Filling water tank in cold weather

DutchmenSport wrote:
We returned from Florida last Saturday for our annual Christmas week vacation. When we left Indiana, the trailer was winterized. We stayed at a KOA campground near Cartersville, GA where I completely unwinterized as we were well out of the freeze belt there. We carried a 6 gallon jug of fresh water (from the house, filtered, good for drinking and coffee) in the trailer.

The first day of travel, if we stopped for bathroom breaks, we simply flushed the toilet with the stored water as the tanks were all empty.

Little did I know the weather would stay so warm. I winterized at the end of October, but really, could have waited .... well ... it's still not been cold enough yet that it was needed, (in central Indiana).

Why not keep your fresh water tank empty, your system winterized, and just take along a couple extra containers of fresh water. Once out of the snow belt, the first campground you come to, make sure it's full hook-up and de-winterize, and next day keep heading South.

You have no worries, no concerns, and you know your camper is still 100% safe from freezing! It's peace of mind.

You will have to de-winterize somewhere anyway? If you are taking the water for showers, you'll still have to unwinterize from your on-board fresh water tank. So why not just keep it winterized until you make it out of the snow belt?

This is what we do. We put a gallon of pink in the bathroom, and use that to "flush" the toilet when needed. Keeps the black tank from freezing up. De winterize when we get south, usually by 2nd or 3rd day.

I also travel with my water tank full, I like my water better. But I also purchased quality so l don't worry about my water tank falling out.

DutchmenSport wrote:

Lynnmor wrote:

enblethen wrote:
Yes, a smaller amount may freeze easier then a full tank, however a full tank starting to freeze will burst.
Main thing is the extra weight!

What's this "weight" thing people worry about? I always travel with a full tank, but then I have enough truck.

There are several posts over the years where fresh water tanks and black/grey tank have fallen and failed when they were full. Lot' of discussion developed on all these failures. The bottom line is, no one REALLY knows how stout their tanks are, or how well they are supported, unless you tank is exposed with no covering on the underbelly, or if you have a system where the water tanks actually rests on the floor of the camper and not suspended by thin aluminum straps.

So, some of us just simply do not want to run the risk of a repair and the inconvenience of having our campers out-of-commission for repairs in the event a tank (would happen) to fall. So we run with tanks empty, or mostly empty. It's peace of mind; especially if it's really not necessary to have water on board because our next destination has full hook-ups.

It's not the extra weight and the tow vehicle, it's the ability of the devices to keep the tanks from falling out! Not all campers are created (manufactured) equal you know!

Boy different schools of thought here! If I were worried about well the tanks were secured I would fix that with extra supports. Myself I have traveled several times with all tanks full. Either no dump facility near by, or I didn't want to stand out in the wind and rain to drain them. I always try to travel with a full fresh water tank as the 5er rides better.

I'll be boondocking on the trip down. I learned the hard way to start with a full tank. Not many places to fill your water tank along the road. I was trying to save weight but then had to shower in a truck stop. I think I'll just fill it up in the am that I leave.

Lynnmor wrote:

enblethen wrote:
Yes, a smaller amount may freeze easier then a full tank, however a full tank starting to freeze will burst.
Main thing is the extra weight!

What's this "weight" thing people worry about? I always travel with a full tank, but then I have enough truck.

There are several posts over the years where fresh water tanks and black/grey tank have fallen and failed when they were full. Lot' of discussion developed on all these failures. The bottom line is, no one REALLY knows how stout their tanks are, or how well they are supported, unless you tank is exposed with no covering on the underbelly, or if you have a system where the water tanks actually rests on the floor of the camper and not suspended by thin aluminum straps.

So, some of us just simply do not want to run the risk of a repair and the inconvenience of having our campers out-of-commission for repairs in the event a tank (would happen) to fall. So we run with tanks empty, or mostly empty. It's peace of mind; especially if it's really not necessary to have water on board because our next destination has full hook-ups.

It's not the extra weight and the tow vehicle, it's the ability of the devices to keep the tanks from falling out! Not all campers are created (manufactured) equal you know!

enblethen wrote:
Yes, a smaller amount may freeze easier then a full tank, however a full tank starting to freeze will burst.
Main thing is the extra weight!

What's this "weight" thing people worry about? I always travel with a full tank, but then I have enough truck.

Yes, a smaller amount may freeze easier then a full tank, however a full tank starting to freeze will burst.
Main thing is the extra weight!

We returned from Florida last Saturday for our annual Christmas week vacation. When we left Indiana, the trailer was winterized. We stayed at a KOA campground near Cartersville, GA where I completely unwinterized as we were well out of the freeze belt there. We carried a 6 gallon jug of fresh water (from the house, filtered, good for drinking and coffee) in the trailer.

The first day of travel, if we stopped for bathroom breaks, we simply flushed the toilet with the stored water as the tanks were all empty.

Little did I know the weather would stay so warm. I winterized at the end of October, but really, could have waited .... well ... it's still not been cold enough yet that it was needed, (in central Indiana).

Why not keep your fresh water tank empty, your system winterized, and just take along a couple extra containers of fresh water. Once out of the snow belt, the first campground you come to, make sure it's full hook-up and de-winterize, and next day keep heading South.

You have no worries, no concerns, and you know your camper is still 100% safe from freezing! It's peace of mind.

You will have to de-winterize somewhere anyway? If you are taking the water for showers, you'll still have to unwinterize from your on-board fresh water tank. So why not just keep it winterized until you make it out of the snow belt?

bid_time wrote:

enblethen wrote:
Why not just put in a small amount of water then add when you get to warmer weather?
You should not have any problems with as planned.

Putting a small amount of water in the tank is worse than a full tank. A small amount of water will freeze quicker than a large amount of water.

X2!

I also think you will be OK. Just make sure to leave the pump off.

IS your water heater still drained? Do you remember how to change it from the bypass position? Make SURE it stays off until it is completely full of water. Once you have water in the heater, it needs to stay on while driving enough that the cold air going through the water heater exhaust will not cause it to freeze. Outside air will be going through it a lot while driving.

Some leave the drain plug loose when winterized, so you want the tool to tighten the plug now, not later. And do not overtighten it.

Have fun on your trip!

Fred.