Your RV is a bit different from your home. There isn’t much you’ll have to do to keep your sewage system at home from freezing besides potentially wrapping up exterior pipes.
If you plan to venture to colder climates and places that dip below 32 degrees, you are going to want to have a way to keep your septic pipes in the RV safe.
Thankfully, RV antifreeze is a safe way of helping your RV’s water and septic system deal with colder temperatures.
What is antifreeze used for in an RV?
You probably have heard about using and replacing anti freeze in a standard vehicle like your car, SUV, or truck. The purpose of vehicle anti freeze is to keep your vehicle’s engine at a stable temperature in hot or cold conditions.
RV anti freeze is completely different. RV anti freeze is meant to go to into your water system and septic system to keep them from freezing under cold conditions.
RV Anti freeze is often labeled as “safe” because it is technically safe to drink in rather small quantities when mixed with water in your septic and water systems.
Is RV antifreeze safe for septic systems?
Yes, actuall, RV antifreeze is safe for consumption when diluted with the amount of water in the RV system. Antifreeze uses a basic chemical that also won’t corrode your septic system or harm your tank or toilet.
When should I use antifreeze in my RV?
Are you going to be in a climate where the temperature can be lowered to 32 degrees or less? We would suggest using antifreeze in your RV. The intent is to keep pipes from freezing and ultimately bursting, requiring extensive repair and potentially causing lots of damage.
If you are consistently in a warm climate, you probably don’t need to worry about it. If you live in the south, you’ll most certainly hear about upcoming cold weather enough to know when to add some antifreeze.
You’ll also want to add some more antifreeze when you refill your freshwater tank. Add as much as the bottle suggests to keep the water flowing on cold days.
Why does the bottle say “Safe”?
People can be understandably nervous about what they put into their RV septic system. The RV septic system can be a little sensitive, even to the right kind of RV friendly toilet paper. “Safe” indicates that the fluid is meant to be an antifreeze within an RV septic system.
“Safe” antifreeze won’t cause any problems amongst the pipes and water connections that bring your system together.
Think of this as the opposite of the warning you’ll find on heavy duty drain cleaners – some of these warnings tell you not to use it in the toilet or in a septic system because they are highly corrosive and can gradually eat pipes. In addition, they aren’t safe for your eyes, and are unfriendly to the mouth.
RV antifreeze is none of these things. It’s ok to get a splash on you and it won’t burn you. We don’t suggest drinking it though and definitely keep it away from pets.
Conclusion
So long as the bottle says your antifreeze is RV safe, it’s probably trustworthy to use it in your RV septic system. While your RV septic system is a bit different than home, it can take some chemicals and liquid to keep it from freezing and causing even bigger problems.