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Old 12-14-2016, 07:36 AM   #1
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Temporary Winterizing

We have a trip planned after Christmas and the coach is sitting in the driveway waiting to go. The forecast calls for nights in the teens or even single digits in a few days. I do not want to go through the whole winterizing routine only to de-winterize in 2 weeks. My solution so far has been to run the furnace with the thermostat turned way down. I was thinking that uses propane and that a 110 space heater would do the same job for less expense, but I am a bit worried about safety. Has anyone done this? Maybe one of those radiator type heaters would be safer? Or should I just continue to run the furnace?

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Old 12-14-2016, 07:56 AM   #2
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We have the same situation. We run coach heat down at 45 so we get heat to the basement and into all the areas inside cabinets and in water pipe runs. To insure we also have heat in the wet bay ( the rear gas heat sends about 30-40% down there ) we also run a 100W incandescent bulb in a porcelain fitting in the wet bay. We've had this setup down to about 12 degrees in previous years, but we do keep the coach in a closed barn, so no wind issues.
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Old 12-14-2016, 08:30 AM   #3
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Quote:
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We have a trip planned after Christmas and the coach is sitting in the driveway waiting to go. The forecast calls for nights in the teens or even single digits in a few days. I do not want to go through the whole winterizing routine only to de-winterize in 2 weeks. My solution so far has been to run the furnace with the thermostat turned way down. I was thinking that uses propane and that a 110 space heater would do the same job for less expense, but I am a bit worried about safety. Has anyone done this? Maybe one of those radiator type heaters would be safer? Or should I just continue to run the furnace?
Thanks!
LarryJB
In that situation I would simply run the propane furnace.

If you do use electric space heaters follow the instructions for the safe use of the heaters you use.

BTW one electric space heater in the cabin may not sufficiently heat the tanks and the water lines under the floor.

However 2 space heaters, (one in the cabin and one in the basement), will most likely prevent freeze-up in outside temperatures in the teens or even single digits for a few days, (especially if you open the cabinet doors below the sinks).
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Old 12-14-2016, 11:31 AM   #4
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X2 on running the propane furnace on a low degree setting. I would think using space heaters in the interior could cause the furnace to run less, or possibly not at all if set too close to a thermistor, increasing the chances heat won't get through the basement ducts to protect the plumbing.

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Old 12-14-2016, 11:37 AM   #5
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Larry, I personally don't like to run space heaters while not being in the coach (running them un-monitored). In addition, space heaters inside the coach may not prevent some pipes from freezing. As Woodchopper has said, you could run one in the basement but if temperatures get too low, even that may not cover all the places the pipes are routed.

If it were me, I'd just run the furnace and pay for the propane. As you mentioned, the thermostat doesn't have to be set to a comfortable "living" temperature ...just enough to keep all areas above freezing.
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Old 12-14-2016, 11:50 AM   #6
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Thanks, everyone! Glad I asked before I went out and bought a heater. I have owned an RV for a total of 6 weeks, so I have lots to learn!
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Old 12-14-2016, 12:07 PM   #7
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OK, this is a legitimate question, not a smart-alecky comment (note that I live in Florida).

Is it really that hard to winterize that it's NOT worth doing, even for just a few weeks?

I believe the cost in antifreeze is likely much less than the cost of propane you're going to burn to keep the pipes warm, so it comes down to a time/effort issue.

It seems to me that spending a few hours winterizing would be better than worrying for days at a time that you've done enough to keep it warm. But it's completely possible that there is something about this I don't understand.
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Old 12-14-2016, 12:32 PM   #8
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We live in mass and had the same concerns here is what I have successfully done in the past in zero degree temps. Set the propane furnaces to 50 degrees, blow out the water lines, drain the water heater and leave all of the faucets open. Make sure the ice maker water feed is blown out and isolated and if you have a washing machine make sure you run a short cycle with air pressure on the water system to blow out the valves. I also put antifreeze in all of the drains just in case the furnaces fail. This seems like a lot of work but I consider it cheap insurance.
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Old 12-14-2016, 12:44 PM   #9
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OK, this is a legitimate question, not a smart-alecky comment (note that I live in Florida).

Is it really that hard to winterize that it's NOT worth doing, even for just a few weeks?

I believe the cost in antifreeze is likely much less than the cost of propane you're going to burn to keep the pipes warm, so it comes down to a time/effort issue.

It seems to me that spending a few hours winterizing would be better than worrying for days at a time that you've done enough to keep it warm. But it's completely possible that there is something about this I don't understand.
Well, in my case, I am very new to the RV world and I did follow what the manual said to do, but I just don't trust myself that I actually did it right. This past weekend I followed the blow out method exactly as it described in the book, however, I still had the feeling that there was more water in the system, especially in the pump. The instructions talked about opening ALL low drain points, faucets and water heater, then blowing air through the city water connection for 5 minutes. That didn't seem like it would produce enough pressure to blow it all out with that many things open, and hardly any water came out. I could feel a little air flow at the faucets, but I just didn't trust it. I have since learned that it is better to close all valves and put the WH back together before adding the air, then open and close each valve one at a time. That makes better sense to me. So now, during the week I don't get home from work until after dark and it is pretty cold out at night, so I just decided to run the heater till we go. I will redo the winterizing after we get back.
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Old 12-14-2016, 12:56 PM   #10
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+1 for just winterize. I live in Atlanta and we are going camping again in mid Jan. Winterized and put RV in storage till then.
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Old 12-14-2016, 01:04 PM   #11
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Larry-

I've found that judicious use of antifreeze reduces or eliminates that nagging "feeling."

You may want to check the temp in the wet bay on cold mornings. Your coach may not be designed to spread the furnace heat into that compartment.

Open every internal door and drawer in your coach, so that the heat gets to the interior walls. Some of your coach's piping runs in semi-enclosed interior spaces, so it's essential to have the heat go as many places as it can.

I'm sure that next year you'll be winterized by the end of October... ;-)
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Old 12-14-2016, 02:01 PM   #12
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Although at first blush, the "winterize" recommendations seem to make some sense, in our case they do not. A winterize effort means you need to completely drain your system, and when you are in the cold weather, you're going to have to hook up to water and also drain and flush your antifreeze out. After draining the antifreeze, at least a couple of flushes means a small lake of ice wherever it's done. Then your hose and any additional hoses need to be blown out. The hoses are as easy to handle as a stiff ----, well you know... You'll be in and out of a cold soaked but hopefully warming rig a number of times and your wet bay will be open most of the time, getting mostly colder. In addition, you'll be doing all this in the cold and perhaps in the snow. We tried it once and never again. I plan on heat at 45 and a light in the wet bay from Thanksgiving to a day or 2 after Christmas. When we move out to the RV so we can close the house ( and pump those water lines full of antifreeze ) we move into another warm house that requires NO special attention. Your choice, of course, but I think the OP's initial idea was the best choice. Heat on low and perhaps a backup light in the wet bay.
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Old 12-14-2016, 02:22 PM   #13
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Someone brought up the possibility that maybe my coach does not have heating duct work in the basement. How do I find out if mine does or does not? It is a 2017 Winnebago Sunstar 29VE. I think I have until Friday or Saturday night to determine if I need to do more than just turn on the furnace.
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Old 12-14-2016, 02:36 PM   #14
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Not sure how it is on your Winnebago, but on my Bounder I can see the ducts by opening certain bay doors.

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