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Old 10-28-2020, 07:24 PM   #1
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cold weather camping & my neighbor

Howdy. 2016 Shasta 25rs. arrived at rv park last night & it got down to 22 degrees In the morning the city water valve was frozen & the fresh water hose too. Brought in hose to warm it up. My neighbor said their should be a heating wire around valve to prevent freezing. We looked and the extension cord to hook up to box had "grown legs" Good thing I had a cord so I plugged in heating wire and 20 minutes later: water. Then a bit later I had no power to outlets. Checked fuses all good. I went to ask neighbor and he checked shore power cord & the GFCI had tripped. He untripped it and outlet power came on. Moral: Be friendly to your neighbor cause you never know when you're going to need help. Thanks neighbor.
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Old 10-29-2020, 09:26 AM   #2
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Its good to have knowledgable neighbors but also good to know your systems for those times no one else is around to help. Tip: if you'er going to winter camp get a good heated water hose.
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Old 10-29-2020, 09:39 AM   #3
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Its good to have knowledgable neighbors but also good to know your systems for those times no one else is around to help. Tip: if you'er going to winter camp get a good heated water hose.
X2
While cold weather camping brings on a whole new set of conditions to monitor and know about, everyone camping in a R/V should take the time to learn about the workings (and limitations) of their plumbing, heating and electrical systems, regardless of weather.
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Old 10-29-2020, 10:05 AM   #4
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Its good to have knowledgable neighbors but also good to know your systems for those times no one else is around to help. Tip: if you'er going to winter camp get a good heated water hose.
OR---

Keep water in your FW tank and bring the city water hose in at night.

This way you'll have water even if there is no heat cable/tape on park water supply. Many have freeze proof hydrants that drain all the water from the riser pipe when shut off. This allows one to reconnect their "unfrozen" hose and turn on water for that early shower.

Heated hoses are nice but only if the park water supply is properly "freeze proofed". Water in the tank has always been my insurance.
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Old 10-29-2020, 03:57 PM   #5
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Thanks for the advise. Gonna be here 2 weeks then back home to winterize rig and ADCO cover it. Never have cold weather camped only summer and cold weather is definitely a whole new ball game.
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Old 10-29-2020, 06:42 PM   #6
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Thanks for sharing! RV neighbors are usually friendly.

I made my own heated hose. Just added heat tape and pipe insulation to a regular rv hose. I left enough heat tape to wrap the spigot too because not all places are smart. I still prefer to use the tanks once it freezes unless showering in the trailer...maybe I just worry too much.
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Old 10-29-2020, 07:24 PM   #7
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Hello. I am going back home this weekend ( 4 hours away) and returning to the Shasta on Sunday. While home will buy heart tape, foam pipe and another fresh water hose And will see how it works out. I saw a heated hose for $79.00 but I won’t be here long enough to justify buying it..Thanks everybody.
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Old 10-29-2020, 09:06 PM   #8
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Duct tape

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Hello. I am going back home this weekend ( 4 hours away) and returning to the Shasta on Sunday. While home will buy heart tape, foam pipe and another fresh water hose And will see how it works out. I saw a heated hose for $79.00 but I won’t be here long enough to justify buying it..Thanks everybody.
You will need a roll of duct tape, too. Put a wrap of tape around the foam every few feet or it will gap where the hose bends.
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Old 10-29-2020, 11:40 PM   #9
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You will need a roll of duct tape, too. Put a wrap of tape around the foam every few feet or it will gap where the hose bends.
Good idea. The pipe wrap I used was sticky. So far so good but.may tape it up just in case.
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Old 10-30-2020, 11:42 AM   #10
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Great suggestion. You can never go wrong with a big roll of duct tape. Cheers.
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Old 10-30-2020, 11:50 AM   #11
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You might want to think about putting some heat tape on your exposed drains and, especially, the dump valves.

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Old 10-30-2020, 11:57 AM   #12
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Yep I thought about those valves freezing & breaking off so I’m gonna wait till around 4pm or so o let the sun warm things up before dumping tanks.. take care guys
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Old 10-31-2020, 07:42 PM   #13
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Funny..I had read this post & 2 days later, our RV neighbor came knocking on our door to see if we had power. They lost all power. Hubby went to help..told him its good to be a helpful neighbor! At first they thought the 50amp was out, he offered our 50 to 30 amp connector. Seemed to work, but I asked him to go back to chk if the post had a tripped GFI. He went back & 30amp also had stopped, there was a tripped GFi on post. Turned it back on & all seems good.
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Old 12-05-2020, 06:52 PM   #14
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boondocking winter camping tips

Can I ask what may be a dumb question? We have our camper on our private property & winterized it. Always had to fill the fresh water tank but do have electric on out property. We are okay to still go down & stay there knowing we will only have access to the heat (propane) & electric? No plans to use the sinks, toilets, or shower. Seeing this made me think maybe I should ask. Obviously, no plans to throw the awning out. Anything else to worry about? It would only be for 1-2 nights at a time. We have a shed with a full kitchen in it & are used to the hauling the water jug method from when we had a pop-up. We don't even cook in the camper. Thanks! Robin
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Old 12-05-2020, 10:04 PM   #15
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Not a dumb question

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Can I ask what may be a dumb question? We have our camper on our private property & winterized it. Always had to fill the fresh water tank but do have electric on out property. We are okay to still go down & stay there knowing we will only have access to the heat (propane) & electric? No plans to use the sinks, toilets, or shower. Seeing this made me think maybe I should ask. Obviously, no plans to throw the awning out. Anything else to worry about? It would only be for 1-2 nights at a time. We have a shed with a full kitchen in it & are used to the hauling the water jug method from when we had a pop-up. We don't even cook in the camper. Thanks! Robin
We are in a similar situation. Our trailer is permanently sited at a park. We visit it periodically all year round. Some of the full-timers there leave the water hooked up. I fear that the propane will run out and freeze things, so we winterize as you have done.

But when we are there, we bring bottled water to drink and refill gallon jugs at the bathhouse for hand, teeth, and dish washing. So naturally the sink drains get a workout. And here's the catch: there's no problem with a little water in the gray tank, but the first thing to fill is the delicate drain valve. So we leave the sewage tote hooked up and the gray drain valve open. If you don't do this the piping to the drain valve freezes and splits. (voice of experience)

If you put absolutely nothing into the drains this is not an issue.

We also have a shed, but the only water in it is for the icemaker and I winterize that line by blowing it out. How do you winterize your shed?

We have never had any other problems. We show up when it's below freezing, turn on the furnace and have a good, relaxing time.
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Old 12-05-2020, 11:02 PM   #16
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For Robin, I didn't realize this was an older thread I had previously read. I camp in winter frequently without water using bottles and a lugable loo.

You will get some condensation on windows and may need to open cabinet doors to prevent moisture build up. I open the bath vent or use more electric heat to keep things dryer.

You will also want to bring some lock deicer just in case...if you get ice storms you could break the key...voice of experience here too.

Good luck and have fun getting away.
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