As temperatures warm up and camping season approaches, it’s time to get your Cirrus 920 ready for the road. Dewinterizing your camper involves flushing out the RV antifreeze used during winterization and sanitizing your freshwater system so it’s safe and ready for use.

 

Follow the steps below to properly dewinterize your Cirrus 920.

 

1. Drain Any Remaining Antifreeze

 

This includes:

  • Hot water lines
  • Cold water lines
  • Freshwater tank
  • Gray tank
  • Black tank

Once the system is empty, close all drains and valves.


2. Prepare the System for Sanitizing

 

Once the system is drained, it’s time to sanitize the freshwater system. Attach a hose to the Nautilus panel and set it to Sanitize Mode.

 

3. Mix a Sanitizing Solution

 

Create a bleach solution to disinfect the freshwater system. A stronger bleach solution can be flushed through the system immediately. A weaker solution should sit in the tank longer to properly sanitize.

 

A commonly recommended ratio from RV industry experts such as Go RVing is: ¼ cup of bleach per 15 gallons of water. At this ratio, the sanitizing solution should remain in the system for about 12 hours to effectively sanitize the tank and plumbing.

 

4. Fill the Freshwater Tank with the Sanitizing Solution

 

Place the end of the hose into your sanitizing solution. Turn on the water pump to begin siphoning the solution into the system. 

 

Tip: Put all bleach concentrate into one sanitizing container for easier siphoning.

 

Once the solution begins entering the system, switch the Nautilus panel to Power Fill Mode to speed up filling the freshwater tank.

 

Tip: Monitor the tank level carefully to avoid overfilling.
 

When the tank is full, set the Nautilus panel to Dry Camping Mode.

 

5. Run the Solution Through All Fixtures

 

Run the solution through:

  • Kitchen sink
  • Bathroom sink
  • Interior shower
  • Outdoor shower

 

Be sure to run the solution through both the hot and cold water lines at each fixture.

 

6. Drain the System

 

This includes:

  • Hot water lines
  • Cold water lines
  • Freshwater tank
  • Gray tank
  • Black tank

Inside the camper, you’ll also need to drain the hot water tank:

  • Open the Alde relief valves located under the dinette bench.

 

After everything has completely drained, close all valves and drains.

 

7. Flush the System with Fresh Water

 

Refill the freshwater tank with clean water using Powerfill mode. Then, switch to Dry Camping mode and turn on the water pump.

 

Next, run fresh water through all faucets and fixtures, again using both hot and cold lines.

 

Tip: You may need to repeat the fill-and-flush process several times until any bleach smell is gone.

 

8. Final Drain

 

Drain the system one last time and turn off the water pump.

 

Your Camper Is Ready for the Camping Season

With your freshwater system clean and operational, you can focus on the fun part, planning your next adventure.