Winter RVing December 26, 2017, 11:44:05 am Hi Gang-Question regarding winter RVing in my LD.This will be my first winter full-timing in my LD.Prior to this year I full-timed in my 30' AirstreamAirstreams are designed where the furnace vent and plumbing are Arn near each beneath the floor.Can someone tell me if LDs are designed in a similar fashion?Where I live the temps are predicted to be in the mid teens during the night. The last thing I want are frozen pipes.Thanks in advance.Mark
Re: Winter RVing Reply #1 – December 26, 2017, 12:50:28 pm Mark,Larry W. is probably the best one to answer this.The Gray tank is exposed,The Black tank is exposed,The Fresh water drain is Exposed.My home only reaches 32 twice a year, so I carry 3 each 100 Watt bulbs and drop lights to keep athe valves warm when needed.
Re: Winter RVing Reply #2 – December 26, 2017, 01:08:09 pm Thanks-Because I'm at an RV park I'm using Thea parks water. My fresh water tank and gray tanks are both empty.My fresh water connection will have a drop light as well as being wrapped with insulation.I may go ahead and skirt the rear of my LD wear most of the water lines are located.Mark
Re: Winter RVing Reply #3 – December 26, 2017, 05:42:03 pm Mark, if you are using a shore connection with temps in the teens I would expect the incoming hose to freeze. Rodney said the fresh water tank is exposed. His may be but mine is not. I have a '08 MB and the fresh water tank is behind and below the oven area. Between it and the exterior is a foam insulated wall. Because an incoming hose would be prone to freezing and I have insulation between the exterior and all my fresh water lines, I avoid using a hookup to shore water, relying on my fresh water tank and my pump for fresh water. When overnight temps are going to hit the teens, I open cabinet doors and the access panel by the water pump, then keep the interior to 65 to 70 degrees. After 9 years of fulltiming, in temps as low as -20, my fresh water lines have never frozen. Getting ice in the grey tank when in the teens and lower is fairly common but so far has not been a significant problem, as long as it warms enough occasionally to let me dump.Ken F in NM 2 Likes
Re: Winter RVing Reply #4 – December 26, 2017, 06:57:11 pm Another benefit to having the fresh water tank full and using that instead of city water: the tank water will be warmer so will take less hot water to shower, etc. than city water.
Re: Winter RVing Reply #5 – December 27, 2017, 09:52:54 am Thanks-I try to use the RV park's showers as much as possible. Showering in my LD adds to the condensation.If I filled my fresh water tank I would need to install a heat pad to keep it from freezing. When the risk of single digit temps are in the forecast the last think I need are any frozen systems.
Re: Winter RVing Reply #6 – December 27, 2017, 10:00:42 am Quote from: NADAZE! - December 27, 2017, 09:52:54 amThanks-I try to use the RV park's showers as much as possible. Showering in my LD adds to the condensation.If I filled my fresh water tank I would need to install a heat pad to keep it from freezing. When the risk of single digit temps are in the forecast the last think I need are any frozen systems.Mark, where is your fresh water tank in your LD; what model/year is it?Chris
Re: Winter RVing Reply #7 – December 27, 2017, 02:45:47 pm My LD is a 2002 30' rear queen. I'm assuming the fresh water tank is located in the rear.
Re: Winter RVing Reply #8 – December 27, 2017, 03:50:20 pm “My LD is a 2002 30' rear queen. I'm assuming the fresh water tank is located in the rear.”. I don’t have that model but judging from the pictures (on the factory web site I think your FW tank is in the kitchen area under the sink or under the stove. It will not be very far from the filler port. I agree with others that using the on board water is a better idea than using the city water hookup in very cold weather. My preference for very cold weather is a couple 5 gal jugs from the grocery store and leave all the water tanks empty and winterized until I can get to a more temperature friendly climate.
