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Old 11-20-2014, 08:48 PM   #1
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Using W&P in freezing weather - water?

I'm new to trailers with living quarters and am not too sure about whether it's safe to fill my 2010 24' W&P water tanks and use sink, shower, etc in freezing weather. It looks like there are some water pipes below the floor, and the holding tanks are on the exterior.. . so it's not possible to use the water system in these trailers when the weather is below freezing??

I've read some writeups with tips for general RV use in freezing weather and it sounds like the norm is just to take bottled water for drinking, brushing teeth, flushing, etc. and add RV anti-freeze to the holding tanks.
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Old 11-21-2014, 01:33 AM   #2
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It depends how far below freezing and for how long.....If worried you can follow the information in the writeups, but, I have spent several days in mine in the low 20's and highs in upper 30's and I used water from the fresh tank and took nomral showers. I did not use city water because hose would freeze.. My tanks are not insulated. Keep inside of trailer heated...I did not have any problems.
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Old 11-21-2014, 02:08 AM   #3
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Let me just add I am assuming you want to use your trailer in freezing weather and not put it in storage. If putting in storage you will want to winterize. That said your W&P should be plumbed with Pex tubing. Pex can freeze and defrost with no breakage. So any exposed pipes outside of the heated areas of the trailer should be fine. They might freeze up where you would have no water. You can carry gallon containers of water for those conditions. Because of the Volume in a fresh water tank mine 90 gallons it would take a long time for that to freeze.

Check out the interesting Pex freeze test video..
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Old 12-12-2014, 06:12 AM   #4
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I have a WRS30 with openly exposed fresh, gray, and black tanks. When camping in freezing weather, first thing I do is drain the fresh water tank, connected to the camp grounds water supply, Inside the trailer I just let my cold water sink valves drip constantly. If water is flowing through the lines it doesn't freeze.
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Old 12-12-2014, 08:19 AM   #5
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I don't see the pex pipe being the issue, but even the copper pipe did not burst in his demo, it is the cheap plastic elbows and fittings that will fail when frozen. If have camped in below freezing and it is definitely how long it stays below freezing that will be the issue. If it gets above freezing for the majority of the day and only goes below for a couple hours you will be ok with your freshwater tank. Any longer than a couple hours and things would start to freeze on me.
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Old 12-12-2014, 08:34 PM   #6
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We have a 2014 30WRS and camp in the cold weather with it. I have taken pipe insulation from Lowes and put it around the suction line from the fresh water tank to the inlet at the floor of the trailer and it has never frozen. We also use the same insulation on the city water supply hose when we use it and it hasn't frozen. I too drain the fresh water tank at night then close the valve and wait till the next evening after it has been warm and drain again. You can put a little antifreeze in the gray tank and I haven't had any problem with it freezing. If your trailer has an external shower you may want to pack the compartment with a little insulation to keep it warm. We have stayed in 2 different work and plays we have had down into the 20's and not had a problem. Just be sure you winterize as soon as you turn off the heat inside. Toilet valve froze in this trailer due to my using an air drain instead of antifreeze last winter.
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