Forum Discussion

slayed's avatar
slayed
Explorer
Sep 27, 2019

Winterizing

Well the cold weather is here! This week will be down to 25F. I am the new campground host and am in charge of making sure no pipes burst.

For cabins not being used, I plan on hooking compressed air to the pvc water lines and blowing the water out the faucets.

For cabins (park units) being lived in, I have small heaters underneath close to the pvc and pex water lines. I also am asking the tenants to leave their faucets dripping

For all of the rv water hookups, I will place rubber pipe insulation on the above ground pipes.

25 degrees F is just the beginning. This winter we will most likely see 0F or colder.
Does this sound adequate? What is your experience with winterizing?
  • As a new host and temperatures that cold, I think I would be checking with the campground owners/management to see what has worked in the past. I would not want to be the new guy who let all the lines freeze and burst.
  • back in the house trailer days, we wrapped heat tape and insulation around the spigot and hose.

    bumpy
  • Insist the owners give you detailed instructions and the supplies needed. Take pictures to prove you complied.
  • I wrapped the above ground spigots with rubber pipe insulation. There are too many to use heat tape. I do have heat tape on the two park unit's water lines along with a utility heater running full time.

    Wish me luck! Everyone is brand new here. Last years owners burst a lot of pipes. Hopefully blowing out all the pipes and filling all the drains with rv antifreeze is enough.
  • Wrapping insulation around a pipe full of water does no good. The only way to prevent pipes from freezing is to drain them.
  • As mentioned, no, pipe insulation will not keep pipes with water in them from freezing and bursting. Heat tape is likely the best option and will have to be on every pipe above ground with water inside. Find out what they did last year when all the pipes burst and start there as a guide on what not to do.
    If you are putting a small heater in a space to keep pipes above freezing it will have to be a sealed space with no chance of cold outside air getting in. It is can, it will nullify and heat you were hoping to use and the pipes will freeze and burst.
    The plan to blow out unused pipes and putting RV antifreeze in all P Traps will be successful as long as you get all the water out (most all) and ensure you find all P Traps including washer drains, etc.

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