Clear Lists
Get the app →
Camper Winterizing Checklist
Drain, blow out and protect a travel trailer before the first hard freeze, step by step.
A real, editable checklist below — tick, tap a line to rewrite, drag to reorder.
Tick the circles, tap any line to change it, drag the dots to reorder.
Saved in this browser. Send it to Clear to keep it on your phone.
This list is for owners parking a camper for the winter, not camping in it. RV Parts Giant puts the goal at zero standing water in the system, though one iRV2 owner says small amounts left in tanks won't hurt. Water expands about 9% when it freezes, RV Parts Giant notes, and it says a water heater holds six to ten gallons. It defines a hard freeze as roughly 28°F held four or more hours. Mark J. Polk says two to three gallons of RV antifreeze will normally do. Ice makers and washers follow their own manuals, so they are not covered here.
Why these items are on the list
- Pick a date before the hard freeze. RV Parts Giant calls a hard freeze 28°F for four-plus hours. It sees no penalty for going early.
- Read the owner's manual. Unit-specific winterizing steps beat any general checklist. Check before you start.
- Disconnect electricity first. Neighbor makes disconnecting electricity the first step of the work, before any draining.
- Remove and bypass inline filters. Mark J. Polk says remove and bypass any inline filters before starting the water-system steps.
- Drain fresh tank and low points. Open the tank drain and both low-point drain lines.
- Drain and flush gray and black tanks. No built-in flush system? Use a wand to clean the black tank.
- Drain the water heater. Never when hot or under pressure. RV Parts Giant calls it the most common freeze casualty.
- Open every faucet. Include the toilet valve and outside shower. It breaks the vacuum so lines empty.
- Bypass the water heater. RV Parts Giant says pumping antifreeze without a bypass fills it with about six gallons first.
- Blow out the water lines. Use a blowout adapter on the city water inlet. RV Parts Giant sets 40–50 PSI; higher can split a fitting.
- Work faucets hot, then cold. RV Parts Giant opens each one at a time, hot then cold, until only air comes out.
- Run RV antifreeze through, if preferred. An alternative to air. Some owners do both: air first, then antifreeze.
- Pour antifreeze in drain traps. Pink propylene glycol, never automotive. RV Parts Giant says a cup or two per trap; waterless-valve drains skip it.
- Pour antifreeze into the toilet. Mark J. Polk pours a couple of cups in the bowl, then flushes it into the holding tank.
- Switch off the heater element. An electric element should be off, in case the unit is plugged in during storage.
- Store or shut down lithium battery. Lithium batteries: no charging below freezing. Store above freezing near 50% charge, or leave installed with system shut down.
- Inspect roof and window seals. RV Parts Giant warns a small crack that leaks in November becomes delamination by March.
- Cover and skirt the camper. RV Parts Giant: a cover keeps UV, ice and standing water off the roof; skirting stops wind stripping heat.
- Check ice maker and washer manuals. Forest River's manager defers to each appliance's manual, though the thread says fridge winterizing instructions can be missing.
- Winterize rather than leave furnace running. On one coach, ducts share cavities with water lines. Wolf: winterize unless you're aboard full-time, including nights.
Tick it off at the trailer with your phone in one hand, so you never wonder what's been drained. Share it with whoever's helping and you'll both see what's left.
When to use it
Use it before your first hard freeze, which RV Parts Giant puts at late October in much of the northern US and earlier at altitude.