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Do I Need to Winterize an RV Being Stored in Arizona?

by Dave
()

Why You Might Need to Winterize an RV Being Stored in Arizona

Why You Might Need to Winterize an RV Being Stored in Arizona

I am new to RVing... I just purchased a 2006 Class C Fleetwood Tioga.

My question is regarding the need to winterize my RV in Arizona weather? Low temps can get to 32 degrees sometimes in the mornings of December/January. Most concerns here are about covering plants to protect against frost.

I didn't think I would need to winterize the RV since winters here are nothing like the winters we experienced in the Midwest (Indiana).

Thank you,

Dave

ANSWER: Hi Dave my answer is maybe. I am not trying to be wishy-washy here, but depending on what part of Arizona you are storing your RV in; you may very well have to winterize it to prevent damage to its plumbing.

Many RVers from Canada and the colder parts of the U.S. head south for the winter, Because of their habit of migrating south for the winter they have acquired the nickname of "Snowbirds".

Some of the favorite destinations for Snowbirds are Florida, Texas, Georgia, Southern California and of course Arizona. Some Snowbirds migrate even further south into Mexico.

So you would think that since Arizona is a prime Snowbird destination that you would never need to winterize an RV. Well, the key here is Location, Location, Location and Altitude, Altitude, Altitude.

Let The Good Sam Extended Service Plan Pay Your RV Repair Bills

There are certain parts of Arizona that actually have a full blown winter. Some of higher elevation Arizona cities get quite a bit of below freezing weather and snow, some examples are Flagstaff, Greer and Williams Arizona (pictured at the top of this page). In fact there are quite a few Arizona Ski Resorts that you can visit during the winter.

So if you are planning to store your RV in one of the higher altitude locations in Arizona that get snow and have several consecutive days of below-freezing weather then you definitely need to winterize your RV. If you are in a lower altitude southern portion of Arizona that only gets an occasional low just below freezing then you should be OK. Since you do not tell me the exact location of your storage location in Arizona; I cannot give you a definite Yes or No answer.

Your best bet is to go online and check the average winter low-temperature statistics for the location you are planning to store your RV.

I hope that this helped.

Happy RVing

RVing Al

Comments for Do I Need to Winterize an RV Being Stored in Arizona?

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starstarstarstarstar 		Baby its cold outside...
by: Mick in Az

Simple answer- Yes and maybe not. Maybe not if you live on the Az desert valley floor which is close to sea level in most areas (along the I-10 corridor from Ca border to New Mexico border). Where I live, in Prescott the elevation is 5000+ ft. Flagstaff is around 7000 ft where the answer in both areas is an emphatic- 'why wouldn't you...?'

My first year, thinking 'hey this is Az, why would I need to winterize?', I didn't even consider freeze precautions on my 1990 Tioga Class C. After a winter of off and on brutal temps ranging from 12 to 30 degrees, give or take a 12inch icicle or 2 thrown in, I reaped the whirlwind of my flawed thinking: A blown-out toilet flush valve which could only be replaced by removing the toilet, an onboard water pump that also needed to be replaced due to freezing damage and last but not least, the remove and replace of the city water fill do-hickey. It seems it wasn't fond of below-freezing nites either.

Moral of the RV in the cold country story? It isn't about the area as much as the ol RV ownership motto-No matter where you are, a couple of ounces of freeze protection precaution is worth a broken toilet, water pump and yes, even a little city water fill do-hickey...
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starstarstarstarstar 		winterize
by: Anonymous

I would just empty you hot water heater and blow out the water lines just to be safe and it will only take you 10 mins

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