Recently the wife and I found ourselves in Marshfield Mo. visiting her brother. While there a cold front blew in and dropped the temps down around 6f.
I was not just real sure what should be done to make sure the camper did not freeze the water lines and holding tanks. I wound up draining every thing that I could and I know that the holding tanks still had some water that froze.
What precautions do some of you do when you have the camper out in below freezing weather?

 

If you have heated/enclosed holding tanks, just turn the heat on and disconnect the water/sewer. Without heated tanks, I would pull the low-point drain to clear out most of the water lines, drain the fresh water tank, drain the hot water heater (or turn it on), and pour a decent amount of rv antifreeze down each sink, the shower, and toilet. At 6F, you would burn alot of propane to prevent a freeze up.

 

I camped one time when it got down to about 12 or 14. I turned off all the water and drained the holding tanks. No problems there. What I didn't do was to make sure the sewer hose was drained. It was full of nasty stuff and frozen. I gently kicked on the hose to break the frozen plug. Sewer hoses get real brittle at those temperatures. This was not a good morning for me. Do not do this. That is the only advice I could give.

 

 

I'm out in the cold in our fifth wheel all the time, with the heat on, you should be fine although you should keep the cabinets open where the pipes run so warm air can keep things liquid (this includes the drain pipes, keep everything exposed to the inside warm air). If your not keeping it at room temp and are storing it, I just drain the tanks, drain the WH and isolate it with a HWH bypass, then using a 3-way valve on the water intake from the main tank (before the pump), I run a short hose into a gallon or two of RV antifreeze - this gets pumped throughout the whole system until it comes out of every faucet both hot and cold, the tub, and the head. it also fills the sink and tub traps at the same time, fills the pump etc. Leave a bit in the head too as it keeps the gasket from drying out. Never had to much of a problem down to 0* camping and -25* or so in storage.

Oh yeah - use the tanks in cold weather - do not leave it hooked up to facilities for both water and sewer

 

When we camped when it got cold we always had a few gallons of rv antifreeze and to chuck in the tanks. Most lines except the hose outside are fine as long as you keep the heat on.

 

Thanks for the help

 

Poopcicles are NOT GOOD EATS!!!

 

Have friend who used to winterize his water lines with cheap vodka instead of RV anti-freeze. Then he would make vodka punch in the spring.

If holding tanks are mostly empty there should be enough room for expansion due to freezing. Not so with the water lines they either need to be drained or kept warm enough.

Some slide in campers (Lance) and travel trailers are winter capable, meaning the water lines all run through heated spaces. So if the furnace is running the water lines and holding tanks won't freeze.

If the trailer has water lines exposed on the outside no amount of heat on the interior will keep them from freezing. So it is vodka or RV anti-freeze.

 

I just installed an air fitting with a shut off vlv and used compressed air to blow out the lines this fall. I figure if it works with inground sprinklers then it should work with RV's. Spring will tell..

 

Sounds like the time I didn't take the endcap off of the 90 elbow on the far side of the hose before pulling the handle. Man I never thought semi-solids could build so much pressure with a 1 1/2 foot drop. What I would have given to have a frozen hose-full then!
That trip was the end for that end cap..

 

is it a camper or a trailer ? I recently came out of the Columbia River Gorge and had to leave my 5th wheel there because of 4 foot icicles and -6 degrees F temps. Trailers other than the water heater are pretty resilient when it comes to freezing mine has been frozen and unthawed multiple times, this winter and while not happy about it, no plumbing breaks. I leave the furnace on (heated tanks ) and turn the water pump off and open the water faucets inside no problems so far , also try a oil filled radiant heater to limit the furnace time they really help. Good luck

 

When I remodled my camper I re-plumbed the lines with pex tubing and quick couplers, they say it can with-stand freeze ups. I have not tested that claim yet myself though. Has anyone out there done that??



I always do what "KenCatskin" does and by pas the HWH and run RV antifreeze thru the lines with a 3 way valve between the tank and the pump and don't forget the head!