Tanks and Pipes Below Freezing Weather

10 degrees for an hour or two in the morning, or 10 degrees for weeks on end?

It makes a big difference.

“What is your strategy to keep pipes and tanks from freezing?”

My strategy is to never take RV advice from a salesman or dealership. Why should they answer you in written form? Liability! And 65 is too hot inside for me and my TT when it’s 10 to 12 outside...Condensation.

When temps get to the 10 degree mark, my camper has been winterized a long time before and dry camp with no running water. My trailer has the Polar Package, but I don't trust or believe it! I do know, a great deal of heat goes to the underbelly of the travel trailer. If I unhook one of the air ducts from the furnace and let it blow inside the living area, instead of traveling through the ducts, the inside of the trailer warms up and stays warm much faster. I do this after I've winterized. If I have not winterized yet, I leave that one duct still attached to the furnace.

But, I'm not taking any chances. I winterize and if using the camper, revert back to tent camping days with water from a container, cat baths with water heated on the stove, and a port-a-potty instead of the trailer toilet. Works for us, and doing the winterizing give me peace of mind. I'd rather NOT test the waters and see where the limitation is. It's not worth it to me.

We have weathered lows at night in the 10 - 11 degree range with high winds for five nights. We ran the main furnace (set at 68 inside) and had a ceramic heater on a ThermoCube in the basement to supplement. We still had frozen water lines to the kitchen island which is amidships. Not everything under there is protected to the same degree. During that "incident," I cut a flap in the underbelly, thawed out the Pex lines, put the foam noodle pipe insulation over as much as I could and put two layers of Reflectix between the Pex lines and the underbelly. We haven't had a problem since then. We've also stayed farther south at that time of the year.

Rob

Repairing busted pipes is a miserable chore. Do what ever you can do to avoid damage.

GordonThree wrote:
10 degrees for an hour or two in the morning, or 10 degrees for weeks on end?

It makes a big difference.

here is the forecast highs and lows:

Today 40/20
Sun 31/12
Mon 24/11
Tues 28/16
Wed 43/17
Thur 34/20

Do i need to winterize and what do I have to do?
I am new at this and I have the thermal package, but not sure I trust it
We will be living in it during this period as we are full timers

Thanks in advance

Tony B wrote:

GordonThree wrote:
10 degrees for an hour or two in the morning, or 10 degrees for weeks on end?

It makes a big difference.

here is the forecast highs and lows:

Today 40/20
Sun 31/12
Mon 24/11
Tues 28/16
Wed 43/17
Thur 34/20

Do i need to winterize and what do I have to do?
I am new at this and I have the thermal package, but not sure I trust it
We will be living in it during this period as we are full timers

Thanks in advance

I would get a heated water hose. I had to get one while at Cedar Hill near Dallas several years back when temps running like the forecast.
Might want to get extra propane cylinder & make sure you have auto-change gas valve.
Leave some heat blowing in basement & if hooked up to the campgrounds electric add a space heater.

I'd winterize, it just ain't worth the risk.

Tony B wrote:
Do i need to winterize and what do I have to do?

Tony, I'm up here in North East Texas and I have winterized several weeks ago. If I had not, I would surely do so today in light of the predictions for the next several days.

1. Drain your fresh water tank. Mine has a valve. If you know where your drain is, fine; if not, find out now.

2. Drain your hot water heater. Mine has a plastic plug, some have a metal one. Mine also has a faucet at the top which I open to allow air in for faster drain.

3. Open all spigots inside the trailer--while the water heater is draining.

4. locate your "low point drain." The valves for mine is inside the front storage bay, but you need to find out where yours is.

5. I use the "forced air" method. You will need a special adapter for your fresh water (city water) inlet (where you attach the hose) which has a valve stem (such as on your tires.) I use my air compressor to force out the remaining water.

NOTE: This "forced air" method has always been sufficient here in our part of Texas--temperatures in the teens. I have never used the full anit-freeze liquid method. Just in the P-traps and toilet bowl. If it got down into the single digits for days that would be a different matter. Over 20 years, I've never encountered that situation.

Not sure specifically what i should do. I will be living in the unit this week.
Should I just empty all the tanks and pour anti-freeze in them?
What if I cant get the RV non-toxic antifreeze?
I have a small electric heater. It's round and about 1' tall - should I put that in the basement and clear the space around it of anything flamible?
I will open all cabinet doors with piping running through it and seal off any air leaks in the basement.
What else?
I'm running out of time.