Skip the Risk When Storing Your RV

(NewsUSA) - With winter around the corner comes the ritual of putting away the family recreational vehicle, but failing to winterize an RV can cause unpleasant surprises come spring. If left in an RV's lines, water freezes, expands and damages the fresh water system, leading to contamination and costly repairs.

Everybody who owns an RV and lives in a cold climate needs to winterize their vehicle, but Americans shouldn't attempt to winterize their RV without consulting a certified RVDA-RVIA RV Service Technician.

Certified RV technicians continue their education after receiving certification, ensuring up-to-date, skilled service. A technician's expert eyes can help locate problems RV owners might not notice.

The experts at the Recreation Vehicle Dealers Association say to look for RV technicians that offer the following services:

- Check for leaks.
RV technicians pressurize the water system with air, let it sit for a few minutes, then listen for hissing air. If they find a leak, they fix it immediately.

- Empty and flush holding tanks.
You don't want waste sitting in your RV until spring, so you thoroughly empty your tanks. But some vehicles with more than one bathroom have macerator pumps, which help liquefy solid waste. RV technicians will flush the macerator pump and its transmission line, then treat them with non-toxic antifreeze.

- Use non-toxic antifreeze to protect water lines.
Most RVs now contain water heater bypass units and pump conversion kits, which can help replace a six-gallon or 10-gallon heating tank with tubing. Technicians know to route the antifreeze from the cold water side to the hot side, so they can flush out the hot water lines without filling the tank.

In complicated luxury motor vehicles, it's especially important to know how and where water travels. RV technicians know RVs' water distribution systems and manifolds, so they're unlikely to miss important water lines.

To find a certified RV technician in your area, visit www.rvda.org.