Cold weather trip

gary31 · 12-05-2016, 06:20 AM

I have a weekend trip planned with the son in law and grand kids. We are heading to WV to ride the Hatfield McCoy trail system. I have winterized the camper already by blowing the water lines out really good. I will need to travel with a load of water to help offset the weight of the 2 quads I will have in the Garage. I do not expect to need the water once we arrive as we will be using the facilities at the campground. My challenge is the weather is dropping very cold for the next few days there, in the teens and wind chills below zero. I have some water in the black tank and thought I would go ahead and put a few gallons of window washer fluid in the tank to keep anything from freezing.
The tanks have heat to them when the furnace runs, however I know that we will need supplemental heat and I have small ceramic heaters to use at night.
I also have a propane big buddy as backup in the event the coach does not maintain enough heat. For the most part we will be gone all day riding so I can leave heat at minimum. I am just asking to make sure I have not forgotten something that will cause a problem once we arrive. Any suggestions are welcomed.

Desert185 · 12-05-2016, 07:30 AM

I'm not sure if adding windshield washer fluid to your tank would be hard on any seals it may contact, but I would feel better using RV antifreeze just in case.

gary31 · 12-05-2016, 07:41 AM

I thought the same but why would it be any harder on an RV than a auto?

Desert185 · 12-05-2016, 07:47 AM

Without knowing for sure, the alcohol content could be an issue for the seals designed to not be in an alcohol environment. The windshield washer system is designed for the fluid. Even in the o-ring world, it is important to have the correct rubber for the application.

I don't know for sure if you would have a problem, but it certainly would be worth a bit of research in order to know for sure. Until I went through that process, I would only use the RV antifreeze. Besides, the RV antifreeze is rated for a lower temp rating than the low temp windshield washer fluid I use and would be more effective if diluted.

Richard Noble · 12-05-2016, 02:54 PM

I assume you do not have heated tanks? Does your on-board heater heat the tanks? As to the wind chill factor - it will not cause your tanks to freeze. Wind chill factor makes it feel colder to things that sweat - like human beings. If the temp. is 33 with a wind chill of 25 - you and water will not freeze.

gary31 · 12-06-2016, 06:07 AM

Not with heat strips only ducted heat.

**sourdough** · 12-06-2016, 11:02 AM

I would have a concern about your fresh water tank drain. If you fill the water tank the drain will have water in it down to the plastic drain valve. In prolonged weather below freezing I would worry that that portion of the line, or valve, would freeze and break. I'm going into the same situation but I'm draining my fresh water because I think it's more than 50/50 that the drain will freeze.

gary31 · 12-06-2016, 11:29 AM

Good point I can drain once I get to the campground an refill for trip home

gary31 · 12-12-2016, 08:24 AM

Well We returned from WV and I learned quite a bite about winter camping....
I used the campground power to keep the coach warm with a couple of ceramic heaters and they did a great job then used the furnace as auxiliary to bring the temp up quick as needed. Biggest challenge was the water, we came into camp with loaded water in the fresh tank and drained it as soon as we arrived to keep any water from freezing in the valves. I hooked up the sewer hose and we were going to use the toilet for the any #1's as it was just 7 guys drinking beer and the facilities was a good walk at 19 degrees. First day went great, Then I realized that leaving the black tank valve open was not as good of an idea as I thought. I typically would not do that to keep the solids and water together but since we only had water, why not... Well Now I know why not after the first night the slinky was froze solid all the way back up to the camper. Valve was froze solid, I finally managed to disconnect from the camper and get the cap back on the camper pipe. Then after a few days of sitting in the sun the slinky thawed enough to reconnect to sewer and clear. Had to wait until we arrived back home to dump the black tank into my septic system. I was surprised with the Carbons ability to hold the heat in, I do insolate my windows with the foil bubble like goes on you windshield in the summer. I bought a roll at Lowes and cut the sizes needed for all my windows, and it helps both in the winter and summer. So while winter camping is a little more work it comes with fewer people to deal with in the camp and great fire side stories.

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