Frozen Pipes

[98FPA]

Here is what my son did in North Dakota last winter and this winter so far. 40 degrees below zero. Refrigerator, the ammonia, even froze up. This is taking camping to another level.

Happy Thanksgiving.

[capsfloyd]

I work in the insulation trade , a few pointers
Under TT , you can buy heat trace and install on hot and cold pipes
Up size the insulation and insulate piping

Skirt the TT this will help a lot , but keep in mind , piping without heat trace and is static even insulated will freeze when the temp drops below freezing

Inside , open all cabinets to expose pipes , if there is a problem area , a light bulb will help , also when we raised chickens we used heat bulbs with the reflective collar
Keep the heat on
Heat trace is a must on exposed piping , with insulation ... If you can get 1" thick that will help
Hope this helps

[Caveman CBB]

Ya, As said your gas electric fridge is not designed to work in cold temps. It can be damaged by running it in below freezing weather. A trouble light laying in the back compartment is the recommended method of helping with that. But, make sure the light doesn't touch anything flammable.

[Pricejh]

Originally Posted by ken90004

thanks for the help. the TT is super lite, which also means super cheap. kitchen sink froze again last night. An engineeer at work said to skirt the camper in insulation foam to stop the wind from blowing under. It's acting like an air conditioner. I'm going to wrap any pipes I can see, in foam, and then skirt the camper with some board he had left. Shrink wrap the windows and cover up the door with fleece blanket for extra measures. Never winter camped so I guess I had to learn the hard way.

Ken - if there are loose leaves available, stuff them onto black garbage bags and use the bags as your skirting. Cheap and readily available.

[TXiceman]

The problem with using leaves or hay bales is cute little 4 legged vermin look for places like that to make a nice winter nest. You might pick up some house guest.

Ken

[ken90004]

Originally Posted by TXiceman

I do not know of any 19' trailers that would not have pipes freezing. They tend to have the pipes run under the floor and no insulated basement. In this case, your best bet would be to trace them with heat tape and insulate them with the foam pip insulation.

Ken

There is insulation in the basement. I thought it was just a black membrane, but it is definitely insulation. Sure it isn't the best. some is better than none.

One of the engineers at work sold me sheets of dense foam with aluminum backing. I got those all cut and put into place. Even put some down on the concrete pad. Just need to tape them together and seal it as best as possible.

I had to leave for four days, so he suggested I drain it once I thawed the pipes.

I also think I found my issue. I think. There are two drain pipes on the right side, a red and blue. They stick down a good foot and under the sink and were frozen solid. I think this is were the freezing is starting. Then the ice moves up the pipes they're all froze.

I bought a hair dryer, so I the foam doesn't solve the issue I'll start but warming the pipes from that point.

[flaggship1]

If your dead set on sticking this out for the winter - and from precious posts - I assume you are -- have a local propane company deliver one of these if you haven't already. Keep it full and heater running. It's going to get pricy but blowing your plumbing can be serious money.


I am not sure how you are keeping your hot water tank from freezing while not running it? Find your water pump and make sure it gets heat from a lamp or is in a heated bay. Get the skirting down - no air leaks - and as others have said - a 40 - 60 watt light bulb properly placed is your friend. I would suggest you turn the fridge off. You can probably keep frozen food safe in a cooler in a bay or the back of your Subaru. You may want to buy a healthy supply of RV freshwater antifreeze to keep your holding tanks thawed. If they don't dump properly you could have a mess on your hands at some point.

I mentioned in your over weight limit thread in July that you would be back in winter asking how to stay warm in this TT. Wish I had been wrong. Truth is - you may make it through this, but it won't be easy or cheap. Probably the best bet is to winterize it and move indoors somewhere.

Good Luck!

[ken90004]

There is no moving indoors. With that option comes quitting my job. There are 6 other campers at the CG so I am sure winter camping is an option. One of my co-workers stayed out where I am at for almost a year and a half.
Southern IN usually isn't as very cold. Last year we had a few snow days, but it was all mud and mush in 24 hours. This year, so far, it has gotten rather unusually cold.
As long as the water from the water hookup is coming in at 40* and I keep a drip, that should keep my hot water from freezing.

[flaggship1]

Well we wouldn't want you to lose your job.

Since you still haven't updated your profile (that i can see) I went back to previous posts (which btw - my spell check twisted "previous" into another word in my earlier post. Sorry about that... Any way I believe this is an example of your TT your are trying to keep warn / from freezing the pipes. It may help others understand what you're up against.


As for the other trailers there - since we don't know what make / model they are - you should do what they are doing and maybe more. They are not all created equally re insulation, protected plumbing etc. Do stay on top of that dripping faucet.

As for critters and hale bays or leaves - the caution was good but you may be able to get some heavy gauge garden style black plastic and wrap em up tight. Maybe put some dryer sheets or other determent around them. Real skirting is a better idea but maybe you can break the bales down a bit and get the under the TT with skirting around the perimeter.

I have not spent much time in very cold weather - but years ago in KY with my B Van it was colder than cold and my furnace cycled on and off continuously. Have you brought in another form of electric or gas heat? That's another thought. Again - good luck. Hopefully the weather will change for the better. Unseasonably cold down our way too.

[CampDaven]

Here is what I saw in Kentucky. Bales in bags.

[flaggship1]

Originally Posted by CampDaven

Here is what I saw in Kentucky. Bales in bags.

Mice and other critters can make mincemeat outa trash bags.

[CampDaven]

Originally Posted by flaggship1

Mice and other critters can make mincemeat outa trash bags.

The folks there just fill new bags with new straw bales each fall. The critters go out with the old bales. Beats freezing tush.

[thrushl]

Originally Posted by flaggship1

Mice and other critters can make mincemeat outa trash bags.

While that's perfect!!! How can you beat the food coming directly to your trailer waiting on you to take it in for dinner, on your plate of course. Ummm, Mouse burgers.....

[Caveman CBB]

As a 50 year old farm hand I have to agree that the bale idea is a bad one. Mice and RATS love them and you'd be surprised at how much damage just a couple of mice can do to a TT in a short period of time. You'll be warm after the mice chew threw the wires and the whole thing catches fire. The bales will make for a extra big fire. Skip the bale idea and go buy some Styrofoam and cheap chip board for skirting. IMHO.