RV's too old to park in their campground???

[Cheryl_B]

I bought my motorhome with the intention of leaving CT, and spending quality time with my family who has relocated to the outskirts of Indianapolis this year. I was paying my rent here in CT yesterday and I told them that this would most likely be my last month camping here.

I get back to the rig and find that finally, this IN campground has answered my emails (I sent them 2 and got no response and called them instead.) So that's how I found out that the RV's need to be 15 years old or newer. I called 2 other places (only places open year round there) and they had similar policies. I'm persona non grata.

I've researched RV living for YEARS, accumulating into decades and this is the first I have heard about age limits for RV's. Is this a typical problem that you encounter in your travels?

Do I really have to spend the winter in CT????

[Photomike]

Cheryl_B wrote:
How cold does it really have to get before you have to be concerned with frozen holding tanks and water lines? I mean, does it have to be below freezing for more than just a night?

A simple answer is yes, one night with cold temps will not freeze you up, unless it is crazy cold (-25C or colder) !!!

I have actually had water in my tanks when it has gotten cold (-15C or 5F) and never had a problem. This past week have had a few nights at (-9, -7, -4 Celsius) and still not a problem. The big thing is that at this time of the year the daytime temperatures are still high enough (+1 or more) to clear up any ice during the day so it has to start over at night to refreeze. Also as long as you are using water and running the water heater during the next day or night then you will be fine with the lines as the ice will be cleared out.

Now if the daytime temps were in the same range (-10 or -15C) it would worry me that it would start to freeze up and would never truly thaw and it would just get worse and you would have a blockage that would stop the flow altogether in a day or two.

That being said unless you get an insane hard freeze like -25 or - 30 C your system should not have a problem with a single freeze up. The problem happens when you have a freeze and a blockage gets in the line and then it thaws or you have liquid further down the line and then that freezes with ice blockages on both sides of the liquid. Once you get a frozen blockage in the line and the water cannot expand down the pipes then you get pipes that will crack on the next freeze-up. In cold weather I leave my pump off and the taps open to allow any expansion to happen through the pipes and that helps to minimize any blow outs. Also either leave your hot water heater on or if a manual pilot light then leave that on.

As for the storage tank if it is fully inside then it has to get REAL cold to freeze. In temps that are in the -10C range the inside of my camper will only drop to -2 or -3C without the heat on and then will warm up fast in the sun to +6 or 10 even with outside temps that are cooler. If the tank is under the RV and gets no heating it will cool off and in a couple days turn to slush and a day or two later freeze, even in close to freezing temps.

Side note on RV anti freeze - In real cold weather you will see the RV antifreeze turn to slush and this is fine. What it is doing is stopping any hard freezes that cause blockages. Again I leave my tapes open so that air and any expansion can happen without blow outs, just to be safe.

[Gene_in_NE]

Cheryl_B wrote:
How cold does it really have to get before you have to be concerned with frozen holding tanks and water lines? I mean, does it have to be below freezing for more than just a night?

This is a question that is very difficult to answer. Here is a story that makes the point.

The answer to your question really depends on three things: how much water you have, how cold it is to start out, and how cold the things around it are. Water actually freezes when it gets to 32 degrees Fahrenheit (0 degrees Celsius), but the time it takes to get there may be different.

Let's start with the first. If you take two glasses, and fill one with a tiny bit of water, and the other about halfway, then put them both in the freezer, the one with less water will freeze first (you can try this at home, but I recommend using plastic cups and not glass ones).

Now let's move on to the second part. Let's say you have two glasses, and you fill one with really cold water that has been in the refrigerator, and the other with really hot water from the sink. If you put both of them in the freezer, the one that started out colder will freeze first.

For the third part, let's imagine that you have two glasses with the same amount of water in them, and the water is at the same temperature. Imagine putting one outside on a really really cold day in Georgia, and having a friend in Alaska put one outside on the same day. Since it would be so much colder in Alaska, the glass of water there would freeze before yours.

So, if you took a tiny bit of really cold water in a glass, and put it outside on a cold day in Alaska, it would freeze a lot faster than a big glass of hot water outside on a cold day in Georgia.

[Cheryl_B]

How cold does it really have to get before you have to be concerned with frozen holding tanks and water lines? I mean, does it have to be below freezing for more than just a night?

[Cheryl_B]

lane-hog, no, they didn't. Forgot I sent it, it's been so long. Wish people and places weren't so judgmental. Really want to go see my family who moved to IN this summer. Pretty much the main reason I bought the RV and moved into it.

[lane_hog]

Cheryl_B, did the park ever respond to your photos?

We have a now-11 year old MH that looks new, but on principle won't stay at parks with age restrictions, be it the coach or the occupants.

[mralex]

Shadow57 I don't think you'll have any problems in Ft Worth over Thanksgiving. I live in Norman, OK (20 miles South of OKC). It's usually pretty mild here around then. My wife and I are taking our class C to Branson, MO for Thanksgiving. Hope it's nice there.

[Chris_B_in_MD]

We were on the road & needed a spot for the night near Bend, OR. Found Crown Villa RV Resort with our"RVParky" app & gave them a call. The FIRST THING out of her mouth was "What year is your RV?". We have NEVER encountered that question at ANY other CG whether private or Park. We have a 2010 Fleetwood Jamboree so I guess we passed their minimum, then found they wanted $77/night.
Forget that!
Needless to say my review was less than glowing as was another stating they were NOT allowed in.
Drove another 15 or so miles north to Deschutes County Fair Grounds RV Park in Redmond, OR & stayed for $29 with FULL hook up.

