WINTERIZING INSTRUCTIONS
1. Drain the FRESH, GALLEY, GREY and BLACK WATER TANKS and the WATER
HEATER TANK. (See Fig. 1 for hot water drain.) Consider installing an “easy
drain” plug in for future ease of draining during other times of the year to stop foul
water build up.
2. While draining is occurring,
 Find all areas that will need RV ANTIFREEZE such as taps, toilet, outside
shower, city water hook-up, ice-maker, in-line water filter, washer.
 Make sure all taps are closed.
 Find the back of the HOT WATER HEATER to determine if your trailer has a
Fig. 1 Hot Water Drain
bypass. It could be a
single-valve or triple-valve bypass with a tube running
between the hot and cold tubing that enters and exits the
tank. (See Fig. 2 & Fig. 3 for single-valve and triple-valve
bypass respectively.)
 If you have a single valve bypass turn the handle so it is
pointing up – indicates direction of flow – so NO antifreeze
can go into your hot water tank. If you have a triple-valve
bypass, turn the top and bottom valve handles so they point
ACROSS the tube and the center valve so the handle is
vertical – in line with the tubing. (See Fig. 4 to see closed
valve and Fig. 5 to see open valve.)
Fig. 2 Single Valve
Fig. 3 Triple Valve
 The BYPASS must remain in the WINTERIZED position
until you finish your DE-WINTERIZING PROCESS in the
spring when you prepare your trailer for camping use.
 If you do NOT have a HOT WATER BYPASS, we would
recommend installing one for permanent convenience.
3. Find your WATER PUMP. It should be close to your FRESH
WATER TANK. If you can’t see it, turn on the water pump
switch and open a tap. Listen for it because they are often
located behind a removable panel or under a bed or dinette
seat.
 Confirm whether you have a winterizing line – usually a
clear tube coming off a T-connection with a valve on it –
Fig 4 Closed valve
Fig. 5 Open valve
between your fresh water tank and
your water pump. If you don’t have a winterizing line, we would recommend
installing a permanent one. (See Fig. 6 for sample.)
 If you wish to proceed with winterizing (without a permanent winterizing line) disconnect
the hose that comes from the fresh water tank AT THE WATER PUMP. Connect a
temporary line to this same input to the water pump. Insert this temporary line into a 4litre container of RV ANTIFREEZE. You will likely require two 4-litre containers for
winterizing the average trailer.
4. Turn on the water pump. Since all your taps should be closed, the pump should turn off in
about 5–10 seconds once the lines are pressurized. If it doesn’t shut off quickly, a tap may
be open OR no antifreeze is being sucked up from the container and you may have to pour
some antifreeze into the winterizing line to get the pumping started.
Fig. 6 Winterizing line
5. With the pump on and lines pressurized, open one tap at a time until the antifreeze comes out, then close the tap.
Start with the tap closest to the water pump. Make sure some antifreeze goes into the sink drain(s), toilet and tub
drains to displace the standing water in the traps and keep them from freezing. Don’t forget the outside shower. If
you don’t know how to do washers or ice-maker lines or how to handle water filters, have an RV service department
show you the first time. The cost to learn how to do it right is less than the cost to fix the damage you may cause.
6. After everything has received antifreeze,
 Pull the winterizing line out of the antifreeze container and run the pump to empty the line.
 With an inside tap OPEN and the water pump turned OFF, go outside and push on the center of the city water
hook-up to let out any trapped water.
7. If you have NOT installed a permanent WINTERIZING line, disconnect the temporary winterizing line from the water
pump and reconnect the line from the FRESH water tank to the water pump – very important!
8. Pour remaining antifreeze down the sink drains and tub/shower drains to displace any standing water in the P-traps.
9. Wipe up antifreeze in sinks and elsewhere to eliminate the possibility of any staining.