Are Burst Pipes Common?

[Weldon]

Here in Georgia, we rarely get to "pipe-freezing" temps. So this past week, when our real temp was 6, and the real feel was -10, I was more worried about the house than the camper 20 mins away. Yesterday I checked on the camper since it's almost 50 degrees outside. I first did a visual check, then turned the faucets and shower on. To my surprise, h2O came out of my faucets for about 10 seconds. I have never had that much water trapped before. So I did another (more careful) check...no problems. Several folks we know, as well as neighbors, had burst pipes. At home, we dripped water and covered the outside spigots . I have to assume they didn't. However, when the temp gets below freezing, are camper pipes less likely to freeze / burst? Just curious, and darn glad mine didn't.

[gearhead]

Pretty much the same near Houston. For the first time I blew out my water system, drained tanks, poured RV antifreeze down the drain lines, topped off the propane and set the thermostat at 42. I need to hook water up to it and pressure test.

[fjr vfr]

If you first blow out your system with air pressure and then fill with rv antifreeze you should be good. If you just blow the system out with air you risk the possibility of still having water trapped in a line somewhere. It's best to follow with the rv antifreeze so you can verify pink coming out of all the faucets. You can flush the pink stuff out when you un-winterize.

[JRTJH]

The PEX lines are the strongest part of the water system. The plastic fittings that are used with the PEX are probably the weakest link followed closely by the plastic faucets and the water pump diaphragm/pump head.

The easy way to determine if you have any freeze damage is to put some water in your fresh water tank, turn on the pump, purge the air out of the lines and close all the faucets. If the pump remains off for a couple hours, there's likely no damage. On the other hand, if the pump "burps occasionally" there's a leak somewhere and the pressure side of the plumbing is leaking somewhere.

Most vulnerable: Plastic crimp fittings on the PEX, faucet stems, city water inlet, and the pump head

[Weldon]

Thanks everyone. I have never used the fresh water tank or the water pump. It's located under my stove/kitchen sink, but not 100% sure on the process. Any tips, or do I need to provide more info for that? Especially appreciate you John.

[JRTJH]

The water pump/fresh water tank is fairly easy to operate. Just put about a half tank of fresh water in the fresh water tank gravity fill, Make sure the water heater bypass valve is turned to "summer use" position and let the water heater fill until the water pump either turns off or slows considerable (by sound). Then with the pump on, you should start getting air/water spurting out of the nearest faucet when you turn on the cold water tap. Let that run until the spurting stops and then do the hot water side. Once that faucet is purged, move to the next and do the same until you've purged all the air out of the fresh water plumbing. Don't forget the shower, toilet and any outside faucets such as the outside shower.

With all the air purged from the system, the pump should be off and every time you turn a faucet on, the pump should "almost immediately start to run" and then "immediately (within a second or two) the pump should turn off when you turn the faucet off. Once the system is working like this, then leave the pump switch on, don't use any water or turn on any faucet. The plumbing lines "should hold pressure" and the pump should not run. Sit in the trailer with a good book and no radio/TV to mask the quiet. If you hear any "burp" (a 1 second pump run) then you likely have a leak somewhere in the plumbing system. If you don't hear the pump burp for a couple hours, you can be fairly sure that your trailer survived the cold snap....

As a note, at the start of every season, after doing the above, just to check my plumbing (we live where it's below 0F for weeks on end), on the first camping trip, I turn off the city water, turn on the pump when we go to bed. If, through the night, my DW hears the pump burp (without my hearing aids, I never hear it) then I know the trailer doesn't have a leak and can hold pressure for 6-8 hours.... That's just my "over the top test" for the first camping trip. After that, just a good regulator set to 40-45 PSI and we NEVER leave the campsite without turning off the city water at the campground faucet.

[NH_Bulldog]

Aside from draining/blowing the water out of the lines (if you don’t plan on a full winterization) is to leave all the taps open. This prevents the lines from being pressurized and allows any remaining water to expand within the pipe instead of blowing out a fitting or bursting a pipe. The old timers up here in Northern climates used to pour water into cracks in rocks and when it froze it would split the rocks open. RV antifreeze is cheap enough and good insurance for even short-term freeze protection as an added precaution.

[08quadram]

Blow them out and leave faucets open. You will be fine. Rv antifreeze in p traps. I've been doing that here in northeast Iowa for many years. Never had an issue. It will get -30 degrees with no issues.

[dutchmensport]

Pipes frees the same regardless of where they are installed. The difference in a burst pipe is because of the material used.

The old PVC type pipe, when freezing, can break very easy. There is absolutely no "give" in PVC. Steel pipe has some threshold for expansion, but not very much. Copper pipe can stretch quite a bit, but it also has limitations. PEX pipe seems to be the most forgiving. PEX can stretch quite a bit before it reaches it limit. So PEX has the appearance of being able to withstand freezing water expanding inside quite a bit. Still... PEX has it final limit too. And joints are more venerable to breaking.

The problem with pipes that have a more forgiving "stretch" limit is the fact that, you can probably get away with freezing one time. The freezing water stretch the pipe material but does not break it. (again, up to a point) But, once the ice unthaws and returns back to water, the pipe is still swollen out, or expanded. The pipe itself will never shrink back to it's original size. So, if it freezes a second time, the second freeze may be the one that causes it finally break (if joints don't break first).

So, you might have gotten away with it THIS time if things actually did freeze up. But if it happens the second time, you may end up with broken pipes.

In any camper, regardless of where it's located, when temps reach below 32, the safest way to protect it is to winterize. Blowing lines is good but not fool-proof. Displacing any water with RV antifreeze, then blowing the antifreeze out is probably the best protection possible.

(I never quite understood why folks blow first then do the antifreeze. The argument seems to be, they don't want the antifreeze diluted with water. That doesn't make sense to me. Once the antifreeze starts pumping, it pushes all the water out ahead of it. It doesn't "mix". Once the faucet run all pink, all the water is out. And you can easily see the clear water running, then turning a light pink and then a darker pink. Follow that up next by blowing the pink stuff out of the lines and this eliminates everything out of the lines.)

[mjsibe]

With our changing weather conditions
Those not used to Winterizing should consider it.
I'm just north of Philadelphia
We can get mild to extreme weather.
Best to be prepared.
The Southern areas are now seeing temp drops .
It really only takes about an hour or so to avoid problems.
Hopefully nothing happened to your plumbing.

[Max23]

Global warming becoming a problem in the south there is it???

Sorry, I just had to. Not wanting to start anything!!! It was just a funny!!!

[sourdough]

Originally Posted by Max23

Global warming becoming a problem in the south there is it???

Sorry, I just had to. Not wanting to start anything!!! It was just a funny!!!

Yep, global warming is a problem in the South. When I get back to TX I expect the same old 100+ degree days we've had since I was a kid 7+ decades ago. Of course now I don't have to work in it....or stay in it. I'll clean out, reload and head to the mountains where global cooling is still in effect as it has been for the last 7+ decades.