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Topic: camping in 25 to 30 degree weather (Read 6 times) previous topic - next topic
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Re: camping in 25 to 30 degree weather
Reply #1 –
Yahoo Message Number: 127959
Sherry,
 If that's the low of the day and it goes up into the 40's or higher, I wouldn't worry about it.
 It it stays in the 25-30 range for much longer, it will *eventually* freeze!

Alex Rutchka, SE #4 '05 MB
Re: camping in 25 to 30 degree weather
Reply #3 –
Yahoo Message Number: 127961
Sherry, from the sound of it, your exposure to cold weather will only last a few days. As Alex said, if you have daytime temperatures above freezing, you'd probably be fine with water in the tanks, but if you want to play it safe, one thing you could do is leave the rig winterized until you reach warmer climes.
 Use bottled water for drinking; use pink RV antifreeze to flush the toilet (and use campground toilets and showers whenever possible)... you can put up with that for a few days.

Andy Baird http://www.andybaird.com/travels/
Andy Baird
2021 Ford Ranger towing 2019 Airstream 19CB
Previously: 1985 LD Twin/King "Gertie"; 2003 LD Midbath "Skylark"
Re: camping in 25 to 30 degree weather
Reply #4 –
Yahoo Message Number: 127962
Quote
Alex, Thank you !  We have a LD and want to leave Twin Falls Idaho and would be driving with the exception of one night in Wells NV where it gets low during the night.  We have it filled with Anti-freeze and afraid to drain that before the trip?  Our manual is in the Motorhome in storage so do not have access to it.  We plan to leave this week for warmer weather.  Just not sure how the LD will do in that kind of weather for one day and a night.  Thank you for any information you have.  Sherry
Sherry, when we leave Denver in the winter, headed for warmer weather, the LD is in front of the house the day and night before and I usually dewinterize that day and then keep a space heater running in the LD over night, with cupboard, sink, shower and toilet room doors left open.  The water tank is under the bed so it won't freeze there.  This works if the temps aren't much colder that 20* overnight.  If it still is below freezing weather when on the road, we make sure we have hookups at night so at to run heater(s).  Doesn't matter if the holding tanks freeze a little.  They will soon thaw when you hit warmer weather.

Chris
Formerly: 2002 30' IB
Re: camping in 25 to 30 degree weather
Reply #6 –
Yahoo Message Number: 128093
I discussed with Steve at LD the available option "Insulate both exterior holding tanks (for cold weather campers)." He stated that the option only slows down heat loss. There is no heat source to replace lost heat. The pipes and valves will freeze first. From the archives, I read one email that suggested the LD installed insulating blankets were more trouble if the tanks need servicing than they are worth.  Would an optimal solution to cold weather use include passing up the "insulate both exterior holding tanks" and, instead, wrap the tanks in electrically heated blankets and wrap the piping and valves with heating tape that operate off the 120-volt system. If the system can be protected during the night and while connected to 120-volt service, cold wheather plumbing usage might be extended further into the winter season.
 Is the LD available option of "insulate both exterior holding tanks" a worthwhile option or not?

Does the foregoing proposal of wrapping tanks
Re: camping in 25 to 30 degree weather
Reply #7 –
Yahoo Message Number: 128094
Not only does LD's sprayed-on foam insulation make for a mess when repairing or modifying the tanks (e.g., installing improved level sensors), but as Steve said, even insulated tanks will freeze sooner or later if temperatures stay below zero around the clock--and when they do, the insulation ensures that they'll take a l-o-n-g time to thaw! I ran into this just a month or so back. (My rig, purchased used, came with insulated tanks--I wouldn't have chosen them if buying new!)
 But generally speaking, the dump valves and the pipes leading to them are likely to freeze before the tanks do. When this happens, pouring hot water and/or antifreeze into the tanks will accomplish very little, because there's a plug of ice at the very end of that pipe, and the hot water can't get to it. You need to heat from outside, using an electric heater or hair dryer. It's a tedious business.
 This is where heating tape can help. Wrap the tape around the entire length of the pipe leading from tank to dump valve, and then wrap closed-cell foam insulating tape around that to retain the heat. Of course this requires a shore-power hookup--it takes more power than your batteries could supply in the long run. (Another thing wrong with the sprayed-on insulation is that you can't apply heat tape unless you first scrape off all the foam, which makes a helluva mess.)
 Getting back to the tanks: various companies sell tank-heating pads that can be fastened onto the underside of a tank. The name I see mentioned most often is UltraHeat. As with the heating tape, you'd want to apply insulation over the heating pad to hold in the heat. I'd use a sheet of solid foam and strap it on, so that it can be removed cleanly in case servicing is needed.
 Be sure that any insulation you use under the coach is of the closed-cell foam type, because otherwise it's apt to get saturated with water from road spray and then freeze. This especially applies to fiberglass insulation--you don't want that anywhere it can get wet, and under the coach it's guaranteed to get wet.
 With all that said, I think most folks here will agree that the best way to extend camping into the winter season is to head south. That's why they put wheels on RVs, after all. :-)

Andy Baird http://www.andybaird.com/travels/
Andy Baird
2021 Ford Ranger towing 2019 Airstream 19CB
Previously: 1985 LD Twin/King "Gertie"; 2003 LD Midbath "Skylark"
 
camping in 25 to 30 degree weather
Reply #8 –
Yahoo Message Number: 128115
Andy,
 Thank you for the reply. It's the best of the emails I have seen on the subject of cold weather use. I did not know that LD sprayed the insulation onto the tanks instead of using insulating blankets. I now understand that even if I want to use the LD in cold weather, purchasing the option of "insulate both exterior holding tanks" would not have been a good choice.
 If you do not already have a folder on the subject, you might consider saving your email in a folder accessible to the Group.

Gerard

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