With the expected temperature drop expected on Tuesday, September 8th we wanted to send out a few pointers to help protect your investment.
In Colorado we usually do not see extreme freezing temperatures until mid October. With early and sometimes late freezes, there are some steps you you can take to help prevent your water lines from freezing. These steps are not a guarantee to prevent damage but they will help.
How long does it take for RV pipes to freeze? In general, the temperature has to dip below freezing (32 F) for approximately 24 hours for RV pipes to freeze. This is all dependent on many factors such as if you have an enclosed underbelly, heated underbelly, heat tape, insulation, or other preventative measures in place.
Make sure your water pump is turned off. Open a sink tap to relive the water pressure for the hot and cold water lines.
Open the hot water tank drain pressure relief.
You RV should have a low point drain for the water lines, open these to drain the water lines. I have seen on RVs the following configurations:
no low point drains
low point drain for cold water only
low point drain for hot and cold water lines (often located under the RV but I have also seen them hidden in the floor and in an RV compartment)
an RV with two low point drains for both hot and cold water lines (located on the driver side front and passenger side rear of the RV)
Open all cold and hot water faucets in the RV, this includes those for the sinks, shower, toilet, fridge (ice maker), laundry machine, outside shower, etc. This will let air flow in and the water out the low point drain. Flush your toilets a few times to make sure all the water's gone.
When you are all done run the water pump to let it push the remaining water out of the pump.
*****By performing these steps it is not a substitution for Winterization! You must still Winterize your RV before winters hits.****