Winterising an RV or boat in the Rogue Valley
The most expensive thing that happens to an RV is not a crash. It is a split water line in February, discovered in May.
The valley is mild. It is not mild enough.
White City sits at about 1,300 feet. Winters here are gentler than the Cascades an hour east, but a run of nights below freezing is normal from December through February, and it does not take many hours below freezing to split a pipe.
The rule people get wrong is thinking in averages. A month that averages 40°F can still contain a week at 24°F. Water does not care about the average.
Water system first, and do it properly
Drain the fresh tank, the grey tank and the black tank. Drain the water heater — and check it is actually empty, because a heater with a few litres left in it is the classic casualty. Open every low-point drain and every tap, hot and cold, and leave them open.
Then either blow the lines through with compressed air at low pressure, or run RV antifreeze through until it comes out pink at every outlet. Do not use automotive antifreeze; it is toxic and it is not the same product.
Do not forget the outside shower, the toilet valve and the washer connection if you have one. Those three are where the surprises live.
Battery, fuel, tyres
A lead-acid battery left connected will flatten over a winter and a flat battery freezes. Disconnect it, or take it out. Either way, top it up to full first and put it somewhere that does not go below freezing.
Fill the fuel tank to reduce condensation, and add a stabiliser if it is petrol and will sit more than three months. Diesel is more forgiving but still benefits from a treatment.
Inflate tyres to the sidewall maximum and cover them. Flat spots form on under-inflated tyres left standing, and UV is what kills RV tyres long before the tread wears out. If the rig will sit all winter, moving it a few feet in January is worth doing.
Pests, damp and the cover
Take out every scrap of food, including the tin at the back of the cupboard. Leave cupboards and the fridge propped open so air moves and nothing grows. Steel wool in obvious gaps around pipework does more than any repellent.
A breathable cover beats a tarp every time. A tarp holds water against the roof and chafes the paint every time the wind moves it. If you cannot cover it, at least keep the roof seams clear of leaves.
For a boat: drain the engine, fog it if the manual says so, prop the cover so water runs off rather than pooling, and take the drain plug out. Leave a note on the helm reminding you the plug is out, because every marina has heard that story.
Where it sits matters more than people think
A rig parked on grass or dirt takes moisture from underneath all winter. Level, drained gravel or paving keeps the underside dry and keeps the frame from settling unevenly.
We keep RV, boat and trailer spaces at both White City locations on level, secured ground, fully fenced with controlled gate access. The Dutton Road yard is parking only and usually has the space for longer rigs; Leigh Way has both parking and units, if you also want somewhere to put the cushions and the electronics.
Spaces for the bigger rigs go first in October. That is not a sales line, it is just when everybody decides at once.
Ask what is open before the weather turns
Call (541) 879-0698 with the length measured bumper to bumper and we will tell you what fits.
Rent online, any hour
Browse what is open, pick your size and sign without waiting for the office to open. Already a tenant? Pay your bill in the same portal.