stealman
lake tahoe
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I bought a toy hauler this spring. I would like to use it in the winter and am worried about water freezing. My trailer does have heat that blows in to the tank compartment and they are enclosed, but they do not seem to be sealed very well.
What do I need to do to use in the winter? It seems like one of the most vulnerable spots is the drain valves which are exposed to the elements. Please help.
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Jack_Diane_Freedom
Lindsay Ont, and Gulf Coast Florida
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Joined: 05/11/2005
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I think you cannot use the water system as it will freeze up either in the night or when you are in transit.
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marvmarcy
Polson, MT, USA
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It depends on the rig you have and whether it was built for 4 seasons. My fiver (not toy hauler) is used year round and has been through some very cold, snowy times; however, it was built for it - all drains. tanks and plumbing are protected in a heated area. It would seem from your posting that your rig was not built for 4 seasons use.
2001 Volvo VNL42T420, ISX450/1650, super 10sp w/GearMaster
2003 Newmar Mountain Aire 38RLRK
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RVing since 1979 - Fulltime since 2000 (mostly CO, MT, NC & Key West)
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Y-Guy
Tri-Cities, WA
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stealman, I camped a couple years ago with our Raptor in below 32 degree temps. Don't try to use your hose as it will freeze up on you. I found if I kept my water tank full it didn't freeze, I also ran the LP furnace which helped keep the lines from freezing. I supplemented our heating with 3 ceramic space heaters, one of of which was pointed in the cabinets to keep the air around the sink lines from freezing. I never froze my water lines, but I did learn not to leave my black water line out, empty or not. I drove with full tanks to/from our destination for better traction on the snow.
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elbmiNrM
Atlanta
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Y-Guy wrote:stealman, I supplemented our heating with 3 ceramic space heaters, one of of which was pointed in the cabinets to keep the air around the sink lines from freezing. I never froze my water lines, but I did learn not to leave my black water line out, empty or not. I drove with full tanks to/from our destination for better traction on the snow.
I camped in teen weather with a Feather Lite Jayco TT (not made for 4 season camping). I unhooked my water hose and ran one ceramic heater inside with cabinets open. It's a small trailer so between that and the body heat of two big dogs inside was okay. I didn't need my propane furnace. I was worried about the outside, though, so I took two additional ceramic heaters and put them under the trailer blocking the wind with coolers, tarps and whatever I could find. No problems. The water spigot was frozen solid in the morning, however. I did not have any water in the fresh water tank. I always carry extra emergency water in the back of my truck.
2004 4X4 Dodge Ram Turbo Diesel with Wheels
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My Two Dogs Take Me Camping
“God gave us memory so that we might have roses in December.”....J.M. Barrie
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Rd_King
Atlanta, Ga
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Joined: 07/10/2007
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I full-time in my camper, so I'm in it all year. I wrap the hose pipe with foam pipe insulation, put a heat tape inside the insulation,duct tape it together, and plug it in. Don't leave either tank valve open and make sure the sewer hose is completely empty after you dump and you shouldn't have any problems. My tanks are not enclosed and I spent last winter with a few weeks with the high's around 20 and never had problem
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Bob Shaw
Newnan Ga
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You've got good reason to be concerned about your valves freezing. We camped at Lake West Point in Georgia over New Years and the temperature hit 17 degrees with a wind coming in off of the lake. When we went to the dump station, a number of campers that had been directly in the wind, could not dump their tanks because the valves were frozen. I had an Arctic Pack tank heaters on my tanks and had no issues.
That being said, lots of people love to camp in the winter, and if you do a search you'll find their posts, including pictures. We've even gone skiing in North Carolina at Beech Mountain and Sugar and stayed in seven inches of snow, without a problem.
Don't forget to re-winterize when you're done! I'd do it beforee you leave the camp site, if you're towing in sub-freezing temperatures.
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elbmiNrM
Atlanta
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Bob Shaw wrote:You've got good reason to be concerned about your valves freezing. We camped at Lake West Point in Georgia over New Years and the temperature hit 17 degrees with a wind coming in off of the lake.
I was at Reed Bingham. Brrrr...but the heaters under the camper were my salvation, I think. No problem dumping except that the water hose was frozen.
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stealman
lake tahoe
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Thanks for the info everyone. My trailer is not a true 4 season. The one thing that a lot of you talked about was camping with hook ups. I will mostly be camping without hookups. I guess I am looking for some practical advice as to what I can do to make using the water system possible.
One specific question I have is about using the furnace while in transit. Is it ok to do this? I would also like to know what I can do to protect the holding tank drain valves? While in transit and while boon docking.
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Chuck&Gail
In the Colorado Mountains
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Joined: 06/16/2004
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I added pads on last trailer. Google Ultraheat, they sell everything you need except fuse and wire. I washed tank bottoms, peeled off paper from pad, stuck on pad. Ok, under half an hour gone. Now wire it up via fuse and switch, hummmm. That took several hours. Worked great for years and still working when traded TT 7 years later. As I recall it needed to be warm to install pads, hope you have a heated location. Ask Ultraheat about minimum apply temps. One more point, if you have long dump pipes between valves and tanks, may need pipe heaters also from same people. Then valve will not freeze.
If boondocking, watch power drain!
Chuck
Wonderful Wife
Lovely German Shepherd.
1999 Mercedes ML320 TV
2003 Wanderer 187TB Toybox (3620# UVW, 4800# loaded)
Not yet camped in Hawaii, 2 Canada Provinces, & 2 Territories.
I can't be lost because I don't care where this lovely road is going
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