genius5 and leave it on for the whole storage period.
This guide was drafted from the video's details and general task knowledge. It has not been checked against the full video. Check the video and relevant product instructions before following a procedure. Report a correction.
