Fresh water tank & antifreeze

I can't imagine taking a shower with AF in the water - enough to keep it from freezing. It's supposed to be used full-strength.

I think you'd be better off leaving the tank full, watching the weather, and draining it if it gets real cold. Another possibility would be to heat it, but that doesn't sound feasible for you.

Given the relatively mild winter you can expect, the overnight dip into the teens should cause no freezing problems. It takes sustained freezing temps. to freeze a tank full of water.
If an overnight freeze was predicted, I would turn on the hot water heater and leave it on. Open the drawers and cabinet doors to allow the warm air inside the camper to circulate through the areas that likely contain the plumbing.

Run to propane furnace to keep the interior temp. about 50* or so.

You'll be fine. We camp in much colder weather in CO and that's what we do. No problems to date.

Have fun. Don't shoot too many opossums. Save some for the next guy. :W

We put anti-freeze in our tank for going to the bathroom in the winter and use bottled water for everything else.

My main concern is when I am not there. I will not be bringing my camper back an forth so there will be times during the winter it is unattended for a couple weeks at a time. Unfortunately, my camp is too far away to run by during cold spells. Does anyone make a potable and dilutable antifreeze?

How about adding a couple gallons of cheap white wine to the FW tank. It might keep it from freezing and make taking showers and brushing your teeth much more fun.

PhilMac wrote:
I have a 08 keystone hornet 27dbs that I camp in the winter months during hunting season. Unfortunately I do not have a power or water source. I do use a generator for power and would like to use the campers water system. I am curious if I can add a potable antifreeze to make the camper functional. I probably would still bring in drinking and cooking water but it would be nice to use it to shower and for the toilet. Is this a possible scenario? What ratio of antifreeze would it take to keep it from freezing? I could still blow out the pipes and put antifreeze in the traps when I leave I just don't want to freeze the tank. I am in central alabama so the winters are not as harsh as some but it will sometimes get in the teens. I could drain it on the rare single digit occasions if needed.

I could be wrong - but really ... Alabama and you're worried about 50+ gallons of water turning rock hard? I personally think you are worrying over nothing. A few slight dips below 32 degrees isn't going to matter especially if it warms back up during the day. Now up here in Montana when it gets -20 degrees for 2 weeks straight is a different story. Point is that it takes quite a while for so much water to actually freeze to the point it would do damage. Worst case for you is 50 gallons turns to a bit of slush. You would need sustained deep freezing temps to hurt your tank.

So relax and a fill the water tank up and enjoy your rig.

mrkoje wrote:

PhilMac wrote:
I have a 08 keystone hornet 27dbs that I camp in the winter months during hunting season. Unfortunately I do not have a power or water source. I do use a generator for power and would like to use the campers water system. I am curious if I can add a potable antifreeze to make the camper functional. I probably would still bring in drinking and cooking water but it would be nice to use it to shower and for the toilet. Is this a possible scenario? What ratio of antifreeze would it take to keep it from freezing? I could still blow out the pipes and put antifreeze in the traps when I leave I just don't want to freeze the tank. I am in central alabama so the winters are not as harsh as some but it will sometimes get in the teens. I could drain it on the rare single digit occasions if needed.

I could be wrong - but really ... Alabama and you're worried about 50+ gallons of water turning rock hard? I personally think you are worrying over nothing. A few slight dips below 32 degrees isn't going to matter especially if it warms back up during the day. Now up here in Montana when it gets -20 degrees for 2 weeks straight is a different story. Point is that it takes quite a while for so much water to actually freeze to the point it would do damage. Worst case for you is 50 gallons turns to a bit of slush. You would need sustained deep freezing temps to hurt your tank.

So relax and a fill the water tank up and enjoy your rig.

What happens when the water freezes in those little PEX lines? Or in the water pump? Or in those little plastic valves? etc. etc. etc.

bid_time wrote:

mrkoje wrote:

PhilMac wrote:
I have a 08 keystone hornet 27dbs that I camp in the winter months during hunting season. Unfortunately I do not have a power or water source. I do use a generator for power and would like to use the campers water system. I am curious if I can add a potable antifreeze to make the camper functional. I probably would still bring in drinking and cooking water but it would be nice to use it to shower and for the toilet. Is this a possible scenario? What ratio of antifreeze would it take to keep it from freezing? I could still blow out the pipes and put antifreeze in the traps when I leave I just don't want to freeze the tank. I am in central alabama so the winters are not as harsh as some but it will sometimes get in the teens. I could drain it on the rare single digit occasions if needed.

I could be wrong - but really ... Alabama and you're worried about 50+ gallons of water turning rock hard? I personally think you are worrying over nothing. A few slight dips below 32 degrees isn't going to matter especially if it warms back up during the day. Now up here in Montana when it gets -20 degrees for 2 weeks straight is a different story. Point is that it takes quite a while for so much water to actually freeze to the point it would do damage. Worst case for you is 50 gallons turns to a bit of slush. You would need sustained deep freezing temps to hurt your tank.

So relax and a fill the water tank up and enjoy your rig.

What happens when the water freezes in those little PEX lines? Or in the water pump? Or in those little plastic valves? etc. etc. etc.

Again, the poster lives in Alabama. I would be surprised if the average LOW is less than 40 in Nov-Mar. If the weather does drop below 32 then it would only be for a few hours at night and during the day it would warm back to 60-70 degrees.

No harm will be had in the water lines or pump at those temps for a few hours.

PhilMac wrote:
My main concern is when I am not there. I will not be bringing my camper back an forth so there will be times during the winter it is unattended for a couple weeks at a time. Unfortunately, my camp is too far away to run by during cold spells. Does anyone make a potable and dilutable antifreeze?

I have used my camper for deer camp in North Dakota. It gets quite a bit colder than Alabama. Things I have done:

1. No showers
2. Disconnect and cap the lines going to outside shower faucet.
3. Pour a gallon of antifreeze in black and grey tanks.
4. Drain and bypass the water heater. Don't use it at all.
5. Heat water on the stove for dish washing / hand washing / bird bath.
6. Only use fresh tank while heat is on. For extended periods of non use, I drain it and winterize the trailer. Next trip to the trailer, I bring 20 - 30 gallons (I have four 7 gallon jugs) of water, with me.
I also installed a 12 volt pump, near the fresh water fill. It pumps the water from the jugs into the fresh tank.

A couple gallons of antifreeze, is good insurance against possible freeze ups. When I catch it on sale, I buy a lot of it. Last sale cost 1.25 per gallon.

Antifreeze made for use with fresh tank, I've never heard of any. I have heard that things like alcohol or vineger, will lower the freeze point of water, but, it could be a job cleaning it all out for summer use.

Rather than antifreeze, you may get away with just blowing out the lines and draining the fresh tank.

A couple of half gallons of cheap vodka would be cheaper than freezing thing up. Don't know how big your FW tank is but, a gallon or two might make a difference.