Community Forums

EcoRick · 12-10-2020, 05:04 PM

We live close to Chicago and will be traveling south mid December. Our all electric Tiffin is currently winterized and sitting in an outdoor storage area. I can't get the owner of the storage area to open up early the day we leave so we can fill our fresh water tank. I'm wondering if it would be safe to just fill the fresh water tank the day before and not run any water through the system. I can fill it up around 3:00 PM and we'll be leaving around 8:00 AM the next day. We have an AquaHot system and I also have a small space heater for the wet bay, but I don't want to run anything overnight. Temperatures are expected to be in the lower 20's at night. There would be no where to fill my tank the day we travel until we get to our destination. Can I cause any damage and is this a silly idea? Thanks in advance!

2cyber71 · 12-10-2020, 05:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by EcoRick

We live close to Chicago and will be traveling south mid December. Our all electric Tiffin is currently winterized and sitting in an outdoor storage area. I can't get the owner of the storage area to open up early the day we leave so we can fill our fresh water tank. I'm wondering if it would be safe to just fill the fresh water tank the day before and not run any water through the system. I can fill it up around 3:00 PM and we'll be leaving around 8:00 AM the next day. We have an AquaHot system and I also have a small space heater for the wet bay, but I don't want to run anything overnight. Temperatures are expected to be in the lower 20's at night. There would be no where to fill my tank the day we travel until we get to our destination. Can I cause any damage and is this a silly idea? Thanks in advance!

When I head south in winter, I just hookup at a campground and runout the pink stuff, but if you fill your tank and leave the heat on at about 55f in the MH and the bays you are just fine. I do it every fall. I winterize very late. We have cold weather before I winterize, I just leave the aqua hot on for those days. I would not set the thermostat below 50f, 55f is safer.
I’ve don’t it when the outside temps were zero with wind chills, no problem. Just make sure you have enough fuel. I always park in the winter with a full tank of fuel.
BTW, the wet bay should have a heater duct. No need for a space heater. Mine has it, I’m sure you do too. I can even adjust the bay temperature setting separately.
100 gallon tank will not freeze over night, but the rest of the plumbing will. Turn the heat on when you fill the water, it’s easy and safe. Heck, that’s why we have heaters.

Outbound · 12-10-2020, 05:12 PM

I would have no problem filling it but would leave the AH set at 50 degrees (even lower) overnight, that would also help with your 8am departure.

EcoRick · 12-10-2020, 05:23 PM

My thought was to not have anything on overnight to save on battery usage. I guess I could have the AGS on just in case.

**NLOVNIT** · 12-10-2020, 06:06 PM

For that short amount of time, I don't see why not. It would take a long string of days + nights below freezing to freeze the amount of water you put in that fresh tank.

Personally, I would not want to have anything on, unattended, in an unmonitored storage yard.

Lori-

KenZ71 · 12-10-2020, 06:07 PM

Why not fill the water tank then spend the night at a Cracker Barrel Barrel, Walmart, Lowes or wherever you can find a space?

You could check RVParky.com for local locations.

rgvtexan · 12-10-2020, 06:15 PM

Buy a couple of jugs and/or a case. That will last you till your first stop.

Bobby F · 12-10-2020, 06:22 PM

Can you fill it with hot water? In the 20's, that'll buy you a good deal of extra time. (You pretty much have to be filling at home to do this, but I've done it here in MN as I leave for warmer places.)

429CV23 · 12-10-2020, 06:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bobby F

Can you fill it with hot water? In the 20's, that'll buy you a good deal of extra time. (You pretty much have to be filling at home to do this, but I've done it here in MN as I leave for warmer places.)

Not a great idea, it'll freeze faster than using cold water (Mpemba Effect).

HarryStone · 12-10-2020, 06:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 429CV23

Not a great idea, it'll freeze faster than using cold water (Mpemba Effect).

If it's a sealed container, I.E. fresh water tank, the water can't evaporate.

429CV23 · 12-10-2020, 06:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HarryStone

If it's a sealed container, I.E. fresh water tank, the water can't evaporate.

True, assuming the water occupies 100% of the tank. Otherwise, there's always evap and vapor pressure.

Bobby F · 12-10-2020, 07:23 PM

Theoretical thermodynamics aside, if I put a six-gallon jug of 35-degree water next to a six-gallon jug of 80-degree water out on my porch at -20F, the colder jug freezes long before the warmer one, and if I fill two stock tanks in the same manner at -20F, the cattle at the colder tank are bellowing for water in 30 minutes while the cattle around the 80-degree tank can drink for two hours.

Mpemba may be explained in a completely unconstrained, near-thin-film body of water where heat can be lost without constraint at all boundaries and convection within the water causes faster heat transfer and loss, but in a relatively insulated compartment (i.e., a closed water tank inside of an RV structure), the mass of water is acting as a heat sink with insulated boundaries, and so is the surrounding air within the structural boundaries.

But it's a fun theoretical argument. Who hasn't tried the ice cube tray experiment? (My cold one always froze first, though.)

chuckftboy · 12-10-2020, 07:24 PM

I think you should just fill the tank at 3 pm. Not much chance of freezing that much water in 17 hours and you said the rest of the lines are already winterized so you'll be fine.

Ray,IN · 12-10-2020, 08:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chuckftboy

I think you should just fill the tank at 3 pm. Not much chance of freezing that much water in 17 hours and you said the rest of the lines are already winterized so you'll be fine.

I agree to an extent, daytime highs greatly control this; only frozen solid bursts containers, and if he drained out all the RV anti-freeze then used air pressure to clear the plumbing of remaining RV anti-freeze before filling the water tank, he can de-winterize with as little as 5G of water.

That said, this predicted cold front approaching Chicago carrying snow and ice may keep daytime highs low enough to negate nighttime low 20's in an unheated RV. And if snow is deep enough to prevent leaving at 8 AM, what then???
Bottom line, it's a gamble.