Forum Discussion

chrisandoctavia's avatar
chrisandoctavia
Explorer
Nov 12, 2015

Winter-Proofing your RV in cold locations....

We're currently on a 10 day RV trip during which we have had to change our plans....

Originally we were going to spend a few days at my favorite National Park here - Zion - but a Utah paper had said that overnight temperatures there were going to fall to 22

We had no idea what winter-proofing things might have been done to our RV prior to our purchasing it in August, so changed our plans and went to another location further south.....

My question to any of you who are either full-timers, or who go RV'ing in the winter is what do you do to protect systems in the RV?

Do you do anything to prevent internal water pipes from freezing - or the external water hose?

We don't plan to go to any of the really cold northern states in winter, and will largely stay here in the west with temperatures falling no lower than say 20

Thanks for any advice you can give

Chris
Class C
  • Searching_Ut's avatar
    Searching_Ut
    Explorer
    Nov 12, 2015
    By tank heater my assumption is that he means electric heaters that you can turn on to keep your tanks from freezing. To know what sort of options you might have when it comes to cold weather we really need to know more about your specific RV. It's been years since I owned a motorhome, and the one I had didn't have any heat options for the tanks. My last two towables used the furnace heat to keep the underbelly warm, and as long as I used the furnace they were good down to around zero. A TT I owned prior to that had the tanks, and many of the plumbing lines completely exposed underneath and didn't handle cold weather well at all. There is a lot of variation so good advice will only come with knowing what you're using.
  • EV2's avatar
    EV2
    Explorer
    Nov 12, 2015
    No, tank heaters are usually heating pads that are attached to the bottom surface of exposed gray and black water waste tanks. Preinstalled are often 12 volt controlled by a switch on your panel and optionally may also have 110 volt plugs attached for use when parked with external power source available. The 12 volt heaters may be used while in motion and your alternator should provide ample power to avoid battery discharge while running. On coach models that have the tanks enclosed in the basement and heated by the furnace the pads are not necessary. If you're traveling and get caught for short periods, you may wish to consider dumping the tanks and leaving them empty. For very limited use you can also poor antifreeze into the tanks but that will become expensive quickly and is not environment friendly.
  • chrisandoctavia's avatar
    chrisandoctavia
    Explorer
    Nov 12, 2015
    Forgive my relative inexperience here....

    What exactly do you mean by "tank heaters"?

    Is this the hot water heater that I can turn on on the system test panel along with the Water Pump?

    Chris
  • WyoTraveler's avatar
    WyoTraveler
    Explorer
    Nov 12, 2015
    Assuming since you put it in MH area you are posting about a MH. If your dump valves and tanks are in a heated area you'll probably be OK as long as you keep your heat on. Normally I don't winterize on the road unless the temp drops below 10 degrees but that depends a lot on your MH and if the tanks are heated by your furnace.
  • Bobbo's avatar
    Bobbo
    Explorer II
    Nov 12, 2015
    But keep in mind that the tank heaters will run your battery down fast. They should only be used when on shore power.
  • mgirardo's avatar
    mgirardo
    Explorer
    Nov 12, 2015
    When the temperature gets below freezing when we are camping, we turn the tank heaters on and unhook the city water line (if we are using it). We keep the inside tempers at 60 - 65 degrees, so we don't worry about anything inside freezing.

    -Michael

About Motorhome Group

38,707 PostsLatest Activity: Feb 28, 2025