RV and coach
Winterizing and De-Winterizing
Water expands when it freezes, and a coach full of it in an unheated valley in January is how a good rig turns into a plumbing job. Winterizing is cheap, it is quick, and it is the single most avoidable repair we see. Spring is the other half: a coach that sat all season needs more than air in the tires before its first trip.
What it usually turns out to be
You do not need a diagnosis to call. Describe what it is doing and we will tell you whether it is a shop job.
You did not get to it, and it has already been below freezing
Call before you put water in it. A split line often does not show until the system is pressurized, and the cheapest version of this repair is the one where you did not run the pump first and flood a floor. We can pressure test it and find the splits before they find your cabinetry.
The pump runs but pressure never builds, first trip of the season
Classic freeze damage. Something downstream is open, and the usual suspects are the low points, the pump head itself, the water heater bypass and any fixture that held water over the winter. We work the system section by section rather than guessing.
A slow drip that only appears once the system is under pressure
A partial split that closed back up. These are the ones that get missed at a campsite and found in a shop, because finding them means leaving the system pressurized and coming back to it.
The batteries are flat after storage and will not come back
A lead acid battery left to sit and self-discharge over a cold winter can be past saving, and one that comes back may not hold what it used to. We test capacity rather than just voltage, because a battery can read twelve and a half volts and still be finished.
The generator will not start after sitting all winter
Almost always fuel. Gasoline goes off, and what it leaves behind blocks the small passages in a carburetor. This is the failure that stabilizer prevents and it is the reason generator winterizing is on the list above rather than being an upsell.
It smells damp inside after the winter
That is a roof and seal question as much as a plumbing one, and it is worth catching in spring rather than in August. We look at the seams and the vents at the same time as recommissioning the water system, because the coach is already here.
What we do
- Winterizing by antifreeze or blow-out
- Spring de-winterizing and system recommissioning
- Battery removal and charging
- Generator winterizing and fuel stabilization
- Roof and seal inspection before the wet season
- Pre-trip safety inspection
- Antifreeze, pumps and plumbing supplies at the counter
Will it fit
The question owners ask first and almost nobody answers on a website.
- Service bays
- 7
- Sized for a Class A
- 4
- Yard entrances
- 2
Two yard entrances is what makes a long rig easy to get in and back out of. Call with your length before you drive over and we will tell you whether it fits and when the bay is free.
What we do not do here
- This is seasonal work with a hard deadline set by the weather, not by us. Book early. The window between the last comfortable weekend and the first hard freeze is short, and everybody in the valley wants the same two weeks.
- Winterizing protects the plumbing. It is not a full service and it is not an inspection of the whole coach, so if you want the roof looked at or the chassis serviced before layup, say so when you book and we will schedule the time for it.
- We do not currently publish a winter storage offer. The yard is a working yard. If storage is what you are after, call and ask rather than assuming from the photographs.
- We are a shop, not a mobile service. For this job that is mostly about throughput: a seasonal rush is a queue, and bays and a yard with two entrances are what move a queue along.
Before you call, have this handy
None of it is required. It just gets you a real answer on the first call instead of the second.
Whether it has already been below freezing with water in it
This changes the job from prevention to repair, and it changes what we do first. Say it up front even if you would rather not.
Whether you want antifreeze or a blow-out
Both work. Antifreeze is the belt-and-braces version and leaves you a spring flush to do; a blow-out leaves nothing to taste in the lines but depends on getting every low point. If you have no preference, tell us how the coach is plumbed and we will recommend one.
What is on board that also holds water
An ice maker, a washing machine, an outside shower, a filter housing. These are what get missed, and they are what splits. A quick list from you beats us finding it in April.
When you next expect to use it
It changes what makes sense. A coach going away until May is a different job from one you might take out over a warm week in February.
Questions
Questions we get asked
When should I book?
Earlier than feels necessary. The season compresses into a few weeks here because everyone reacts to the same forecast, and the last week before a hard freeze is the one week we cannot make longer. Call in early autumn and pick a date.
Can I just do it myself?
Plenty of people do, and we will sell you the antifreeze and the pump over the counter. The parts that catch people out are the low points, the water heater bypass and the appliances that hold water quietly. If you do it yourself, work from a checklist for your specific coach rather than from memory.
What does it include?
We are not publishing a fixed package on this page yet, because we would rather tell you exactly what your coach needs than sell you a list that half fits it. Call and describe the rig and we will walk you through what we would do and what it runs.
Do you store rigs over the winter?
Ask us rather than assume. That is not something we are advertising here, and the honest answer is that it depends on the season and the space.
I skipped it last year and nothing happened. Do I really need it?
A mild winter is not a plan. Freeze damage is not gradual: the line either splits or it does not, and the year it does, the repair is worth many times the service. That is the whole argument and we would rather make it plainly than dress it up.
What is de-winterizing, and do I need you for it?
Flushing the antifreeze out, sanitizing the fresh water system, pressurizing it and looking for what the winter did, plus batteries, tires and a look over the roof. Some owners handle it themselves. It is worth having someone else do it the first spring after a hard winter, when there is something to find.
Will a 40 foot coach fit?
Four bays are sized for large RVs and fifth wheels and the yard has two entrances, which matters more in a seasonal rush than at any other time of year, because it is what keeps a queue of long rigs moving.
Talk to someone who works on these
Call the shop and we will tell you the soonest realistic date rather than book you and hold your rig. Mon-Fri 8:00 - 5:00, Saturday 8:00 - 12:00.