Should I use fresh water tank in cold night?

[Lei828]

Hi everyone,
I’m going to Kentucky next week and I noticed the temperature may go under freeze point during night time. My rig has winter package heated underbelly so I was wonder if I should use water from fresh water tank instead of water hook up to avoid water hose get frozen? I mean fill up the tank during morning time and drain the water from hose.
Thank you

 

[Second Chance]

If you don't have a heated water hose, filling the fresh tank and disconnecting the hose at night is the best approach for freezing weather. Also, make sure that your main furnace cycles (don't over-use the electric fireplace or space heaters). The LP furnace is the only thing that keeps your basement above freezing.

Rob

 

[Ynot4me2]

Exactly what Rob just said. We do it often.

 

[Steven@147]

Just like Rob said. Our nautilus water panel and water softener are inside the heated storage compartment. The storage compartment is heated by running our furnace. We have a remote thermometer transmitter in the storage bay that we can monitor from inside the RV, (La Crosse Technology) that way we can keep an eye on temps in the storage compartment and run the furnace when we need to. Surprisingly It stays pretty warm in the storage compartment. Right now the outside temp is 30*, Inside the RV is 66*, and the storage bay is 59*. You can connect multiple temp transmitters to the same monitor. If you do much winter camping this kind of monitoring system is great to keep an eye on temps.

 

[jjbbrewer]

We just spent 2 nights in Colorado's San Luis Valley where the night temps got to 16deg F. Fortunately, we had 50A power so we ran the fireplace and 2 small space heaters for the main room and bedroom. I set the main room temp to 60deg so the LP furnace came on when the space heaters couldn't keep up. That started happening around 3am. (I have the tank heaters on, of course)

Evidentially the 60deg threshold wasn't high enough to keep the Nautilus area warm. Both mornings the pump struggled to get pressure to the spigots. I set the main room temp to 69deg this morning and after about 15 min of gas furnace activity, everything started flowing fine.

We have a remote thermometer transmitter in the storage bay that we can monitor from inside the RV, (La Crosse Technology) that way we can keep an eye on temps in the storage compartment and run the furnace when we need to.

This is a great idea so thanks for mentioning it. I have an Accur-Rite temp monitor for the fridge & freezer and it seems a temp sensor for the water/storage area is another needed item. Rather than another app/box/device/bluetooth/whatever, I'm thinking of getting the Lippert refrigerator sensor (which supposedly would work w/my OneControl) and putting it in the Nautilus area.

https://store.lci1.com/lippert-one-temperature-sensor-2021130659

Has anyone done this?

 

[smullinax]

We just spent 2 nights in Colorado's San Luis Valley where the night temps got to 16deg F. Fortunately, we had 50A power so we ran the fireplace and 2 small space heaters for the main room and bedroom. I set the main room temp to 60deg so the LP furnace came on when the space heaters couldn't keep up. That started happening around 3am. (I have the tank heaters on, of course)

Evidentially the 60deg threshold wasn't high enough to keep the Nautilus area warm. Both mornings the pump struggled to get pressure to the spigots. I set the main room temp to 69deg this morning and after about 15 min of gas furnace activity, everything started flowing fine.



This is a great idea so thanks for mentioning it. I have an Accur-Rite temp monitor for the fridge & freezer and it seems a temp sensor for the water/storage area is another needed item. Rather than another app/box/device/bluetooth/whatever, I'm thinking of getting the Lippert refrigerator sensor (which supposedly would work w/my OneControl) and putting it in the Nautilus area.

https://store.lci1.com/lippert-one-temperature-sensor-2021130659

Has anyone done this?

A cheap option:
When we were in our 2019 motorhome the wet bay and basement area did not have any direct heat ducting from the furnace. Also no heat pads on the tanks. Seems weird compared to the ducts and heat pads on the Solitude, but I even checked with Newmar customer service and they confirmed.
So the times we were in sub-freezing temps I just put a trouble light in the wet bay for supplemental heat. Bought a cheap indoor/outdoor thermometer from Walmart ($15 I think) so I could monitor from inside the coach. Worked fine, no freeze-ups and peace of mind.
Then when in warmer temps the outdoor sending unit gets hung somewhere out of the sun and I have our outside temp available.
SteveM

 

[jjbbrewer]

So the times we were in sub-freezing temps I just put a trouble light in the wet bay for supplemental heat.

Just have to make sure that's not a fluorescent or led trouble light, right? ;-)

Just to follow up on this - I kind of "make a couple of discoveries" today on my 349M.

