Traveling from cold to warm climate

[RacerRalph]

We are taking a trip in January, starting in Kansas, with a winterized 29' Forester. If I fill the fresh water tank at home, does the cabin heater put out enough heat to keep water lines from freezing as I drive south to warmer area? Should we just wait to fill the water tanks when freezing is no longer an issue? We should be out of the freezing weather at the end of day one. Thanks,
Ralph

[NO3putt]

We often leave cold weather to head south, would recommed leave it winterzied until you get south. We take some bottled water and a few milk jugs with water for toliet. Why risk the freezing of some water lines when you know that you can get water in a day or so.

[waiter21]

We'll be heading south in late Dec from Ohio. This years travel route, we'll spend 3 days in below freezing while traveling before we get to warmer weather.

Our fresh tank is inside the MH, so as long as we keep heat on inside the MH, the tank and plumbing are OK.

HOWEVER - the problem isn't my fresh water, its the black and gray tanks, They are both outside and can freeze, so this is how we'll travel:

I'll leave the fresh tank winterized until we get to Phoenix. We really don't need it anyway while traveling, as we usually use bottled water for coffee, etc. Any minor gray water we'll simply open the door and toss it. i.e.rinsing out the breakfast bowls and coffee pot, etc. probably a cup of gray water.

We'll use the toilet for #1 only, and flush with windshield washer fluid, the kind that goes down to -20, or RV antifreeze. This should keep the black tank from freezing.

Once we get to warm weather, I'll put a little bleach in the hose and fill the fresh tank.

When we return to the cold in Feb, Somewhere along the route I'll re-winterize. It takes about 2 gallons and about 15 minutes to do it.

[KyDan]

As others mention- take drinking water in a blue tote or bottled water...

Some trailers have the fresh tank drain valve underneath- exposed to the
60+ mph cold air blast. Others have the drain valve inside with the
tank.
If yours is outside the answer is obvious- don't fill until you're above freezing.
Don't fill for a road trip anyway if you can help it.

Happy Trails!

[Still Kickin]

Originally Posted by NO3putt

We often leave cold weather to head south, would recommed leave it winterzied until you get south. We take some bottled water and a few milk jugs with water for toliet. Why risk the freezing of some water lines when you know that you can get water in a day or so.

X2. Works great.

[mtnlvr]

I don't know if your Forester is the same as my 2014 Solera's plumbing? Mine has all water lines running thru the interior and not exposed, except for a couple inches outside the rear tanks that I covered in pipe foam. Do you have underbelly spray foam insulation and Artic Pac tank heaters? If yes to all, then I wouldn't be too worried if it's only for driving the one day as you stated.
Otherwise, as others suggested; use only the toilet with RV antifreeze and carry gallon jugs of water. I go back and forth regularly between the Sierra mtns. and So. Cal. and do this alot. I put plastic containers in my sinks to use with bottled water, which gets dumped outside or down the toilet. This reminds me of our ancestors before the days of indoor plumbing using their pitcher and bowl.
I travel with good Sierra drinking water. When the jugs become empty, I refill them at a campground with their "lousy" water to reuse for rinsing purposes only and add a marking on bottle cap ( nail polish) to tell the difference between good and bad water.