Journey with Confidence RV GPS App RV Trip Planner RV LIFE Campground Reviews RV Maintenance Take a Speed Test Free 7 Day Trial ×
RV Trip Planning Discussions

Go Back   iRV2 Forums > iRV2.com COMMUNITY FORUMS > iRV2.com General Discussion
Click Here to Login
Join iRV2 Today

Mission Statement: Supporting thoughtful exchange of knowledge, values and experience among RV enthusiasts.
Reply
  This discussion is proudly sponsored by:
Please support our sponsors and let them know you heard about their products on iRV2
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread Display Modes
 
Old 04-14-2021, 09:01 AM   #1
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2018
Location: Sarasota, FL
Posts: 148
Cold Weather - Have I Screwed Up?

We are headed to a campground near High Rolls NM today for 5 nights. I'm looking at the weather and the forecast is nice in the day but for very low 30s or even possibly high 20s overnight.

How cold is too cold before we need to worry about our 5th wheel camper? I'm not worried about us, but I am worried about our plumbing. It seems to me that we should be able to survive an overnight close to freezing, but I'm from Florida so what do I know?

Advice? Thanks in advance!
heySkippy is offline   Reply With Quote
Join the #1 RV Forum Today - It's Totally Free!

iRV2.com RV Community - Are you about to start a new improvement on your RV or need some help with some maintenance? Do you need advice on what products to buy? Or maybe you can give others some advice? No matter where you fit in you'll find that iRV2 is a great community to join. Best of all it's totally FREE!

You are currently viewing our boards as a guest so you have limited access to our community. Please take the time to register and you will gain a lot of great new features including; the ability to participate in discussions, network with other RV owners, see fewer ads, upload photographs, create an RV blog, send private messages and so much, much more!

Old 04-14-2021, 09:08 AM   #2
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2017
Posts: 1,342
We have stayed in the mountains where it would get into the 20's F overnight and had no problems.
__________________
98 Monaco Windsor
2015 Rubicon Toad
Craig1960 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-14-2021, 09:11 AM   #3
Senior Member
 
Ray,IN's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2001
Location: North America somewhere
Posts: 30,655
It's been my experience if daytime highs reach 50° and nighttime lows do not fall below 27° residual heat from sunlight will prevent an unheated RV from frozen plumbing.
Assuming you leave heat running while absent from your RV, simply by opening doors and drawers to expose any plumbing to daytime heat will prevent frozen plumbing.
If your holding tanks are exposed I would empty them during the day, fill fresh tank and store supply hose. Close grey and black tank valves until draining is required.
Don't worry enjoy NM.
__________________
2000 Winnebago Ultimate Freedom USQ40JD, ISC 8.3 Cummins 350, Spartan MM Chassis. USA IN 1SG 11B5MX,Infantry retired;Good Sam Life member,FMCA." My fellow Americans, ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country. John F. Kennedy
Ray,IN is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-14-2021, 10:12 AM   #4
Senior Member
 
Piros1's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2015
Location: Dittmer, MO 63023
Posts: 1,106
Depending on the type and ratings of your RV such as 4 season rated or not? My experience is most likely you will wake up with frozen water but will thaw out shortly after the sun comes out. Your issues will depend a lot on how your RV is designed and insulated. If yours is more conventional then you can probably expect early morning short term freeze ups. You may get lucky and not have any problems at all and hope that is how it goes for you.
__________________
2005 CC Affinity 770, 2006 Jeep TJ
2015 Newmar Essex 4553 2022 Jeep Gladiator.
Piros1 is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 04-14-2021, 10:20 AM   #5
Senior Member
 
Winnebago Owners Club
Join Date: Sep 2015
Posts: 1,810
Quote:
Originally Posted by heySkippy View Post
We are headed to a campground near High Rolls NM today for 5 nights. I'm looking at the weather and the forecast is nice in the day but for very low 30s or even possibly high 20s overnight.

How cold is too cold before we need to worry about our 5th wheel camper? I'm not worried about us, but I am worried about our plumbing. It seems to me that we should be able to survive an overnight close to freezing, but I'm from Florida so what do I know?