First, I took off the rear storage compartment wall and found that the grating between the bottom of the pantry and the storage compartment is just an air pass through. I thought it was a direct air intake to the furnace, but no. So in moderate freezing temps when I have electricity & I don't want to burn propane, I'll probably just keep that area unobstructed and leave the pantry door open. In deep sub freezing camping, I think I could put a small fan or space heater on the floor of the pantry and be good.

Second, I figured out the electric fireplace doesn't blow warm air into the storage/wet bay area at all. I suspected that, but I confirmed it while climbing around in there.

 

[huntindog]

Unless you leave a storage door open, that "air pass thru" is where the furnace will draw air from.

 

[easy_e]

Does the furnace set to fan only circulate air to all ducts, including the storage bay?

 

[Second Chance]

Does the furnace set to fan only circulate air to all ducts, including the storage bay?

There is no fan-only setting for the furnace. If you set the thermostat to fan-only, it runs one of the AC fans on the roof. So, the answer to your question is, "No."

Rob

 

[Steven@147]

Sometimes I get locked in to how our Solitude is configured and forget about how other RV models are set up. Now "I think" the Solitude, Momentum and Reflection 5th wheels are probably set up the same. The Solitude storage bay and the nautilus water panel are directly heated from a furnace duct. There is also another heat duct that blows hot air into the under belly in the direction of the rear of the RV. In really sub 10* F cold days like we have had recently, at night we leave the kitchen island cabinet doors open to help get heat in there around the island water hoses.

But back when we had our Imagine the storage bay was not directly heated from the furnace and so the Imagine water panel was not directly heated. The Imagine didn't have a nautilus water panel, just a simple fresh water panel connection that was not in the area of a heat duct. It did have one small furnace duct that was supposed to heat the under belly. You had to hope that hot air from that one small heat duct circulated enough warm air to get up and over the basement wall to keep the storage bay warm enough. It wouldn't. Many owners put small tip over protected heaters in their storage bays.

So take a look at your particular RV to see how it's set up.

 

[smullinax]

Just have to make sure that's not a fluorescent or led trouble light, right? ;-)

Just to follow up on this - I kind of "make a couple of discoveries" today on my 349M.

First, I took off the rear storage compartment wall and found that the grating between the bottom of the pantry and the storage compartment is just an air pass through. I thought it was a direct air intake to the furnace, but no. So in moderate freezing temps when I have electricity & I don't want to burn propane, I'll probably just keep that area unobstructed and leave the pantry door open. In deep sub freezing camping, I think I could put a small fan or space heater on the floor of the pantry and be good.

Second, I figured out the electric fireplace doesn't blow warm air into the storage/wet bay area at all. I suspected that, but I confirmed it while climbing around in there.

Yes, I happened to have some incandescent bulbs on hand....need the heat!

 

[Dadeo6472]

Modifying an Imagine for Hard Winter Use....

Last year when temps got down to 15 degrees (ski trip) the pipes to the kitchen sink in our 18RBE Imagine froze each night. I said never again and began a huge spring project.

I removed the corro-plast underneath the trailer. I threw away the old corro-plast and the reflective Mylar sheet, which was a complete mess. I added heat wiring and insulated the pipes. I replaced the two inch heat duct to the underbelly with a sealed three inch duct and made a cold air return from the underbelly in the back of the .trailer. I sprayed the inside of the steel beams with about two inches of insulating foam (what a mess!). I glued an inch of reflective foam insulation to 6 new corro-plast panels. Once I installed the new, now insulated panels of corroplast, I sealed the gaps between the steel beams and the new corroplast panels with more spray foam and sealed the seams between each panel with several layers of heavy duty vinyl corroplast pipe tape. Then we took off on a 6000 mile summer trip across the country and back. I had been worried that the tape between the 6 panels of corroplast might not hold in heavy rain and wind, but it did.

On our trip we immediately noticed that the air conditioner didn't have to stay on as long to maintain a comfortable temps in extremely hot weather. Once we got back parked the trailer in the driveway waiting for cold weather, leaving the fresh water tank full and the inside thermostat at 50 degrees. When outside temps went down to 10 degrees for two nights in a row none of the pipes froze. Added bonus the trailer is using much less propane to stay at 70 degrees.

It was a two week long project, about 6-10 hours a day, but it cost less than $500 in materials. The most expensive part of the project was the new corroplast and heated wiring for the pipes. I also destroyed two pairs of jeans and several cheap long sleeve cotton shirts because of the foam. If I had to do this again I'd get a couple of cheap Tyvek bunny suits to keep the foam off me.

 

[Texdan]

If you don't have a heated water hose, filling the fresh tank and disconnecting the hose at night is the best approach for freezing weather. Also, make sure that your main furnace cycles (don't over-use the electric fireplace or space heaters). The LP furnace is the only thing that keeps your basement above freezing.

