Winter Camping

I don't live in Ohio but I do live in Lexington,KY and Dec can be a rough month weather wise. Sometimes it's the coldest of the winter months and other times I've even cut the grass in Dec. But I'd have what ever the weather might call for so you won't be caught short handed. But that's just me maybe someone can give you better insight to weather more north as I'm closer to the southern part of OH ..

73 Don

Further north in Michigan but you should winterize. For winter camping we keep gallon bottles of water in the bathtub. We use that water for flusing toilets and heating water.
And of course you sometimes get a winter where you have warm spells and could get by without winterizing the week you are camping. I would not count on it.
I bought a coffee percolator at a garage sale that we use for heating water. If we are at a campground with open bathrooms and showers we take our jugs over to fill with hot water there.
My husband wants to fill the five gallon jugs, they are too big for me to handle easily.

Does nayone know if the furnace in the Winnebago heats the storage area where the tanks are?

Are you planning on staying in a campground? If so, you need to locate one that is open. Most will be closed.

I have lived in N.E. Ohio for 60 years. December.. prepare for sub-freezing weather. some years its for days other years it could be all month. and some nights could be near ZERO degrees.
and like others have said.. most campground are close in November and reopen in April.

dclarke618 wrote:
I am planning a trip to Ohio in early December. Do I need to winterized my RV and not use the water or will the water lines stay warm enough to not freeze.

1998 Winnebago Adventurer

Thanks,
Dave

It depends on the weather. If it is below freezing, they can freeze. If it is above freezing, they probably won't freeze. A little common sense goes a loooooong way.

In general I winterize in December. If we go camping after we winterize, we just don't hook up to water unless it is a longer trip to a warmer climate. Then we winterize before we come back to the colder area.

If you're going to visit someone, why not let your motorhome in an RV park further south and just drive to wherever you're visiting? You'll be a lot more comfortable and without worry.

December can get mighty cold and you won't be 'camping'. You'll be surviving! :)

It depends on the rig...some are better equipped to handle cold weather. In general, if you plan to keep your rig heated then inside pipes "should" be ok. The main worry is the basement...the water compartment, holding tanks, and supply pipes will need heat. Some rigs have a vent from the furnace to keep the basement above freezing. Others have 12vdc ceramic type heaters in the basement.

The other half of the problem is the supply point and water hose, they will need heat tape or other means to keep them from freezing. And the sewer hose should be kept as dry as possible so it doesn't freeze up.

Most rigs are not well insulated for below freezing temperatures and will use a lot of propane to keep the inside warm. Depending on how you heat the other items...if paying for electricity...you will find the electric bill will sky rocket.

If it gets real cold, near zero or below, it's almost impossible to keep the water from freezing. In our experience, low 20's to upper teen's is manageable. We've been in colder temps, but just overnight, the daytime temps warmed up enough to allow some breathing room. Much colder than that and it becomes a losing battle.

The easiest thing to do is winterize the rig and forget about using any water in the rig. Find an RV park that has good facilities and try to get a spot as close as possible to those facilities. Minimize length of stay and head south to warmer weather as soon as you can.

I would definitely winterize. Even in South Carolina we get several nights that will freeze everything up unless our coach is heated.

If we are using the coach and I know that temps will be below freezing, I leave the hot water heater on, I turn on my tank heaters, wet bay heater and I maintain some heat inside with either one of my electric heaters or the furnace.

Outside I turn the 'city' water off and drain the fresh water hose if I had it connected.

PS Take an electric blanket.