Winterizing Your S-1 Sprinter

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How to Keep Your Water Storage from Freezing When Camping in the Cold

When camping in freezing conditions, the most important step is to keep your van warm and prevent the interior from freezing. With the Summit series S1, your entire water system is located inside the van, making it easier to maintain temperature control. Here’s how to make sure your van stays protected:

Step One: Keep the Heater On

Your heater is your first line of defense. By maintaining a warm temperature inside, you’ll keep the pipes and water systems from freezing. Make sure your heater is in good working condition before heading out for winter camping. Swing by our Fresno or Reno location prior if you need a quick check or to schedule a yearly maintenance visit.

Step Two: Isolate the City Water

In the Summit 1 layout, you’ll find the city water valve inside the van. This valve is key to isolating the only part of the system that is outside the van, the city water connection, from the rest of your system. When the water pump pressurizes the system, it sends water throughout the van. The one vulnerable area is the city water connection, where you’d typically hook up a hose to fill the water tank, located on the rear driver’s side exterior of the van.

To protect your system in freezing temperatures:

• Close the city water valve inside to isolate that connection from the rest of the system. This is the higher up valve on Blue water line pictured below (in the picture this valve is shown in “open position” – remember when the valve is positioned “in-line” with or parallel to the pipe, it is When the valve is crossing or perpendicular to the pipe the valve is closed)
• Open the Drain valve directly below the City water valve – also on the blue water line and you are all set for Winter camping mode.
• Note: Remember that if you need to fill the fresh water tank from the city water connection you will need to reverse this process first to allow the tank to be filled.

Step Three: Protect Your Gray Water Tank

In the Summit 1, the gray water tank is located inside the van, so there’s minimal risk of it freezing. However, if your gray water tank is under the van, you’ll need to take extra precautions. Either:

• Drain the tank and leave it open – possibly putting a pan or something to catch the water underneath depending where you are.

OR

• Add Gray Water Tank AntiFreeze to prevent freezing. This product can be found at RV surplus stores, Walmart, or in our online shop.

How to Winterize Your Van for Storage:

If you’re not camping and plan to store your van in an area where temperatures drop below freezing, you’ll want to drain the water system completely to avoid any damage.

Here’s how to do it:

Step One: Locate the Drains

Anything that has a water source in the van will have a low point and a drain. In the Summit 1 layout:

• There are drains for the hot and cold water lines that run to the exterior
• The water heater system located under the sofa also has a hot and cold water drain
• Don’t forget the grey water tank drain underneath the
• Finally, you’ll also find a drain for the main water tank in the rear of the van as

Step Two: Use Gravity to Your Advantage

Once you have opened all the hot and cold water drains let gravity do its job, draining the system. For those in extremely cold climates, an extra step is to use the water pump to push out any remaining water from the lines. See Below.

Optional Step if you live in extremely cold weather –

After draining the system, return all of the drain valves to their standard closed positions. Go to the exterior shower at the rear of the van and plug in the hose. Turn on the water pump and spray it until you see a bit of air come through and that the last bit of water has been cleared. Then stop and immediately turn off the water pump. Do the same process at the sink. This ensures any remaining water in those lines has been flushed out. You can use the water pump to clear the lines in this fashion, but you do not want to run the water pump for any extended period of time beyond that.

Winterizing your van may seem complex, but once you go through the steps, you’ll find it’s a straightforward process that can save you from costly repairs later. Again, every layout is slightly different, so if you have any questions or need further guidance, don’t hesitate to reach out to us. We’re here to help ensure your van is ready for winter, no matter how cold it gets outside!

Need to see a visual? Head to our YouTube Channel to get a walk-through tutorial on how to winterize your Field Van. https://youtu.be/Onlvq9hla8A