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Old 11-15-2020, 06:12 PM   #1
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I bought the Trailer(Kodiak Cub 178rb) in August and ive benn living in it since the first day,so 3 months, i could say i am a fulltimer rver,let say it has been an adventure,now the biggest test begin,dealing with freezing conditions.

I am in Virginia now and the forecast is mid 20s for tuesday and wendesday,i hope the furnace can keep the tanks warm ,not winterizing the trailer,so how big of a gamble is this,it says that my trailer has heated and enclosed underbelly,waterever that means in rv terminology

I am asking because is confusing,some people say ok others say not,guess i am gonna find out,then i have 9 or 10 more days of mid 20s in December and then back to sunny Miami Florida.

PS: I am a compiete newbie to this Rv thing.
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Old 11-15-2020, 06:32 PM   #2
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You should be fine. Be sure to disconnect your water hose. Open the cupboard doors under your sinks. Make sure you have an auto switchover on your propane tanks and both valves open. Be sure to check your propane tanks daily cause you're going to burn a bunch of it.
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Old 11-15-2020, 07:11 PM   #3
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Hi ! Welcome to IRV2! We're sure glad you joined us!

Congrats on the new rig! Have fun and keep her between the ditches!

Good luck, happy trails, and God bless!
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Old 11-15-2020, 08:28 PM   #4
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Would agree with MtCamper you should be fine. By opening the cabinet doors you will heat areas where water lines run. You will use a fair amount of propane. Hope you are plugged into electric. Furnace fan is hard on battery.
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Old 11-16-2020, 03:30 AM   #5
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Would agree with MtCamper you should be fine. By opening the cabinet doors you will heat areas where water lines run. You will use a fair amount of propane. Hope you are plugged into electric. Furnace fan is hard on battery.
Yes i have electricity and i know the furnace love to drink propane,but it is better to pay for propane than to repair frozen plumbing
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Old 11-16-2020, 06:01 AM   #6
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A few things I will mention. You will be fine. The propane furnace will heat up a small trailer pretty quickly and will be able to keep it warm. I would add a electric heater to supliment the gas heat. Agree with keep the cabinets open to all heat to get to the plumbing. You might disconnect your water hose at night.

The very best place to buy propane is the Tractor Supply.
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Old 11-16-2020, 06:44 AM   #7
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Unless you have a heated water hose I would unhook it and live off the internal tanks. When they get low fill them again and unhook the hose. I have an electric heater to supplement the furnace plus I have a fireplace.

I would also head south as soon as possible. That is why I'm in Texas now.
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Old 11-16-2020, 08:51 AM   #8
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Originally Posted by lando51 View Post
I bought the Trailer(Kodiak Cub 178rb) in August and ive benn living in it since the first day,so 3 months, i could say i am a fulltimer rver,let say it has been an adventure,now the biggest test begin,dealing with freezing conditions.

I am in Virginia now and the forecast is mid 20s for tuesday and wendesday,i hope the furnace can keep the tanks warm ,not winterizing the trailer,so how big of a gamble is this,it says that my trailer has heated and enclosed underbelly,waterever that means in rv terminology

I am asking because is confusing,some people say ok others say not,guess i am gonna find out,then i have 9 or 10 more days of mid 20s in December and then back to sunny Miami Florida.

PS: I am a compiete newbie to this Rv thing.
I strongly recommend you winterize your plumbing before temperature drops below 32 degrees.

I have a 2018 Kodiak Cub. It was advertised as having a "Heated and enclosed Underbelly". It did have that. It also has a prominently displayed sticker next to the door that says "All Season".

The kicker is that the Owner's Manual has one line buried in the maintenance section that instructs to winterize the plumbing when temperatures drop below freezing. That must mean when the furnace is not running, right? Unfortunately it means even when the furnace is running.

I tested my Cub in my driveway. With the furnace running, the water pipe to the kitchen sink froze in 4 hours when the outside temperature dropped from 34 degrees to 28 degrees. The full fresh water tank temperature dropped to 34 degrees after about 3 days. I used a hair dryer to melt the ice in the drain valves to empty the tanks.

Some how the water pump froze and broke the suction chamber. Warranty was refused because freeze damage is not covered. Plumbing must be winterized when temperature is below 32 degrees.

