Oh $#*%! I froze my van. Here’s how to avoid that in the future…

We’ve learned this the hard way so that you don’t have to. We know that winterizing your water systems if you are still using it every few days can be a real drag. We got lazy ourselves, and did some damage we did not expect. Don’t be like us. 

Remember, you can set the coach heater to keep an above freezing temperature while your van is locked and secure, while only using 1 gallon of diesel fuel every 22 hours.  We’d recommend this for cold weather camping, or resort commuting and parking if you have water on board.

Steps to winterize:

For parked and stored periods in known or potential freezing temperatures, we recommend a traditional winterizing procedure:

1. Empty your grey water tank completely. 
2. Get a gallon or more of RV antifreeze (you’ll use about ½ gallon per treatment).
3. There is a tube attached to the plumbing system underneath the fresh tank. Remove quick panels to access. 
4. Feed the open end of the winterizing tube into the RV Antifreeze jug.  
5. Turn your water pump on and open your galley faucet.  
6. Open the valve attached to the winterizing tube so that the RV antifreeze gets pulled from the container into the system.
7. Run the faucet until you have pink fluid coming out, allowing some to go down the drain. Close the faucet.
8. Use your rear spray port as well until you have Pink fluid flowing through it as well.
9. Turn off your pump. 
10. Close the winterizing tube valve. Close and stow your remaining fluid. 
11. Refit your Quick panels in place.

You are now ready to safely store your van in cold temperatures without it becoming a popsicle!

When you return to use your van, fill the fresh tank with fresh water and run both the galley faucet and the rear spray port until the water runs clear again.

*NEVER PUT RV Antifreeze in your fresh tank.