Arctic Pack

[black999]

Anybody retrofit an Arctic Pack into a 3010DS? I have a 2014.

[bclemens]

Do you need it?

Arctic pack only heats the black and gray tanks using 12V power (inefficient in my mind). Your 2014 would have "furnace air" heated tanks, water pump and water filter. As long as the furnace is running you are dumping some warm are in the compartment. With the arctic pack, all you heat is the black and gray tanks. (not the valves, water pump or filter)

[black999]

Coach Net claims there is no ducting. I will look for myself. Thanks.

[bclemens]

Coach Net probably assumes it's just like every other class C, which we are not.

The outside kitchen gray valve is not heated, but then it's not used all that often.

Look In the passenger side compartment just behind the tires. Should have a black ABS cover. Open that you will see water filter, water pump. Tucked away in that area is a silver duct run. 2" in diameter. That feeds from the furnace.

[black999]

Great! I will look for that. Thanks again.

[RamblerGuy]

We ordered our 2011 Sunseeker 3100 with the Arctic Pak expecting to need it while driving in freezing weather. That has never happened, but we've been camping overnight in a fully exposed location in 19 degrees F with a 20 mph wind. We had the LP furnace running to keep the coach warm. The next morning I checked the compartment with the water pump and filter that bclemens mentioned, and the dump valve compartment. Both were about 50 degrees. We didn't use the Arctic Pak and see no reason to have done so. If you will be camping in much colder temperatures, you may need it.

[bclemens]

Sweet. I'm not right very often. I am now printing this off for the wife as proof.

[TURBS]

Originally Posted by bclemens

Sweet. I'm not right very often. I am now printing this off for the wife as proof.

"Somehow" she will still turn it against you........ your still wrong even when your right. [emoji12]

TURBS

"SABRE OWNERS UNITED"

[Witch Doctor]

Originally Posted by bclemens

Do you need it?

Arctic pack only heats the black and gray tanks using 12V power (inefficient in my mind). Your 2014 would have "furnace air" heated tanks, water pump and water filter. As long as the furnace is running you are dumping some warm are in the compartment. With the arctic pack, all you heat is the black and gray tanks. (not the valves, water pump or filter)

Mine have heat tape or wrap around the valves also. With that on it produces enough heat by volume to keep the pump and filter from freezing. You need to keep the tanks full, and a well insulated bottom. I take my remote temp stat out of the refer and put it in the basement then I always know what temp it is down their. What I had to do through is put two shut off valves in the basement for the low drains that are below the insulated area, I keep those empty so they can not freeze. once it starts there is no stopping it. Or wrap foil insulation around the blue and red lines below the bottom.

[bclemens]

Originally Posted by f1100turbo

"Somehow" she will still turn it against you........ your still wrong even when your right. [emoji12]

TURBS

"SABRE OWNERS UNITED"

Yes, I know. But I really just do it for my own personal satisfaction.

[asparky]

BC
Just wondering what all is included in the arctic pac on the 2014 2860DS. When I was winterizing today I didn't notice any pads, heat tape etc. Didn't see anything??

I can attest also that the outside galley tank hasn't any heating on it. Someone used it on a previous trip and I didn't know it so of course I didn't dump it ... The dump valve was frozen shut. A lot of very HOT water down the outside kitchen sink and a weed burner on low for about an hour under the coach broke it loose. That won't happen again.

Arctic Pac = false security LOL

[black999]

My 2014 Sunseeker 3010DS does not have the arctic pack. We full-time. It is clear now after a week of cold weather, that the water compartment IS heated by the furnace. The sewer compartment is not. For $52, I bought a temperature monitor with 3 wireless, remote sensors. One sensor registers outside air temp, the second sensor registers temps in the sewer compartment, and the third sensor registers temps in the enclosed water compartment. I added R13 fiberglass batting (no facing) inside both compartments to improve insulating properties. I also placed a 75W drop light onto a hot pad above the sewer valves whenever outside air temps are forecast below freezing. The results are good. The temps in the enclosed water compartment remain above 42°F with the furnace cycling to maintain 69°F inside the bedroom. The sewer compartment averages 50°F with the drop light on. I also diaconnect city water and only use water from the fresh water tank which is enclosed. Finally, I also leave the grey water valve open, no more than 2/3 in the black water tank, and about 1/2 in the fresh water tank.

[bclemens]

The arctic package is a 12v pad heater on the black and gray tank. We do not install one on the outside kitchen tank since it is exposed and used infrequently.

As for the fan forced air...that is one big compartment. The water area (pump, filter) and sewer valves are all enclosed in one big rotocast box. We used to put the duct run in the middle....but the weak link was always the fresh water area. So we moved that duct run offset to that side. If there is some blockage in there it will prevent the air from getting to the sewer side (not sure where your insulation was installed).

You might not be able to see the heating pad on the tanks. We cover that area with an ABS box to reduce the amount of area that is getting heated. So when you open the compartment door on the passenger side (where the water pump is), you'll see a black panel. That panel (and black panel above) separates that storage box from the main one piece storage box so that we're only heating the area that needs it.

[F and E Damp]

Our '02 GT 325 has the "Artic Pack". To a Brit like me, an "artic" is an 18-wheeler, abbreviated from "articulated lorry". Fortunately, the documentation I got with the purchase included one on the Arctic Pack (at least the manufacturer knows the correct spelling!)

The heating pads are 12VDC. The size and number installed depends on the size of the tank. My 325 has 2 pads on each tank. Since the MH is at a consignment dealer's lot, along with the documentation, I'm going from memory, but I think the current draw is 7 amps per pad.

The FW tank is inside the living area, so is not heated. Pads are installed on the grey and black tanks. As I remember, the built-in thermostat turns the heaters on at 40 F. This seems reasonable because of the amount of waste a full tank can hold. What I think is unreasonable is the shut-off temperature (either 60 or 65F). I can't see using 14 amps of battery power to heat sewage to 60F and the same for grey water. Unfortunately, the t/stats are built in and non-adjustable.

My other concern is that the system doesn't seem to have a mechanism to check there's anything in the tanks. Hitting an empty, relatively thin-wall, plastic tank with an uncontrolled 84 watts over a small area (the elements look like they're maybe 8" x 4") may melt the plastic before the t/stat shuts it off.

I concluded that the negatives far outweighed the positives and we've never used the system.