point of no return

[Lon]

I'm hoping to avoid winterizing by continuously heating the inside of the camper with an infared heater. There must be a point however that the exterior lines, tanks and water supplies will freeze despite interior heating. Does anyone know what I will call the differential temperature(i.e. the difference between the inside and outside temperature) where there is risk that the exterior plumbing will freeze? This assuming all water has been drained in the standard fashion out of all three tanks and the low point drains. For example if its 10 degrees outside and 40 degrees inside the differential temperature would be 30 degrees with a mean temperature of 25 degrees. I would think the system would be vulnerable at that point. But if its 10 degrees outside and 70 degrees inside the mean temperature is 40 degrees and that might work. This has probably been studied. Full timers probably know these figures cold(no pun intended). Any thoughts?

[steveh326]

Originally Posted by Lon

Any thoughts?

the only thought I have is "man, you're making my head hurt"...

[Kaadk]

If you're draining the lines anyways, not much more to blow them out and then not worry about it. It's not the lines you have to worry about freezing, it's any water in the lines. No water, no worries.




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[Shinny]

I'm new here so.....
Why would you go through all of that when you can easily blow the lines out and/or add antifreeze. Antifreeze and blowing the lines are a lot less expensive than heating it all winter. IMO, 30 minutes of work to avoid math and worry.

[KMP44]

Why not winterize?

Heating is going to be expensive. I don't think the "differential" really makes any difference unless you have a heated basement model. Otherwise things like an outside shower or lines underneath the floor will freeze. And if you keep your rv at 70 degrees, you will have more condensation than you know what to do with, which will create a whole new problem to manage.

Winterizing is fairly easy and cheap - $15 worth of antifreeze would probably do it - or $100 at the dealer if you don't want to do it. Either way a lot cheaper than heat, not to mention repairs if something freezes.

[Lon]

Thanks. I plan to make many winter trips on the weekends and maybe one skiing trip. It seems like it would be a pain to winterize after each trip and on the longer skiing trip to the Colorado mountains there must be a way to provide heat to the exterior tanks and lines.

[Kaadk]

Ok, then while you're using it there are ways to keep the lines from freezing. Some people on here use heat tape, others just fill the fresh water tank and drain the hose, etc...

In between trips it's still easier to just drain it. Pick up a blow out plug and blow out the lines after each use. Maybe 15 minutes of your time.


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[speedjester]

Use air and blow out lines after your trips..you'll find after you do it a few times it doesn't take but a few minutes.. The pink stuff is a hassle if your going to keep taking it out..

[donanddona]

I once stayed in the RV with overnight temps around 20-25. Using ceramic heaters (I was very low on propane), The water pump is located on the front storage area behind the stairs going up to the master bedroom. The next morning the pump would not operate. after I rushed to the local Ace hardware for propane we heated the RV to 80. The pump worked! Great wow. After many heart stoppers I decided I won't do that again..... The furnace has to supply heat throught the storage compartments too..

[WFD]

If your calculations don't work out, or the temps dip far lower than you anticipated or the ever so accurate weather forecaster forecasted...and you burst some lines or plumbing fixtures, you will have much bigger problems. It's just a fact of life if you want to use it in winter, winterize....to not is asking for trouble.

[Lon]

Thanks for the tips. I guess ill build an insulated pole barn and heat it to 34 degrees for storing the unit in between trips. Brute force sometimes trumps finesse :-)

[Timtation]

I just did my winterization in about 30 minutes and probably could have passed since all lines were emptied by the low point drains. Blowing out or vacuuming out would also have been a good option but I did not have access to electricity. One thing not mentioned is the traps. Blow them out, suck them out, they will still have some water so pink them up.

[wbdavey]

Lon, how will you prevent freeze up when you take your winter trips? Unless you run the furnace, the underbelly will quickly reach outdoor temps and piping/pumps etc will still be vulnerable.

[WFD]

Originally Posted by Lon

Thanks for the tips. I guess ill build an insulated pole barn and heat it to 34 degrees for storing the unit in between trips. Brute force sometimes trumps finesse :-)

Be a whole lot cheaper to winterize than to build a pole barn and heat it!

[runn oft]

Well Lon. Since you really dont want to winterize, at least drain and blow out after the winter trips. Then take your chances and be ready to pay for any repairs needed if something breaks. Enjoy the adventure!

[Lon]

Will do runn. I suspect there will be a lot of draining and blowing this week in the world of camping.

[Lon]

Thanks wfd but i gave up cheap when i bought the camper. Im shootin for fun.

[Lon]

Thats great info dona. Im going to get my drill and bore some holes in the backside of my wardrobe to let the heat in the pump locker compartment. Thanks.

[Lon]

Give me a check ride and tell me what I did wrong.
First I drained all the tanks as best as I could on a 5% grade. Then I drained water out of the low point drains. I opened all the faucets to sinks/shower ect. I set the water heater valves in the bypass position. I set the water pump valve in the bypass position. I hooked up the blow out plug by screwing it in to the port labeled something about winterization.(It also said something about bypassing the tank). I blew out the lines at 50 PSI for about one minute. Then I reversed the water pump valve and put two gallons of rv antifreeze in the fresh water tank. I ran the water pump until foamy slightly pink mostly clear stuff came out of the various faucets and shower. I poured a little antifreeze down each trap and the toilet. I didn't know how to drain the hot water tank so I set a quartz infared heater at 59 degrees next to the hot water tank. Took about 45 minutes. Any thoughts? (other than take it to the dealer next time)

[davel1971]

no big deal to blow it out, drain water heater and low point drains. Costs nothing but a little time. $10 worth of antifreeze for best protection is much cheaper than a busted line that isn't easily accessible.