Camping in a winterized TC

:h

I said for pouring down drains and toilets. Gosh, kind of assume that goes into the holding tanks, either black or gray.

No difference what its made out of. I sure ain't gonna drink it.

It is NOT going into the fresh water tank in any way, shape or form.

So why the need to flush so carefully??? Again, who is gonna drink from the holding tanks?????????

Only needs to be well flushed if you are planning on drinking from your black tank LOL :)

People only use the windshield washer fluid for black tanks, not ever for fresh water systems, b/c it is a bit cheaper and easier to find than the pink stuff.

The Mad Norsky wrote:
Instead of the RV anti-freeze, one could also use the winter formula windshield washing fluid for dumping down drains and toilets.

Folks at 5 Star RV in Henderson, Colorado advised this. Said it was better priced than the RV anti-freeze and it worked great for us.

Winter formula windshield fluid would work for antifreeze - but you need to make very sure the system is thoroughly flushed afterward. It consists primarily of methyl alcohol which is extremely toxic and at the very least can cause blindness. Whereas the main ingredient of RV antifreeze is ethyl alcohol, the same alcohol as in beer or wine. Non-toxic...except in extremely large doses!

I think we all have a different frame of reference for 'Winter'. The coldest I've camped at is about -15C (looks to be about 5F). We had no problem but we had a powered site, I think that could be a bit tougher without a powered site.

I usually don't even put on a jacket at 0-5C lol

I have a buddy that swears he camped in his AF at -40C

nomadictxn wrote:
Heading down to Carlsbad and Guadalupe Mountains Thursday but keeping my water system off. I like the bucket and trash bag. Momma will not, however, so i will be using the black tank.

Would she be amenable to using the trash bag in the clean, dry winterized toilet? Just put the bag in the bowl and put the seat down on it. I also use some Poo Powder (spendy but works great) to absorb liquid. Or I use cedar kitty litter to absorb liquid, much cheaper.

You can use the trash bag-in-the-toilet trick for when the power is off in the sticks and brick as well.

There was a guy over on the TT forum (?) that removes his toilet every year before they use the RV for winter. He unbolts the two floor bolts and has a cover he bolts in place. Then he puts a porta potty in place of the RV toilet for winter use. It makes great use of the limited floor space in an RV.

hedge wrote:
PS Buzzcut,

do you have dual pane windows? I wasn't planning on building insulating panels for the windows as I have dual pane windows. Of course every bit helps but just not sure if it would be necessary for the hassle.

the foam panels took me all of 30 minutes to cut all of them from one 4x8 sheet of foam. With the exception of the back door they all snap into place with nothing needed to hold them on. I have velco on the back door foam only.

double or single pane it helps. it also eliminates inside condensation on the glass and skylights.

It was 5 degrees in Yosemite last year and we were in t shirts inside with the furnace on its lowest setting and it rarely cycled. I do have r13 fibergass behind every outer compartment door too.

Heading down to Carlsbad and Guadalupe Mountains Thursday but keeping my water system off. I like the bucket and trash bag. Momma will not, however, so i will be using the black tank.

Good suggestions.

I'll add these.
Try to keep condensation mopped up, and to a minimum.
Add some loft (blankets, foam, or sleeping bag) underneath you while you sleep.
Insulate your exterior compartments walls that are also your living space walls, the crank up roof vents, and windows.
Insulate under the floor with foam board. Add a rug.

The blower on the furnace will kill your battery fast, really fast!
There are many options for a auxiliary heat source.
(Buddy heater, Olympic Wave 3 & 5).
Unless you have access to a 120 volt source for an electric space heater.

The only other thing I do different is we use bottled water for brushing teeth, washing up, cooking. Small easy to pack and 12 bottles can really go a long way.


Bucket with a trash bag for toilet, or the other obvious options that are avalaible. And baby wipes.

Nothing goes down the drains period.... till spring.

Try it, have fun and get back with us with what worked for you.

The only time we have had any of the systems not operable was with many days of temperatures that never go above 30 degrees during the day and even then it was only the water pump that had the water inside of it freeze. After a day of 40 degree weather the water in the pump thawed and no more problems.

If we encountered those subfreezing temperatures more often I would look into finding a way to keep the water pump warmer.

We just use RV antifreeze to flush and carry other liquids separately. There are showers where we go for longer periods. For the colder weather we avoid having both slides open at night since that increases the area to heat and makes the furnace run more. We do add heavier sleeping cover. We don't camp out where we could wake to lots of snow in a remote area. Over night at a ski area is our most likely place for snow.