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Desert_Captain's avatar
Desert_Captain
Explorer III
Dec 17, 2019

Getting cold {er} in southern Arizona...

The forecast was calling for lows here in Tucson in the low thirties for most of the night so I "Winterized" our class C... Arizona style yesterday. I open the three fresh water valves and let them drain while driving around for about 5 miles and leave them open. Next I add a quart of RV antifreeze to the black and grey tanks and a cup or so to each of the traps {two sinks and the shower}.

That's about it, never bothered to blow out the lines as driving around a bit seems to clear them sufficiently. Oops, almost forgot the most important step... restock the bar! :S

Been using this method for 12 years with no freezing related damage issues. I always carry a spare gallon or two in the coach as we camp year round and and the desert nights can easily get down into the 20's. Fortunately our 24' Class C Nexus came with heated tanks, is very well insulated and has a 35,000 BTU furnace.

Our Christmas run to San Diego to visit our daughter and SIL will be in the Honda Ridgeline but in January we are headed out to Ehrenburg {on the Colorado River} for 4 days and nights of riding our Rzr's and then up the road to Quartzsite for the big RV show. Alamo State Park is a probable stop on the way home. Will be packing the Campfire In a Can and the spare 20# LP bottle as well as the usual assortment of cold weather clothes... it will be chilly but snow is not likely.

:C
Seeking Advice
  • wa8yxm's avatar
    wa8yxm
    Explorer III
    Dec 18, 2019
    Same in SC.. Knowing I had to move today I went out yesterday and did all the water stuff. nice 60+ T-shirt temps... Came in with full fresh and empty waste tanks and went to sleep. Woke up this AM to 32.
  • pnichols's avatar
    pnichols
    Explorer II
    Dec 18, 2019
    All this talk about fresh water freezing (not including grey/black tank freezing issues) reminds me of a post I read recently about a trick that could be used whenever cold weather camping:

    For those of you with an outside shower that is available close enough to where the fresh water tank fill outlet is ... run the hot water heater a few minutes to heat it's water, turn the outside shower to full hot and then hold the running outside shower outlet in the outside fresh water fill port ... thus pumping warmed water into the fresh water tank. Then go inside and run all faucets - plus the shower - just a few seconds so as to get the warmed fresh water distributed throughout the RV's fresh water system's plumbing.

    Doing this before cold nighttime temperatures, or 2-3 times during freezing daytime temperatures, may keep the fresh water plumbing from freezing.

    :h
  • Desert_Captain's avatar
    Desert_Captain
    Explorer III
    Dec 18, 2019
    Campfire Time wrote:
    Our winters may suck, but our summers are wonderful. While I'm out spending a day biking or hiking in the summer you poor Arizona folk are trying to stay at 80 indoors to avoid getting fried in 120 temps. :B


    Oh the myths keep missing...

    Been here in southern Arizona for 15 years and have yet to see 120 anywhere. A typical hot summer day will be 101 - 104 here in Tucson we live at 3,300' at the foot of Mt Lemon which is- 9,200+'. In the Valley of the Sun = Phoenix, they often see 112 - 116 but it does not get there until mid to late afternoon.

    At 0700 it is usually around 75 and stays pretty pleasant until 2 or 3. I have never seen Tucson even close to the high temp for the nation but have seen Portland Oregon win it. Face it folks June through September is called "Summer" for a reason... it is hot just about everywhere.

    What most folks don't realize about Arizona is that the average elevation is something north of 4,000'. When it gets warm down at the lower elevations we just head up to the mountains and at 7 to 9,000' heat is not a problem.

    Oh is it true that the mosquito is the state bird of Wisconsin? :h

    :B
  • Campfire_Time's avatar
    Campfire_Time
    Explorer
    Dec 18, 2019
    Our winters may suck, but our summers are wonderful. While I'm out spending a day biking or hiking in the summer you poor Arizona folk are trying to stay at 80 indoors to avoid getting fried in 120 temps. :B
  • dapperdan's avatar
    dapperdan
    Explorer
    Dec 18, 2019
    This was Chandler last Monday afternoon, a thunderstorm moved through and dropped a BUNCH of hail! :E


    It was actually pretty nice the rest of the week, we were only there for a week. Looked like Wisconsin tho!!! :B
    Dan
  • down_home's avatar
    down_home
    Explorer II
    Dec 17, 2019
    24 degrees here, near Kingman at 3500'. Been at or below freezing many nights and the rest of this week is more of the same. I'm wondering it Mother Nature will dump snow before mid to late January. Snowed a bit 2 weeks ago and the mountains were pretty in white at 500' higher level on up.
  • jfkmk's avatar
    jfkmk
    Explorer
    Dec 17, 2019
    DutchmenSport wrote:
    Cummins12V98 wrote:
    Why the HELL would you winterize in the 30's???


    He did it so he'd have a reason to restock the BAR!


    Certainly as good a reason as any!
  • doxiemom11's avatar
    doxiemom11
    Explorer II
    Dec 17, 2019
    If it's only going to be down to freezing for an overnight, just disconnect your water hose and use the tank/pump. It won't be cold long enough to cause a problem. 9 years full-time and in many overnight freezing temps. As long as it will be above freezing during the day you are good. Long term is the problem.
  • Desert_Captain's avatar
    Desert_Captain
    Explorer III
    Dec 17, 2019
    DutchmenSport wrote:
    Cummins12V98 wrote:
    Why the HELL would you winterize in the 30's???


    He did it so he'd have a reason to restock the BAR!



    LMAO! At least give me credit for wearing shoes... if not for the cold for the damned cactus we have everywhere hereabouts.

    I have no concerns as long as the temps don't drop into the upper 20's for hours at a time. This happens on a regular basis here in the high Sonoran Desert. With the forecast this week for temps in the low 30's coupled with our being out of town for the holidays now seemed a good time to address "Winterizing". Low temps are no issue if we are in the rig but parked in storage with no AC power available my southern Arizona my minimalist Arizona winterizing works just fine.

    Being able to camp year round is privilege we take full advantage of {Also ride my Indian Springfield and Polaris Rzr year round and play a lot of golf, aah the joys of southern Arizona}

    I do love all the macho stories of the dreaded winters so many experience... {you much man Hondo!} and have my sympathies but living in such climates is a self inflicted wound. We spent last Christmas at my friends house in Angel Fire NM, saw 14 degrees below zero with a foot and a half of fresh powder {gorgeous!} the day we left and no, we won't be up there this year. We'll be spending the holidays with my daughter and SIL in San Diego but fear not we will tough it out.

    :B
  • Lwiddis's avatar
    Lwiddis
    Explorer II
    Dec 17, 2019
    Good bourbon should not be abused by storage in a cold RV.

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