Moving 5th wheel in below zero weather

[gustafson_j]

We currently live in Bismarck, ND and will be traveling to Hibbing, MN during days that may not even reach the teens. We've been told we need to flush the water lines and put some sort of winterizing fluid in them that is safe to drink, so the pipes don't freeze on the 10 hour commute. We are unsure of the process of how to do this and what product to use. This will be our first move during the weather. We live in our 5th wheel all year and don't need help with skirting, heat tape, etc etc advice. We just need tips of keeping pipes from bursting while moving. We will runt he generator and keep the furnace on, but this won't prevent the cold air from underneath from freezing the pipes.

Thank you.

[Traveler_II]

When we were full timing we stayed December and January in Minnesota just north of the Twin Cities. Skirting with heat and good insulation made our RV comfortable inside. We did have a condensation problem, but all we would do was to open a window or two to let the moist air out, (not as bad as it sounds). It was hard when we pulled out the first part of February to head south; packing up in that cold was a bear. We did have to sign a contract with the RV park that if we did something that froze up the water pipes we had to pay for the repair and any lose of income that it caused.

Would we do it again, not if we could help it, but we had some family that we needed to help with and really it wasn’t all that bad.

[gustafson_j]

Thank you Colliehauler. We don't need that!

[colliehauler]

gustafson.j wrote:
We currently live in Bismarck, ND and will be traveling to Hibbing, MN during days that may not even reach the teens. We've been told we need to flush the water lines and put some sort of winterizing fluid in them that is safe to drink, so the pipes don't freeze on the 10 hour commute. We are unsure of the process of how to do this and what product to use. This will be our first move during the weather. We live in our 5th wheel all year and don't need help with skirting, heat tape, etc etc advice. We just need tips of keeping pipes from bursting while moving. We will runt he generator and keep the furnace on, but this won't prevent the cold air from underneath from freezing the pipes.

Thank you.

You need to drain the water heater as well. Don't forget to turn it off before you drain or it will burn out the electric element.

[gustafson_j]

If only we could head South!!! My husband is a Lineman Apprentice and the job is taking us up there. It's literally less than 2 hours from the Canadian border and it's pretty cold. We will be setting up as soon as we arrive. We just don't want any pipes to freeze and burst so when we arrive, we don't have to replace any pipes. 🙂

[gustafson_j]

Nothing is frozen. The site we are at has their ground water heat taped, we have our hose heat taped and inverted the water hookup. Our water hookup for the 5th wheel was outside of a storage area we have and we inverted it and drilled a hole so the hose could come up inside the storage area. We insulated the hole where the hose would normally be hooked up. We custom build OSB skirting backed with 2" hard foam insulation and then put the itchy insulation underneath where the bottom of the 5th wheel meets the skirting so no air enters underneath. We have 3 heaters running at all time under the 5th wheel. Two radiant heaters and 1 blowing heater. We also put 2" blue hard foam insulation around the bedroom slide out and window and on the sides of the living room. The main face of the living room is open and we put up insulation on the inside when it's in the teens and twenties below zero. We also have a small space heater we put under the kitchen wrap around where the water heater pump is when it's teens and twenties below. Nothing freezes! We saw -30 with wind chills at -49 a little over a week ago. Underneath dropped to low teens and inside maintained 67 degrees with one heater and the furnace on 65. Just for another perspective, we are at 16 degrees, wind at 12MPH with wind chill temp at -1. Underneath temp is at 44. Inside, no furnace running and one small heater, we are at 70 degrees. The biggest thing is to be able to make sure your skirting is perfect! No air gaps! Thank goodness for us my husband was formerly a carpenter and was able to build our skirting to perfect spec in one afternoon. Afterwards, I painted the OSB in Seahawks lime green and royal blue. You will want to paint your OSB to keep the water from soaking into it.

[0rion]

I'll go ahead and ask the obvious question too while I'm at it.....why are you moving to some place colder? 😄 I would be heading south. 😄

[0rion]

you say you're running the furnace during the trip? That should keep the ptraps from freezing. Personally if I had access to compressed air I would buy the fitting and just blow the lines out. Water can't freeze if there's none in there. 😄 It sounds like you're going to be setting back up when you get there anyhow.....fully winterizing it seems like a lot just for a 10 hour trip. I don't have to deal with those temps so what do I know though.

[poncho62]

If you are in North Dakota now, are your pipes not frozen solid? Its winter

[gustafson_j]

Thank you everyone for the advice on mobilizing our 5th wheel. We will for sure take the steps listed. We will live in our 5th wheel 365 days/year for a few years, regardless of the temps outside. We've got this thing nailed down. Should anyone need any advice on winterizing, insulation, inverting your water source and setting everything up under your 5th wheel (water, sewer, power) so nothing freezes, please message me on here. We have maintained 20 degrees or higher UNDER our 5th wheel when temperatures were minus 30 degrees with wind at 20+ MPH and temps much lower than minus 30 considering. The inside of our 5th wheel maintains 67 degrees as well. We average about $350/month in propane and about $100 in power costs. For first timers in the Winter, we sure have it sweet in here!

[fuzzdr]

The weather in MN in winter is brutally cold as in minus 40 plus degrees C. This is equal to or colder than the temp is here at this moment near Orillia Ontario. So I have some experience in dealing with boats and rvs in winter. It is one thing to move an rv to MN in winter and a completely different deal to live in that rv in a MN winter. I would not attempt the later; rvs do not have sufficient insulation to prevent everything and everybody from freezing. And the structure of the typical rv walls, floors and ceilings are not up to the job of supporting the deep snow load that will accumulate on the coach. And we have not even mentioned what happens to plumbing components in such an environment. My advice- don't even think about living in a camper in a MN winter.
To winterize your unit for winter storage (not habitation), drain all water tanks and lines completely. Install a bypass valve for the hot water tank and close it. Then completely fill the cold and hot water systems but leave the hot water tank empty. Use pumbing antifreeze minus 50 degrees C. for this. This stuff gets slushy in cold weather and hopefully will keep everything from freezing solid. Pipes and components that freeze are then at risk from splitting open. Make sure to fill all of the water traps with this plumbing (or non toxic) antifreeze; toilet, sinks, showers, tubs and the like.

Up here, we treat all of our boats and rvs like this in September or early October before the really cold weather hits. Then we store them indoors if possible or otherwise out of doors............until the end of winter in May.

Hopes this helps. Remember that MN ia one of the coldest places on earth during the winter. Do Not Use Automotive Antifreeze as this stuff is deadly toxic.

[K_Charles]

Just blow out the lines. If you can stand being in the MH the traps won't freeze.

[shadoow]

gustafson.j wrote:
....winterizing fluid ..... that is safe to drink...

just a word of caution, i don't know that any anti-freeze is safe to drink so don't assume anything.

[Jack_Diane_Free]

The pink antifreeze is non toxic but do not drink it as you suggest in your posting.

[AUWing]

If you have access to compressed air, maybe blowing out the system for the short time you'll be disconnected. You can get a fitting for blowing out water lines @ WalMart for a couple bucks. Remember to drain the water heater. Get a gallon of pink RV anti freeze and pour some into all sink and shower drains to keep the ptraps from freezing.

Just have to say tho, teens across northern 'sota in the next few week would feel like summer. Zero more likely