Winter camping

[Ronn]

Originally Posted by yardsale

\\How cold and for how long? Did you use your water systems?

We were on a road trip vs camping in below freezing temperatures.

My answer was regarding furnace keeping us warm. Our experience is likely not related to your intended winter use. This was our first and only trip in cold weather and our main concern was the plumbing system, the furnace kept us plenty warm and was never a concern, plenty of heat.

The trip south included layovers with electricity in Arkansas and Oklahoma. We were winterized using RV antifreeze to flush and water in a jug for drinking etc. We also had antifreeze in the grey tank.

Leaving OK the weather was predicted to be above freezing so we de-winterized at that point. We spent a week in Phoenix before heading to the Grand Canyon. Our campground at the Grand Canyon (Williams AZ) had full hookups. The second night it got just below freezing, I had left the water hose hooked up and it froze up the hose and broke the blue water filter. Lesson learned, if below 32 degrees disconnect water hose.

We headed north from there and encountered weather lows in the high teens with the highs near freezing. We had no hookups nor were we winterized when we got into northern Nebraska. We stayed with electric overnight one night in Nebraska and didn't winterize again until we hit Iowa. We were on the road another 5 days, nights got into the teens and days around 30 degrees.

My take for us when traveling.
It's hard to find open campgrounds in areas that typically have below freezing temps.
If temps drop below freezing do not leave your hose hooked up
Unless extended weather temps are below 20 degrees I will use my onboard plumbing vs being winterized.

[Ron in BC]

My view is that winter use is a fluid use with no hard rules except the obvious; don't treat it the same way as summer.

We're always on the road in January. Mostly it's road conditions that are the major concern. We play it by ear and watch the weather forecasts. Depends on the temperatures whether we have water in the tank etc.

Ron

[Perry Butler]

Originally Posted by Ronn

It's hard to find open campgrounds in areas that typically have below freezing temps.
If temps drop below freezing do not leave your hose hooked up
Unless extended weather temps are below 20 degrees I will use my onboard plumbing vs being winterized.

We foolishly left our hose hooked up at Rusty's in Arizona one night when it went below freezing. While our hose froze in the morning our filter was fine. Lesson learned (yeah, right!).

Enjoy,

Perry

[Ronn]

Originally Posted by Perryb67

We foolishly left our hose hooked up at Rusty's in Arizona one night when it went below freezing. While our hose froze in the morning our filter was fine. Lesson learned (yeah, right!).

Enjoy,

Perry

I think mine wasn't broke from freezing, rather than setting it on the ground I let it drop a short distance, it burst sending black filtering agent (charcoal?) a good distance.

[kavm]

Lot's of very helpful feedback! Thank you very very much! I have yet to digest it. Some of it will only come from doing...

In winder, we will try considerably harder to get into campgrounds with hookups and heat using the electricity. Between that and our excellent cold weather gear (went to the Everest base camp in late Dec), we will be fine temperature wise. So, it is the freeze in plumbing that is the main concern.

For water - we will be dry camping if it is an extended sub-freezing temperature exposure. So, it is the shoulder periods with partial exposure to the subfreezing temperatures that is tricky. I have noted the salient experiences and strategies here for future use. I summarize it below:

• If temps drop below freezing do not leave your hose hooked up. Disconnect the water hose if exposure to below 32 degrees temp (Ronn)
• Unless extended weather temps are below 20 degrees, use onboard plumbing vs being winterized. (Ronn)
• Empty the fresh water, blow the lines clear, fill the lines with antifreeze, and then blow the antifreeze out of the lines. We then put about 1/2 gallon of antifreeze in the black water tank and use the toilet by having water in jugs to flush with. (Perryb67)
• even with heated tanks you will still be at risk for a freeze up in below freezing temps as the gray and black water discharge valves are outside the heated space and will freeze up in extended below freezing even with lots of anti freeze mixed in. (yardsale)
• If there is electric, our electric heater supplements the propane furnace. Some cg also offer heated pedestals, so I have a heated water supply hose. With heat on the inside the lines will not freeze. (cpaharley2008)

Many thanks!

