Community Forums

TFife · 02-02-2022, 01:00 PM

We live in Indiana and heading to Florida at the end of Feb. Our first winter trip..Motor home will have some water in tank and lines. Concerned that our first day/night of travel may be in cold weather. Is there anything that would keep the bay -water tank-lines heated during travel?

2cyber71 · 02-02-2022, 01:06 PM

Keep the antifreeze in it until you get far enough south.
We leave Pennsylvania and leave the antifreeze in the TV until we get to Virginia

**Lt Dan** · 02-02-2022, 01:16 PM

Your profiles says you have a Tiffin Phaeton. If that's correct, your rear furnace will put some heat into the wet bay and basement. When you are parked, you may want to supplement that with a very small 200 watt heater or a 100 watt light bulb.

TFife · 02-03-2022, 06:26 AM

Great. Thanks for your help..

stevewitt1 · 02-04-2022, 10:27 PM

I have a 2008 38F Bounder that I store in a heated building north of Green Bay, WI. In the past I relied on the rear furnace heating the basement but this year I left with temps in the low double digits and worried about the lines more than the tanks, so I:

Left with a full water tank, empty grey and charged black.
I bypassed the water heater with the lever, but left it turned on LPG.

Then I opened the hot and cold drains.
Then I changed the diverting valve I installed before my demand pump (same valve that is used with two of them for a water heater bypass kit)
Attached a short line to the diverting valve then set in a gallon of RV antifreeze.
Opened hot and cold faucets in each bathroom, the shower and the galley sinks. Used about 1.5 gal with making sure all traps were full

used the remaining half gallon to winterize my Splendide wash/dryer.

Once I got far enough south, I first, changed the diversion valve back to feed the pump from the tank instead of the gallon jugs, then after all pink was gone from ALL faucets, toilets and shower, then i turned the bypass lever back at the water heater.

Another helpful tool is bought a AcuRite 01090M temp display that shows room temp plus the temp from 3 sensors. I put one sensor under the front hood panel (not in rear close to the engine) and the other two are put one on each side of the basement area fed by my rear furnace so I can keep an eye on the temp by my basement plumbing.

I wasn't afraid of my 95 gallon tank of water freezing but I was concerned with the water lines running along the lower outside edge in the coach of getting too cold.

Steve

Dutch Star Don · 02-04-2022, 10:29 PM

I keep a remote thermostat in the coach basement. Mine is located in the center of the bays, but you can put it in the wet bay. This lets me keep an eye on the temps.

We just left Monument Valley today where the last three nights were in the teens. We have heated floors, hydronic heating and a Magnum inverter charger. Between the heated floors and the charger and hydronic heater in the bays, my bays are staying at 60 degrees through the night. I think the heated floors has a lot to do with it, but the inverter and especially the hydronic heating unit generate a fair amount of heat. In the summer, the bays get to over 100 degrees.

hewebb · 02-05-2022, 07:13 AM

I don't know about your coach but ours has a switch in the wet bay that turns on a fan that pulls warm air from the bathroom into the wet bay. I normally run the furnace to keep the entire coach warm while traveling in cold weather.

Crasher · 02-05-2022, 08:13 AM

When I had to travel in below zero temp with our 03 Phaeton, I installed the "Back Seat Heater Plus" in the wet bay. This is what Holiday Rambler used in the 90's to heat the wet bay. I ran 10 ga wire over to the house batteries. The rear furnace did put some heat into the WB, but I didn't think it would be enough. I set the BSH @ 40 degrees. I monitored the compartment with a remote sensor and the temp never went below 40, even when the OAT was below zero. Pretty cheap insurance and POM. Just set it and forget it.

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

jacwjames · 02-05-2022, 08:42 AM

My coach came with a small cube heater in the wet by where the dump valves are located. This is the same bay with the fresh/black/gray water tanks are located but I was concerned about colder temps.

I had already mounted a remote temp sensor on the opposite side of the bay heater.

By accident I found that my coach had been prewired for a "Cold Weather Package" meaning it had the required wiring to add tank pad heaters including heavy gauge wire run all the way to the tanks. I found a coiled wire loom on top the black tank and found it was powered when the bay heater was activated by a snap disc when temps got cold enough.

So I added 3 tank pad heaters.

So I've been monitoring the temps in the wet bay and with temps down ~20F the tank temps stay at ~45F.

So adding tank pad heaters is an option.

nehog · 02-05-2022, 08:45 AM

If your RV has a heated bay, then just run the generator to keep the bay heat running (they draw too much power to run on batteries if it is the same setup as my Holiday Rambler) Some bay heat is done using the main furnace and that's good too.

jeff0210 · 02-05-2022, 08:47 AM

Feb 26 last year we made the same 1st trip to Florida from NE Ohio. 1st we encountered no problems. Thank God. We parked next to the house before leaving and prepared water for use and travel. Turned furnace on and used two electric heaters keep coach warm without using too much propane. Loaded up the coach and off we went. That being said, it wasn't all that cold last year in late Feb. Pretty sure we were in the upper 30's, maybe even in the 40's. This year there is no telling yet where we will be.

Planning on about the same this year. Hoping for things to warm up by then. But, if the road, weather do not look favorable I will postpone for a week or two. Common sense rules when it comes to traveling. Normally one good day of travel you can be far enough South not to worry about freezing. These last two storm fronts have run from Texas to Maine. Something to keep an eye on.

Safe travels and God Bless.

Pez Vela · 02-05-2022, 03:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lt Dan

Your profiles says you have a Tiffin Phaeton. If that's correct, your rear furnace will put some heat into the wet bay and basement. When you are parked, you may want to supplement that with a very small 200 watt heater or a 100 watt light bulb.

I agree. Wife and I just stayed overnight at Clines Corner, NM. Lines started to freeze during the night. I knew because I got up and no water would come out of faucets. Was not hooked up to RV park water.
I went out and put a very small electric heater in the wet bay and closed door. Was on lowest setting. After about an hour and a half, I checked faucets and was now pumping water.