Shoulder Season Travel

[dsutley@gmail.com]

If traveling and staying in my Pleasureway Lexor out west and up east at what point should I fully winterize? I mean during shoulder seasons when nights get down in low to mid 20’s but days are well above freezing. I have a Truma on demand water heater and like to keep the inside of the coach at 69-65 degrees. I am advised not to charge my lithium battery system below 32 degrees. Thanks for any advise you can give. I am new to the RV owners world but long time camper.

[Sleeping Dog]

Depends on where you are going and at what elevation you will be at and what you mean by shoulder season. We were in Yellowstone during the second week of Sept and the temps were getting down to the mid teens, while another year in Sept, we were in Banff and Jasper and the overnights were in the high 40's.

We were tenting at the time and our sleeping bags weren't up to mid teens for lows, so the only family member that was happy was our Great Pyrenees.

[Davydd]

I was invited to the Old Faithful lodge at Yellowstone the week after Labor Day to give two seminars at an International Log Home Builders Convention in 1988. They put me up in a workers cabin that was meant for summer use that was unheated. It snowed and got down to 18º. No sleeping bag but just sheets and a couple of blankets.

Three days of watching Old Faithful. Turns out Old Faithful is really not so faithful. Thirty some years later I wonder if it is worse. I did see one geyser that was spectacular but seldom erupts.

[rowiebowie]

Originally Posted by dsutley@gmail.com

If traveling and staying in my Pleasureway Lexor out west and up east at what point should I fully winterize? I mean during shoulder seasons when nights get down in low to mid 20’s but days are well above freezing. I have a Truma on demand water heater and like to keep the inside of the coach at 69-65 degrees. I am advised not to charge my lithium battery system below 32 degrees. Thanks for any advise you can give. I am new to the RV owners world but long time camper.

Welcome to the forum dsutley!

Your lithium batteries are probably inside, under the rear bed. So long as you have heat on inside and temps fluctuate back above freezing as your describe, your batteries should never reach 32 degrees so no problem with charging.

[Sleeping Dog]

Originally Posted by dsutley@gmail.com

If traveling and staying in my Pleasureway Lexor out west and up east at what point should I fully winterize? I mean during shoulder seasons when nights get down in low to mid 20’s but days are well above freezing. I have a Truma on demand water heater and like to keep the inside of the coach at 69-65 degrees. I am advised not to charge my lithium battery system below 32 degrees. Thanks for any advise you can give. I am new to the RV owners world but long time camper.

As has been mentioned, the batteries are in conditioned space under the couch. The weak spot is the Truma, as it is very exposed to the elements and outside the conditioned space. The water and waste tanks, likely won't freeze at mid-20's F, though some slush could develop. While the Truma will likely survive 30 F temps it will be dicey to risk mid 20's.

[theHueg]

If the Truma is operating to heat the coach and heat water, is it really in danger from cold temps? It would seem it would be full of hot water.

[rockymtnb]

The Truma AquaGo Comfort Plus water heater in your Lexor is rated to -4 degrees F while stationary and operating on propane standby mode.

However if your unit does not have the optional AquaGo electric Antifreeze kit you should install it for protection while driving when the propane is off. Once installed there is an antifreeze position on your AquaGo controller that will energize the frost control cartridge using 12v power from the vehicle.