Water is froze does it hurt to leave hot water heater on ?

laredo2015 wrote:
Thanks so much for the replies and help. Water was froze at the ground level even though it was covered with insulation and bucket. But now is froze somewhere in the belly for the hot water.

That right there scares me. If you already have some freezing in your RV's lines, you may very well have a problem. Keep a close eye once it's thawed and you turn the park water back on slowly to spot any leaks before you just crank it up.

laredo2015 wrote:
My water is froze at our park, does it hurt to leave the hot water heater on or should it be off. temperature is still below freezing. Seems if I leave it on at least it won't freeze with water in it and keep me from draining it. Going to fill the fresh water tank for tonight once they get water back on.

Go to the park's office and ask them what their policy is during below freezing temperatures. If you have a full hookup it may be as simple as leaving the valve open on your gray (or galley) tank and running the water in the kitchen sink at a slow stream (not a trickle). Having RUNNING water in the water hose helps to keep the hose from freezing. The park that I am at also says that they are responsible up to a site's spigot and the guest is responsible from the spigot to their RV.

This is the policy of the park that I'm in. YMMV. We'll have 3 to 4 times during the winter when the temperature is 23F to 25F. I only have 3/4 inch foam pipe insulation on a 20 foot water hose. I have a Class C with an open belly and no winter package. I have no problem with the cold temperatures. I just make sure that my sewer hose has a continuous downward pitch from the MH to the sewer hole.

Yes running water can be wasteful - even when a cold snap runs 10 days - but here it is park policy.

Run the water heater on gas not electric, as long as there is water in it, it will be fine.

One of the things we do is use one of these THERMO CUBES that turns on at 35 degrees and turns off at 45 degrees. You can plug-in a 100ATT Light bulb fir the storage areas or inside some of the cabinets.


I also have air flow under a thermostat controlled DC fan pulling warm air from inside the trailer through the continuous connected cabinets around the walls of of off-road POPUP. I installed small vents between all of the connected cabinets. This help alot too...

We also supplement the heat using a low profile electric heater plugged into the pedestal 20AMP service. This helps alot cutting down on the furnace run time. Better to use their electric verses your propane... Like said above however you don't ant to totally shut down the furnace as it does route warm around your tanks.


Roy ken

I'd leave it on. A burst water heater will be $350 for the unit, the time it takes to connect and disconnect the plumbing, LP gas, and wiring. Then, there is the cleanup of not just the six gallons, but potentially more from the FW tank.

The alternative is to drain the FW tank, bypass the WH, and winterize.

Will it hurt to leave the water heater on: NO, so long as there is water in the tank it will not hurt to have it on.

Will it hurt to turn it OFF: YES, if there is water in the tank and you turn it off then it can freeze, splitting the tank and ruining the water heater.

So by all means, LEAVE IT ON.

Hi,

Very few RV's can stand extreme low temperatures without modifications. A few of us have camped at -37 c (-34 f) or below.

You also need to protect the fridge. You may find the Winter Camping has a lot of useful information.

laredo2015 wrote:
Thanks so much for the replies and help. Water was froze at the ground level even though it was covered with insulation and bucket. But now is froze somewhere in the belly for the hot water. I have a small heater down there now to thaw hopefully no breakage.. Had just bought eh $100 heated hose and though we were covered.. If we thaw all the way I plan to just use the FW tank for sure..
We've always lived in one but it was always Florida before.. so I have no experience with this type of cold and living in one. I know one thing.. this so called "Glacier Package" on this new Laredo 355 RL should be renamed, it definitely doesn't live up to it's name. LOL
we are going through propane like crazy to heat and also alternately have a thermostat controlled Infrared heater also to help. This issue really makes me rethink buying this model. Is the Arctic Fox any better for cold weather living in an RV ? Or if anyone has a model they have tried and is better let me know. Thanks again!

Thanks so much for the replies and help. Water was froze at the ground level even though it was covered with insulation and bucket. But now is froze somewhere in the belly for the hot water. I have a small heater down there now to thaw hopefully no breakage.. Had just bought eh $100 heated hose and though we were covered.. If we thaw all the way I plan to just use the FW tank for sure..
We've always lived in one but it was always Florida before.. so I have no experience with this type of cold and living in one. I know one thing.. this so called "Glacier Package" on this new Laredo 355 RL should be renamed, it definitely doesn't live up to it's name. LOL
we are going through propane like crazy to heat and also alternately have a thermostat controlled Infrared heater also to help. This issue really makes me rethink buying this model. Is the Arctic Fox any better for cold weather living in an RV ? Or if anyone has a model they have tried and is better let me know. Thanks again!

If you don't leave it on.....then drain it. Cracked tank due to frozen water is lot more hassle & $$$ then leaving it on.

Can't hurt because water can not be fully used out of tank so there will always be enough water in tank to absorb heat from running it.....just like the WH at home. Sits there heating as needed even when no water demand has occurred.

If it was me, I would disconnect the fresh water hose from the park, shut off the heater and then drain it and leave the plug out. I would keep my heat on and open as many drawers and cabinets to allow the heat to keep the pipes warm.

good luck

Jack L