Water Pump and Cold Weather Camping

[jtintx]

Greetings experienced campers. I have only owned my TT for a couple of months and will be doing my first cold weather camping shortly.

When hooked up to city water I am not using the fresh water tank or the water pump. So, what do I need to do, if anything, to protect them while cold weather camping?

I have some heat tape and pipe insulation for the fresh water hose. What else should I do to make sure I have no issues with cold weather camping?

I have tank heaters. Can anyone tell me if they heat all tanks? Do I have to keep some water in the fresh tank to use the tank heater or can it be empty?

[raspivey]

Your tank heaters are usually only for gray and black tanks, not fresh...to the best of my knowledge. What I would do, if I were doing a long stint of very cold camping, would be to partially winterize it. Get a jug of pink stuff and just suck a little into it so the insides of the pump don't have anything sitting in it that could expand. The check valve on the pump (I think they all have them at this point) will keep city water out of the pump and shouldn't dilute it. Or, depending on where the pump is located, you could wrap another blanket or something around if.

[bikendan]

if you're using city water, the water pump isn't involved.
you can get water supply hoses that are heated. CW has them as any good RV parts place should.

[OldCoot]

Depends on how cold it gets and how long the freezing temps last. With an enclosed underbelly, one night should be ok, but if it remains below freezing for 24 hrs +, you might be in trouble with the water pump and lines unless you have a heated underbelly.

[CZNEDY]

When winter camping for a weekend, here is what we always do, if its freezing out

Leave the hose in the compartment and don't hook it up at all.
Bring a case of bottled water for coffee and cooking
Keep a bottle of windshield washer fluid in the bathroon for flushing, it doesnt freeze
Shower and wash up at the campground bathroom
Bring plenty of firewood and propane

I have has seasons when we took our old Class A to a january Football game, 4 degrees out. We used the windshield washer fluid all day and never dumped the tank until April

But, then again I don't have that RV anymore so I have no way of knowing if it ever had a problem. I do know that the black tank doesn't stink in the winter.

[jtintx]

Thanks for the suggestions everyone.