Advice? Thanks in advance!
1st advice. If you have city water hose disconnect it at night. Same with your stinky slinky. Make sure both are drained.

Since you will be in it, with heat on, the rule of thumb I always is use is 24 for 24. 24 degrees for less than 24 hours you should be ok. Only time I had a problem with this was in my gas class A. It had been around 30 degrees during travel, I spent the night in a state park at 26 degrees, in the morning no problems. 2 hours down the road stopped to use the toilet and was froze from pump. Turned the furnace on, started down the road. One hour later stopped again. It groaned a little and trickled, but 15 seconds cleared.

You will not freeze your fresh tanks and if you are worried about your pump put a 40 what lightbulb an the closed compartment.

Since you won't be moving you'll be ok.
__________________
2006 Winnebago Journey
39K
Cat C7
amosnandy is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-14-2021, 10:39 AM   #6
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2018
Location: Beaver Dam, Wisconsin
Posts: 5,085
Quote:
Originally Posted by heySkippy View Post
... very low 30s or even possibly high 20s overnight.

How cold is too cold before we need to worry about our 5th wheel camper? I'm not worried about us, but I am worried about our plumbing. It seems to me that we should be able to survive an overnight close to freezing, but I'm from Florida so what do I know?

Advice? Thanks in advance!
I don't know about your rig. There are lots of different configurations. Most are not winter hardy. Others are.

A full water tank will not freeze over night in upper 20's. It takes a while. An empty or nearly empty tank can usually freeze without damage. There is almost always something left in them when drained.

Pipes under the floor and outside faucets can freeze quickly in many RV's. Valves and fittings are at risk. Pipes, fittings, faucets, pumps, and valves are all at risk. Some RV's have heating systems to prevent freezing. They may require furnace running to prevent freezing.

These are precautions that may or may not prevent damage:
Turn pumps "off".
Disconnect shore lines and drain hoses.
Drain everything using low point drains.
Leave all faucets "open".
Run pump dry briefly.
Remove and drain all water filters. Store filters in heated area.
Put a shore powered electric heater or incandescent light in the wet bay.

These methods will prevent freeze damage:
Use "blow-out" method to winterize.
Use pink RV antifreeze to winterize. It must be specifically for potable water systems.

Plumbing inside the cabin is less at risk if cabin is heated. Pipes, valves, pumps, and filters in closed spaces will get the coldest. Open cabinet door and drawers a little to let heat into those spaces.

Some RV's are winter hardy. Others advertise winter hardy, but are not. Your guess is as good as anyone's. Check RV user manual for warning about winterizing in freezing weather. Warranty usually does not cover freeze damage.

My TT was advertised as "All Season" and "Heated and Enclosed Underbelly". Pipes under the floor froze in 4 hours at 29 degrees F. The pipes and fittings did not break.

One line in manual warned to winterize in freezing weather and did not say anything about whether furnace was running or not. A cracked water pump was deemed not covered by warranty. Everything else survived.

I wish you good luck and happy trails ahead!
__________________
Paul Bristol
Kodiak Cub 176RD
Nissan Pathfinder 2015
Persistent is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-14-2021, 11:36 AM   #7
Senior Member
 
Entegra Owners Club
Spartan Chassis
Join Date: Jun 2019
Location: New Hampshire
Posts: 442
You don't have anything to worry about. 40s during the day and high-20s overnight is not a problem. Keep the heat set at 50+ and you'll be fine. I doubt you even need to disconnect the fresh water hose, to be honest.

If I winterized my MH every time we had weather like that, I'd only be able to use the toilet in July.
__________________
2019 Entegra Reatta 39BH
2018 Winnebago Minnie Plus 27BHSS, "Raspberry" (retired)
2017 Ford F-150
schad is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-14-2021, 12:57 PM   #8
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2018
Location: East Central Wisconsin
Posts: 116
Last year we had temperatures in the upper 20's at night a few times and never had a problem. It didn't stay below freezing long enough to cause any damage before the heat of the day would be back.
NHBoone is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-14-2021, 01:53 PM   #9
Senior Member
 
pointrow's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2014
Location: Cen Il.
Posts: 710
Have stayed in 17* over night lows with no problem except water hose froze solid. It did not thaw in the sun the next day.
So unhook your hose and drain it.
Normally if you can stay warm inside the rv will be fine.
__________________
2014 Fleetwood Providence 42p
pointrow is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-14-2021, 04:06 PM   #10
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Enjoying the Western States!
Posts: 19,680
As others have said... you'll be just fine as long as it's not a prolonged freeze. If it warms above freezing during the day you'll be fine.

