Will it freeze

[robdnorm]

I have a Jayco TT with an outdoor kitchen and shower. The kitchen has a sink that is plumbed into the holding tank. We are living in it full time at least until February. With temps dropping into the mid twenties, should I worry with any of this freezing. I have underpinned with plywood around the entire camper with the exception of where the sewer drain is. I have my hydrant wrapped in heat tape and also use a heated hose. I have been letting the cols water run on a trickle in the kitchen and bathroom at night. Any thoughts on the kitchen and shower are appreciated.

[RedRocket204]

Here are some very helpful tips on winter camping where it freezes:

Winter RV camping: Provided courtesy of Tiger Run Resort, Breckenridge, CO.

[jaycocreek]

As for the outdoor shower,I cut a piece of foam, like off an egg crate,the correct size and and seal off the cold from the shower head and knobs although in the 20's I wouldn't worry about it much with my trailer.Don't know about the outside kitchen,never had one but I would also try,if possible to ad foam for a break on that also.

The plumbing on my outside shower is in the bathroom on mine,I made sure that the warm air of the inside gets to it and yes,in the beginning, that was the first thing to freeze on my trailer when it was in the teens.

Anyone who camps in the cold will find foam insulation to be your friend for all the outside entrances.

[DutchmenSport]

I don't know how these outdoor kitchens are plumbed. More than likely, there are no shut off valves going to the outside kitchen from the main lines going to the other parts of the camper. My trailer has a small outside kitchen (sink and stove) and the sink has no separate cut off valve. If yours has no cut off valves for the outside kitchen, then blowing lines out won't work, nor will pumping pink antifreeze. I suggest taking a little time and installing a cut off valve to the lines feeding to the outside kitchen with a low point drain. This way you can turn the water off to the kitchen, drain the lines, and still have water access to the rest of the camper.

The above posters are absolutely correct about letting your water trickle at the sink and your drain pipes freezing. Unlike a house, those drain pipes are under the foundation of the house and never freeze. In a camper, they are above ground and will freeze.

[deltabravo]

Winterize the outdoor kitchen is my advice too.

[NanciL]

If it were me,
On that outdoor kitchen and shower
I would disconnect the hot and cold pipes some place in side the trailer and cap them, and make sure the traps are disconnected and drained.
Also open all the faucets before you cap the pipes to drain any residual water out of the system.
If that outdoor shower has a flex hose on it, take the shower head off, and then let the hose hang down.

I you are handy, it should be a fairly easy job

Jack L

[westend]

I would suggest to winterize the outdoor kitchen. The last thing you would want is to wake up to a broken supply line in Winter. If you don't use the sink, hit it with a couple of cups of RV antifreeze. The outdoor shower should be covered or winterized too.

If you have the trailer completely skirted, using a heat lamp or small heater underneath will bring good results, it keeps the floor and plumbing up in temp.

[Trackrig]

Having lived most of my life in cold conditions, I've never liked nor used a "trickle" of water running. It may keep you're incoming water from freezing, but what's going to happen to the outgoing water?

The incoming water is not going to be much above freezing. Then this trickle runs down a cold drain pipe and that water that may have been a few degrees above freezing, is now going below 32* and freezing in your drain pipes closed..........

When you run a volume of water - wash dishes, flush the toilet, take a shower - something more than a trickle, the outgoing water warms up the drain pipes due to the volume of water, lets all of the water drain and there's no problem.

Bill