Very cold weather, toilet overflow, sink too

halhill3 wrote:

I'm at the border/panhandle of Florida/Alabama. The weather has been in record lows, freezing or below... Then again, another cold snap. I had: water dripping to keep the water hose from freezing shut--but the water tanks wer--I think, yikes--pretty empty; exterior shut off on black water shut; exterior shut off on grey water open and hose exiting at a good angle.

Last night, below freezing. Water in a pencil-lead stream in bathroom sink and kitchen. And, the water overflowed in the bathroom sink, AND was ready to overflow in the toilet--caught that one. On "flushing" the toilet it looks like a cherry bomb had gone off in the tank, the water boiling up I pulled the flush arm. So, I don't pay good attention then.

The cure for the symptom is, for very cold weather, turn off the hose, turn on the on-demand water pump connected to the onboard water supply.
P.S. Put a good hair dryer on your list of RV essentials. It's unfrozen stuck valves after freezes, dried carpet, and lots of other stuff. .

Clean water is precious. Allowing the water to run wasn't in your RV wasn't solving any problems at the temperatures you are experiencing. Many small towns and cities up north where the temperatures have been below 0 for 40 days or more are experimenting frozen pipes. The frost has gone below the normal 6-7 feet water lines are typically buried. They are telling some of their people to run a pencil size lead of water 24/7 until further notice. With 3 more days of sub-zero temps in the next 10 days and nothing above freezing in those 10 day they will let water run probably to at least March.

Now most people would simply unhook and drain the water hose and use their tanks under sub freezing temps. As you have found out that little bit of water dripping winds being quite a bit and floods your tanks if closed. A 1/16 in. flow consumes:943 gallons per day (that's a pencil lead) That is enough water for 9 average Americans, or 300 third world persons. Fresh water is becoming an issue all over, so using it in to keep a water hose from freezing is unconscionable and poor use of resources. Running water in these towns is a much tougher call, first the cost of repair will be 3-4 men at $25/hour and one machine at $75 per hour and the repairs will take 6-10 hours. Second, those people and their neighbors need water and have no alternative, like you do with your tanks as a backup. Plus a city pipe will put out many thousands of gallons per hour.

So next time disconnect that hose, roll it up and use your tanks when it gets below freezing unless the campground owner wants you to run water to prevent THEIR pipes from freezing.

And for thawing out frozen pipes, the best method is to wrap a hot towel or rags around the frozen area. (Never use a torch, and blow driers can put too much heat around plastic pipes) I have lived through 60 days of below zero weather and wind chills of 100- and so speak from a little bit of experience when it comes to keeping water flowing for large herds of livestock. Yes, and that includes pulling water pumps when it is 10 below zero.