Re: Winter RVing Reply #9 – December 27, 2017, 03:56:46 pm Quote from: NADAZE! - December 27, 2017, 02:45:47 pmMy LD is a 2002 30' rear queen. I'm assuming the fresh water tank is located in the rear.In our 06 IB it is under the bed.Jim 1 Likes
Re: Winter RVing Reply #10 – December 27, 2017, 06:56:59 pm My FW tank is below the kitchen counter. I went through one week when it never got above zero. My FW tank did not freeze. Recently, across the way from me, another camper left their shore connection in place overnight. It dropped to 24. In the morning their hose, and the hydrant/hose bib they had connected to were frozen solid. But if you have your mind made up to use a shore connection in freezing weather, good luck.Ken F in NM 2 Likes
Re: Winter RVing Reply #12 – December 27, 2017, 10:50:20 pm Quote from: NADAZE! - December 27, 2017, 02:45:47 pmMy LD is a 2002 30' rear queen. I'm assuming the fresh water tank is located in the rear.Of course. I should have remembered you have the same year and model as I do. As long as the LD is heated, you don't have to worry about the water tank freezing. We have been in very cold weather, but with the coach heated, and have never had a problem.Chris
Re: Winter RVing Reply #13 – December 28, 2017, 07:20:32 am Hi Chris and thanks for your response.Last night the temps dropped into the low teens. Like I said, my grey and fresh water tanks are empty. I shower at the RV park's facility. Last night I disconnected the fresh park's water. I made sure the water hose and sewer hose were both drained. I also dumped 1/2 gallon of antifreeze into the toilet and grey tank. I was going to hold off skirting my rv but I think I will proceeded. Looks like we may have a colder than normal winter.FYI- I'm in Hot Springs, Arkansas.Mark
Re: Winter RVing Reply #14 – December 29, 2017, 01:10:39 pm "If I filled my fresh water tank I would need to install a heat pad to keep it from freezing."I agree with what others here have said: with your freshwater tank inside the coach (under the bed), there's little chance it will freeze. When I've been in extra-cold situations, I've never had a problem with that--and like many here, I never hook up to campground water. I fill the tank, draw what I need from it, and then every couple of weeks when it gets low, refill. 3 Likes
Re: Winter RVing Reply #15 – December 29, 2017, 02:34:31 pm We also only use water from our on-board tank in the kitchen on our Mid-Bath and leave the Cabinet doors and a drawer or two open so warm air will circulate. Another trick we do is after we dump, we pour either RV antifreeze or winter window wash fluid which either one is less expensive in the WC and shower so that fluid is the first to reach the valves and dump lines. Then water and other liquids are flushed or drained it mixes and makes a freeze resistant fluid in those lines nearest the dump valves. It has worked for us so far to zero degrees Fahrenheit. Also I like using the shower drain because that trap is farthest from the heat so the residue in that trap is freeze resistant till someone takes a shower and then we can add a little more. Karen~Liam 26 ~ MB 1 Likes
Re: Winter RVing Reply #16 – December 29, 2017, 05:40:25 pm I've never checked, but I wonder if RV antifreeze gets diluted in water, or if it floats on top or sinks to the bottom. The latter would be best for keeping it at high strength in the valve area. Sounds like an interesting mid-summer experiment. Chip
Re: Winter RVing Reply #17 – December 29, 2017, 10:06:15 pm The data sheet I found on RV antifreeze showed a density of 1.02-1.03, which 2%-3% denser than water, suggesting it would sink; however, that's at room temperature. It will be different at low temperatures, so your summer experiment might be the best way to check.
