Traveling in the Cold

[Claybe]

I will be taking my first winter trip next week and have never traveled in the cold weather. I will be traveling from Colorado to Texas and back. I don't think temps in Texas will be a problem but Colorado and New Mexico will get cold and freezing. My wife wants to travel with water so we can wash and use the bathroom etc. I do not have heated tanks. I have winterized the RV and will need to de-winterize before we leave. Any suggestions? How do people travel with out lines freezing and bursting, etc?

[Photomike]

pconroy328 wrote:
Missing just one thing - have fun!

Best suggestion of all!!!!

[time2roll]

By the time you need to empty tanks all will be defrosted.
Maybe start by splitting a gallon antifreeze between tanks and then just water on top.

[pconroy328]

Missing just one thing - have fun!

[Claybe]

Thanks all for the recommendations. Here's my plan of action:
I am going to keep the RV winterized and not turn on the water pump.
My black and grey tanks are outside under the vehicle so I will flush the toilet with RV antifreeze and put water down the drains sparingly following with anti freeze. We will use bottled water.
Anything I am missing?

[BizmarksMom]

Stay winterized until you get out of the freezing temps. Flush the toilet with rv antifreeze. Use bottled water for washing and teeth brushing - and follow any water down the drain with antifreeze.
Make sure you have good batteries and full propane tanks in case there are no open campsites. (I assume that's the case this time of year.)

Once you're in warmer temps, filling the water tank and de winterizing is easy.

[Deb_and_Ed_M]

Two more little cold-weather tips: always turn off the dashboard vent control because after the engine cools, it will let cold air into the MH; and hang a heavy blanket or quilt so the cab area (which has zero insulation) is separated from the rest of the "house"

[pconroy328]

Claybe wrote:
I will be taking my first winter trip next week and have never traveled in the cold weather.

From one Denver-ite to another, if temps are in the mid 20's or higher, I'd run the furnace. If parked, I'd make sure I was plugged in and had heat - electric or propane.

Our previous Class C had the freshwater tank under the bed. And the tan heaters didn't work anymore. Nothing froze.

Temps under 20, or waaaaay under 20, we'd leave it winterized. Bring bottled water and hit gas stations for potty stops.

[time2roll]

I would run the furnace full time and just go. Cab heat is not sufficient. Check propane every day.
If you should encounter problems then adjust as needed.
RVs are fairly resilient while in use.

[jaycocreek]

One trick is to shut your water pump off and open the taps if you think it will freeze at night, also leave the hot water heater on if you have water in it.

Lot's of little tricks to traveling in the winter and this one is a good one I use if I have the water system going for the trip.I have tried all ways and find that if I am not going to stay for an extended period,I leave the water lines blown out.

We use a porta potty that fits perfectly in the shower and gallon jugs of water.We also use a catalytic heater for heat which uses know battery at all.If used properly,they are 100% safe as tons of RVers can attest to.

The whole water system in our Class C is inside..Getting warm air to the lines is the key to them not freezing..I am in the process of adding vents to the area's that are hidden and would freeze when really cold.Each RV is different with different needs to accomplish them being able to take temps that are really low and stay low and that is why we usually just do the porta potti/gallon jug meathod.This way there is absolutely know way it can freeze at any temp and you still stay warm and have your coffee too.(We do use RV antifreeze etc in the grey tank if we use it alot)

Spent many a winter in an RV for work purposes in the cold Idaho mountains and you learn quick what works and what doesn't in each RV and I am one to always have a hair dryer handy.

[Snowman9000]

What I would do, given the very cold forecast:
Keep everything winterized.
Use pink antifreeze to flush toilets if you have to.
Stay in hotels until you get nights in the 20's at least.

If dogs are a concern, many hotels accept dogs now. Red Roof Inn for one, for no extra charge.

[Photomike]

Some good advice and some questionable.

First PLEASE do not use auto antifreeze, this is not designed for that and is in fact poison where RV is not. You can also get in trouble dumping this in sewer systems.

Also do not use salt, if you want to promote corrosion go ahead but adding high amounts of salt is asking for difficulties and again is not good for the environment or sewer/septic systems.

If you are not sure of what way to go then stay winterized and use RV antifreeze to flush. I use the large water jugs with pumps on the top for really cold weather so I don't need to worry about water lines freezing.

