Under the TT water lines

[pm1stnau]

Greetings JOF members!! It occurred to me as I was lying on my back underneath my TT in 3" of snow trying to thaw my low point drain lines with an indoor portable electric space heater, that there is absolutely no protection whatsoever for the water lines that are on the outside of the TT; exposed water lines that are subject to freezing (obviously) but also sticks/branches, rocks/pebbles/loose gravel, and any other road debris that can easily ruin a camping trip by damaging the exterior plumbing. Has anyone ever tried covering those water lines with pipe insulation (the kind that look like pool noodles with a slit down the entire length that go over copper pipes)? That could help slow down the freezing process, but it would also add protection from objects that can cause damage, and they wouldn't add significant weight. Just a question I thought I would throw out there. I'm sure I haven't been the first person to think of this. Happy Camping!!

[RoyBraddy]

YES - You will need to cover those lines with something maybe even 120VAC wrap around heat strips if you have to have your trailer in use during these cold events. Some folks will burn an 100WATT lamp all night in the pass thru storage area that may help. I have seen some folks putting up siding all around the open areas around the trailers too.

Of course the best to do is drain all of the water out of the tanks but you cant always do that sometimes if you are still living in it.

Will have to treat it just like your house.

Not familar with the X19 but alot of the trailers have underbelly membranes in place to protect all of those under the trailer item.

Roy Ken

[KMan420]

Wow - never thought about the exposure to damage. Thanks for pointing that out.

[Jagiven]

There are tank heaters that can be applied to the underside of each tank. Some work off of both 12V and/or 110V. If the pumps were quieter I am sure you could create a circulation loop for the water through the underbelly lines and back into the fresh water tank.

As for damage from the road, our family has ripped out the sewer system on EVERY TT at some point prior selling it off. I have not done it on this one yet (1 yr old) but I fully expect it to happen. As for fresh water tanks, this is the first TT in the family with an underbelly water tank. I fully foresee hooking the drain hose on something within the next year or two as it hangs very low. I do believe we have also broken the drain valve on every trailer too, but I think that was from degrading from the UV light.

[tlhdoc]

Yes you can add the foam insulation to the water lines. I did that on my inside hot water lines to help hold the heat inside the water line. Are you water lines run through the frame? If so the frame will provide some protection. The foam will not hurt. I would recommend the foam that you peal paper off of the slit and it seals to itself.