How to Winterize Your RV/Travel Trailer, 5th Wheel, MotorHome, or Camper

Check out this video for a complete walkthrough on how to winterize your RV, travel trailer, camper, 5th wheel, or motorhome. When the leaves start to change up here in Michigan, I know I have a few main preparations to make for the coming winter. One of these is to get the travel trailer ready for some cold weather and snow. In this video, I go through that process step by step and offer some pointers and advise for protecting the exterior, water system, and preventing mice from invading!

When we  purchased this used trailer, one of the first repairs I had to make was to correct some damage from the previous owner not winterizing the water system properly. The 'p' trap on the bathroom sink had cracked from freezing and it was a pain to repair. With different types of pipe (ABS,CPVC, and PVC used in this trailer it took a few trips to the hardware store to get the random parts that were needed. This was a lot of work that could have been avoided with a proper winterization the year prior. I hope that this video can help someone out and help prevent extra repairs before the camping season begins next year!

Read More

Installing a Residential Refrigerator in an RV/ Travel Trailer

Here is the video of the process of installing an off-the-shelf residential refrigerator in an RV.  The old refrigerator was leaking ammonia and needed to be taken out right away. Once that was done we decided to replace this fridge with a residential off the shelf model that will only run on 120/110v. The cost savings is significant, however, we will not be able to run it while on the road or if we do not have a plug-in where we are camping. For us that is not a factor as we always stay at state campgrounds and normally do not travel more than a few hours. We can cool it down at home, and unplug it for the trip, and plug it back in when we arrive.



The residential refrigerators actually work better and cool faster than the RV models and, in this case, I only paid less than $250 for the project. If I were to have replaced the cooling unit on the existing fridge it would have been about $600 and for a new fridge it was over $1300.

Read More

Removing an RV/ Travel Trailer Refrigerator

Several weeks ago we bought an old used camper trailer.  Shortly after we brought it home, we noticed an ammonia leak in the refrigerator.  Since the repair would have cost approximately $600, we opted to replace it.  And an RV model is more expensive than what we were willing to pay, so we opted for a residential model that was around $200 and fit the space perfectly (well, almost).  The downside to the residential refrigerator is that it cannot run on propane or electric like its RV counterpart.  That means we won't have a working refrigerator if we "rough it", but that is fine for our family because we almost always stay at state parks with access to electricity.

Here is a video on how I unhooked and removed the old refrigerator.  I hope this helps some of you save money by doing these types of repairs yourselves.

Have a good one!

Read More