Winter traveling and the water system?

[Woodsman Rick]

We're considering a trip in November that will take us over some mountain passes and wintery weather. It would be great if we could use out fresh water/ waste water systems, but I do have some concerns.

I've owned two RV's and both have come with cracked hot water heaters and water lines. The first RV was an older Timberline travel trailer and a lot of the water supply lines, storage tank and water heater were outside or in unheated areas. Our current RV is a 1992 19' Coachmen and most of the lines, tank, etc. are inside.

I just replaced the cracked hot water heater the coach came with and do not want to see it crack due to our winter traveling.

Is it safe to travel with our RV and expect to use the RV water supply and waste system in winter weather? Or, should I drain the systems and rough it? The commode and fresh water sure would be great!

I'm interested in hearing your thoughts and considerations. Thanks!

[avanti]

Depends critically about the details of your rig. Assuming your hot water heater is a storage type (as opposed to on-demand), it obviously won't freeze if you keep it operating for the duration of your trip.

Tanks are rarely damaged due to freezing, as long as they are not kept completely full. Also, adding heat pads is an easy upgrade and good insurance. Your black and gray tanks and macerator can be protected by adding antifreeze during use.

PEX pipes are quite robust to freezing. Plastic valves and fittings not so much. Anything outside the van is at risk unless heated.

All of that said, a few hours over a mountain pass bracketed by above-freezing temperatures is probably not a great risk.

[Woodsman Rick]

Thanks for your reply. The hot water heater is a storage type (6 Gallon) and the pipes are plastic, not Pex. The water heater is propane only so operating while traveling is not an option, but I had considered operating it at stops to keep the water warm to prevent freezing.

I do have some RV antifreeze I thought I could add to the holding tanks as needed.

I have no idea what the weather will be like when we head out and may need to adjust when time to travel comes near.

Thanks again for the reply!

[avanti]

Originally Posted by Woodsman Rick

The water heater is propane only so operating while traveling is not an option, but I had considered operating it at stops to keep the water warm to prevent freezing.

FWIW: The idea that you shouldn't run propane appliances while under way is controversial. Lots of people do it. Lots don't. In any event, running during stops would probably work fine. 6 gal of water contains a lot of heat.

Of course, you should ALWAYS shut the system down when refueling.

[rjf7g]

Do you have a hot water tank bypass installed? You could simply drain it and bypass it. Will you have city water where you are going? I put a few gallons of antifreeze in my fresh water tank, installed a bypass on my hot water heater and I can live off of bottled water if I don't have city water hooks ups or do a really quick winterization with antifreeze if I do have city water.

[hbn7hj]

My experience has shown that if you keep the interior at 55F there will be no problems. The hot water heater does not have to be on. If you put a temperature probe on it you will find it never gets anywhere close to freezing. We use the commode without antifreeze and don't plan to dump till the outside air temperature stays above freezing for several hours.

You could use antifreeze if you wish. We have camped with outside temps down to 13F overnight with no problems. We do leave the exterior water tank empty. We have a 2003 Chevy 190 Popular Roadtrek. Winter camping is no big deal but the furnace must work.

You do need an electrical heat source to cover you if the furnace fails and you have to plug in somewhere.
Harry

[Woodsman Rick]

No Bypass, but it might be a good idea when I have the time to install one as it seems like a good idea. I had a temporary bypass line installed when the broken hot water heater was removed.

It's a pretty tight area to work in and time is tight as well right now to install a bypass. Additionally, my wife would like the hot water available for the trip if possible.

Thanks for your reply!

[Woodsman Rick]

Thanks for your reply. The furnace works great and it will probably be a fairly quick trip. I will keep an eye on the temps and adjust my plans as might be needed.

Thanks again.