Winter is coming. For some parts of the country, winter weather has been here for weeks. This means you should be taking some steps towards winterizing your van. This guide will show you how to winterize your Vandoit campervan.
Winterizing Your Water System
When water freezes it expands. As a result, full jerry cans, water lines, water nozzles, sink heads, or hot water tanks can burst. This covers how to remove water from the van if you will not be using the van.
It is important to note that water will freeze if the interior of your van is 32 degrees Fahrenheit or lower. If you are leaving your van for a day or two in the winter, if you use your van as a daily driver, or if you are traveling full time and want to keep water in the van, we recommend utilizing the Espar heater.
The Espar heater comes programmed to run for 12 hours. This can be adjusted up or down as needed depending on how long you are leaving the van. Important reminder: You need more than 1/4 tank of gas for the Espar to run. For those not utilizing water in the winter, please refer to the model you have below.
Winterizing The Vandoit LIV Model
LIV models come with the water system mounted in the passenger side box. GO models may have water in the driver side box. The water system is made from a combination of a jerry can, hot water tank, and/or 10 gallon tank.
Winterizing The Jerry Can
- Unbuckle the green jerry can. Empty the remaining water.
- Turn on the water pump. Spray out any remaining water from the line. Once empty, turn off the water pump.
Winterizing The 10-Gallon Tank
- Turn the valve to open to pull water from the 10 gallon tank (Blue valve parallel with water line).
- Spray all the water out of the 10 gallon tank. Make sure to look at the level window on the front side of the tank to ensure it is empty.
- Continue spraying the water pump to spray any water from the line. Once empty, turn the water pump off. The tank can stay in the van.
To Winterize the Hot Water Tank:
- Although water was sprayed, there can still be up to 1 gallon of water left in the hot water tank. Unbuckle the hot water tank.
- Unplug the hot water tank from the outlet.
- Disconnect the red, blue, and back flow water lines from the top of the tank. They are hand screwed on.
- Remove the tank from the van and tip upside down.
Winterizing The Kitchen Pod
- After doing the above steps, turn the kitchen sink on. Let all water run out of the lines.
- Unscrew the kitchen water line from the brass fittings.
- Keep brass fittings open for the winter. Should water be accidentally left in the line, we do not want water expanding and busting a closed fitting.
Winterizing The Vandoit DO Model
The DO model equipped with the hot water module or the cold water module.
- Spray remaining water out of the hot water or cold water jerry can till empty.
- Disconnect the waterlines where they attach to the water modules. It is okay to keep the lines connected to the kitchen pod.
- Store modules in a place where they will not freeze.
*DO NOT STORE THE MODULES IN THE VAN