Winter traveling

[jerrycougar2014]

Have any of you kept the RV at 50 degrees or so while traveling? Any issues with furnace shutting down? Seems it would be the only way to keep tanks from freezing cold weather. My Cougar has air vented under floor for tanks etc., but is that enough?

[jsmith948]

Wouldn't the sloshing of the liquid prevent it from freezing? If you read your furnace manual you'll see that Suburban doesn't recommend that you travel with the furnace on.

[Festus2]

Have any of you kept the RV at 50 degrees or so while traveling? Any issues with furnace shutting down? Seems it would be the only way to keep tanks from freezing cold weather. My Cougar has air vented under floor for tanks etc., but is that enough?

Keeping your unit "warm" and protecting your tanks from freeze-up during winter travel depends on a number of factors. One major factor to consider is the area in which you will be travelling. Obviously, "winter" temperatures and conditions vary greatly depending upon where you are travelling and since you didn't specify the areas of travel, it makes it a bit harder to give advice.

The "warm" air that goes under the floor and into the underbelly area where the tanks are located gets there when the furnace is going. So when the furnace is not running, that area will not receive any "heat". IMO, the amount of heat that eventually reaches the underbelly is not sufficient to keep the tanks from freezing during prolonged periods of continuous, freezing temperatures. Insulating tanks and the underbelly are a whole new topic and there have been extensive discussions and threads about this on the forum. Check out geo's mods in the Modifications & Upgrades section of the forum

I would drain my FW tank and take and use bottled water. When at a site that has hookups, I'd wrap my FW line with heat tape or invest in a heated water hose. When you are present, space heaters can always be used to supplement the furnace but remember when the furnace goes off, so does the warm air that goes into the underbelly.

Your furnace should not "shut down" if it is operating normally. You'll go through a lot of propane so be prepared to fill your tanks up a lot more often than you normally would.

Some members have added a heavy salt water mix to their black and gray holding tanks so that the contents won't easily freeze.

[ocbms]

As said use bottled water for fresh water and use the RV antifreeze to flush. Also if you use a sink for any reason be sure and add a corresponding amount of RV antifreeze to that sink trap and holding tank. This works especially if going to a warmer climate as slush or frozen valves have a chance to thaw. Works for my Montana and have traveled at less than 20 degrees and that night kick on the furnace to warm up, sleep. To keep the bottled water from freezing (or anything else) store it in the refrigator.
Happy travels

[sourdough]

I don't leave my furnace on when traveling for a number of reasons but one of them is the fact that all nearly all my floor vents get covered by the slides when they are retracted. I don't think that would be good for the furnace.

[Desert185]

Festus2:Some members have added a heavy salt water mix to their black and gray holding tanks so that the contents won't easily freeze.

The environmental science folks I have worked with in the past have told me that sea water freezes at 28F. Not much difference from fresh water unless perhaps the salt content were more, then I wonder what the freeze point would be.

[Festus2]

The environmental science folks I have worked with in the past have told me that sea water freezes at 28F. Not much difference from fresh water unless perhaps the salt content were more, then I wonder what the freeze point would be.

Desert185-
Yes, I think that is the correct freezing temperature for sea water with normal salinity so unless a greater concentration of salt were added, you might not gain that much more protection. I think hankaye posted something about a salt solution that he has used before.

Perhaps adding a solution of the pink stuff instead of a salt water solution would be a better route to go ????

[bsmith0404]

What kind of temps re you talking about? I would be more worried about the lines freezing than the tanks. As already mentioned the movement of water in the tanks would help keep them from freezing. The trailer isn't going to cool down instantly, so it will take a little time for things to start to get to freezing temps. If you are concerned, make shorter driving days, maybe 4-5 hours and get the heat turned back on. Or stop for lunch after a couple hours and turn the furnace back on to bring the temps back up. I don't think you'd have any problems unless you are in sub zero temps.

[Desert185]

I just traveled all day yesterday at 30-32F after 29F nightime temps with icicles on the trailer from an overnight freezing rain. No problems with the pipes. It would have to be much cooler to have problems, then road conditions might be a bigger issue.

+70F in Palm Springs next week is looking good right now...

[JRTJH]

Most of the people I know (me included) that travel from extremely cold temps to warmer temps do so with the trailer winterized. Many of us pull from "motel to motel" while in the sub-zero temps and only use the RV after the temperatures are above zero consistently. Usually, our cutoff for sleeping in the trailer (while using bottled water) is around 15 F. Above that, the trailer will stay warm enough to be comfortable for a few hours sleep during the "migration". Below that, I wouldn't consider trying to de-winterize and use the trailer's facilities. Actually, every time we go south during the winter, we don't even consider de-winterizing until we're south of Memphis. This year, that might not be a consideration until after Jackson, MS or even further south. It's been a "BRRRRRR" winter as far south as Baton Rouge/Austin.

If you leave the trailer winterized and just use it for sleeping/eating, you're pretty well assured that it will be OK for the trip, no matter what the temperature. It may seem a little "inconvenient" not to have running water and holding tanks, but for me, it's a "LOT MORE INCONVENIENT" to be replacing drain lines and split dump valves while I should be relaxing in the sunshine on a beach......