Community Forums

sbleiweiss · 02-20-2013, 02:46 PM

How do we use our RV for winter trips from a cold climate. Do we have to winterize and dewinterize every time we use it? Does anyone store in heated spaces and not winterize? Once out on the road (not winterized or no longer winterized) will lines or tanks freeze even though the furnace is running?

palehorse89 · 02-20-2013, 03:42 PM

Hello and welcome to IRV2, You need to give us the info. on what you have, Is your basemnet heated when your furnace runs? Mine is in a heated garage in the winter here in Penna. and I do not winterize it, and from time to time over the winter we get in it for the weekend and camp out to break up the winter. With all the shades closed up you really don't know you are inside the garage till you go outside of it. A lot of people have to winterize and when they go south in the winter they dewinterize it, some before they leave and others I have read after they get into warmer weather. So let us know what kind of RV you have and then we can guide you better.

sbleiweiss · 02-21-2013, 08:31 AM

We are just now shopping for our first RV. Looking at new or late model Thor class A's. Don't know for sure whether basement will be heated. Also have not been able to find a place to store that is indoor/heated yet. Still looking. I gather you never drive it out of the garage in winter?

Cat320 · 02-21-2013, 11:14 AM

Most RV now have heated basements. There are many places inside to store it, but few are heated...and they will be expensive.

kewag · 02-21-2013, 11:27 AM

We store ours when not in use in our heated insulated building with cable tv, internet 1/3rd residential. Don't winterize, we can go anytime the weather permits. Snowing now, so it will stay inside. We can camp here if we want, 50 amp service inside and outside, water, sewer. About as good as storing an rv gets.

DeWat · 02-21-2013, 06:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sbleiweiss

We are just now shopping for our first RV. Looking at new or late model Thor class A's. Don't know for sure whether basement will be heated. Also have not been able to find a place to store that is indoor/heated yet. Still looking. I gather you never drive it out of the garage in winter?

My previous '12 Thor Hurricane 32A didn't require winterizing as long as it was in use. The black and grey tanks came with heated pads that could be turned off/on from the inside, and the fresh water tank and all piping was inside as well (the fresh water tank was in the walls between the bathroom and lounge). So as long as you didn't live below 32 degrees, all of the tanks and plumbing were ok.

Ray,IN · 02-21-2013, 06:50 PM

If you, like me, store your RV in an unheated garage, then yes you must either run the onboard furnace when temperatures fall below freezing- or winterize your RV each time you place it in storage. My RV garage stays around 5*F warmer inside than outside temperature if below freezing temperatures do not last more than a few days, longer periods equalize the temperatures in/outside.As a general rule for outside storage, if daytime highs reach 40-45* and nighttime lows are no less than 28*F our RV will not freeze water lines because of residual daytime heat.

Thor O Good · 02-22-2013, 11:39 AM

We have a Thor ACE 29.2 and just completed a seven week trip from MO thru OK, TX, NM, AZ and CA and back. Had the same concerns about freezing. Spoke with Thor factory rep and were told we were okay down to 20 degrees if furnace on. Never ran furnace while driving but did while parked. When temp got close to 20 we added a ceramic heater to keep the front of the coach warm. As we rentered MO we winterized so we could put it back in storage.

Not certain that full basement is heated, but had no problems.

My advice is to winterized when in doubt. Doesn't take much time and it sure is cheaper than frozen pipes.