Good morning the wife wants to plan a trip this Christmas and I am kind of hesitant due to the weather. In particular the freezing temps overnight. We currently only travel in Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, The Carolinas and Louisiana. So when she told me she wanted to go to Pigeon Forge, Gatlingburg, Nashville and Memphis I was concerned. Being a born and raised S. Floridian i am not currently prepared for travel in areas that could or will go below the freezing point. I guess my question is would i have to do something special to ensure my plumbing is not compromised? I saw Antifreeze for the plumbing system but i would assume that would only be used to winterize the coach not for use while traveling as it would render the water useless correct? Will leaving all the faucets cracked open at night prevent a line rupture? Sewer lines will freeze? Black and Gray Water tanks? Any help and or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.CubanRedneck

Didn't Florida get freezing temps last year? Depends on the coach, which you haven't identified. My coach has basement heaters to prevent any problems in the lower half, heaters and a furnace to protect the upper half, and double paned windows to keep the cold out. Give us some info on your coach and you'll get better answers. That said, a simple light bulb, 60-100 watt left in your sewer compartment will generate enough heat to keep your pipes toasty. If it's freezing temps at night bring in your water hose and use the water pump. Only bring out the sewer hose when you're needing to dump. Daytime temps everything is back to normal....Remember, a happy wife makes for a happy life....:W.....Dennis

we have camped in 10 degree weather with no problems. Fill the onboard water tank, unhook the water hose from the RV and dump tanks when you have water that is not frozen. Our bays are heated, if yours are not, you can use a light bulb as Executive said. Make sure you have plenty of propane for the heater. Make sure you ask the campground if the water will be on. Many campgrounds either close in the winter or turn the water off. Be prepared to stay as long as necessary so you can leave when there is no snow or ice on the roads. That area is very popular during the holidays. Reservations may be necessary. We like River Plantation in Sevierville as home base.

We are Floridians currently in the N. Ga. mountains. We've never camped in our MH in freezing weather and didn't know it was going to get this cold when we came a week ago. It's been in the middle 20s at night and maybe up to 50 during the day, but some days it hasn't gone above 40 or so. We've done fine. We also have a basement heater, dual pane windows, and heater and furnace inside. DH decided to not disconnect water hose during the night, but left a slight drip in the sink. My guess would be to see what kind of weather those places have during the day. We currently have sun during the day that helps warm things up a bit, and as mentioned, it isn't freezing during the daytime temps.

Executive wrote:Didn't Florida get freezing temps last year? Depends on the coach, which you haven't identified. My coach has basement heaters to prevent any problems in the lower half, heaters and a furnace to protect the upper half, and double paned windows to keep the cold out. Give us some info on your coach and you'll get better answers. That said, a simple light bulb, 60-100 watt left in your sewer compartment will generate enough heat to keep your pipes toasty. If it's freezing temps at night bring in your water hose and use the water pump. Only bring out the sewer hose when you're needing to dump. Daytime temps everything is back to normal....Remember, a happy wife makes for a happy life....:W.....DennisIm sorry Dennis I own a 2007 Itasca Sunova 35j. I wouldnt know if the basement is heated as ive only fired the furnace a couple of times to make sure it works in the years ive owned the coach. My water tank is under the bed in side the coach black and gray are under the coach. Windows are single pane. Thanks for the light bulb idea.cubanredneck

We always leave Florida in the Winter to travel north and west to colder climates. Tennessee will not get so cold, for an extended period of time to cause any major problems. Forget about hooking up to shore water if the temps are going to get below freezing. Just keep your fresh water tank close to full and use it for your water needs. If it is going to get below freezing for any length, a 100 watt bulb in a garage trouble light and left in your wet basement compartment will keep things flowing. Don't hook up your sewer line until you are ready to dump the tanks. Enjoy the area and worry more about keeping yourself warm than the coach freezing. An electric blanket might be helpful.

Traveling in cold weather | Good Sam Community

Cubanredneck
Explorer
Nov 20, 2014
Thanks for all the info! Reservations have been made, RV has been checked, New tires have been installed all that's left is to jump in and go.

Happy Thanksgiving to all.
Snomas
Explorer
Nov 08, 2014
We travel in Jan out of Denver area every year and sometimes get into 10 degrees weather but by keeping the heaters on and all the other things to do as stated by many folks above it is no problem. Go and enjoy your winter trip.
J-Rooster
Explorer
Nov 06, 2014
Danny, I own a 04 Winnebago Adventurer (gas coach) and all my tanks and storage compartments are heated. All I have to do is keep the propane tank full, I have a heat pump so it cuts out the electricity around 33* and the propane fuels the heat pump from there. Also don't let your gas tank get below 1/4 tank or you won't have fuel for your genset if needed. And of course when parked turn on your hot water heater. One time I had the electricity and propane to my coach turned off and it got down to 25* and my coach was just fine the next day!
time2roll
Nomad
Nov 06, 2014
While in use you should be fine down to 25... maybe even 20.
Go for it.
WTD44
Explorer
Nov 06, 2014
Often if you have rain or snow, freezing temps, and the slides are out, you will get a freeze on the toppers or the slides . You will not easily be able to put your slides in. So, if you want to leave first thing n the morning, you should clear the ice off the night b-4 and put the slides in for the night.
koda55
Explorer
Nov 06, 2014
Keep an eye on your propane level.
Tinstar
Explorer
Nov 06, 2014
I've camped in 16 degree weather for a week just using the furnace. My duct work runs through the bays and it usually stays in the fifties down there, even at night. I've never had a frozen line or tank. I seldom winterize and even at home, I just put a light bulb in the bays I want to protect and it stays plenty warm. I love cold weather camping.
Cubanredneck
Explorer
Nov 05, 2014
Thanks for all the replies and incite. I am feeling a little more comfort now with the thought of going on this trip. I actually checked some of the original coach paperwork and found out the G and B area is heated so that was good to know. I will be sure to leave a vent cracked open for the humidity issues.
bluwtr49
Explorer II
Nov 04, 2014
You said you would be traveling so the freezing temp won't be a problem. I assume you will be running the heater to keep the coach warm and using the black and grey tanks.

Enough heat will radiate into the bays and the constant use of the tanks will prevent freezing. Just remember to fill the FW tank and disconnect the hose until it's time to refill.

Unless you will be in northern Alberta, you should be just fine.
Dutch_12078
Explorer II
Nov 04, 2014
Our previous '95 Coachmen with single pane windows kept us toasty warm at -4 deg.F last January in southern Virginia. The only freeze up was a short pipe leading to our fresh water pressure tank. All that did was make the pump run every time a faucet was opened, and only took about 5 minutes with a hair dryer to thaw out.

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