Fill your water tank and run off it. Don't use a hose. Same for the dump hose. Keep it stored until you need to use it. They can easily crack if left out.

You'll be fine! Have fun playin' in the snow!!
__________________
Full-timed for 16 Years . . .
Traveled 8 yr in a 2004 Newmar Dutch Star 40' Diesel
& 8 yr in a 33' Travel Supreme 5th wheel
twogypsies is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-15-2021, 06:07 AM   #11
IC2
Senior Member
 
IC2's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: Upstate New York
Posts: 3,722
I assume that you will have the furnace on and many 5ers will have a duct feeding the belly plus that heat will keep the inside piping open. I have been 'caught' here in the Northeast by overnight 20s several times before winterizing with no problem. I would disconnect and drain the CG water though and drain the hose, but even that for a couple hours would not be a problem.
__________________
Dave W
2011 Ford F250 6.7 Lariat CCLB, Gone but not forgotten
2014 Montana High Country 343RL (sold it!)
IC2 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-15-2021, 06:27 AM   #12
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2019
Posts: 579
Quote:
Originally Posted by amosnandy View Post
1st advice. If you have city water hose disconnect it at night. Same with your stinky slinky. Make sure both are drained.
I just learned that after being at Bryce Canyon last week.

I also left the outside kitchen slide out and the hoses and faucets froze!
mokurt is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-15-2021, 06:47 AM   #13
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2018
Location: Sarasota, FL
Posts: 148
Thanks everyone. Now that we're here the weather bug on my phone is telling me it's not going to be as cold as I feared. Still, it's great to have more knowledge about the subject.

There is a vent in the bedroom duct to the basement. We don't usually run the furnace at night, preferring instead to pile on the blankets, but I'll keep that in mind if it's going to be truly freezing. Our 5er is definitely not built as a 4 season camper.
heySkippy is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-15-2021, 12:48 PM   #14
Senior Member
 
SKP Kirk's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2010
Location: Part-time out of Mesquite, TX
Posts: 1,103
Quote:
Originally Posted by heySkippy View Post
There is a vent in the bedroom duct to the basement. We don't usually run the furnace at night, preferring instead to pile on the blankets, but I'll keep that in mind if it's going to be truly freezing. Our 5er is definitely not built as a 4 season camper.
With a heat supply for the basement area, I would say that your trailer is at least partially designed for 4 seasons. Keep in mind that most of the things which make an RV good in hot weather also keep it better in cold weather. Plumbing is of concern only in the cold, but most RV manufacturers who add insulation and supply heat to the basement will also then have the plumbing where it will withstand at least moderately cold weather.
__________________
Good Travelin! Kirk
Full-time 11 years, now part-time.
Kirk & Pam's Great Adventure!
SKP Kirk is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Tags
cold weather, scr



Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Cold cold cold RVific Newmar Owner's Forum 10 12-24-2020 06:44 PM
Bounder: Cold (Really Cold) Weather RV'ing Bounderoo Fleetwood Owner's Forum 15 10-31-2018 02:02 PM
Have I screwed up my batteries Unicorn Driver RV Systems & Appliances 5 01-09-2018 02:28 PM
I think I may have totally screwed myself. kesterdaddy 5th Wheel Discussion 21 05-02-2016 07:49 PM
Cold Weather Camping.....No, Really Cold Weather Camping arkaussie Winnebago Industries Owner's Forum 14 03-08-2007 01:44 PM

» Featured Campgrounds

Reviews provided by


All times are GMT -6. The time now is 01:15 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 1
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.