Keeping the RV Pipes from Freezing

You may be wondering how to keep the RV pipes from freezing as the temperatures are dropping. Some of us have already been shoveling the driveway for well over a month. Love it or hate it, winter weather comes every year. You might live in a place where you’ll never see a single snowflake or feel the icy breath of a serious wind-chill but chances are if you clicked on this article, you’re already cold or just checked the weather report and realized it’s time to take action. There are many different tasks that you might need to accomplish before winter sets in entirely and if you own an RV, knowing how to winterize your vehicle is a crucial aspect to ownership.

For the purposes of this post we are going to look specifically at how to keep the pipes in your RV from freezing but there are other steps needed to conduct complete winter preparation for your RV. Be sure to check out other posts on the site for all the information needed to do this yourself and keep your rig safe and sound for a long winter’s nap.

Why you need to keep your pipes from freezing…

It’s time for your daily science lesson. When water freezes, it expands. As the temperature drops below freezing, water molecules cease to move and instead form a bond of crystalline structures. That’s how the term ‘ice crystals’ comes about. These structures are less dense than liquid water and this means the molecules are more spread out as they turn into a solid state. This solid state of less density translates into expansion upon freezing.

If you didn’t know before, now you do – liquids, being made mostly of water, expand when frozen. What does this mean for the pipes in your RV? Well, frozen water will expand regardless of whether it is in nature or in the confines of the pipes in your RV. Ice is hard and strong. Your pipes might be strong, but water left in them over the winter can easily freeze. Frozen water in the pipes will expand and can potentially crack or break. Nobody wants to deal with this situation and it is easily avoidable but still happens often. You need to make sure all of the water and any other liquid is out of your RV’s plumbing system in order to avoid costly piping repairs.

Related Read: Where, When and How to Winterize Your RV

How do you keep the pipes from freezing?

The easy answer is by making sure there is absolutely no liquid left in the pipes when you park your RV for the winter. You need to drain your system and maybe even flush it to get any remaining water out during the winter months. There are basically two different types of winter RVers – those who drive in the winter and those who don’t. The process of keeping those pipes from freezing is much easier for those who don’t drive in the winter but we will run through the process for everyone here below.

To Keep Pipes from Freezing During Winter Storage:

If you plan on keeping your RV parked or stored during the winter, you need to drain all of the water out of the system to insure it doesn’t freeze during the cold months. You will need to drain all of the pipes and your water heater to make this happen.

The first step would be to open the drain on your grey water system and let all of the water drain out of the system. Be sure to drain it into an appropriate waste facility if you are draining any black water. You’ll then want to make sure your water heater is also drained. With the water heater and pump turned off, open the pressure valve on the top of the water tank and then loosen the drain plug on the bottom of the tank. This will allow all of the water to drain out of the system and keep things from freezing in the pipes or the tank of your plumbing system.

How to Keep Pipes from Freezing During Winter Use:

If you plan on using your RV in the winter, good for you! It’s a lot of fun and a bold endeavor. I’ve had many memorable times cruising the country when the flakes are flying. It can be a beautiful and amazing experience, as long as your prepared. And if you hit really cold weather, you need to make sure your pipes aren’t going to freeze because you need water to drink and for other critical functions of your RV experience.

Here are a few tips to keep those pipes from freezing during your winter escapades:

Insulate everything

Insulation can really help to limit the effects of extreme cold. Properly insulating your RV, including outside of the normal living quarters can help keep potential freeze-ups from occurring. You can install an RV skirt on the outside of your RV to keep the winter wind from blowing as severely underneath the vehicle.

Related Read: Skirting Your RV to Skirt The Cold

You can also put insulation directly around pipes but there is a better solution we will discuss and that is:

Use Heat Tape on Your Pipes

Heat tape can be wrapped around your RV piping and then plugged in to keep the pipes warm and the water running. It can definitely be a bit expensive to buy and power but if you are travelling in seriously cold weather, it may be your only real option to make sure the pipes don’t freeze. Heat tape is easy to use and install and is a pretty solid method to prevent pipes from freezing.

Other Tips:

There are also a few small tips that can help keep your pipes from freezing that may come in handy if you find yourself in an unexpectedly cold situation.

• Open the doors to your bathroom and sink to allow the RV heat to enter into these areas.

• Run a space heater near the sink or toilet to prevent these commonly cold areas from freezing.

• Use your main water tank attached to your RV instead of the city water connection during winter months. This will prevent the hoses used with a tap connection from freezing.