Winter camping II - heated/insulated holding tanks!!!

[shanngord]

At the risk of beating a dead horse or reviving an old topic...

I was visiting Escape earlier this month and looked at an interesting option that has not been discussed or mentioned on the Escape website -

insulated and heated water tank for shoulder season camping. The information I got from Tammy:

"The cost for the spray foam insulation is $700.00 which includes the 12V heat pads and the bottom of the trailer sprayed. The foam has an R7 insulation value per inch and is a standard depth of 3” providing the holding tanks with an R21 insulation value."


Looks pretty cool and can be added well after construction is complete.

What are your thoughts

cheers,

G

[Vermilye]

I have to admit I prefer to stay inside the house in front of the wood stove in the winter, but for those that enjoy the winter months it soulds like a great idea.

[Hokie Escape]

Originally Posted by Vermilye

I have to admit I prefer to stay inside the house in front of the wood stove in the winter, but for those that enjoy the winter months it soulds like a great idea.

Ditto! I may have gotten it though, because you just never know! We carry water for drinking, but we both love to take a daily shower, and that option would carry us for a couple of days in locations without heated showers.

[gbaglo]

I'll pass. It's still better than a tent.

But, a question in general.... how much weight does this add?

baglo

[shanngord]

Originally Posted by gbaglo

I'll pass. It's still better than a tent.

But, a question in general.... how much weight does this add?

baglo

I dunno... 3 inches of spray foam insulation and a couple of heating pads.

I'd also be interested in the amp draw from the batteries.

G

[Jim Bennett]

It is something I have considered should I ever want to camp in freezing temps. I would not bother though until I knew I needed it.

[robinwstebbins]

Just out of curiosity. Do you know how much weight this adds and how much the ground clearance is reduced under the fresh water tank and other areas?

[Hokie Escape]

Originally Posted by Robin

Just out of curiosity. Do you know how much weight this adds and how much the ground clearance is reduced under the fresh water tank and other areas?

According to Gord (1st post on topic) it's 3" toward the ground. How much does 3" of insulation and some pads add pounds wise? Can't imagine it's much.

[PGDriver]

We had Reace put our fresh water tank under our bed and
as for the black tank its inside so we just dump a little
antifreeze in it and a little in our grey water which is
under the trailer and we haven't had any problems
down to -11 C (12 F) everything came out just fine...

[Hokie Escape]

And if the valves on the Gray or Black tank freezes, a hair dryer will do the trick. But, adding a little antifreeze (as Doug did) should keep it all good.

[shanngord]

The Escape that I crawled under at the factory did not seem to suffer from decreased ground clearance.

I have boondock camped in late November and early December in stick built RVs - we have just not used the water works.

We are NOT ordering this option at this time - its on the future add-on list like the air conditioner, gaucho bunk, and aluminum wheels.
We will wait until its paid for and then make the appointment for the make-over in a couple of years.

Its just good to now its out there and I am hoping that another forum member invests in this option and provides critical feedback to the rest of us.

The snow is rapidly melting and I can see the driveway now. Almost camping season!!!

G

[mosquitodirk]

I imagine the foam would help keep water cooler when camping in hot environments as well.

Could have used the foam twice now (total frozen water on Haida Gwai in '08 and again in Moab in '10).

Would one have to go to R21 with a heat pad?

[Thane]

Foam on the fresh water tank would block sunlight and maybe keep things from growing inside. This is the first year that I didn't sterilize the water system after the winter and I learned that was a mistake. I didn't feel too good on my last trip.