[brightday]

Originally Posted by Perryb67

We camp in the shoulder seasons and winter. Easily have now spent 30 nights or more below freezing and ten or more nights below 20 degrees. Most of the time we have water in our system, and if you keep the furnace on, that 60 degrees easily keeps your camper from freezing.
Perry

I’m wondering what measures I need to take in light of the freezing weather, with temperatures expected to drop as far as 18 degrees from mid-afternoon Monday to mid-afternoon Tuesday here in Houston. The trailer is not insulated, and I’ve done nothing at all to winterize it, because my original plan for freezing weather was simply to travel farther south. That plan has now been scuttled by a stroke, my first (and hopefully last), suffered December 30.

All tanks hold some water. Can I risk doing nothing other than to heat the trailer to 60? Are there some simple measures I can and should take?
If not, I'll look for a handyman who has winterizing experience.

Thanks in advance for your advice!

[HABBERDABBER]

Your rig should be winterized. Procedures to do so are in your Escape manual.


Good luck,

[alanmalk]

Originally Posted by brightday

All tanks hold some water. Can I risk doing nothing other than to heat the trailer to 60? Are there some simple measures I can and should take?

The simple things:

First, open the fresh water tank drain and leave it open. When the water stops running out run your pump with the cold sink faucet(s) open. When the pump runs out of water, making a unique sound, turn it off (running dry can damage it). Pumps are fragile and freezing will damage them.

Second, buy 2 gallons of RV antifreeze. One gallon down the toilet. The second is split between the shower drain, bathroom sink and kitchen sink. Now at this point your Black and Grey tanks are protected as are the traps in the drains.

Third, turn on the propane and run your furnace at 60 and run the hot water heater. (This assumes there is water in the water heater tank. There should be if you have been camping this year.)

Fourth, wrap some rags around the exposed black & grey dump valves. The antifreeze you dumped into the toilet and sinks may not make it all the way down. Or better if you can, take the trailer to a dump and empty if possible.

Note, any exposed pipes will probably freeze but they are PEX and will likely not be harmed. Just wait until it is above freezing before you fill and run the pump.

Not so easy - pull the anode rod from the water heater tank and drain it. (Open a hot water faucet first to let the pressure out or wear rain gear and goggles.) This really should be done once a year to check for excessive wear on the rod. (Excessive means less than 30% of the rod remains.)

Not so easy - buy 4 gallons of RV antifreeze. Pour it all into the empty fresh water tank. Run the pump and turn on hot and cold faucets until pink comes out. If you do this then you can skip #1, 2 & 3 above. Plan for much tank flushing before your next camping trip.

Summary: Your goal is to have anything that holds water to be either - empty, filled with antifreeze, or warm.
--
Alan

[brightday]

Originally Posted by alanmalk

The simple things:

First, open the fresh water tank drain and leave it open. When the water stops running out run your pump with the cold sink faucet(s) open. When the pump runs out of water, making a unique sound, turn it off (running dry can damage it). Pumps are fragile and freezing will damage them.

Second, buy 2 gallons of RV antifreeze. One gallon down the toilet. The second is split between the shower drain, bathroom sink and kitchen sink. Now at this point your Black and Grey tanks are protected as are the traps in the drains.

Third, turn on the propane and run your furnace at 60 and run the hot water heater. (This assumes there is water in the water heater tank. There should be if you have been camping this year.)

Fourth, wrap some rags around the exposed black & grey dump valves. The antifreeze you dumped into the toilet and sinks may not make it all the way down. Or better if you can, take the trailer to a dump and empty if possible.

Note, any exposed pipes will probably freeze but they are PEX and will likely not be harmed. Just wait until it is above freezing before you fill and run the pump.

Not so easy - pull the anode rod from the water heater tank and drain it. (Open a hot water faucet first to let the pressure out or wear rain gear and goggles.) This really should be done once a year to check for excessive wear on the rod. (Excessive means less than 30% of the rod remains.)

Not so easy - buy 4 gallons of RV antifreeze. Pour it all into the empty fresh water tank. Run the pump and turn on hot and cold faucets until pink comes out. If you do this then you can skip #1, 2 & 3 above. Plan for much tank flushing before your next camping trip.

