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A_K_Chesnut's avatar
A_K_Chesnut
Explorer
Mar 18, 2016

Help! Two nights of teen temperatures

Hi everyone! Wife and I just brought our "new" RV home yesterday from Texas. 1993 23'6" Class C Tioga. Unfortunately weather and timing didn't line up, weather man is now saying 15 degrees tonight, 40 tomorrow and 18 tomorrow night. This will be our last cold snap of the season here in Denver. Our RV is currently parked at our apartment complex, so I'm disinclined to turn the thermostat on and run that heater at night if I can avoid it. Black and grey tanks are almost completely empty, fresh water just under half or so. Can't easily drain the fresh at the moment as the spigot is all gunked up. I did open up all the faucets to get the lines as dry as I can with gravity.

I do have about 3/4 gallon of RV antifreeze that I found in the RV. I could certainly go grab more of it if need be.

Any suggestions? Or tell me not to worry? Thanks!
  • A_K_Chesnut's avatar
    A_K_Chesnut
    Explorer
    Mar 18, 2016
    Mike Taverniti wrote:
    Temps that low I would winterize, or run the heater.
    Not worth taking a chance


    How warm would you set the tstat?
  • A_K_Chesnut's avatar
    A_K_Chesnut
    Explorer
    Mar 18, 2016
    Our local Walmart has RV antifreeze in stock! I'm saved. Will drain the tanks as best I can as well.
  • RVcrazy's avatar
    RVcrazy
    Explorer
    Mar 18, 2016
    You will use lots of propane. Be sure you have full tanks. Setting it at 55 and opening cabinets under the sinks, opening bathroom and shower doors will also help. Do you have heated tanks (heat to your storage areas)? Don't use electric heaters if you do because it will make the thermostat not send as much heat to the tanks and they might freeze. Get to a warmer climate ASAP. Good luck!
  • A_K_Chesnut's avatar
    A_K_Chesnut
    Explorer
    Mar 18, 2016
    Found RV antifreeze (the safe pink stuff) and the appropriate hand pump locally, going that route! A heck of a lot more efficient than trying to keep the dang thing heated!
  • IDoMyOwnStunts's avatar
    IDoMyOwnStunts
    Explorer
    Mar 18, 2016
    Since this is in Beginning RVing, remember to drain and bypass the water heater when you winterize with the pink stuff. If you knew that already, disregard this post.
  • pconroy328's avatar
    pconroy328
    Explorer
    Mar 19, 2016
    You story sounds a bit similar to ours. Picked ours up last year in southern NM in Feb. Temps in th 60s. And it was in the teens by the time we hit Denver. You may not be able to run an extension cord down, but I kept an electric heater going in ours - just in case.

    Just in case, I messed up the winterization.
    If you ran the furnace, you'd only need to keep the inside in the mid to high 40's, I'd think.

    The elect heater kept ours in the 50's, even on bitter cold nights.

    Now that I'm comfortable winterizing, I just do that and skip the heaters.
  • A_K_Chesnut's avatar
    A_K_Chesnut
    Explorer
    Mar 19, 2016
    Would totally run an extension cord but we are in a short term apartment situation as we prep for full time!

    Systems drained and filled with RV antifreeze! That little hand pump that attaches to the city water inlet is super handy. A bit of a comedy of errors trying to figure out how to bypass the water heater after we drained it. Ended up getting some antifreeze in there then discovered that one of the knobs sends water out a drain out the bottom of the RV. :h Wasn't able to get the fresh water drained passed about 1/8th full, but the water level is below the water pump so that should be dandy.

    Had a great time sorting it all out! Thanks everyone for your help and advice!!
  • Gonzo42's avatar
    Gonzo42
    Explorer
    Mar 19, 2016
    You might consider unshipping the batteries and bringing them inside until the weather gets warmer.

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