Tank Heaters & Heated Underbelly?

[reubenray374]

My Vibe has these plus a high output furnace.

How good do these work? I can't find any info about the tank heaters except for a switch to turn them on and off.

Will they keep my pipes from freezing if the temperature gets down to the low 20's? I will have the furnace running and the water hose will be disconnected. I have read before that it would take 6 hours at 20 degrees for pipes to freeze. I will have it down to the low 20's for about 4 hours.

[jimmarako]

I don't have a Vibe, but based on my Flagstaff Superlite with enclosed underbelly and heat ducts in the floor:
The Fresh, grey, and blank tanks have heating pads. They will keep the tanks from freezing down to the low teens, or lower... so they say. The drain valves are outside the under belly so they will freeze.
The fresh water pickup and some of the water lines run through the belly. My belief is that the radiant heat from the floor above, the heat ducts, and the tanks will keep the under belly area like 10-15 degrees above the outside temperature. So low 20's for several hours would not worry me, especially if daytime was above freezing. One day I'll put a sensor down there to confirm.
Definitely disconnect your city water hose and drain it very well. It will freeze quickly and you'll be waiting hours for it to thaw the next day. Trust me I know.

Jim M

[GolfingDave]

Pretty much same views as above. I did put a remote thermometer in my underbelly a few times and found it to be about eight degrees warmer than ambient. Depending on wind, temperature and duration. It was about ambient near morning one time with a pretty strong wind.

Even shot my laser thermometer down the toilet with the heaters on, almost always 60 degrees or warmer. No way to tell if the others are working without taking some ammeter readings. May rig something up sometime.

Hoping to keep the dump valves from freezing and breaking I did insulate them. Still seems to be holding up even driving in a fair amount of rain.
https://www.forestriverforums.com/fo...ng-260061.html

I am going to put some tape over the underbelly to frame seam this summer just to fill up the gaps. Put foil tape on any side gaps in the frame already.

I take my hose off at the faucet any time freezing weather is close overnight. Not because 30 degrees will break the hose or faucet over a short period of time but because I already had to replace a pressure gauge when it froze.

I did have one fresh water drain valve line freeze enough to stop flow to my bathroom sink. 36 hours without getting above 25 degrees did that. Other than that low twenties do not alarm me, as long as it does warm up some during the day.

I did do this for when temps start getting into the teens.
https://www.forestriverforums.com/fo...at-259934.html

[KSH]

Unrelated answer, I have a heated water house that I've used many times in freezing weather with no problems.