Delaying winterizing

[Rkice14]

I have a question concerning "winter" camping. We live in the north Georgia area, while we're in the south we still do have freezing temps. In the past I've always just winterized and stored the camper for the winter and forgot about it.

But we recently bought a Keystone Bullet and enjoy the camper so much we're thinking of using it into December/January.
The question is what do others do to protect the water system and still use the camper when the temps are questionable? I am wondering if I were to keep the heat in the camper on it would keep things from freezing. Generally speaking we still have daytime temps anywhere from the 50's to to the high 60's withe lows an night in the high 20's an up.

Any thoughts?

[BirchyBoy]

I think it somewhat depends how where your holding tanks and hot water heater are. If they're like mine, exposed to the outside air, keeping the heat running inside won't do any good.

If I go out in the cold, I go someplace with a bathroom and pack my water with me and dump the used water outside. Nothing goes down the drain.

[Rkice14]

Well the camper does have some kind of thermal package and the entire underside of the camper is covered. I just don't know what kind of insulation it might or might not have.

[slow]

The grey and black tanks probably have no insulation around them if built like our Passport. At most you have a 2 inch diameter duct from the propane furnace routed to the cavity under the floor for some forced air heating and the 3 inch heater ducts for the bedroom routed near the grey tank to get some additional heat. The only insulation we have down below is between the top and bottom wood layers of the floor "sandwich" so it does not insulate the tanks in any way.

[bill-e]

You could just park it with the tanks empty and blow out the lines....lots of folks don't use any antifreeze and just make sure they are blown and drained.

Heck, even using antifreeze it's not all that expensive or labor intensive.

My Cougar is rated down to 10°F but to achieve that (assuming that is achievable) you would need the heat to be on (expensive)....just as easy to make sure everything is empty between camping trips.

[JRTJH]

The only "heat" applied to the underside of your RV is from the propane furnace ducting. As stated, there's a 2" duct that blows "warm air" into the underbelly, probably near the fresh water tank. I say "probably" because who really knows where the end of that duct got laid in the final assembly. There is also some radiated heat that is lost through the un-insulated heat ducts that run from the furnace to the floor registers. Otherwise, there's nothing to heat your underbelly. The only insulation below the tanks is the coroplast, a thin 1/8" corrugated plastic layer with virtually no heat retention capability. It pretty much only stops the wind and water intrusion, not the escape of heat.

Any "supplemental heat" you use in the cabin will have little effect on the underbelly, so adding an electric heater to keep the cabin warm will only help with what's inside the cabin.

When using your RV in cold temperatures, you'll soon learn to keep the furnace at a comfortable temperature, open cabinet doors and maintain some air circulation through the cabin to eliminate excessive humidity. One "workaround" that has already been mentioned is to just go ahead and winterize the trailer, then use supplemental water and dispose of it outside the trailer, not in the plumbing system. Essentially, you'd be camping in a "luxury tent", complete with heat and all the conveniences except plumbing.

[Rkice14]

Thanks for all the input, that's what I was thinking. I guess I was hopping there was some magic solution that could be used.

I've never blown out the air lines in the past, I've always used RV antifreeze. But I'm thinking I'll try the air this time around.

[Javi]

We camp year-round and I just blow the lines out before putting the trailer in storage, if it is going to freeze. In fact I went over to the trailer yesterday and did just that... Pour a little anti-freeze in the pee traps and the toilet and you're good to go. Takes me about 45 minutes to drain everything and blow all the lines out.

As for camping in freezing weather, we don't often get more than a few days in a row where the temp never gets above freezing and so we just don't go out on those days..

The rest of the time, even when the night time temps get in the low teens the heat in the trailer is plenty to keep the tanks from freezing enough to burst. And I either unhook the city water and drain the hose before nightfall (using the freshwater tank) until daylight the next morning or I use a heated hose wrapped with foam pipe insulation. The choice is made by the number of nights we'll be there... We do a lot of Friday-Sunday camping and disconnecting the hose is easier for just two nights.

We both love sitting around a fire when the weather is cold so we only skip the worse weather weekends..

Just be sure if you use the air method that you blow out ALL the water lines, including washer, black tank flush, city water, and toilet. Drain the low point drains after blowing out all the lines because I've seen them hold a good bit of water in the drop.


Last tip... keep the air pressure below 45 pounds at all times..

[DiverB]

Originally Posted by Javi

Last tip... keep the air pressure below 45 pounds at all times..

Just wondering, Why?

[TAZ23]

Originally Posted by DiverB

Just wondering, Why?

The water lines are not set to take the full pressure of a air compressor at 100 to 150 PSI. that kind of pressure will most likely blow your lines apart.
Adding to what JAVI said , don't forget about the outside shower and kitchen if your trailer has them.

[tgpilot]

In the past, I would have water in the hot water heater because it either stayed warm or hot and would not freeze. I too, would only hook up to city water and not put it in the holding tank. I would then add about a half a gallon or more of antifreeze to the black and gray tanks and that always worked for me. I just made sure I dumped everything and blew out the lines after every use.

[sourdough]

The weather the OP mentions isn't too extreme. I've stayed in mine in the low teens without issue. I do use a heated water hose and run the heater at 69 at night and about 70 or so in the day. Once, years ago when the weather almost hit zero I had to put a heater tape on my propane tanks. Of course, mine has the "polar" package, or whatever it is...........

[nellie1289]

So I fully understand how to and have winterized but if I wanted to go winter camping what In the hell is this polar package I have on my fiver for if I can't reasonably camp in the winter? Please explain what this option gets me. Lol

[tgpilot]

Just my thoughts, but, with the polar package you should be good down to maybe 5-10 degrees or so as long as you have some heat going because I believe they do duct heat to the basement area to keep things warm. Been to long since I owned my Cedar Creak with a polar package to remember. I do recall pending a winter in E. Oklahoma one winter and only had problem with my city water and black water freezing up once. That was fun getting thawed out.

[jsmith948]

Originally Posted by nellie1289

So I fully understand how to and have winterized but if I wanted to go winter camping what In the hell is this polar package I have on my fiver for if I can't reasonably camp in the winter? Please explain what this option gets me. Lol

On our Cougar, the "Polar Package" is a sticker next to the entry door.
I've had the coroplast down and the "insulation" is 1/4" quilted foam/foil.
A typical sales gimmick IMHO

[kevperro]

Originally Posted by jsmith948

On our Cougar, the "Polar Package" is a sticker next to the entry door.
I've had the coroplast down and the "insulation" is 1/4" quilted foam/foil.
A typical sales gimmick IMHO

The sticker alone is worth R-19 insulation!

[Lee]

Not to hijack this thread but here's a (not so) funny story my co-worker told me concerning camping in freezing temps.

Two years ago he loaded up his TT for 10 days in the mountains to chase the elk around. He was camped at a campground around 3000 ft in the Cascades here in WA state.

One morning he and his hunting buddies woke up and readied for a day of hunting. Someone turned on the galley faucet and no water came out. Mike realized the garden hose outside had froze. No problem,.... he would deal with it when they got back.

They returned from the days hunt at sundown to find water flowing out the TT's door.!!!!!!

Someone had left the galley faucet on and during the day the temps got above freezing and thawed out the garden hose. The galley faucet filled up the grey tank, filled up the sink, and was trying to fill up the TT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!