Frozen pipes

Pueblo Dave · 03-20-2008, 06:59 AM

I'm sure this has been discussed at length before, but being relatively new here, I missed it. Okay, I have had freezing problems in our '05 Itasca 31W; split the water heater and the filter under the sink, etc. So, this winter I had the coach winterized at Camping World. Obviously you can't use the coach when it is full of antifreeze, but now it's getting nice out and we want to go.
But, it could freeze tomorrow or a week from now. How the heck can you use your MH year round without building a heated garage? (or going to AZ for the winter).
Dave in cold CO.

Pueblo Dave · 03-20-2008, 06:59 AM

I'm sure this has been discussed at length before, but being relatively new here, I missed it. Okay, I have had freezing problems in our '05 Itasca 31W; split the water heater and the filter under the sink, etc. So, this winter I had the coach winterized at Camping World. Obviously you can't use the coach when it is full of antifreeze, but now it's getting nice out and we want to go.
But, it could freeze tomorrow or a week from now. How the heck can you use your MH year round without building a heated garage? (or going to AZ for the winter).
Dave in cold CO.

rvcarpenter · 03-20-2008, 07:13 AM

Well I just drain my water lines and water heater after every time I use it. (I don't have a water filter) I know some people just don't use the water system in the winter and carry water in jugs.

Pusherman · 03-20-2008, 07:13 AM

Dave, once you know you will have more days above freezing than below, and you want to use your coach, dewinterize it and use it. After that store the coach with the LP gas furnace running, with the t-stat set at 55F. You should be fine.

Obviously you need to be plugged into shore power so you don't run down the battery, and make sure you have a good supply of LP.

dirko · 03-20-2008, 07:52 AM

Hi Ho: Good suggestions so far. We have found out that below freezing is not necessarily bad as long as the average temperature is well above freezing. The coach has considerable thermal mass and if kept closed temperatures into the high twenties are ok if the daytime temperature is high enough. Keeping the gas furnace set to about 50 degrees will not take a huge amount of propane if the daytime temperatures are above 50 degrees. The water pump and that area are most vulnerable and a light globe there is not a bad idea.
Dirk

smlranger · 03-20-2008, 08:20 AM

Good suggestions already given but I will add another option. Get a small portable air compressor and use it to blow the water from all your lines. I 'winterize' by draining the water heater, then use the compressor to blow water out of all faucets and the toilet. I pour a bit if RV antifreeze into the sink and shower traps. If we take a winter trip, I can do this procedure in about 30 minutes upon return.

DancinCampers · 03-20-2008, 08:33 AM

We don't usually get freezing conditions here, but I'm a little paranoid, so I drain the hot water tank, then use my wet/dry vac to empty all the water lines. So far so good.

I also put the pink stuff in the traps. I don't recommend you empty the traps with the vac, it will empty them, but then the MH smells like the inside of the holding tank (been there, done that, but only once).

jbowers · 03-20-2008, 09:45 AM

I followed the procedure posted by smiranger for many years and never had a problem. I would add only one step. Make sure you have at least one faucet in the coach open before you pressurize the system. You don't wand to burst a pipe if you have a high pressure compressor.

Rocket Heart · 03-20-2008, 10:30 AM

I just de-winterized mine last week and I live in NW Ohio. Like some of the others have suggested I filled my water tank with about 1/3 cap. (new coach and I wanted to check out all systems). I am hooked up to shore power and run a heater to keep it a 55 - 60 deg. no problems.

Leaving for Gatlinburg tomorow AM.....y'all

CHIPPYSGT · 03-20-2008, 01:05 PM

Don't use over 50 psi to blow the system out
and if you run your furnace or heaters open the doors under the sinks so heat can get in there to the plumbing.

bobpie · 03-20-2008, 03:16 PM

All are Great suggestions, When we use ours in the winter time, after comming home, I drain the water tanks and heater, blow out the lines, and rewinterwize the unit with the pink stuff. Then I blow out the lines to the drain and collect the pink stuff for use at a later time. I can recoup most of the stuff. It takes about 30 to 45 minutes now that I have it down pat. Practice makes purfect.

bobpie · 03-20-2008, 03:17 PM

Where is the spell check on this fourm? I don't seem to have it. Sorry!

AFChap · 03-20-2008, 06:59 PM

When we lived in cold country, I normally winterized the rig in early November and left it winterized until sometime in March or April. But a local club we were members of had monthly gatherings through December, and we used the MH every time they met. We just didn't use the on board water system while the rig was winterized. We carried drinking water in bottles in the fridge, and several gallon jugs for flushing (which could be easily refilled at the campground as needed). We used the campground showers, and used paper plates/etc for meals so no dish washing was required. When we returned home after each winter outing, we dumped the black tank, poured a bit of RV antifreeze into the bathroom & galley sink traps just in case someone had dumped water into them (we had a bag over the faucets to remind us not to try to use them even though there was no water in the fresh tank), and returned the rig to storage.

jk_and_dog · 03-21-2008, 04:34 AM

I use my journey 36G year round. Just got back from ST Louis where temps were down to 18 with 10 in. snow.

During the down times, 1 to 2 weeks while setting at home i keep the 30 amp shore power plugged in and thermostate at 50. If temps fall into the low thirties the propane system kicks in. If i think the temps are really going down then I'll turn the water heater on to propane for that time frame. Since I beleive in being careful I also use a 75 watt bulb in the service bay and one in the waterpump bay. I have a remote temp gage in the service bay which keeps tract of the lowest temp there. Before i put in the light bulb (on an extension cord from the plug in the pump bay) i found the temp went down to 36 deg with outside at 22 deg. Hince the light bulb heater. I keep two gallons of antifreeze in the bay for emergency use. Also, I found that the propane usage was minimal. After two weeks at 20 to 35 there was still 1/2 tank remaining. Cheap way to keep things from freezing.

Robert Rice · 03-22-2008, 05:31 AM

On my 2002 Journey DL, I run a electric heater during freezing weather with the cabinet doors open under the sink. I am plugged in to electricity during this period. Should I also run the fan from the A/C / heating unit?

R. Rice
2002 Journey 36DL, 98 Jeep Wrangler, one wife and one dog.

AFChap · 03-22-2008, 05:52 PM

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">I run a electric heater during freezing weather with the cabinet doors open under the sink. I am plugged in to electricity during this period. Should I also run the fan from the A/C / heating unit? </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
I don't know that the fan would do much. I would be more concerned about water pipe that are NOT under the cabinets, ie, in the basement compartments.

If you are not going to run your LP furnace at all, I definitely would want to put an incandescent light bulb (auto trouble light, etc) into each basement storage compartment that involves water. On my coach, I have the water service bay and the water pump/water heater compartment on opposites of the coach. Those areas, and the enclosed water tanks, do receive some heat from the LP furnace(s). I don't know for sure about your coach, but mine has an apx 2.5" hose from the furnace duct directly into the enclosed tanks area. For that reason, I make sure I do run my LP furnaces during sub-freezing weather.

skigramp · 03-23-2008, 08:52 PM

robert ...

you need to have the warm air circulating through the duct work that is below the floor ... so running the air conditioning fan will not help ... that fan circulates air through the ceiling ...

perhaps you could rig up a squirrel cage fan that would direct its output into the "cold air return" of the LP furnace ... your storage compartments are heated by the warm air that circulates through the ducts that are in your floor ...