Do we need to winterize for a few days in Yellowstone?

Water expands as it freezes, that is what causes piping to break, not water pressure. Even with the pump off there is still water in the lines and the pump.
In a situation where there is a good chance of freezing, open the low point drain and drain the lines or use what ever means is available to maintain temperatures above 32 degrees.
Many RVs have ductwork that directs heat from the furnace to the wet bay and holding tanks, check with your manufacturer.
Turning the pump off and opening the faucets is no guarantee the remaining water will not freeze and burst the pipes or the pump.

DSDP Don wrote:
and leave on faucet dripping all night. The water won't freeze when it's moving (dripping).

That's a commonly believed "old wives tale"; it's not true.

At least not for the reason given. The tiny "movement" of a dripping faucet makes NO difference.

It is the pressure that breaks pipes when they freeze.....the pressure of the water downstream between the freeze point and the faucet. Thus the dripping faucet prevents the pressure buildup....in THAT pipe.

In an RV, you turn the pump off and open all the faucets; no dripping required.

You don't say where you're staying and if you'll have hookups. The temps you're talking about, won't last long enough early morning hours) to cause issues. If you have hookups, you can just throw a 100 watt trouble light in your water bay and leave on faucet dripping all night. The water won't freeze when it's moving (dripping).

If you still feel uncomfortable, don't hook up your hose. Use the water in your tank and refill as needed.

pira114 wrote:

tenbear wrote:
Not everyone has the same size battery bank. If you have 4 golf cart batteries, that will last a lot longer than one 12v marine battery.

True. But that's why I pointed out I have one battery. But I didn't say what kind. It's just a 12v deep cycle marine.

You're right, I missed that.

Another thought, maybe some think their battery is fully charged when it is not. You can run a generator for quite a while and not have a fully charged battery if you have an old single stage converter.

pira114 wrote:

tenbear wrote:
Not everyone has the same size battery bank. If you have 4 golf cart batteries, that will last a lot longer than one 12v marine battery.

True. But that's why I pointed out I have one battery. But I didn't say what kind. It's just a 12v deep cycle marine.

It that a true marine deep cycle battery? If it is a hybrid deep cycle/starting battery it has much less useful amp hours than a true deep cycle.

Vulcan Rider wrote:

pira114 wrote:

Why are some people's batteries dying after one night, or especially halfway through the night?

Everything is relative.

Size of the heated space is important, as is the efficiency of the insulation.

Newer units "should" be insulated better but with everybody cutting costs everywhere possible these days maybe not; the OEM batteries might not be good ones either.

Then there is paying attention to how fully they are charged before going into boondocks mode.

Fully charged, my little furnace in the 28" C will keep a fairly comfortable 65 all night with a 35 degree low......but the batteries are low enough the following morning that they barely turn the generator over. Once or twice I've had to start the engine for a few minutes first.

P.S. I just found out in the past couple of days that the cab of my C has basically no insulation at all. Even with an outside shade on the windows, it stays really hot at that end. I am now using the "privacy" curtains for a thermal barrier to the cab. I assume that doing that when it's cold would save a bit on heating too.

Also true. Mine is a 26 ft box, no slides. Maybe older units are a bit more insulated? But the furnace fan runs practically all night. Runs about 15 min, off about 20, repeat.

Not saying anyone is right or wrong, it's just so drastically different that I thought it odd. And wondered if someone had an explanation

tenbear wrote:
Not everyone has the same size battery bank. If you have 4 golf cart batteries, that will last a lot longer than one 12v marine battery.

True. But that's why I pointed out I have one battery. But I didn't say what kind. It's just a 12v deep cycle marine.

Not everyone has the same size battery bank. If you have 4 golf cart batteries, that will last a lot longer than one 12v marine battery.

pira114 wrote:

Why are some people's batteries dying after one night, or especially halfway through the night?

Everything is relative.

Size of the heated space is important, as is the efficiency of the insulation.

Newer units "should" be insulated better but with everybody cutting costs everywhere possible these days maybe not; the OEM batteries might not be good ones either.

Then there is paying attention to how fully they are charged before going into boondocks mode.

Fully charged, my little furnace in the 28" C will keep a fairly comfortable 65 all night with a 35 degree low......but the batteries are low enough the following morning that they barely turn the generator over. Once or twice I've had to start the engine for a few minutes first.

P.S. I just found out in the past couple of days that the cab of my C has basically no insulation at all. Even with an outside shade on the windows, it stays really hot at that end. I am now using the "privacy" curtains for a thermal barrier to the cab. I assume that doing that when it's cold would save a bit on heating too.

Slight hijack, but may be useful to the OP.

People keep saying to keep the thermostat down around 50 to prevent the battery from dying.

I camp/hunt in very cold weather, have one 7 year old battery (almost time for a new one), and keep my thermostat at 68. Yes the fan cycles on frequently during the night. But I can routinely get two days out of my battery like that before recharging. And it's never completely dead. I'm using non LED lights for a couple of hours each evening, the fridge is on, occasionally use the water pump, furnace fan almost all night, and then the tiny phantom draws.

Why are some people's batteries dying after one night, or especially halfway through the night? Fairly certain my battery isn't enchanted. Other than starting out at 100% (always use a battery tender when not in use), I don't do anything special.

Recently, I camped and didn't need the furnace at all. But we did use a 12 volt TV for at least 2 hours each night, and got 5 solid days before it was in need of recharging.

What gives? Any ideas? This is an old 1987 Wilderness. So it's definitely not a super efficient system.

Edit: I should add that during those cold trips, we leave at 0500 and don't return until early evening. Like maybe 5 to 6 pm. During that time, it's just fridge and phantom draw. But we hit the rack at about 8pm. So that furnace and fan are running for about 9 hours, give or take.