How far south do I have to go before I de winterize my trailer?

rschad · 10-25-2013, 11:42 AM

I am thinking of a January or February trip south to get out of the Saskatchewan winter and am wondering how far south I will have to drive (staying in motels along the way) until I can check into an rv park and de winterize my trailer and start enjoying a holiday.
I likely would keep going further south to get to warmer weather but I just am trying to figure out how far south before i can start using my trailer to live in with everything working and water lines not freezing up.

Terrydactile · 10-25-2013, 11:48 AM

January/February, you would at least need to be at the Gulf coast or below. Even that far South there can be a few nights below freezing.

**JRTJH** · 10-25-2013, 12:03 PM

We are planning to tow south in March/April. Our plan is to "try" to dewinterize after we get to Memphis. However, in years past, Memphis has had some pretty "horriffic" snow/ice storms. I'd say it really depends on the weather this year and where the "gulf stream" happens to be during the week you're on the road. If it's high and up around Michigan/Wisconsin, you'll be good around Tennessee, but if it's low and down around Dallas/Memphis, you probably won't be able to dewinterize until you get further south.

I've seen a week or more of freezing rain/below 30 temps in Jan/Feb as far south as Alexandria, LA and Jackson, MS. then again, I've seen that same time frame when everyone is outside in shorts enjoying the warm spring.....

It will vary from week to week, so trying to make long range plans is sort of like trying to predict rain on the second Thursday of April, 2014. You've got a 50/50 chance of being wrong, but that same chance of being right....... I'd suggest playing it by ear the closer you get to departure time, but don't expect even with the best weather of being able to dewinterize much before Nashville/Memphis/Dallas.

gearhead · 10-25-2013, 05:52 PM

If I was wanting to find some warm weather I would head to Texas. If you get to Memphis it's easy towing interstate all the way to Laredo. Or, stop anywhere it's warm.

hankaye · 10-25-2013, 06:41 PM

rschad, Howdy;

I live in my RV in Southern New Mexico, Avg. Low temps for Jan are
the mid 20's and in Feb. they jump up to the 30's. The Avg. High Temps. are
mid 50's, Jan. to low 60's, Feb. (all temps. are F*), Where in Southern N.M. ???
Just off of exit 59 on I-25. Half way between Truth or Consequences, and
Hatch on hiway 187. We as are most of the South West are at altitude,
here we are at about 4,200' above sea level (ASL). Yuma, Az. is only about
133'ASL so, it is much warmer. They also have a HUMONGUS RV show and
rock-hounds galore that time of the year. If you get one of the LTVA short
term passes for $40.00 (Boon-docking), or a long term for $180.00.
http://www.blm.gov/ca/st/en/fo/elcen...ion/ltvas.html
Anyway, Wait till you get to a lower altitude and somewhere below the
30th parallel.

hankaye

BobnLee · 10-25-2013, 06:43 PM

We hit Florida every year for the past 4 yrs. We use the trailer all the way there but dont dewinterize till we get there. Use the KOA parks and use their hydro for an electric oil rad heater and the furnace on the first night. We stay in the horse park at Lexington KY open all year and they have electric and hot showers. $22.00 .Last year it was freezing rain but we were toasty in the trailer
Second night in Georgia but we still didnt dewinterize although it was warm enough. A lot cheaper than motels but more expensive than Walmart.

gearhead · 10-26-2013, 04:41 AM

After looking at a map and realizing about where you are, I would just go to Minot, ND and get on Hwy 83. Go south 'till you get comfortable. You'll end up at the bottom of Texas. That's where a lot of folks from up north spend their winters.
And just think, you won't have any navigation issues.....Hwy 83 south, Hwy 83 south. LOL

geo · 10-26-2013, 07:41 AM

I was just going to simply say ...

Key West.

Ron

Jca3 · 10-26-2013, 09:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hankaye

rschad, Howdy;

I live in my RV in Southern New Mexico, Avg. Low temps for Jan are
the mid 20's and in Feb. they jump up to the 30's. The Avg. High Temps. are
mid 50's, Jan. to low 60's, Feb. (all temps. are F*), Where in Southern N.M. ???
Just off of exit 59 on I-25. Half way between Truth or Consequences, and
Hatch on hiway 187. We as are most of the South West are at altitude,
here we are at about 4,200' above sea level (ASL). Yuma, Az. is only about
133'ASL so, it is much warmer. They also have a HUMONGUS RV show and
rock-hounds galore that time of the year. If you get one of the LTVA short
term passes for $40.00 (Boon-docking), or a long term for $180.00.
http://www.blm.gov/ca/st/en/fo/elcen...ion/ltvas.html
Anyway, Wait till you get to a lower altitude and somewhere below the
30th parallel.

hankaye

Thanks for the information on where to stay in winter.

