Wet bay, water pipes freeze protection wisdom?

[Sheltietreasure]

Jayco's response was "We don't recommend you take our product where it will freeze." Yet they are happy to sell you an add on artic package or heat pads for the holding tanks!

We have a 2018 Greyhawk 30x

Even though we are winterized as we travel south, once we reach warmer areas, the climate crisis has made extended overnight freezing temps a reality.

We would like to be prepared for that once we have reached the south and dewinterized our RV.

Please tell us about your thoughts or experience.

We are considering installing heat tapes on the water filter cartridge and water pipes. Would a 12 volt version be enough? Can we hook them up to the heat pads on the tanks?

Are we correct in assuming they would operate both while traveling and while docked to shore power?

We considered a small portable heater for the wetbay, but that won't work while we are traveling and it doesn't address the pipes.

Are there any other elements we need to protect?

Thank you!

[Trapper2020]

Im not sure the temps are any different in the south than what it’s been for my whole life. How far south are you planning to go? If Florida how far south do you plan to stay? You can get an electric water hose that will prevent it from freezing at pretty much any temp you will in counter. None of your holding tanks will have any issues. Your internal waterlines should be ok since I assume you will keep inside of rig above freezing temps. If you have hookups you can always let the water drip in sink if really cold. Let us know how far south you are talking about. You may not need to do anything. Take care

Enjoy the journey

[CAG]

Fill your fresh water tank and run from that. Keep any hoses that you use for filling the tank in a location where they will not freeze so that they can be used again.

Heat tape is good but I would be hesitant to use a 12 volt version, if you can even find one, unless you are hooked to 120V as it would likely drain the battery without. And if you have 120 what would be the purpose of a 12V?

Any exposed lines under the rig, if there are any, need to be insulated. Keep heat going inside so that the underbelly is getting heat but remember the higher the inside temp the faster your propane is going away. If you do have 120V supplement the inside with electric heaters.

Since we don't winterize here I cannot help there but we do camp in areas where it can get to teens. I used the above methods once we arrive. I would think that you would want to stay winterized until you arrive but there are better experts on that topic.

[Cincinnati Kid]

We're planning a January trip from Cincinnati to the South. We'll watch the weather forecasts as we get further south, and de-winterize when nighttime temps are above freezing. We might stay in a hotel or two, if we can park there, or a campground. Depends on the climate crisis, or should I say....... weather.

[DonaandDon]

Service tech advised that all new "Wet bay" types are acceptable to freezing. The easy peasy way prevent freezing is to put a mechanics drop light in the bay. Another item for power pole management.

[tom463219]

When leaving Northern Indiana for Florida in January, we just use some RV Anltifreeze to flush the toilet. Second day of travel we are usually in area with above freezing temps. DO NOT turn on the gas fridge until you get to above freezing temps. I did the first time, and almost ruined the fridge. They are not designed for operation in freezing temps.

[Sheltietreasure]

We hope to wander in the south over five months each winter. Once we dewinterize, we are concerned about unanticipated freezing that would cause us to pack up and run to the closest warm place we can find. Not a fun thought. Also, DH has to get an infusion every 8 weeks, so we have to travel to a single designated location and stay there for a few days to be sure he has no reaction. We haven't chosen that place yet.

Heated hose and dripping faucets might work, along with heat tape on exposed pipes. I guess that means the pump and filter cartridge would have a constant flow, keeping them from freezing. We considered a light in the wetbay, but that didn't address the pipes.

The reason we were thinking 12 volt tape...if we can find it...is we could run it off our battery while traveling and do the same while docked. We were told our battery is charging when we are moving and when we are on shore power. Is that not true?

We do plan to get some space heaters for inside to save propane. The heat pump is a nice feature, but the floor is still very cold while one's head is toasty. Three dogs arent happy unless we put down blankets for them...dog beds are single purpose and too bulky. The space heater should help keep the internal pipes warm.

Friends in SC reported freezing over night temps during this unusually early, polar vortex.

[Sheltietreasure]

Cag, can you tell us how you insulated exposed pipes? Regular household pipe foam? Is that enough protection?

Tom, oh no! We have one of those new giant four door refrigerators, a big selling point for us. I never heard we shouldn't run it where temps are freezing. Since the RV is heated, both when docked and traveling, is this an issue? Or does it have something to do with the workings that might be exposed? Not at all familiar with how that looks. We never had an issue with our travel trailer fridge and we used it in October and April in Vermont when we sometimes woke up to snow on the ground!

[pward]

Excuse ignorance, but where/what is the wetbay?

[CAG]

Heat pumps are good until you get around freezing and then they are not so good. That is a common way of heating here in the desert where our temps seldom get to 32 F. Below that they have no warm air outside to exchange and they blow as cold as ice. Heat strips in the unit are a different way to heat and are like a heating coil.

If you are parked pipe insulation and/or regular old wall insulation that comes in the large rolls work well. Cover and tape exposed lines. Fill any open areas where cold air can get in. Pipe insulation will work for light freeze but low teens to 0 you need better insulation. If you are moving using that method is not going to work and you will probably have to winterize or at the least blow the lines out with air.

[GHen]

We have been staying at ski resorts in different rigs for 30 years. I always keep it thawed during the day but regularly have had frozen pipes hundreds of nights. This was all before arctic packages etc. Once you have frozen up a few times you will know your weak points. We added heat tape to sensitive areas, keep the hot water heater on, keep cabinet doors open at night and had a couple of old hair dryers to put in cabinets to thaw everything out in the morning. Lots of nights it was as much as -20 below 0(F). Once tested, we expect frozen pipes in the morning until the heat and generator get everything thawed, I’m more worried about multiple nights without thawing during the day.