Summary: Your goal is to have anything that holds water to be either - empty, filled with antifreeze, or warm.
--
Alan

Thanks so much for simple instructions that would actually be doable - if RV antifreeze were locally available! Waited too late!

[RangerMan]

I winterized my trailer yesterday. First time we ever winterized anything. I live on the same property I was born on 85 yrs ago and it's going to get colder here than anytime I can remember.

Only going to be a day or two tho and back to normal. Our winter Texans are going to stick it out. We like them here.

[brightday]

Just found ethanol free, propylene glycol at a local store. Hope it[s the right stuff!

[RangerMan]

Don't forget the outside shower, if you have it. I could.t find my hose for the connection but you can just push the connector sleeve back and use a pencil or some tool to push the valve back in the connector. That will let the water flow. Turn on the faucets, of course.

[gbaglo]

Originally Posted by brightday

Just found ethanol free, propylene glycol at a local store. Hope it[s the right stuff!

It should be pink, if it's safe for potable water systems.

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by brightday

Just found ethanol free, propylene glycol at a local store. Hope it[s the right stuff!

Propylene glycol is used, as an alternative to the usual ethylene glycol, as an automotive coolant as well as in plumbing antifreeze; some of them are even some shade of pink. I would check the label to ensure that, as baglo suggests, that it is explicitly safe for potable water systems - the label should says "plumbing" or "RV water system" antifreeze.

[alanmalk]

Originally Posted by brightday

Just found ethanol free, propylene glycol at a local store. Hope it[s the right stuff!

Some of us old folks get a big dose on a regular basis - prior to our colonoscopy. Not that it makes it "right", just miserable.
--
Alan

[brightday]

Originally Posted by gbaglo

It should be pink, if it's safe for potable water systems.

It's pink! Got the last 5 gallons available!

Originally Posted by Brian B-P

Propylene glycol is used, as an alternative to the usual ethylene glycol, as an automotive coolant as well as in plumbing antifreeze; some of them are even some shade of pink. I would check the label to ensure that, as baglo suggests, that it is explicitly safe for potable water systems - the label should says "plumbing" or "RV water system" antifreeze.

Yes, it's RV safe. A miracle that it was still on the shelf!

Originally Posted by alanmalk

Some of us old folks get a big dose on a regular basis - prior to our colonoscopy. Not that it makes it "right", just miserable.
--
Alan

Yes! I endured yet another while in the hospital - anemia with unidentified bleeding on top of the stroke. Not fun!

////////
PS IN CASE YOU WERE WONDERING:
Thanks to quick work from Houston‘s mobile stroke unit, my hospital stay was limited to one week, with yet another week of inpatient rehab. I have several more weeks of outpatient therapy to go but count myself blessed, as I can walk easily and read well, and my speech was fully restored within the week. (I rely heavily on speech recognition programs for help with writing.) As I won’t be able to drive for some time, my daughter’s graciously carting me about, but I’m looking definitely forward to gaining the skills needed to be so out and on the road again!

[brightday]

Oh, yes, and a handy young friend from church read the instructions, watched Dave's winterization video, and will be coming over tomorrow to help. So thankful! Couldn't have done it without you all!

[emers382]

Originally Posted by brightday

Oh, yes, and a handy young friend from church read the instructions, watched Dave's winterization video, and will be coming over tomorrow to help. So thankful! Couldn't have done it without you all!

Stay warm, too bad you can't go further south to escape this cold but try being up here, schools closed for second time this week because temp with windchill was below -40 this morning, that's either C or F.

Ava I like your signature Great writer, kinda prejudiced since our town was named after him.

[cpaharley2008]

Hoping your recovery is brief, there, Brightday............

[brightday]

Originally Posted by emers382

Stay warm, too bad you can't go further south to escape this cold but try being up here, schools closed for second time this week because temp with windchill was below -40 this morning, that's either C or F.

Ava I like your signature Great writer, kinda prejudiced since our town was named after him.

Brrr! Even NC was too cold for me in winter, which is one of the reasons I moved south. That said, even if I were able to travel, I'd have to go well into Mexico to avoid this storm! Stay warm and dry, friend!