Turn heater on for the night or winterize?

RedJeep wrote:
I'm in Portland, Oregon. Temperature is supposed to get to 25F tonight. I was getting ready to go winterize the motorhome when it occurred to me that I might be fine just going over to the storage lot and turning the heat on for an evening.

In Portland we might see two or three days of below freezing. We camp year round so it just might be a waste of time, water and pink stuff to fully winterize.

Anyway, just wondering if any of you also just crank up the heat for a night when it gets below freezing for just one night?

---Robert

What do you normally do at this time of the year...winterize or run the furnace?

I leave a small space heater in mine. I'm in Keizer Or. I only turn it on when the temps are in the 20's at night and barely reach freezing during the day. Which doesn't happen all that often. All I've done so far is blow the lines and drain the HW tank. This cold weather coming in the next day or two won't faze it. I'm not even turning on the heater.

I have had occasions in the spring and fall where the temps dropped below freezing and our trailer is not winterized. I set the furnace to 40 degrees, the lowest setting, and it has been fine. I do have it plugged in so a low battery wouldn't be a problem and if the forecast if below 25 then I would drain the system.

ford truck guy wrote:
Like Terry said, if it is only a few nights of freezing temps, you should be fine. As long as the temps are above in the day..

I can winterize with 4 gal of pink stuff or $16 - if the power goes out and it freezes how many repairs can you make for $16 - its easy for other to say you will be fine they do not have foot the repair bill if they are wrong

Like Terry said, if it is only a few nights of freezing temps, you should be fine. As long as the temps are above in the day..

Questions like this are hard to answer without more info on your RV and how its plumbing is set up.

It appears to have basically enclosed tanks and piping. Furnace for one night should be more than sufficient, no different than camping in similar weather. Simply letting it sit would likely also be okay, assuming the temperatures during the day are above freezing, as it takes time for the temperature in the RV to cool down to freezing and more time for the water to freeze when the air temperature in the RV is cold.

I believe just a couple nights below freezing won't hurt the RV. Now if it was going to be a week or so in the teens with out warming above freezing in the day. I would be concerned.

Good question about being connected. Otherwise, you'll be running the furnace blower on battery. That would probably work for 1 night if you turn the thermostat really low. Really 25( or about 27 and below) is right at the point when I would worry about freeze up. but then it depends on how long it would be that temp. I would open the cabinet doors to get heat to the water lines. If you have shore power, an elec. portable heater might work. To answer your question, no I probably wouldn't winterize for 1 night in the upper 20's but if it could be several nights I would.

Are you connected to shore power??