RV Winterization in Massachusetts and Rhode Island: When, What and What It Costs

When to winterize on the South Coast

The first hard freeze on the South Coast and in Rhode Island usually lands between late October and mid-November; inland Plymouth County can freeze earlier. Do not gamble on the forecast. Book in October, and if your seasonal campground closes on a fixed date, book before the last two weeks because those fill up.

What a proper winterization includes

Drain the fresh, gray and black tanks and the low-point drains. Bypass and drain the water heater. Run RV antifreeze through every fixture: kitchen and bath faucets, shower, toilet, outside shower, and washer or ice-maker lines if you have them. Pour antifreeze in the P-traps. Confirm nothing is left holding water. A shortcut on any one of these is a cracked fitting in April.

Antifreeze or compressed air?

Air alone leaves water in traps, pump heads and low spots. We use RV antifreeze through the whole system and compressed air where it helps clear lines first. Antifreeze is cheap; a water pump and a split water heater tank are not.

What freeze damage looks like

Every spring we repair the same list: split PEX fittings under the kitchen sink, cracked toilet valves, a water pump that runs and never builds pressure, a water heater tank that weeps from a crack, and an outside shower that sprays inside the wall. Each one is a couple hundred dollars or more. Winterization is about an hour of labor.

What it costs

Winterization is billed at our standard $175 per hour plus antifreeze and travel; most RVs take about an hour. Add a roof and seal inspection to the same visit and you have covered the two most expensive things that go wrong over a New England winter in one trip.

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