Getting your unit ready for that first outing?  Be sure to check all of your fluid levels, tire pressures, battery condition and other such items.

Drain/flush the antifreeze out of the water system that you put in last fall.  Easily done in most cases all you have to do is to hook up your water and run it 'til the pink is gone.  Do not 'fill the unit' until you've flushed the lines.  My rig has a position on the water panel to 'use' the water rather than 'fill' the water.  After flushing the water lines, you should turn the bypass for the hot water heater to the use position for the hot water heater.  Be sure to put the plug back into the water heater if you took it out for the winter.

Having flushed the system, put the water heater back in service, and closed any water drain lines you have open then you're ready to fill the tanks.  I have never in 20+ years of camping 'disinfected' the water tanks but some folks feel a need here.  If you do, then this is the time to do it.  Follow accepted practices using such things as a Purex^® Bleach to disinfect the tanks.  A quarter cup in the tank with it about a third full of water should do the trick. Drive around and slosh it good and then empty/flush and you're ready to go.

Camping early in the season? Be sure to allow for such things as overnight frost/freezing that you won't see later in the year.  Fill your tanks with water but don't leave the hose attached.  Hook it up when you need water so that it doesn't get a chance to freeze.  Be sure to put up a hose with NO water in it, hooking the ends together so that spiders and such can't get into the hose.  You'll be ready to go when you need more water by doing this.

Such things as a roof antenna, or a satellite dish may have a collection of frozen moisture or snow on them.  Don't force them up.  If they won't go up then you have to wait for the sun to do its job.  Camping and it starts snowing... you might want to consider putting them down so you don't have to break camp with such things in the air and unable to return to their storing position.

If you made a list of the things that you removed from the RV last fall then you're ahead of the game and can put them back in.  Such things as foodstuffs need to simply be replaced by a trip to the store.  Don't forget staple items, condiments, and the everyday stuff along with the meals you'll need.

If you took out all of the items with batteries in them... as you should have... don't forget to put them back in and make sure you charge all of the rechargeable batteries.

Medicine, general bathroom items such as toilet paper, cleaners, holding tank disinfectants/sanitizers should all be replaced.  Hope you didn't store the bacteria you use to clean the holding tanks out in the unit.  You'll probably have to replace it since freezing it doesn't do it any good.  Make sure you get all those linens replaced also.  Clothing that you need to bring?  Get them in the unit now while you're thinking about it!

Good luck for the new year and I hope all have survived the winter... whether you went to a southern location or stayed in the upper states and lived the winter! <grin>

Good camping...

Roy & Carol

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