Yellowstone Next Week - Freezing Temps Concern

[InTheRockies]

I’ll be in Yellowstone next week in my TT and am concerned about temps dipping below freezing at night. My holding tanks are all exposed below the underbelly. I can easily run some RV antifreeze through my supply lines via the water pump and use water containers for my fresh water needs, but am not sure about the waste tanks. I won’t be able to avoid using the gray and black tanks. I can pour antifreeze in the drain lines but it will be diluted by the gray and black waste water. Is the answer just more antifreeze? Any temporary and easy insulation I can rig up for the exposed tanks and low point drains?

Forecasted low temps look to be around 30-35. Am I worrying too much?

Thanks in advance.

[ferndaleflyer]

I wouldn't be concerned

[JoeH]

The first time we were at Yellowstone was in mid-August several years ago. We had snow one day. so- who knows what you'll get this time of year

[Sagebrush]

When the black and gray tanks are empty I just pour RV antifreeze in to rest against the dump valves. If it gets above freezing during the day its not a big deal. When I camped out in the winter all the time I liked adding the heating pads and heat tape to everything.

[DrewE]

Dipping down to 30 for a couple hours shouldn't cause problems. How much do you trust the forecast to be accurate?

The water and stuff in the tanks probably wouldn't cause any problems even if it were to freeze; the tanks are somewhat flexible, and there's generally room for the water to expand upwards when it freezes. The water trapped in the plumbing between the tanks and the dump valve is far more likely to cause trouble if it freezes, possibly breaking that pipe. Under the conditions you describe, though, I doubt it would be at all likely to freeze hard at all.

Rock salt is one inexpensive way to help prevent freezing in the gray and black water tanks. It's probably not ideal for septic systems in large quantities, but at a developed campground dump station that would not concern me in the least (partly because it will get diluted a lot in short order). Obviously, salt water in the fresh water tank is not a great idea, even if it eliminates one step when cooking pasta.