It is a long discouraging story. Extensive and expensive modifications were required to prevent frozen plumbing.
The belly cover is not sealed or insulated. Wind blows away the heat.
The heat to the large underbelly must pass through a 2" flexible hose. It is not nearly enough.
The steel wheel wells are under the counters next to the plumbing. They are not insulated.
Most of the plumbing in the cabin is in a closed space with no ventilation along with the un-insulated steel wheel wells. That closed space includes the unheated pass through storage compartment.

Modifying the underbelly cost about $2500 to seal, insulate, and add electric tank heaters. It took the dealer service dept 3 months to do the work.
Modifying the air circulation in plumbing spaces, increasing heat flow to belly, insulating steel wheel wells, and separating pass through from plumbing all took me about a year.
Modifying tank drains to allow dumping in freezing weather was completed this last summer. I will be testing it this winter.

I strongly recommend you winterize your plumbing before temperatures drop.
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Old 11-16-2020, 05:06 PM   #9
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Well, now i am worried,Persistent make some valid points,now i have no time to winterize the trailer,lets see what happen,i will let you know, the furnace is going to be on high the whole night,water hose disconected,i think a 20 pound tank of propane will last 3 days using the furnace from 7 pm to 6 am.
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Old 11-16-2020, 05:19 PM   #10
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The very best place to buy propane is the Tractor Supply.
Ever been to a Costco that fills propane? No way any place on Earth beats that. Low price per gallon, accurate weigh/fill.

I live near a tractor but I didn't think they did fills...
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Old 11-16-2020, 05:48 PM   #11
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If trailer has an Enclosed and heated underbelly ...via a duct from fur4nace you will be OK
Living it means HEATED all the time in cold weather

Furnace will supply heat to enclosed underbelly and tanks will stay unfrozen
Cabinet doors open at bedtime...that helps circulate the warm air around/across plumbing lines

We have been in -19*F temps...stayed roasty toasty ---nothing froze BUT did have to keep refilling the a propane cylinder every other day

Like you said....propane is CHEAP compared to other issues
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Old 11-16-2020, 06:19 PM   #12
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I dont know how cheap propane can get,at the campground propane is 3 dollar a gallon so a 20 lb tank is 15 dollars,as i say i think i can get 3 day from a 20 lb tank, for sure 2 days,but to be safe i am gonna winterize for the freezing days in december
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Old 11-17-2020, 11:39 AM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Persistent View Post
I strongly recommend you winterize your plumbing before temperature drops below 32 degrees.

I have a 2018 Kodiak Cub. It was advertised as having a "Heated and enclosed Underbelly". It did have that. It also has a prominently displayed sticker next to the door that says "All Season".

The kicker is that the Owner's Manual has one line buried in the maintenance section that instructs to winterize the plumbing when temperatures drop below freezing. That must mean when the furnace is not running, right? Unfortunately it means even when the furnace is running.

I tested my Cub in my driveway. With the furnace running, the water pipe to the kitchen sink froze in 4 hours when the outside temperature dropped from 34 degrees to 28 degrees. The full fresh water tank temperature dropped to 34 degrees after about 3 days. I used a hair dryer to melt the ice in the drain valves to empty the tanks.

Some how the water pump froze and broke the suction chamber. Warranty was refused because freeze damage is not covered. Plumbing must be winterized when temperature is below 32 degrees.

It is a long discouraging story. Extensive and expensive modifications were required to prevent frozen plumbing.
The belly cover is not sealed or insulated. Wind blows away the heat.
The heat to the large underbelly must pass through a 2" flexible hose. It is not nearly enough.
The steel wheel wells are under the counters next to the plumbing. They are not insulated.
Most of the plumbing in the cabin is in a closed space with no ventilation along with the un-insulated steel wheel wells. That closed space includes the unheated pass through storage compartment.

Modifying the underbelly cost about $2500 to seal, insulate, and add electric tank heaters. It took the dealer service dept 3 months to do the work.
Modifying the air circulation in plumbing spaces, increasing heat flow to belly, insulating steel wheel wells, and separating pass through from plumbing all took me about a year.
Modifying tank drains to allow dumping in freezing weather was completed this last summer. I will be testing it this winter.

I strongly recommend you winterize your plumbing before temperatures drop.

I would heed the advice of someone with the same brand trailer; they aren't all built the same


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Old 11-17-2020, 11:59 AM   #14
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Agree, Costco that fill propane probably beats Tractor Supply. That is if you can find one close.

Tractor Supply has their price listed which is more than a lot of places plus it is at a good price. I have been to 6 Tractor Supply stores...they all sold propane

Also using electric heat does not heat the underbelly, meaning the tanks. To heat the tanks you need to run the propane furnace.
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