Small winterizing job

[Bigbird65]

We are planing a trip to northern Utah and Colorado in late October and early November. The temperature might get below freezing at night. The only thing hanging out that I worry about freezing is the tank discharge plumbing. First of all should I be worried about this? Second is there a winterizing kit available for this plumbing that can be plugged in to 115vac? If so, do you have a link. Thanks

[Bigbird65]

Dakota98 wrote:
How about adding a couple gallons of RV anti-freeze to the Gray & Black tanks first thing, since those lines are exposed & also subject to wind chill conditions when driving.

And if you dump, just follow the procedure again.

Good idea.

[Dakota98]

How about adding a couple gallons of RV anti-freeze to the Gray & Black tanks first thing, since those lines are exposed & also subject to wind chill conditions when driving.

And if you dump, just follow the procedure again.

[Bigbird65]

handye9 those are some super good tips and I really appreciate you passing them along. The trip is planned for 3 weeks so we will have fresh water onboard for the whole trip. However, a lot of the trip will not be in the colder elevations.

[Dakota98]

How long do you intend on having water on-board ?

[handye9]

HD and Lowes carry 110 volt heat tapes, but, many of them come with a warning about using them on plastic / PVC / ABS type piping.

Here's a link to UltraHeat's website. They make tank, pipe, and elow heaters that are specifically made for what you plan to do. Some are combination 110AC/12VDC.

Depending on how cold the weather gets, even pipe heaters may not be enough. Carry some disposable hand warmers (link) in case that happens. You can wrap the warmers around pipes and valve for an emergency thaw.

Other tips for cold weather use:

Depending on how cold, you may want to do one or possibly all.

1. Leave cabinet / closet doors open to allow warm air to circulate around your plumbing.

2. If you have an outside shower (first thing to freeze), disconnect and cap the lines going to it. Standard 1/2 inch pipe thread fittings will fit most of them.

3. Don't leave fresh water hose connected. Fill your fresh tank and work from that. Store your hose where it won't freeze.

4. In the cabinets / closets, move things away from touching the exterior walls. With a lot of condensation, clothing / bedding items could freeze to the wall, or, get mildew and moldy.

5. Maybe run a small dehumidifier.

6. Open a roof vent or window, just a crack, to get dry air in from outside.

7. Run a fan to keep air circulating.