Staying in Work & Play during winter months

[Harleymann03]

Need some help here guys & gals. Just got new job, but I have to move my trailer to a RV park closer to work and will live in it for a good while. The problem I have is it is a Work & Play 30WLA bumper pull with all tanks exposed on the bottom side. The park that I will be staying at has full hook-up so I'm not worried about having grey and black water stored in the tanks. My question is what can I do to try to eliminate freezing up the holding tanks and the outlet line?

[youroo]

There is Lots of "Winter Time Info" on here just do a Search at the Top! Prepare to spend lots of $$$ and there will still be NO Guarantee you will be able to LIVE in your unit! I am talking about COLD not just Ga,Tenn,Ky,or North Fla! Youroo!!

[Harleymann03]

The area that I will be at will be western OK. It does get cold out there. Thanks for the info.

[dalford]

Originally Posted by Harleymann03

The area that I will be at will be western OK. It does get cold out there. Thanks for the info.

You know the saying " Your happiness in life depends on how well you adjust to plan B."

First off, you can't treat the black tank like a home toilet. In other words you just can't leave the black tank open as the waste will not drain. You need the black tank to fill with more water than waste and you know that is going to freeze... I think you might want to consider planB.

[Harleymann03]

Plan B would be? Buy a trailer with the artic package or upgrade the trailer with heating pads. I'm not have much luck on how to.

[Keystone]

Heating pads. Can't vouch for how well they work. Add skirting around the trailer will also help.

[jeffster]

So I just sold my 30WLA to a buddy and upgraded to a 5th wheel, but I had a few cold weather trips in the WnP and I can tell you that you probably aren't going to be happy. I had the tank pads in mine and the good news is that even down to 11 degrees they kept the tanks warm enough not to freeze. I also had the underside spray foamed so I never had problems with any freezing as long as the pads were on (downside is the spray foam eliminates easy access to anything on the underside). So, that is the good news. The bad news is that the WnP models like that are not designed for cold weather. The FRP panels have almost no insulation rating at all. So, be prepared to buy some good heaters and plan on keeping them running all the time. For boondocking though, which is what we do most times, it just wasn't workable with that trailer. My buddy loves it but he isn't planning on using it in cold weather.

[Ian Walker]

As Keystone said add skirting around the whole trailer then install house baseboard heaters as close as you can to all water sources and tanks.
Expensive but cheaper than buying a new trailer & only turn them on when
the weather reports going below freezing.

[johnruff]

I had a 99 Montana 295RL and worked in Bloomington IL for 2 1/2 years. It got very cold there but I had very few problems. Every winter I put a plywood skirt around it and used styrofoam insulation board, tape and spray foam to seal it up, had the gas company put in a Pig and ran the heat off of that (instead of the 30 gal tanks) and they kept it filled for me. I flew home to Atlanta every weekend and left the heat on 55 when not there. I also used ceramic heaters when I was there but still ran the central heat - at 30 below you needed all of 'em. The wind was the only problem, if the air can get under the unit to the water lines, they will freeze so I dropped the underbelly and put insulation around the water lines. In most cases I was able to put the cold and hot line in the same insulation cover up to the separation - just want to keep the wind from getting to them. Granted it was a challenge but I enjoyed it. Plus the CG was not too crowded in the winter.

[slapshot12]

You will not be happy. We camp quite a bit here in FL doing the "winter" when the night time temps will drop into the 40's sometimes. We run the heat all night long and it barely keeps up. The walls are cold, the floor is very cold. I think you'd have to spend quite a bit in insulation/heat mods to make it work comfortably.

[jaherbst]

Skirting and two 500W bulbs underneath with heat on in trailer 24/7

Jack

[rlschurman]

Lived in my fiver in St Louis one winter. Bought an heat tape hose well insulated and unit had heated tanks plus insulated floor. Made it ok except for the time i let the water run at a trickle while gone for the weekend. Sewer pipe froze solid. The old saying running can't. Freeze is BS. Most full timers there put either hay bales or some type of curtain of foam board around the outside to keep the wind from blowing underneath the tt. Good luck

[beyerjf]

I live in this 34FK full time, and have for 3 years. Like most of the other respondants, I will agree you won't have a chance.
The walls in a Work and Play are 3/4" plywood with a gel coat on the outside and a thin layer of fibreglass material on the inside, then the paneling. Total R value is R-1. The ceiling has 4" of fibreglass batts, good for maybe R-6. The walls will form ice if the temp outside is below 25 deg. No real chance of keeping the plumbing from freezing no matter how many mods you make. Plain and simple these are a 3 season trailer.
I was in Witchita until mid December one year, and it was not pleasant. I stay in areas(Gulf Shores Al or Houston area in the winter, any farther north just wouldn't cut it.

[n0ms]

Try rock salt in both tank

[EBendana]

We were in Quartzite AZ last Jan and Feb, and using space heaters, heated hose, etc....but lots of condensation on windows and walls, which using the eva-dry small dehumidifier helped alot