Hmm? Cold weather question.

Hopeful1 · 11-27-2018, 02:27 PM

Hoping this question isn't dumb, but...we have our 2016 Aspect under a covered building on our property. Building not enclosed. One night of freezing weather tonight for about 6 hours...or so TV says! It's plugged in and I have the heat set on 50 degrees. Is it still necessary to drain all my tanks and water heater? Warms right back up after tonight. Thoughts please! Hubby out of town and not exactly sure how to drain everything unless I look on YouTube! I've drained water heater before but that's it. Ha! Thanks for any help!

powercat_ras · 11-27-2018, 03:39 PM

If you have heat set to run propane furnace then it puts some heat into the basement, you should be good down to 25 F or so.

Another thing to consider - if you have your refrigerator on it may not be designed to work in below freezing temperatures, only Norcolds and Dometics with "cold weather" kits can be operated in below freezing temps. The solution in the tubing in the outside facing side of an absorbtion refrigerator is water based and can freeze, if fridge is on this can prevent the solution from circulating and damage it. Best to shut it off or put some heat into the outside facing side, that's all the "cold weather" kit does - it's a short heat strip mounted on the lower/middle tubing that is on a thermostat so that it comes on at or below 32F. A trouble light with a 40 watt bulb sitting centered in the outside bottom will do it down to about 25 F.

Below 25 F I would winterize.

Hopeful1 · 11-27-2018, 04:22 PM

Thanks for your reply. Refrigerator not on. Heat set on electric...not propane. I think it's fine since inland temps lower than the coast where we live. Our temps 32 for a short time. Almost dark here so it's going to be heat on 50 and go with that.

Hopeful1 · 11-27-2018, 04:47 PM

Do you think I should open kitchen and bathroom sink faucets for expansion? I can do that easily.

Hopeful1 · 11-27-2018, 05:21 PM

Ok. Opened faucets and switched to propane heat so goes through floor vents. Think all good! Whew!

OLYLEN · 12-02-2018, 06:55 PM

Have never worried when day time reach into the 40's and early morning above 25. Below 25 I set the furnace at 40, open doors and draws for air flow. At around the clock below 32 I raise the furnace to 60 or so. If more than a week I use air to winterize. Don't know where using the refer comes from, if MT it's off if on the road it's on even at way below freezing. Last year before leaving for Southland we had a 10 day or more cold snap 40° furnace for that 10 days cost 7 gallons of propane with a couple checking warm ups to 70+.

Morich · 12-02-2018, 07:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by powercat_ras

If you have heat set to run propane furnace then it puts some heat into the basement, you should be good down to 25 F or so.

Another thing to consider - if you have your refrigerator on it may not be designed to work in below freezing temperatures, only Norcolds and Dometics with "cold weather" kits can be operated in below freezing temps. The solution in the tubing in the outside facing side of an absorbtion refrigerator is water based and can freeze, if fridge is on this can prevent the solution from circulating and damage it. Best to shut it off or put some heat into the outside facing side, that's all the "cold weather" kit does - it's a short heat strip mounted on the lower/middle tubing that is on a thermostat so that it comes on at or below 32F. A trouble light with a 40 watt bulb sitting centered in the outside bottom will do it down to about 25 F.

Below 25 F I would winterize.

This post has caught my attention and made me wonder. Are you saying that the frig needs something done when left in cold weather? I've never done anything and many have spent the winter outside in temps as low as - 10 without damage. Are we speaking different things or just me not reading what you are saying?

litewave · 12-02-2018, 10:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Morich

This post has caught my attention and made me wonder. Are you saying that the frig needs something done when left in cold weather? I've never done anything and many have spent the winter outside in temps as low as - 10 without damage. Are we speaking different things or just me not reading what you are saying?

I agree on never hearing about not using the frig in cold weather. I spent a winter in Cedar Rapids, Iowa with temps just above and below 0 and the Frig operation was the least of my operational problems. Refrigerator always worked fine. Keeping water flowing was the big concern. That and going through $1200 worth of propane for heat.

maryinreddin · 12-02-2018, 11:51 PM

We live in Redding, CA and have very few freezes. We are expecting one tonight so hubby has turned on the heater. Our coach sits under a metal cover, not completely closed in but enough to protect it. One year when our coach was in for repair (it was sitting out on a lot) we had a whole week of freezing. When we got our coach back we were going on a trip a couple of days later. Hubby turned on the refrigerator and then turned on the ice maker and water came flowing out of the outside compartment. Apparently the freezing temps has cracked a little connection outside. We temporarily clamped it off for our trip but it continued to leak so we turned off the ice maker all together. When we returned the part was in at the repair place, they replaced it and everything was fine. We now check it carefully after having an extended freeze.

Morich · 12-03-2018, 02:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by maryinreddin

We live in Redding, CA and have very few freezes. We are expecting one tonight so hubby has turned on the heater. Our coach sits under a metal cover, not completely closed in but enough to protect it. One year when our coach was in for repair (it was sitting out on a lot) we had a whole week of freezing. When we got our coach back we were going on a trip a couple of days later. Hubby turned on the refrigerator and then turned on the ice maker and water came flowing out of the outside compartment. Apparently the freezing temps has cracked a little connection outside. We temporarily clamped it off for our trip but it continued to leak so we turned off the ice maker all together. When we returned the part was in at the repair place, they replaced it and everything was fine. We now check it carefully after having an extended freeze.

This is a definite point to keep in mind. If we are speaking of winterizing, we want to get the water items all protected or drained but if we are speaking of the simple RV frig that uses no water, I have never heard of any problems with them totally freezing. If I remember correctly, the simple type that use heat to do the cooling just use some form of liquid, possibly alcohol??? in the cooling coils and it does not hurt to freeze or use it. One of the fickle points on this type of frig was that they had to be somewhat level when using the frig as the flame will go straight up and that can make it miss the correct spot to cool. Not normally a big issue when we camp as it gets into being able to walk on the floor before the frig would fail. Our frig failed one time when parked and sightseeing in San Fran but then we had trouble keeping dishes on the table, too!

Morich · 12-03-2018, 08:12 PM

Trying to remember what is used in absorption type (12V or propane?) RV frigs and Google says it is ammonia and a little more checking says the boiling point of ammonia is about -28F so i'm thinking there is little to worry about it freezing!
Icemakers freeze? Yes! The frig itself? Not where I'm planning to be for long!