Community Forums

scarstenson · 11-30-2018, 10:53 AM

We are leaving from Des Moines to Florida on Dec. 29th and it looks like our first two days will be below freezing. Our motorhome is currently winterized and I usually de-winterize before leaving and fill with water for the trip. Temperatures will be upper 20's and am not sure how to handle this. Do I wait until I arrive to dewinterize but then how do we use the toilet? Will my furnace (vents in the basement) keep me safe if I do fill up with water? Never travelled when I had this concern.

mrgrayaz · 11-30-2018, 11:07 AM

Dewinterize before the trip and keep the interior set at a reasonable temperature (you'll be in the unit driving it, so will want the heat) - it will be fine.

Upper 20's is not really much to worry about anyway.

ByeTheWay · 11-30-2018, 11:14 AM

When faced with the same issue, we leave it winterized. Take as much water as you think you'll need in gallon jugs. Turn off the water pump and flush w/ the pink rv antifreeze. Take a spit shower, with water heated on the stove. When you get to warmer climates de-winterize. I try to error on the safe side.

What if you have trouble and don't reach warmth for several days.

UTTransplant · 11-30-2018, 11:20 AM

We usually wait until our first overnight spot to dewinterize. As long as the temps are mid 20 s you should have no problem. A lot depends on the temps though. Iowa in late December can be -10 to +40, so wait to decide what to do. Run the propane furnace while driving, put a remote read thermometer in the wet bay to keep track of what is going on, and head as straight south as you can.

Larry · 12-02-2018, 09:39 PM

I dewinterize and fill fresh water before leaving. If you dewinterize on the way and have a problem like a leak you are stuck repairing on the way or doing without until arriving at your destination.

Chadrock · 12-02-2018, 09:55 PM

When we drive Coach in potentially freezing weather, we don't dewinterize until we get to a campground in an area that we won't see freezing temps again. For the bathroom, we fill a few old milk jugs full of water to "flush" and wash hands. You can fill those back up at most rest areas. We also keep the slides in to heat less area and add extra blankets/comforters to the bed. We boondock at rest areas/truck stops and use propane heat (fill tank before heading out) to keep inside and wet bay at reasonable temps. In rare cases, we add heat by running the generator to use space heaters.

We also drive to aggressively get to an area where it is not freezing-- that head south until temps won't hurt my Coach and turn right idea. We constantly get weather updates on our phones to make informed decisions on how far to drive and where to stop.