South Texas area and, " winter ".

[gypsydad]

Originally Posted by 3wd67rg

We are living in our Airstream in Boerne, Texas until Mid January 2019. We’ve never stayed past Mid November before. Should we expect a problem?, I don’t remember temperatures lower than 40, maybe 35. Boerne is approximately 30 miles north northwest of San Antonio.

We are on the Hays/Austin border, 5 miles south of Dripping Springs, off FM1826. As I mentioned, my 2014 25' FC had toilet valve and shower valve freeze up 2 years ago, even though I drained the tanks. With my 2017 28', we keep her plugged in now, with batteries disconnected, but I did replace the converter with a multistage Boondocker. Last winter was first for the new rig here in Austin area. I drained the tanks, but did not blow out since I mentioned we do use in winter here....I left propane furnace on at 40, and just ran one bottle at a time. It warms up during most days above 40, so biggest usage of propane is at night. I check the propane and AS daily, during the cold periods, just to be sure everything is working. I take a tank at a time to refill when needed....not a big hassle for me. I would think adding a oil heater inside could help also, but electric can get high...not sure cost difference; propane furnace vs electric oil heater...

[banderabob]

Originally Posted by Howard L.

You are good. I’m in San Antonio and do exactly the same thing. I set the thermostat at 40 though. 40 is plenty good and with our trailers enclosed underneath nothing gets down to freezing. I did this a few years back when we got down to the TEENS at night for a week. All came out well.
Do follow the other advice here, don’t leave water lines hooked up, etc.

I drain the lines and leave the drains open; drain the water heater and leave the plug off; RV anti-freeze in all drains and the black tank; I run the water pump for a few seconds after the lines are drained to get any water out of the pump; I leave all faucets open. I use a converter plug to the power cord, plug in an extension cord to a nearby outside 110 receptacle, and run a small space heater in the trailer (battery disconnect needs to be on). I also leave a window cracked for circulation, and have never had a condensation issue. We live NW of San Antonio in the Hill Country, we get many nights below freezing, and some durations of several days under freezing, and this seems to work for us.

[uncle_bob]

Hi

The first stuff to freeze is the bits (drain valves, waste valves, intake back flow valves) that hang off the bottom of the trailer. They may or may not break at this or that temperature. How fast they freeze is as much a function of the wind as of the temperature. You may be fine parked next to the barn. I may be dead meat 50 yards away in the field.

Bob

[Tomfeury]

perfect! thanks

[3wd67rg]

Originally Posted by gypsydad

We are on the Hays/Austin border, 5 miles south of Dripping Springs, off FM1826. As I mentioned, my 2014 25' FC had toilet valve and shower valve freeze up 2 years ago, even though I drained the tanks. With my 2017 28', we keep her plugged in now, with batteries disconnected, but I did replace the converter with a multistage Boondocker. Last winter was first for the new rig here in Austin area. I drained the tanks, but did not blow out since I mentioned we do use in winter here....I left propane furnace on at 40, and just ran one bottle at a time. It warms up during most days above 40, so biggest usage of propane is at night. I check the propane and AS daily, during the cold periods, just to be sure everything is working. I take a tank at a time to refill when needed....not a big hassle for me. I would think adding a oil heater inside could help also, but electric can get high...not sure cost difference; propane furnace vs electric oil heater...

Thank you gypsydad! I will show this to my guy. Our Airstream came with a non-working propane heater so he pulled the whole thing out and we use a tiny space heater, we do also have a small buddy heater, propane, propane seems more expensive to us. We’ve been paying electric for Air Conditioning all summer, so I expect once it becomes cold enough for a heater, the cost will be much the same. I am thinking of placing a skirt around our bottom, and possibly a halogen light underneath. Of all the various plans I have seen for living in a cold place, this one seems most solid. But I am certain Chris will say we don’t need it.

