How to Winterize Your Park Model Home

Park model homes, also known as tiny homes or mini houses, are designed to be placed in one spot and remain there. Some people like to split their time between different RV parks, while others may want a more permanent residence when they’re on vacation. Either way, in order to prepare your tiny home for wintry conditions, though, you’ll need to prepare the water system. Here’s what to do.

Preparing Your Hot Water Heater

If you’re planning to leave your park model empty during the winter, you’ll need to take a few steps before the cold sets in. Turn off both the wall switch for your hot water heater and the breaker (in your breaker box) for the hot water heater. Drain the hot water heater using either the drain plug or the pull valve found on the side of the tank (depending on the model). 

Be sure to open the pressure valve on the tank to allow air to enter as the water flows out. Once done and fully drained, turn the bypass valves on the tank to the wintertime position, then close both the upper and lower valves but open the middle valve.

Drain and Clear Your Water System

With the hot water heater and tank taken care of, it’s time to drain the water from the rest of your system. Find the low-point drains for your park model home; usually, these are found by the city water hookup. Remove the plugs, allow all water to drain from the low points, then replace the plugs. Be sure to shut off the valves on all toilets and flush the toilets several times to remove all water from the bowl as well as the holding tank.

For this next step, you’ll need some RV-approved antifreeze as well as a hand-powered (or motorized) water pump. Attach one end of a hose to your jug of antifreeze. Turn the water pump on (or begin pumping if it’s hand-powered) and let the pressure build. Walk into your mini home and open up all of the cold faucets. Wait until you see the antifreeze flow through the faucet and then shut each faucet off. 

Repeat this process for the hot-water faucets, and don’t forget to do the same for your toilets. Get an extra jug of antifreeze, too, because you’ll want to empty it into the toilet tank and flush until the antifreeze enters all parts of the toilet. Repeat this same process for every toilet in your park model home.

Seeking mini homes for sale near you? When you’re ready to shop for new or used park models in British Columbia, visit our Kamloops dealership to check out our inventory. Jubilee R.V. Centre serves our customers in Vancouver and Prince George, BC.