Re: Winter RVing out kitchen fauet Reply #18 – December 29, 2017, 10:41:24 pm On our trip down to Florida I have no water coming out kitchen faucet. We left Long Island where the temps were in teens, I had winterized with air, I’m thinking maybe something froze under the sink. Have a 2017 MB. Presently in NC, have water in bathroom sink and shower. Any ideas? 1 Likes
Re: Winter RVing Reply #19 – December 29, 2017, 10:46:26 pm Quote from: Chip Chester - December 29, 2017, 05:40:25 pmI've never checked, but I wonder if RV antifreeze gets diluted in water, or if it floats on top or sinks to the bottom. The latter would be best for keeping it at high strength in the valve area. Sounds like an interesting mid-summer experiment. ChipQuote from: Eric Greenwell - December 29, 2017, 10:06:15 pmThe data sheet I found on RV antifreeze showed a density of 1.02-1.03, which 2%-3% denser than water, suggesting it would sink; however, that's at room temperature. It will be different at low temperatures, so your summer experiment might be the best way to check.To paraphrase Yakov Smirnoff--"I love this [site]! Is this a great [site]or what?" Too bad science as part of everyday life wasn't part of my early life...algebra fired up a math phobia decades ago that took a long time to shake. Just reading these discussions is fun--almost makes me want to go back to school. Lynne
Re: Winter RVing Reply #20 – December 30, 2017, 04:47:33 pm Molly, if you have water flowing in the bathroom fixtures but not the kitchen sink, I doubt that freezing is the cause of your issues. I am thinking that winterizing with air may have blown sediment into the faucet screens, or that calcium or lime collected there may have hardened when water was removed. I would try a step by step approach. First, loosen but don't disconnect the fittings on the lines coming in, and turn on the pump. The lines should drip. If they drip, you have water coming to the faucet. Tighten them up and move on to the next step.On my faucet, there is a single line out from the cartridge and faucet to the faucet head. That is a press connection on mine, awkward for my large and arthritic fingers to open, but for most, not too hard. With the pump on and the faucet closed, disconnect that fitting. Put a bucket under the faucet and BRIEFLY turn the faucet on, then right off. If you get water out, the blockage is in the faucet head. If you don't get water out, but the lines in dripped, the blockage is in the cartridge. If you do get water out, the problem is in the faucet head.If the cartridge seems to be the trouble spot, disassemble the faucet up top and check the cartridge for any calcium accumulation or other blockage. Clean it out, reassemble and try it.If the problem is the faucet head, you may not be able to get to the first screen, but you can get to the last screen. It has a spring in it, so be careful when you open it up. Clean it as much as you can and try it.Ken F in NMKen F in NM 2 Likes
Re: Winter RVing Reply #21 – December 30, 2017, 10:02:16 pm Quote from: NADAZE! - December 26, 2017, 11:44:05 amThis will be my first winter full-timing in my LD.Where I live the temps are predicted to be in the mid teens during the night. The last thing I want are frozen pipes.Since no one bothered to ask, are you planning on staying in cold conditions all winter or is this a temporary stay before heading off to warmer climes? Most full timers head south in the winter.If the cold is going to be a long term issue, you might want to spend the bucks and add electric heaters and insulation to the holding tanks, drain line(s) and dump valves. Some form of skirting would be a good idea if you are staying put. Lazy Dazes were not designed for long-term cold-weather camping, so to do it right, you need to modify things unless living with restricted capability is OK with you.If full timing, in a cold climate, I would want to be able to use the plumbing without going though a lot of contortions.And do pay attention to all the expert advice on not using the city water connection, it can lead to nothing but problems.Running exclusively off the fresh water tank is perfectly safe and not a big hassle.Larry 2 Likes
Re: Winter RVing Reply #22 – January 02, 2018, 01:19:13 pm Yes, the culprit was in fact sediment in the faucet screen. Thank you for all reply’s. Happy to be part of this unique club. Florida- 64 degrees.
Re: Winter RVing Reply #23 – January 02, 2018, 08:38:09 pm Regarding using a City Water connection, is the only issue here regarding freezing or are there other issues? We have been using a hose with a pressure regulator on it for years without problems - in above freezing temps.Thanks,Pete
Re: Winter RVing Reply #24 – January 02, 2018, 09:54:41 pm "...without problems - in above freezing temps."And then one day you will encounter a campground that will insist that you disconnect your freshwater hose before nightfall, at the risk of a knock on the door for a reminder. They do not want a ruptured hose spewing their precious water all over the landscape. I learned that in Taos, NM.
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