De-winterizing Your Motorhome For Spring
Spring is almost here and with the arrival of spring comes preparations for the upcoming camping season! Before you head out on your camping trip you should “de-winterize” your motorcoach and check a few things before heading out on your travels. Here are some ways to get your motorhome ready for spring:
Charge your Batteries: When you are de-winterizing your motorhome one of the first things you’ll want to check are your batteries. Check for any wear and tear, including cracks that may have developed. Batteries can lose power in cold weather and storage, so they’ll need to be charged and reconnected to your motorcoach.
Exterior: Whether you decided to travel this winter or kept your motorhome in storage you will want to give it a thorough washing to remove debris, dust and anything else that collected on the exterior of your motorhome. You will also need to check the awnings, turn signals, and headlights and taillights.
Flush the water system: The most important step to de-winterizing your motorhome is prepping the water system for use. If you used an air compressor to get all the water out of your vehicle when you winterized it, you won’t have to deal with draining antifreeze and can move along to prepping the water heater. If you did add antifreeze, you’ll have to make sure it’s out of your drains and into your holding tanks before you sanitize the system. For the anti-freezers, connect your water hose to a fresh potable water supply and fill your tank. Then, run water through every faucet, both hot and cold. It is a good idea to test toilets, showers, the refrigerator’s ice machine, and dishwasher during this time. Once the color from the antifreeze is gone and you have clear water, you can turn off the water supply drain pressure from the system using low point drains. At this point, you can install all filters back into the system that you removed during the winterization process.
Water Heater: If your coach is equipped with a water heater, you’ll need to install a drain plug, open the water heater valves, and close the by-pass valve on the water heater. This ensures that your antifreeze doesn’t get into your hot water tank. Turn on the fresh water supply, open the hot water faucet until the water heater is filled, turn on your faucet, and wait until the water flows through without any air.
Sanitize the water system: Make sure all of the drains are closed and any drain plugs are reinstalled. Use a quarter-cup of household bleach for every fifteen gallons of water your freshwater tank holds. Mix the bleach with water into a one-gallon container and pour the solution into the fresh water holding tank. Fill the fresh water holding tank completely full of potable water. Turn the water pump on and run water through all hot and cold faucets until you smell the bleach at each tap. Close the faucets and let the solution sit in the fresh water holding tank and water lines for at least twelve hours. Drain all of the water and re-fill the freshwater tank with potable water. Turn the water pump on and open all faucets, running the water until you no longer smell any bleach. It may be necessary to repeat this process to eliminate all signs of bleach.
Tires: This one of the most important steps in de-winterizing your vehicle and preparing it for your upcoming travels. The tires on your motorhome can lose psi while in storage, so you will want to make sure they are properly aired up to prevent blowouts on the road.
Appliances: It is a good idea before you are on the road to check all your appliances and make sure they are working and running smoothly and clean them out to remove any stale odors or smells especially your refrigerator if it hasn’t been used in a while.
Interior: You will want to “spring clean” your motorcoach’s interior before taking it on the road again. Clear away any buildup of dust and spiderwebs as well as check for any evidence of pests.
Change Filters: Spring maintenance is the perfect time to change out all of your air and water filters. Air filters can collect a lot of dust and debris during a busy camping season or even while sitting in winter storage, so start the season fresh with clean filters. Changing filters in your air conditioner and water systems will help improve the efficiency of your systems and save energy. Make sure to purchase the correct size for your air conditioner and water system when you are changing the air and water filters. New filters will effectively filter out dirt and bacteria.
Water System: Check for leaks and replace any water filter cartridges if you removed them when you put your motorhome in storage.
Safety Items: Test the carbon monoxide detector, LP gas leak detector and smoke alarm. Make sure all fire extinguishers are fully serviceable and fully charged. Replace or recharge as required.
This is a brief guide to de-winterizing your motorhome and depending on the make, model, and year of your motor coach, some of these things can vary, so make sure to check your owner’s manual or check with a trusted MOT mechanic before you begin. If you have any questions or concerns about servicing your motorhome, please give us a call at 1(800) 651-1112.We would love to talk to you about how to best maintain your investment! You can also learn more about our service department here. Be sure to check out our camping guides on the blog and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for more care and maintenance tips! We hope you travel safe and have a great camping season!