Saw a post re: Northern Lite's 10-2 water pump and winter camping question and it got me thinking-Do you worry that any of the smaller water lines will freeze/break if it gets cold enough to partially freeze the water pump? (This is aimed at mc272mcc272 from the previous thread)My DH and I are having our annual (and ongoing) "discussion" about when to winterize. His view is pink stuff in all lines by the first frost he sees on his windshield! I take the view that as long as it gets well about freezing during the day that the lines/pump will be fine. It's been in the 70's here last week! But then we get a frost at night.Lo and behold DH brings me our garden hose and it was slightly frozen... so that's his proof that TC will be in peril :)I disagree because A) the garden hose was laying on ground in the shadow of the house THAT NEVER SEES DAYLIGHT - it would never warm up, and B) TC is in full sunlight and get warm inside so lines are still fine since it warms up again during the day....My proof to refute his "frozen" garden hose is the bottle of iced tea in my car cupholder. It's cold, but no where near frozen yet so I declare MY reasoning to be superior...I just cannot see the need to "winterize" when it's not even jacket weather during the day!

Seems the only real way to settle it is to let it stay unwinterized until later and see who "wins", me or DH.But then I admit that having him "win" by showing me broken water lines seems, well, kinda stooooopid LOL.

If it is going below 32f I would winterize unless I had heat in the RV

I'd say let the person who may have to do any repairs decide.

rjxj wrote:I'd say let the person who may have to do any repairs decide.LOL!!! My DH says he owes you a beer! :BIn all honesty it's a pretty valid answer, even if I don't like it.

I keep a small cube heater in the camper set on low ,25 outside 50 inside. If I haven't winterized yet and forecast says its going to be real cold I'll turn on the water heater electric element . I don't worry about short dips below freezing . I have the heater on just to try to keep it sort of dry ,40 days and 40 nights of rain is getting old.

Annual freeze question - mcc272 please respond | Good Sam Community

Stars101
Explorer
Nov 10, 2015
Seems the only real way to settle it is to let it stay unwinterized until later and see who "wins", me or DH.

But then I admit that having him "win" by showing me broken water lines seems, well, kinda stooooopid LOL.
WyoTraveler
Explorer
Nov 10, 2015
If it is going below 32f I would winterize unless I had heat in the RV
azrving
Explorer
Nov 10, 2015
I'd say let the person who may have to do any repairs decide.
Stars101
Explorer
Nov 10, 2015
rjxj wrote:
I'd say let the person who may have to do any repairs decide.

LOL!!! My DH says he owes you a beer! :B

In all honesty it's a pretty valid answer, even if I don't like it.
Driftwood132
Explorer
Nov 10, 2015
I keep a small cube heater in the camper set on low ,25 outside 50 inside. If I haven't winterized yet and forecast says its going to be real cold I'll turn on the water heater electric element . I don't worry about short dips below freezing . I have the heater on just to try to keep it sort of dry ,40 days and 40 nights of rain is getting old.
gbopp
Explorer
Nov 10, 2015
Why are you waiting to winterize? Are you still using the TC?
rockhillmanor
Explorer
Nov 10, 2015
Stars101 wrote:
Saw a post re: Northern Lite's 10-2 water pump and winter camping question and it got me thinking-

Do you worry that any of the smaller water lines will freeze/break if it gets cold enough to partially freeze the water pump? (This is aimed at mc272mcc272 from the previous thread)

My DH and I are having our annual (and ongoing) "discussion" about when to winterize. His view is pink stuff in all lines by the first frost he sees on his windshield!

I take the view that as long as it gets well about freezing during the day that the lines/pump will be fine. It's been in the 70's here last week! But then we get a frost at night.

Lo and behold DH brings me our garden hose and it was slightly frozen... so that's his proof that TC will be in peril :)

I disagree because A) the garden hose was laying on ground in the shadow of the house THAT NEVER SEES DAYLIGHT - it would never warm up, and B) TC is in full sunlight and get warm inside so lines are still fine since it warms up again during the day....

My proof to refute his "frozen" garden hose is the bottle of iced tea in my car cupholder. It's cold, but no where near frozen yet so I declare MY reasoning to be superior...

I just cannot see the need to "winterize" when it's not even jacket weather during the day!

Makes no difference how warm it gets the NEXT day.

Florida over 80 degrees during the day EVERY day. A few cold nights in the winter = frozen garden hose, fresh water lines and inline filter, AND frozen lines inside an RV.

When it gets down below 32 degrees at night.....stuff freezes including water lines in an RV. Which are nothing more than cheap plastic tubing with even cheaper plex fittings. You WILL have a leak.

You coffee cup theory?
A little puddle on the ground will freeze solid before a pond will....your water lines in your RV are a small diameter exposed on all sides to the cold....freezes fast in a minimal amount of time.:W

IMHO certainly not worth the cost of the damage to prove a point! Just saying.
billtex
Explorer II
Nov 10, 2015
Stars101 wrote:

I take the view that as long as it gets well about freezing during the day that the lines/pump will be fine.

2X...Never had any problems with this method.
DWeikert
Explorer II
Nov 10, 2015
Stars101 wrote:

I take the view that as long as it gets well about freezing during the day that the lines/pump will be fine. It's been in the 70's here last week! But then we get a frost at night.

There's a bit of a Catch-22 in your thinking. If it warms up during the day and that heat is readily transferred into the camper, then the cold at night will just as readily cool down the camper. An early frost may come about when it drops to 31* overnight. In that case, winterizing probably wouldn't be needed. But if it drops down to say 25* for that frost and does so reasonably early in the night, then you'll be wishing you had winterized. You probably won't freeze all your plumbing, but do you have an outside shower? The water lines feeding that shower head will probably be the first to go.

"Better safe than sorry" comes to mind...
zb39
Explorer
Nov 10, 2015
Keeping it inside helps a lot also.