Community Forums

Kahoona · 05-03-2019, 05:16 PM

Can a Gasser handle keep the pluming from freezing? How?

We are hitting retirement looking at replacements for our aging Gasser and and hope to see more of the country than just the hot parts. We won't go to Vermont or Minnesota but we might like to visit the Rockies or Utah in the fall when it can get cold high up. Our '02 Coachmen Mirada would require a full system dump and antifreeze if a cold snap came.

If we had to buy a Gasser again due to lack of budget will some of them be OK? How?

Thanks

Waiter21 · 05-03-2019, 05:43 PM

My Southwind has basement heat. (Heated lower compartment) All of the plumbing and tanks are located in these heated areas. As long as the furnaces are running the plumbing cannot freeze.

UTTransplant · 05-03-2019, 06:08 PM

Your propane heating system should heat the wet bay. Check your manual for sure. It really has nothing to do with your engine fuel. And I totally understand about heating to higher elevations in the fall. There is nothing to compare to a flaming aspen forest without crowds.

saddlesore · 05-03-2019, 06:40 PM

One way to see if the coach you are looking at is built for cold weather is to look under it and see if there is a "floor" or fully enclosed bottom panels.( You cannot see any plumbing exposed).If it is you should be good to go.. If not then look elsewhere for a full 4 season coach.

Shawn6596 · 05-03-2019, 07:43 PM

Mine has a heated basement. Keep in mind the propane furnace has to be used to keep the basement heated.

**Spdracr39** · 05-03-2019, 07:50 PM

And the propane furnace uses a lot of propane. You could secure an electric heater in the basement and run the generator instead.

EdInArk · 05-03-2019, 07:58 PM

Our little ACE is rather low end considering some of the nicer rigs out there, but it handles down into the 20s just fine with just the propane heat. We do disconnect and drain the water hose overnight if the temps drop below freezing. Of course, there are heated hoses available.

Crasher · 05-03-2019, 07:58 PM

I added a "Back Seat Heater Plus" to a coach when I had to drive in below zero temps. The water bay never got below 40*.

https://www.amazon.com/RoadWorthy-Ba.../dp/B0002D6JW8

Mr_D · 05-03-2019, 08:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by spdracr39

And the propane furnace uses a lot of propane. You could secure an electric heater in the basement and run the generator instead.

And if the generator is propane powered you're going to use even more propane.

NXR · 05-03-2019, 09:24 PM

We don't actually have it yet (it went on the production line yesterday) however the 2020 Forest River GT5 comes standard with their "Arctic Kit". It does look like it would make maintenance a bit more difficult, though.

For example, opening a door on the side that's about 24" long and about 8" high to get to the water valves actually shows you a black panel with two removable "plugs" that are four inches or so in diameter. You unscrew those and then you can reach the valves. It's the similar arrangement on other maintenance doors. If there's a way to easily remove that entire panel that would be different; I don't know if there is.

The water and holding tanks have pad heaters on their sides and "elbow" heaters on the drain lines.

Ray

WDW · 05-03-2019, 09:47 PM

Our 2016 Mirada is plumbed in heated zones above the basement except the wet bay. But at 25 degrees for8 hours and the coach in driveway storage mode and the heat at 50 the wet bay held to 44 degrees.

NXR · 05-03-2019, 10:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by WDW

Our 2016 Mirada is plumbed in heated zones above the basement except the wet bay. But at 25 degrees for 8 hours and the coach in driveway storage mode and the heat at 50 the wet bay held to 44 degrees.

What's "driveway storage mode"?

Ray

Sue46 · 05-04-2019, 04:32 AM

We added a lightbulb to the wet bay and put it on a "chicken coop" timer that lights it up at cold temperatures. We have done this for the last 40 years and never had pipeline freeze problem.

WDW · 05-04-2019, 05:14 AM

Driveway storage is in-season, between trips. Humidifier, fan running, slides in, set for water run off. We have several spots in our driver we can park. One by the house for loading or driveway camping. We have two push back spots one which allows us to not have to use the levelers and allows enough slant for the roof to drain. Winter storage, we decommission all the operating systems. Draining and winterizing all tanks, shuttling down the refrigerator, removing perishables / super cleaning and things like that.