Winterizing VS tank heaters

[jhawkwest]

I have a 2016 31 UL. This winter, for the first time, I have covered outdoor storage with shore power. The manual indicates that, if plugged in, the tank heater switch will activate both tank and pipe heaters and protect from freezing to -11. I wasn’t even aware there were heaters on the pipes till just now. I’d love to not winterize and keep the coach plugged in for winter adventures but I’m not entirely confident that the heaters will do the job. I live in a climate where hard or extended freezes are rare and where the -11 mark is never reached. Does anyone have experience relying on the tank heaters for winter storage and use? What of water line to the fridge ice maker, filter, heater etc? Do the tank/line heaters warm enough to prevent problems in the smaller and more exposed lines?

[spoon059]

Just curious what you think will be the benefit of doing this?

$10 worth of anti-freeze will protect your pipes.
Who knows how expensive it will be to keep the heat on throughout the winter in the hopes that the heating will reach every small fitting and line.

I'd rather spend $10...

[Robbbyr]

I would be cautious, while the tanks and the waste lines are somewhat protected by the heaters, unless you run your furnace and water heater too through the winter the rest of your plumbing may be vulnerable when it does drop below 32 for any length of time. At least I would suggest blowing out your entire water system with air and putting some RV antifreeze in each of your drain traps. Don't forget your outside shower fittings and the supply and drain lines for a clothes washer if so provisioned. Being the smallest line, I would be concerned about the icemaker unless you do keep the interior heated. Not sure what refrigerator you might have but hopefully you have winterizing instructions and blowing it out with air is possible also.

Air winterizing will get you camping faster than a total liquid antifreeze job, but maybe other owners of similar units can give you experienced advice better than I can.

[retiredtech]

No idea about your rv, but I used to have a Dutchmen that had 12 volt heaters on the holding tanks. If I recall there was something in the paperwork that said not to use them for extended periods of time. The idea being to use them for a cold weather camping trip.

If I turned all 3 heaters on, they drew about 30 amps. The converter fan would run on high and couldn't keep up if anything else was turned on.

Your rv may have 120 VAC heaters, but I still wonder if they are intended for fulltime or unattended use. In any case, I would check the current draw with a watt meter before getting surprised by a huge electric bill.

[pconroy]

My tank heaters say to keep the tanks full (well not 100% full, but not empty). When I winterize, I empty everything and spend $6 on antifreeze.

[GrumpyDad]

What happens if you have a power outage on a cold night?

I don't think it's smart to skip winterizing if you are leaving the unit parked for more than a few days.

[Murff]

Originally Posted by GrumpyDad

What happens if you have a power outage on a cold night?

I don't think it's smart to skip winterizing if you are leaving the unit parked for more than a few days.

^^^^ I agree! ^^^^

Murff

[Vicr]

Precepts don't have any heated water lines. You need to winterize. Tigard gets cold enough for your water system to freeze.

[t18skyguy]

I live in Oregon in Lane County. For many years I use to be able to get by without full winterizing. I would pour a gallon of rv antifreeze in grey and black tank. Then I would watch the temperature forecast and run a 120 volt heater on low for just the days below freezing. I would open all the cabinetry to expose the lines and that helped. If you can keep the interior at 40 you'll be OK. You use to be able to get away with that in the I-5 corridor, but not anymore. Our winters seem to have gotten more extreme than in years past, with minus 19 degrees for several days on end. So with this new rig I winterize(thank you PCconroy for your guide). For sure we're gonna be in the 20's and teen's multiple times. Not worth watching the temperatures anymore.

[retiredtech]

For years I just used a compressor set to 40 lbs to blow out the lines. Antifreeze seemed like too much trouble. Then one winter a couple lines froze and busted. Trying to get all the water out is just too iffy.

Most rv's these days have a hose ready for drawing antifreeze out of a jug. I have to say it's much quicker and simpler to winterize with a couple jugs of antifreeze.

Also quicker to de-winterize. When I used to blow out the lines, I always had trouble getting the pump to work again with all the air in the lines. Not so with antifreeze in the lines.

[twdenman]

Don't forget, you need to pump some anti-freeze into black tank flush valve, and don't forget, if you have a Sani-Con, you need some anti-freeze there too. (Blowing air through the tankless water heater won't get out all the water out of the copper lines. They'll freeze first.) Ted