One Night of Freezing Temps...

[Kkrivo]

Hello, RVers! We are considering taking our TT out for one last adventure before we put it up for the winter. We live in Nebraska and want to go someplace not too far away. The location we are looking at is going to get down to 29 degrees one night. We are new to RVing this year and aren't really sure if that's too cold or not. We have a 2012 Forest River Patriot 29BH. It's not really set up for cold weather, but the temperatures are going to be in the upper 50s to 60s during the day.

Any tips, thoughts, or advice?

[Huntindog]

I remember as a kid, waiting at the station for newspapers for my route in the winter. We would wait next to the front door of the station. It was quite a bit warmer there due to the heated interior radiating some heat thru the door/walls. The same principle works in our TTs to keep things from freezing in mild freezing temps. So long as the interior of the TT is heated, the things on the outside, next to the TT will experience higher temps.

[FLY_4_FUN]

Even on a rig with no heated ducts to tank areas its going to take 10-12 hours below freezing to do any damage. Do you have power where you are going? If you do you can run a ceramic heater plus furnace. For dry camping you will need to conserve power as that furnace is going to run lots. Keep a roof vent open to allow dampness inside to get out so you dont get a buildup of moisture. Any external valves/pipes that start to freeze at night will quickly thaw in the am if they even freeze at all. Even though we criticize the build quality of our rigs they actually do pretty well in the spring/fall weather if your prepared. Enjoy the trip

[Earl_E]

WyoTraveler wrote:

pianotuna wrote:
Hi,

29 F is not going to cause anything to freeze up--but do be sure to have the propane tank full. The other issue is battery power. If you have shore power--great but boondocking will run down the battery bank PDQ.

Yup, that is what they tell us. So explain to me me why I have to shield my cattle water tanks from freezing with wind breaks.

If it only gets down to 29 at night and back in the 50's and 60's you don't need the wind shield for your cattle water tanks. You are talking a whole different situation.

[mike-s]

pianotuna wrote:
Because the tanks are not heated by an RV furnace, and because the 29 f is only a night time low. Temperature during the day is going to be much higher according to the OP.

WyoTraveler wrote:

pianotuna wrote:
Hi,

29 F is not going to cause anything to freeze up--but do be sure to have the propane tank full. The other issue is battery power. If you have shore power--great but boondocking will run down the battery bank PDQ.

Yup, that is what they tell us. So explain to me me why I have to shield my cattle water tanks from freezing with wind breaks.

Because it messes up the order in which people normally read text.
> Why is top-posting such a bad thing?
>> Top-posting.
>>> What is the most annoying thing with posts?

[Lwiddis]

Tuna, exactlyI

[pianotuna]

Because the tanks are not heated by an RV furnace, and because the 29 f is only a night time low. Temperature during the day is going to be much higher according to the OP.

WyoTraveler wrote:

pianotuna wrote:
Hi,

29 F is not going to cause anything to freeze up--but do be sure to have the propane tank full. The other issue is battery power. If you have shore power--great but boondocking will run down the battery bank PDQ.

Yup, that is what they tell us. So explain to me me why I have to shield my cattle water tanks from freezing with wind breaks.

[WyoTraveler]

pianotuna wrote:
Hi,

29 F is not going to cause anything to freeze up--but do be sure to have the propane tank full. The other issue is battery power. If you have shore power--great but boondocking will run down the battery bank PDQ.

Yup, that is what they tell us. So explain to me me why I have to shield my cattle water tanks from freezing with wind breaks.

[Harvard]

For the sake of argument, the toilet valve is the weakest link when it comes to damage to the RV water system from freezing temperatures. IMO.

[Kkrivo]

Perfect! Thanks everyone! We were thinking it would probably be okay because of the heat of the camper and since it was only going to be 29...it's not a deep freeze, just a good fall chill! But, we didn't want to be completely wrong and run into some big issues!

[mike-s]

rhagfo wrote:

Harvard wrote:
Might be OK if there is no wind. A wind will cool to OAT faster. Personally, I do not play with fire or ice. JMO

Wind chill has no effect on freezing pipes.

Wind chill doesn't. Wind does.

"Chill" is an adjustment to temperature to compensate for what humans feel, including humidity and evaporation. Pipes are different, but wind on a pipe does remove heat faster than no wind. It definitely has an effect.

But, a few degrees below freezing isn't much to worry about. Just run water through the pipes before bed, and again first thing in the morning.

[pianotuna]

Wind Chill is an attempt to show what the extra heat loss is. It is true that inanimate objects will not go below the "real" ambient temperature. But they will cool down faster in windy conditions.

[pianotuna]

Hi,

29 F is not going to cause anything to freeze up--but do be sure to have the propane tank full. The other issue is battery power. If you have shore power--great but boondocking will run down the battery bank PDQ. You will have to run the furnace at all times.

[Lwiddis]

I agree with ford truck. If it’s only 29 you’ll be ok with the furnace on.

[SidecarFlip]

rhagfo wrote:

Harvard wrote:
Might be OK if there is no wind. A wind will cool to OAT faster. Personally, I do not play with fire or ice. JMO

Wind chil has no effect on freezing pipes.

Right on. Wind chill only impacts items with external moisture... like your skin.

[ford_truck_guy]

If it is only 29. You should be fine.. by the time the water starts to freeze, the temps will be going back up...