Winter RV Tips: How to Prevent Freezing Pipes and Stop Condensation in Your RV

Winter RVing can be beautiful — quiet campgrounds, cozy mornings, and crisp skies — but it also brings two big challenges: staying warm and controlling moisture.If you’re not careful, freezing temperatures can damage plumbing, and trapped humidity can build up inside your RV fast.

Here’s everything you need to know to protect your rig this winter.

1. Your Furnace Must Be the Primary Heat Source

Most RVs come with multiple heating options — furnaces, heat pumps, heat strips, and electric fireplaces. But in freezing weather, only one of these actually protects your RV’s plumbing system: the propane furnace.

Why the Furnace Matters

Your furnace isn’t just heating the living area. On true four-season RVs, it also:

• Pushes warm air into the underbelly

• Protects water lines, valves, and holding tanks

• Helps prevent freeze damage and expensive repairs

Heat pumps and heat strips? Great for cool days — but not reliable below ~40°F, and completely ineffective once the temperature drops below freezing.

Electric fireplaces? Cozy, but purely cosmetic for the underbelly. They do not protect pipes.

Bottom line:

✔️ Use the furnace as your main heat source in freezing temps

✔️ Use heat pumps, strips, and fireplaces as supplemental heat only

✔️ Protect your plumbing by keeping the furnace running as designed

2. Winter = Higher Humidity Inside an RV

In the summer, your RV’s AC naturally removes moisture from the air. In the winter, when the AC isn’t running, humidity builds up quickly.

Warm interior air + cold exterior walls = condensation. You’ll see it on:

• Windows

• Walls

• Inside cabinets

• Under beds

• Inside closets

Left unmanaged, this can lead to mold, warped wood, and bad smells — especially in smaller rigs with limited ventilation.

3. Five Practical Winter RV Tips to Reduce Moisture in Your RV

1. Run a Dehumidifier

A 20–30 pint dehumidifier works perfectly in most RVs. This is the #1 most effective step you can take to reduce winter moisture.

2. Vent While Cooking

Boiling water and simmering food release huge amounts of steam. Crack a vent or run the fan for better airflow.

3. Vent While Showering

It feels weird to open a vent in winter, but it prevents moisture from sneaking into walls and cabinetry. Use the vent fan for 5–10 minutes.

4. Add Moisture Absorbers

Closets and cabinets don’t get much airflow, so they trap moisture easily. Use products like:

• DampRid

• Eva-Dry

• Silica gel packs

These keep dead-air spaces dry.

5. Avoid Drying Wet Towels or Clothes Indoors

Hanging clothes inside dumps moisture into the air fast. Use campground dryers when possible.

4. Keep Your RV Safe All Winter Long

Winter RVing is absolutely doable — you just need the right approach:

• Furnace on for underbelly protection

• Electric heat for comfort only

• Ventilation + dehumidifier to block condensation

• Airflow in closets and cabinets

Protect your plumbing, your interior, and your investment with these simple winter best practices.

Want More RV Maintenance Tips?

This article is based on a Cozy Camper “Maintenance Minute” video. For deeper RV education, check out the Introduction to RVs course at Cozy Camper Academy — perfect for new RV owners and anyone wanting to understand their rig better. Sign up for our Cozy Camper newsletter to get weekly RV tips, maintenance tricks, and winter-ready advice delivered straight to your inbox.