[Shadow57]

Good Luck whatever you do. Just wanted to chime in the info on the State Fair grounds is totally true. I have shown horses there for years and do not stay there. I haven't been in 10 years but it was terrible in the 70"s, 80"s and 90's I can only imagine now. I wouldn't recommend Ohio State Fair Grounds either. However Kentucky is not bad and very close to Churchill Downs. Have fun

Didn't like reading all the bad posts about winter camping since we are considering Fort Worth, Tx at Thanksgiving and we live in IN. Hopefully it will stay warm till December. I will be thinking about being more prepared.

[Cheryl_B]

I agree. Where I am now, there are a lot of folks who either live here year round or seasonally and pay $60/month in off season to store their campers and stuff on their site. Not a bad deal, I say. I'm just not ready to settle in one place for the next year. I haven't even left the state yet! That would be embarrassing, just a tad. It's nice to know there's an option like that close to my remaining CT family, though. I'll stay here whenever I come home to visit.

[Bordercollie]

There is a shortage of nice RV parks in the Los Angeles area. We camped at one where a number of families in a section lived in old RV's and trailers with old cars on blocks, kids running wild unsupervised and some "unsavory looking" people like you see in the movies about "trailer trash". We are no snooty but will never go back there again. RV and trailer park owners must maintain reasonable standards or lose potential customers.

[Cheryl_B]

And thank you for all that information about the State fair grounds. I never considered that option, but thanks for all that info. Very good to know!

[Cheryl_B]

rjxj wrote:
I will do anything other than rv in the winter extremes again. We had to stay a little longer than planned in Denver during November 2014 in a 30 ft FW. There was a cold snap that took the temps down as low as 7 degrees. The furnace never stopped and burned 30 pounds of propane a day ($26.00 for 30#). I was also running an electric heater along with having boxed in the area under my holding tanks with 1/2" black celotex panels and ran another electric heater under there at night.

I see that you recently bought your RV and if I'm understanding your whole situation, is there some other way you could visit them? Could you stay in north Fl and fly up to see them? Yes, north Fl will see cold temps but it then warms up for the day. It's not the same as states that have a foot of frost in the ground and you are on an ice cube all the time. The desert in socal hits the 30's at night but it's 70 during the day.


It's 34 degrees right now in Denver and my furnace is set at 63 and keeps coming on every 6 min and runs for 6 min. The floor is cold and the dog is whining to get on my lap. We are leaving on Sunday and working our way west and south. You mentioned that you want to just get out there and experience it, well in the case of using an RV in the north in the winter I'm telling you right now it wont be fun. I'm a mechanic and I was a little nervous as to what might happen like the furnace conking out or burning a wire connection etc. I had solvent on hand and was ready to winterize and bail out quickly. I had bought an extra elec heater to have on hand.

We had gone to Denver to help our son with major home remodel issues that were more involved than expected and then I also ended up going to physical therapy. Never again. I will sell my house and every chainsaw, boat motor, weed eater, dirt bike, Carhart coat and pot and pan, but I will never do a northern winter in an RV again.

Edit: OMG, I just looked out the window and there is frost on everything.

You paint a grim picture, my friend. I guess my stay in IN will be shorter than expected. Maybe I can spend Thanksgiving with them and then get to warmer places. That will be a long enough visit.

Thank you to everyone who shared their personal stories. I'm learning so much from them. I will have plenty of my own down the road, but I'm still so new at this.

[Cheryl_B]

mountainsam wrote:
I would keep going past Indiana, which can have terrible winters, and head south . Have a nice visit coming and going. Winterizing an older model rv can be a real challenge. Even the new ones are pron to freeze ups. And theres not a lot of insulation in those walls. I know many people like to winter camp but it can be a headache. Good luck.

Yeah, I have no plan to press my luck while out there. I wish they had moved somewhere else but they are their for their jobs (their children and grandchild) so IN it was. I will get a good visit in and then rechart my course for warmer states. I have a cousin in west palm beach who is expecting me this winter, but I told her I wasn't sure when I'd arrive.

I hope she stood strong in yesterday's hurricane. Need to call her.

[Cheryl_B]

Indiana State Parks turn the water off November 1 and turn the water back on April 1. Anyone can just drive in (no park entrance fees during these months, no one at the gate). You drive in, pick your camping spot and set up. Electric is still on. Eventually, one of the Park Workers will come around and collect your camping fees. If they are not driving a DNR vehicle, they are not legitimate.

The fee for camping is considerably less during these months, but there is no water, bath houses and restrooms are closed and locked. You can still dump at dump stations, but the water is turned off there too.

If you can carry in your own water, it's absolutely a great experience! Especially when there is snow on the ground!

Of course, camping during these months is still iffy-iffy with Indiana weather. It can be 20 below zero one week, and 40 above zero the next and back to below zero the next. But the water remains off until April 1.

THANK YOU!!! What great information. I'm elated. Now I can just look for the nearest state park to them, which is probably closer than either of those RV parks with age restrictions. I'm so happy to hear this. Thank you for posting! (((((Hugs)))))

[azrving]

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