When you are traveling a night of cold will not hurt anything (reasonable cold, not -35), pipes don't burst from one cold night. Several nights of cold with only slight warming during the day can hurt things as freezing and thawing will create blocks in the pipes then when they freeze again the water has no place to expand and will blow a pipe. I leave my units with water in them till late in the fall and they freeze a number of times but fully thaw during the day as I run the heat or the outside temps are warm enough.

One trick is to shut your water pump off and open the taps if you think it will freeze at night, also leave the hot water heater on if you have water in it.

Or if you are worried open the inside taps and the low point drain in the morning and by night the lines will be pretty much drained *** IN MANY CASES THIS WILL ALSO DRAIN YOUR HOT WATER TANK DOING THIS SO DO NOT TURN THE WATER TANK ON ***

[DrewE]

Claybe wrote:
Sorry forgot to mention that I have a Majestic 23 Class C motor home. The water tank is under the bed and I will be running cab heat the whole trip. I had already thought of using the RV antifreeze in grey and black tanks. Just wasn't sure if I would be able to use the fresh water tanks. Sounds like I shouldn't risk it until the freeze clear zone (basically until I reach my destination). Wouldn't rock salt and antifreeze accomplish the same thing?

The fresh water tank won't be a problem when you're traveling, as you'll have the interior heated enough to be at least somewhat comfortable. "under the bed" is part of the interior, as it's above the (nominally insulated) floor and inside the (nominally insulated) walls.

If the grey and black tanks and drain valves are enclosed in a compartment and the plumbing doesn't run exposed underneath, you should have no troubles whatsoever with things freezing so long as you use the furnace and don't leave hoses hooked up. Often with enclosed holding tanks there's a duct from the furnace into the wet bay to help keep it above freezing; that, along with running the pipes within the heated envelope of the RV, are what constitute a basic four-season capable RV.

Rock salt in the holding tanks is a perfectly reasonable antifreeze, and perhaps more effective than diluted RV antifreeze. You don't really want either rock salt or RV antifreeze in your fresh water tank if you can help it, for obvious reasons.

I've camped in below freezing temperatures in my class C and it's been pretty much uneventful. The furnace does use a relatively large amount of battery power (and propane), and the single pane windows and general lack of sealing/insulation can make it seem (and indeed be) somewhat drafty. If temperatures are very cold, well below zero say, things could be rather more complicated.

[Deb_and_Ed_M]

Our former Class had exposed tanks; and since we always tried to get south for a vacation around mid-winter, traveling in freezing temps was our "norm".

We flushed the toilet with antifreeze; and as long as the temps were 20-and-above, if we dumped a little water down the sink drain (dumping out coffee or brushing teeth, for example), we'd add an equal amount of antifreeze. Never had a bit of trouble. One year, we were heading back home and knew we'd have single-digit temps - then we winterized and did not add any liquid of any kind to the system at all (I read somewhere that urine can freeze at 28-degrees).

We also made window inserts from Reflectix foil insulation; and added foam vent inserts. Most nights, our little electric heater kept the MH adequately warm - once in a while, the furnace kicked on if needed.

Rock salt would work in place of antifreeze - but there's an outside chance it won't dissolve and could jam the slide valve partially open. We would watch for sales on antifreeze (Tractor Supply is always a good place for that) and we'd stock up. I always looked at this as "how much would I pay to NOT have to fix a broken/jammed black-tank valve?" The price of a couple of gallons of pink stuff pales in comparison....LOL!

[Matt_Colie]

I have only had to work on one other Majestic 23, but I doubt that your is very much different.

The only worry I would have were this coach mine, I was traveling in sub-freezing weather would be the gray tank. That would only be if it had contents and the weather was sub-teens. In that case, yes, salt will do. The black tank is protected from freezing by the contents. So, you are safer if you use it with as little flush water as possible.

I will forward the advice that I was given when we first had to travel in the north this time of year. It proved to serve us well.
=> Have provisions onboard for three days. It is very easy to get weathered in for a day. If you get stopped at all, it could easily be two days before you can continue. Given that case, you have a self-contained unit. You should have propane, water and fuel for at least that long.

There is a near zero chance that you will find a campground with water and electric, that will matter if you don't have a generator. The house bank will be hard pressed to run the coach heat overnight. That means you may need to idle the main engine for a long time just to get through the night.

Good Luck

Matt