Gray and black tanks will freeze. I never let them get full and sometimes it takes a few days back home before they are thawed enough to dump them. I also added heat tape around the dump valves to warm them up each morning. Again, they may freeze overnight but get thawed out the morning.

All that said, my current 5’r hasn’t been tested a few times and is expensive and I am a lot more cautious than I have been in the past. But my experience has taught me when to worry and when not to. Most of the components can tolerate some freezing, I just need to figure out which ones can’t and find a solution.

[Cannon]

Not sure what climate crisis your talking about. I've lived in Georgia for 60yrs and it's not changed. It can be 70's one week and 20's the next week but it always been that way. Our lowest temp. ever recorded was in 1940 and the highest was in 1952.

[Rustynuts]

On our Seneca I put foam insulation on every pex pipe I could access. I had my wet bay opened up doing other mods which made it easier. I also tee’d off the heat duct under the bed with a vent into the wet bay area which includes out fresh water tank and I also put a woodworking duct blast gate on the wet bay vent to close it off when it’s not needed. With the gas thermostat set at 55 for the night, this kept the wet bay area at 42 degrees on a 17 degree night. I them put in an access panel to the rear of the water heater as it was isolated and insulated those pipes and around the WH.

[pconroy]

Originally Posted by Sheltietreasure

Please tell us about your thoughts or experience.

We are considering installing heat tapes on the water filter cartridge and water pipes. Would a 12 volt version be ene freezough? Can we hook them up to the heat pads on the tanks?

Are we correct in assuming they would operate both while traveling and while docked to shore power?

We considered a small portable heater for the wetbay, but that won't work while we are traveling and it doesn't address the pipes.

Are there any other elements we need to protect?

Thank you!

After three freeze ups, that left us with no water, this has been top of mind for me lately.



Like another said, I think 12V heat tape is not that practical. The amp draw it pretty high. I've been looking at 120V heat tape and trying to find one gentle enough for the exposed PEX.


Our water filter is in the basement, and a small space heater, even on low (500 watts) keeps that part toasty. 70*F or better when it was 14*F outside.


What keeps freezing up on us must be the pipes that run under the coach. I spent a few hours under there sliding on pipe wrap. But Jayco doesn't make it easy. Either I missed a spot or 14*F was just too cold as they still froze.




I may give it one more shot - with 120V heat tape. But again, after being underneath it once, wrapping those lines will be a very, very difficult task.

[Sheltietreasure]

Pward, most 21st century Class B, C and A rvs, and many travel trailers, have bays or compartments in the bottom of the rig. They are for storage and for housing things like sewer hoses and electrical cords/connections, etc.

The bay we are discussing is called the wet bay, because it contains an outside shower if the manufacturer provided one...the drinking water cartridge, which contains the drinking water filter, and the connection sites for filling the fresh water tank. All things water are here, hence the term wet bay.

Unless the owner has made modifications, or unless the motorhome is so expensive that it would never be on my radar!, the bay's don't come heated.

Hope this explains it!

[Sheltietreasure]

Rusty, Elegant solutions! Jayco should hire you in their design dept.
Thanks for the photos...they certainly stimulate lots of ideas.

I'm not advocating for the 12volt tape, but I did just learn from the generic manual that Jayco does install it on some RVs so maybe someone with that feature will chime in.

Pconroy, I hope you will keep us posted on how the insulation worked and what happens if you install the tape.

Thanks to everyone for sharing.

[Trapper2020]

As a last resort be very familiar with how to winterize the water lines. It only takes me 20 minutes and 1.5 gallons to do our rig. The fluid can then be recovered by collection at the low water drain for reuse. Loss about half a gallon. If you do plan on recovering fluid be sure to purge lines of all water when winterizing. It takes days not hours at freezing to cause frozen lines so if you only have to get through a few hours below freezing at night the chances of a frozen line are very small. Take care

Enjoy the journey

[DonaandDon]

Originally Posted by pward

Excuse ignorance, but where/what is the wetbay?

Wet-bay is the location for your city water connection, outside shower on my North Point.

[GHen]

The valves on the control panel side of the wet bay could be a weak point. Where the outdoor shower fixture is located. I’m sure it get some heat from the pass through storage, but...

I wonder if a insulation pad like the ones that fit in the ceiling vents or in the skylight would work. Cut one the same size as the control center bay, stuff it in and close the pass through.

Just a thought.

[JmsNMar]

Hello. The wife and I have been in our RV in Custer State Park since beginning of September, and we've woken up to negative temps several times. 40 degrees is a good say for us. 50 and 60 degrees is blazing. We're hooked to 50 amps, and not using our furness. No water lines or tanks are insulated or heated, so did this..
5 amp space heater is plugged in, in wet bay to keep water pump and lines from freezing up; 2 Walmart portable metal coil heaters running inside. One's plugged to regular power plug; the other is plugged into microwave's dedicated plug. We leave the cabinet doors to both sinks open at night so heat circulates in; and, do same with bathroom door for same purpose. Only have water hose hooked up to fill tank, otherwise it's stored away in a plastic trash bag inside coach. And, only drain gray or black tanks during warmest time of day. Since we're here for extended period of time, I cut tarp to make skirting around bottom of RV; I placed another heater under RV below tanks; and bottom heater and diesel block heater are plugged into power pedestal. It's gotten COLD, and the windows have frozen over, but so far the water lines have not frozen up, and the water is still flowing. My advice...trust your instincts and common sense. Do what you think will work for you. My wife said we were not spending 2k to 3k for custom skirting, so I had to Jimmy rig something together. I think if your on the road, the coach's interior eminating heat will keep the water lines warm enough and functioning. Good Luck!