Preventing freezing

[max49]

I'm leaving for Moab tomorrow night. It's supposed to get down to 10 degrees crossing the Rockies and a low of 20 in Moab. I'm thinking about just filling the water tank and not charging the lines til I'm in Moab. Is this safer than charging the line? If I do this, what does the water do? Just go to the pump and not any further til I turn the pump on?

Iknow this is not the forum designed for this kind of question but this forum gets a lot of traffic and lots of smart RVers are here.
Besides , I'm getting no responses from the 'crossroads" section.
Thanks guys, I need some opinions before TH PM

PS, I like to travel with a full tank of water, but is it better to have less than full in those kind of temperatures?

[max49]

I'm leaving for Moab tomorrow night. It's supposed to get down to 10 degrees crossing the Rockies and a low of 20 in Moab. I'm thinking about just filling the water tank and not charging the lines til I'm in Moab. Is this safer than charging the line? If I do this, what does the water do? Just go to the pump and not any further til I turn the pump on?

Iknow this is not the forum designed for this kind of question but this forum gets a lot of traffic and lots of smart RVers are here.
Besides , I'm getting no responses from the 'crossroads" section.
Thanks guys, I need some opinions before TH PM

PS, I like to travel with a full tank of water, but is it better to have less than full in those kind of temperatures?

[exrench]

I carry ten to fifteen gallons of fresh water in warm weather.In the cold that you anticipate,a couple gallons of RV plumbing anti freeze would serve to "flush" and a gallon or two for drinking.
Are you planning to sell all that water?My investments aren't doing very well these days,do you have inside information?

[DriVer]

Max,
Your hot exhaust gasses are enough to keep most of the undercarriage and the compartments directly touching the space warm enough to keep from freezing while you are underway. I'm sure you won't have a problem once you get going. can't you get water once you arrive closer to your destination? Traveling any distance with a full tank of H2O isn't what I would want to do especially in the Denver area. Water weighs 8.33 pounds per gallon.

[John-D]

Myself.. I'd wait to fill the tank..

Carry a 5 gallon can of water INSIDE in case you need to flush. (or some RV antifreeze)

But don't put any water in the house systems tank or lines till you hit 30+ climes

[max49]

Thanks for the suggestions.

[max49]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by max49:
Thanks for the suggestions.
30* Climes? is that degrees? It's going down to 20 every night.
I probably won't fill up this time til I get there. I always fill it up at home so I guess I'll have to buy water from a CG if we go. Now I'm getting scared. Even when you're sitting still , I can't see how the furnace can keep those little hidden water lines warm when it's 20 degrees out.
Any body ever camp in those temperatures? </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

[Jeff H]

Are you going to be dry camping? If so, will you be able to run your generator?
Here's where having that little 2000 Honda comes in handy for overnight warmth. You can hang a work light in the water bay.
On the inside of coach, make sure you leave cupboards around plumbing open
There's lots of posts about winter camping, keep looking.

[max49]

I guess I could leave the 5500 Onan running , but I do wish I had a small one. Was thinkin about this one.http://www.harborfreight.com/c...taf?Itemnumber=65414

[MikeT]

Been in the upper teens, used a lot of propane.
A lot of what happens depends on your coach, as all are not built the same. The furnace may or may not put enough heat in the basement. Some have heat pads under the tanks. So far, I've only had the water line freeze in the hose outside.

If it's going to be near 20 at night, it may be better to put some anti-freeze in the tanks and use water from containers inside--

I really don't like seeing temps below 30, use too much propane.

[DAN L]

MAX...
i got an inside-outside temperature gauge from wally world and installed the outside sensor in the water service compartment so i can monitor the basement temperature while inside the coach.
some on this forum use wireless gauges. they are more expensive and may not be available at wally world.
depending on your rig, you might want to install a gauge in the water pump compartment also.
then, you can heat the compartments as necessary to keep them above freezing.
i travel with an almost full water tank.

[John-D]

Depending on your rig.. 20 degress may be warm enough and for a hour or two each night even colder
'
I don't put water in till the lows exceed 20 and the highs exceed 30 as a general rule.. Did get caught by surprise one time.. had to replace one short line. about 10 bucks

[FrontRangeRVer]

Max...come on dude...fill your tank full....it's not going to freeze!

[Photog]

I'm not sure how well your coach is insulated. Mine is supposed to be good down to around 5 or 10 degrees.

I have been in cold weather into the low teens several times. The only problem I had was ice in my water hose.

If your house heater is on, your interior plumbing should be OK. If you are concerned about your basement areas, put a couple of 100 watt light bulbs in the bays.

Enjoy the trip.