**hankpage** · 10-26-2013, 09:51 AM

Just like road conditions due to weather may cause you to change plans, carrying onboard water will depend on weather. We traveled to Florida from New Jersey in Dec - Jan for many years. Most of the time with onboard water both ways. Some years we had to keep our bottled water in the truck to keep it from freezing. In short it is a crap-shoot all depending how Mother Nature decides to cooperate. Also you will be most of the way South before you can find year round camp grounds open. Call and plan ahead and travel safely, Hank

rschad · 10-26-2013, 09:52 AM

Thanks everyone. I guess I will wait and hope for a mild week to head south and hope we don't get snow like last winter or I won't be able to get to my trailer to head south.
More suggestions are welcome.

Outbackmel · 10-26-2013, 07:41 PM

Above URL will get you fairly accurate weather forecasts for 10 days out. Plan your stops where you plan to de winterize and make an informed decision. IF in doubt, just wait until you get to the next desirable stop that has above freezing forecast. Generally freezes come in from the north west or NE to the south in winter. Not difficult to plan around bad weather.

We leave ice cold mountains of N Georgia 3rd week of January and head to south Florida until March. We stay in our unit every night at campgrounds and simply use bottled water for necessary issues; paper plates and plastic ware and use microwave and toaster for warm on the go foods.

Never any issue. We have a good quality electric blanket in our RV and use it to make the bed toasty before we climb in.

Coming from the severe ice cold of the north, we would likely do as you say and motel it at least the first couple of days. BUT, we do not have that problem. Please remember that places like Atlanta or comparable cities in geography can get NASTY, very nasty, ice rain instead of pretty snow and it could paralyze roads for hours or days. Bridges freeze in the southern states just as they do up north only many drivers do not heed those posted warnings.

Use common sense and your trip should be enjoyable.

Be safe.

rschad · 10-27-2013, 07:37 PM

Thanks so much. Being from western Canada I sort of haven't thought about the issues of ice rain and likely not having the cold weather services we have as we know it will be cold and snow.

One person suggested that we take a fall trip south and store our trailer at a campground closer to where we can use it for a winter trip and then drive back down in January and pick it up. My question is do campgrounds allow a person to store their rv for a few months. The upside for them beside the storage fee is that we would be back for a few weeks.

outwest · 10-28-2013, 12:56 AM

Several years back I was in Houston area (just north of Humble, TX) in December and they had a bad enough freeze that pipes burst in several homes and businesses. Our trailer was okay because we saw the forecast and left the water running on low. If we hadnt...

So, the occasional freak freeze can even happen all the way down in houston, but as long as you pay attention to the weather...

**JRTJH** · 10-28-2013, 03:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rschad

Thanks so much. Being from western canada I sort of haven't thought about the issues of ice rain and likely not having the cold weather services we have as we know it will be cold and snow.

One person suggested that we take a fall trip south and store our trailer at a campground closer to where we can use it for a winter trip and then drive back down in January and pick it IUPAC. My question is do campgrounds allow a person to store three rv for a few months. The upside for them beside the storage fee is that we would be back for a few weeks.

Some campgrounds will allow you to store your RV on site, some won't. It's just a matter of discussing the situation with those in the area you plan to visit and getting an answer. If you do store your RV, depending on the location, I would most likely winterize it anyway. As previously noted, even in Houston or places where "it never gets cold" occasionally you can have a freeze that could cause damage. You wouldn't want to be 1000 miles away and find out that tomorrow night will be 18* for the first time in over 100 years. Weather often is record breaking at unexpected times LOL

One added advantage of towing down before the snow/ice is that you won't expose your RV to the salt on roads. And, if you're not going back north until after the spring melt, you will have it "both ways"

hankaye · 10-28-2013, 06:49 AM

rschad, Howdy;

Quote:

Originally Posted by rschad

Thanks so much. Being from western canada I sort of haven't thought about the issues of ice rain and likely not having the cold weather services we have as we know it will be cold and snow.

One person suggested that we take a fall trip south and store our trailer at a campground closer to where we can use it for a winter trip and then drive back down in January and pick it IUPAC. My question is do campgrounds allow a person to store three rv for a few months. The upside for them beside the storage fee is that we would be back for a few weeks.

As an example ... Where I live the Park owner's have on-site storage. It's
a separate lot behind a locked gate. The options are Covered ($25.00/Mo.),
and Uncovered ($15.00/Mo.). The owner can, and does locate your RV for
you (towables), if you wish him to do so. There are a multitude of small
Campgrounds around here and some allow you to keep your RV on site,
but you would most likely pay full price for that. I'm sure that if you do some
research and make a few phone calls you might find what suits your needs.

hankaye

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