Rob

Hey Rob, do I need to drain the water heater if I'm hooked to power and have the WH on electric? We are headed to North Texas (from Hill country) and supposed to get a couple of nights in the 20's. I'm thinking I can disconnect my water hose overnight and then re-connect in the morning once temps get above freezing, just not sure if I should drain the WH in that scenario. And don't want to mess with filling the water tank even though I will have the furnace running, figure I'll have a jug of water on hand for the toilet. What do you think? Thanks.

 

[Keebler]

Hey Rob, do I need to drain the water heater if I'm hooked to power and have the WH on electric? We are headed to North Texas (from Hill country) and supposed to get a couple of nights in the 20's. I'm thinking I can disconnect my water hose overnight and then re-connect in the morning once temps get above freezing, just not sure if I should drain the WH in that scenario. And don't want to mess with filling the water tank even though I will have the furnace running, figure I'll have a jug of water on hand for the toilet. What do you think? Thanks.

If your hot water heater is full and on in electric mode, you will be fine. Also, as mentioned earlier; be sure to empty your hose after disconnecting it. It's important to realize that you still have water in your lines, even if you disconnect the hose, so, as mentioned above, turn on the furnace. Over reliance on electric heat will prevent the furnace from cutting on (all stuff mentioned earlier).

 

[Texdan]

If your hot water heater is full and on in electric mode, you will be fine. Also, as mentioned earlier; be sure to empty your hose after disconnecting it. It's important to realize that you still have water in your lines, even if you disconnect the hose, so, as mentioned above, turn on the furnace. Over reliance on electric heat will prevent the furnace from cutting on (all stuff mentioned earlier).

Thanks for the tip. If weather forecast is correct from Thu. night to Fri. noon it will be below freezing (16 hrs) with a low of 20 in the morning. I plan on draining my lines via low drains after disconnecting the hose and leaving faucets open. Should this be enough to protect me with the furnace running? Would it help to put a heat lamp in the compartment with the Nautilus or is that not a safe thing to do?

 

[huntindog]

Thanks for the tip. If weather forecast is correct from Thu. night to Fri. noon it will be below freezing (16 hrs) with a low of 20 in the morning. I plan on draining my lines via low drains after disconnecting the hose and leaving faucets open. Should this be enough to protect me with the furnace running? Would it help to put a heat lamp in the compartment with the Nautilus or is that not a safe thing to do?

Those temps are not cold enough to warrant anything other than running the heater. In fact, my previous TT was completely functional down to 6 degrees in stock form
One thing I will stress,,,, Do not try to conserve propane! You will need a lot of it. Thats just the price you pay for cold weather camping. After I upgraded that previous TT with heat tape and insulation for all water lines, and better insulation it was good to 40 below...So long as the generator and heater ran 24/7. On one hunt the generator ran for 2 weeks straight.

 

[Texdan]

Those temps are not cold enough to warrant anything other than running the heater. In fact, my previous TT was completely functional down to 6 degrees in stock form
One thing I will stress,,,, Do not try to conserve propane! You will need a lot of it. Thats just the price you pay for cold weather camping. After I ungraded that previous TT with heat tape and insulation for all water lines, and better insulation it was good to 40 below...So long as the generator and heater ran 24/7. On one hunt the generator ran for 2 weeks straight.

Looks like I have 3 nights to worry about with temps 20-26. One question: Where are the pipes located that need protected, are they in the space where the Nautilus is located or is there an area under there above the underbelly? Don't know how these are built. Thanks.

 

[huntindog]

Looks like I have 3 nights to worry about with temps 20-26. One question: Where are the pipes located that need protected, are they in the space where the Nautilus is located or is there an area under there above the underbelly? Don't know how these are built. Thanks.

Nothing to worry about. Just run the heater and enjoy your coaches amenities.

 

[IBEW Sparky]

Hey Rob, do I need to drain the water heater if I'm hooked to power and have the WH on electric? We are headed to North Texas (from Hill country) and supposed to get a couple of nights in the 20's. I'm thinking I can disconnect my water hose overnight and then re-connect in the morning once temps get above freezing, just not sure if I should drain the WH in that scenario. And don't want to mess with filling the water tank even though I will have the furnace running, figure I'll have a jug of water on hand for the toilet. What do you think? Thanks.

I'm not sure you're completely understanding what Rob and others are saying. If your plan is to NOT fill your fresh water tank just for that one night then turn the water heater OFF... you can't run the water heater on propane or electric if you don't have a makeup water supply feeding it. Just fill the fresh water tank, drain your hose, and run the propane furnace for the night... you'll have full use of your RVs facilities via the water pump. If you do decide to not fill & use your fresh water tank and plan on running the furnace there is no need to drain anything... just make sure that you don't turn on the water heater.