Winterizing

[Dadeo6472]

Should I have to winterize my camper even though I have never used it and I plan on taking it out in January. For contacts I live in central Virginia and I am heading to Texas. When I get to Texas I will be living in it for 2 years.

The only way to avoid the risk of bursting pipes and damaged appliances in freezing weather is to winterize. You can avoid winterization IF you are USING the trailer in below freezing temps, but its risky, you MUST keep the furnace and hot water heater on 24/7, just like your house. This will cost a small fortune in propane (and electricity if you put the water heater in electric only mode) and you need to monitor underbelly/basement temps.

I winterize my trailer when I don't use it from November to early February, even though I use it in late February, March and early April on ski trips. It's not until we arrive at the RV park near the ski area that I flush out the RV antifreeze. Once there is water in the water heater and pipes, the furnace and water heater stay on in freezing weather, even when we are traveling. This uses a ton of propane, but it keeps the critical systems (the water heater in my trailer) from freezing. Even with the heat on, you risk freezing depending on how poorly insulated the trailer and how cold it gets. You could add skirting and a space heater underneath, but if you aren't using the trailer, it's a LOT cheaper and less risky to just winterize.

 

[Jayhawk8586]

So a question from a complete new owner. Brought the rig last month (351) and have been getting it ready for first dry run day after Christmas. What I wasn't anticipating was the weather coming into Jacsonville Fl. It's going to get below freezing at night but will be above freezing during the day. Looks like a pattern of three to four days. So my question as a newbie - am I ok just staying the course given the freezing temps will only be at night or is there something I should be doing to avoid any issues. Any guidance here would be greatly appreciated to help calm the nerves of new owner.

 

[Hoopy Frood]

How far below freezing will the temperatures fall overnight, and how warm will it get during the day?

 

[Dadeo6472]

So a question from a complete new owner. Brought the rig last month (351) and have been getting it ready for first dry run day after Christmas. What I wasn't anticipating was the weather coming into Jacsonville Fl. It's going to get below freezing at night but will be above freezing during the day. Looks like a pattern of three to four days. So my question as a newbie - am I ok just staying the course given the freezing temps will only be at night or is there something I should be doing to avoid any issues. Any guidance here would be greatly appreciated to help calm the nerves of new owner.

IF you keep heat and water heater on it will be fine. You really don’t want water heater and appliances freezing so keep heat on and water hot! Plastic pipes can freeze without bursting.

 

[Jayhawk8586]

At this point they are saying lows/highs are Friday 29/63, Saturday 24/41, Sunday 27/42, Monday 28/47 and on Tuesday returning to above freezing. My "issue" if you will is that I'm not going to be in the rig until Monday given the holiday weekend. So it's sitting in storage and not running on Friday, Sat and Sun. Appreciate any and all advice. Thanks GD community.

 

[Hoopy Frood]

Well, if you won't get there until Monday, when it starts warming back up, what plans do you have, to make any adjustments, if necessary? The main problem I can see is there is no inside heat, and the trailer simply is not going to warm up enough during the day from the sun and ambient temperatures to offset the cold overnight. You certainly could end up with frozen lines if you have no way to add heat to the trailer.

 

[Dawgfever]

So a question from a complete new owner. Brought the rig last month (351) and have been getting it ready for first dry run day after Christmas. What I wasn't anticipating was the weather coming into Jacsonville Fl. It's going to get below freezing at night but will be above freezing during the day. Looks like a pattern of three to four days. So my question as a newbie - am I ok just staying the course given the freezing temps will only be at night or is there something I should be doing to avoid any issues. Any guidance here would be greatly appreciated to help calm the nerves of new owner.

Temps in FL below freezing in FL should be short lived and warming up above freezing in the day. In LA and neighboring states when camping in the winter keeping the living quarters warm will keep the basement warm enough to prevent freezing. We do crack a sink faucet and open the gray water tank drain to prevent our potable water hose from freezing.

 

[Dick Noble]

Go way south.