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Camper_G's avatar
Camper_G
Explorer
Oct 22, 2013

Plumbing system winterization - when should I be conerned?

Hey y'all.

I've got a question for you about winterization of the plumbing system on my TT. I've had several rigs in the past and always winterized before the winter. I'm just not sure I've waited this long to winterize in the past ( I just bought this rig a little over 2 weeks ago).

Here in my part of the country, they are expecting a cold shot of air (cold for this time of year/area), which will limit daytime highs to the low-middle 50's and lows in the mid-low 30's.

It's been speculated we could have our first freeze in the next few days. I'm concerned about winterizing and broken pipes. I would like to get the camper out once, perhaps this weekend and maybe once the first part of November.

Do you think I'll be OK by letting it go without winterizing if we have the occasional night that dips below 32 degrees? I don't think any long/sustained cold is forecast, just a few of the nights between now and then will flirt with the high 20's low 30's for overnight lows.

I seem to remeber reading in the past that it will likely be OK as long as we don't get any sustained cold, meaning the high temperature during the day does not get above 32 degrees, or is that not right?

Thanks for any thoughts on this topic.

-Greg
  • I live in the same state as the OP. Would I be ok just to blow air through out the system and still be good. I plan on taking my TT out one last time on Thanksgiving.
  • Hi 1buda,

    I think you'll be OK, but watch the low's at night. If it's going to only be a degree or two below freezing each night, but highs in the 50's during the day, I think you'll be OK. Don't forget your sink traps, they need some antifreeze as well.
  • I would, and already have, blowed the lines with air and then put a electric heater inside. My older TT has all the fresh water lines inside the TT. I put antifreeze in the traps just to be sure and I drained the waste tanks well.
  • It takes quite some time to actually freeze and break pipes. You have to remove about 90 BTU to cool a gallon of water from 50F to 32F and freeze it. PVC has a heat transfer coefficient of about 0.03348333 BTU/hr/sqft/degree F. With some assumptions that works out to about 107 hours or 4 and half days of 32 temps. Colder temperature less time. Just to be safe I sometimes run the heat set on 50 when its going to be freezing for a couple of days. This way heat goes down to my holding tanks as well.