[gypsydad]

Originally Posted by 3wd67rg

Thank you gypsydad! I will show this to my guy. Our Airstream came with a non-working propane heater so he pulled the whole thing out and we use a tiny space heater, we do also have a small buddy heater, propane, propane seems more expensive to us. We’ve been paying electric for Air Conditioning all summer, so I expect once it becomes cold enough for a heater, the cost will be much the same. I am thinking of placing a skirt around our bottom, and possibly a halogen light underneath. Of all the various plans I have seen for living in a cold place, this one seems most solid. But I am certain Chris will say we don’t need it.

Not sure about what year/size you own, and can not comment about a skirt...I would surely consider getting the furnace heater fixed so you can use your rig during cooler temps, if that's in your plan. good luck...

[JJTX]

Originally Posted by Howard L.

You are good. I’m in San Antonio and do exactly the same thing. I set the thermostat at 40 though. 40 is plenty good and with our trailers enclosed underneath nothing gets down to freezing. I did this a few years back when we got down to the TEENS at night for a week. All came out well.
Do follow the other advice here, don’t leave water lines hooked up, etc.

Thanks for the info, as well as all the other posts on this.

I think my plan for heater, and keeping the black/grey clear will work out pretty well.

I checked my weather station for this past winter here and we had 8 days where it was below 32f.

That's not much propane at all..Especially when as soon as the sun comes up, its usually up above 32f rather quick here unless we are in that FEB week during Rodeo where it's just COLD for a week.


Also as a side note on batteries. A charged battery will not freeze. And remember, you can easily keep RV batteries topped off with a solar battery charger for $100 or less, after you charge them to around 13v.

My AS is in my driveway, so it is real easy to keep track of it.

[gypsydad]

Originally Posted by JJTX

Thanks for the info, as well as all the other posts on this.

I think my plan for heater, and keeping the black/grey clear will work out pretty well.

I checked my weather station for this past winter here and we had 8 days where it was below 32f.

That's not much propane at all..Especially when as soon as the sun comes up, its usually up above 32f rather quick here unless we are in that FEB week during Rodeo where it's just COLD for a week.


Also as a side note on batteries. A charged battery will not freeze. And remember, you can easily keep RV batteries topped off with a solar battery charger for $100 or less, after you charge them to around 13v.

My AS is in my driveway, so it is real easy to keep track of it.

Couple of comments...first, as we know in Austin, <32f can be in the "teens" or low 20's for a week or so...happens...so better safe then sorry...we live in outskirts of Austin (Travis/Hays) county line and it do get cold!

Charged battery not freeze comment...my understanding is the batteries do loose life when left out in the cold for extended periods...I know with my ATV's at my place in MT, I replaced them almost every year when I would leave them in the ATV's over the winter...they were fully charged prior to storing. Last 4 years, I have removed them and kept in the cabin which is heated and not had any problems..

[JJTX]

Originally Posted by gypsydad

Couple of comments...first, as we know in Austin, <32f can be in the "teens" or low 20's for a week or so...happens...so better safe then sorry...we live in outskirts of Austin (Travis/Hays) county line and it do get cold!

Charged battery not freeze comment...my understanding is the batteries do loose life when left out in the cold for extended periods...I know with my ATV's at my place in MT, I replaced them almost every year when I would leave them in the ATV's over the winter...they were fully charged prior to storing. Last 4 years, I have removed them and kept in the cabin which is heated and not had any problems..

Did you leave the ATV's on a charger/maintainer? As long as the battery voltage is kept in the 12v+ range, it wont freeze under normal temps in the lower 48. Maybe when it hits -50f you have freezing, but I'm not sure even then the battery acid will freeze due to chemistry.

I'm not in Austin proper, I"m further south. Like I Said, I had 7 days of 32 or below and I Think three days of 20f in the overnight hours.

When I lived in the Far North East US, We got -20'F And I never had a car battery freeze, and those were not kept on chargers.

[gypsydad]

Originally Posted by JJTX

Did you leave the ATV's on a charger/maintainer? As long as the battery voltage is kept in the 12v+ range, it wont freeze under normal temps in the lower 48. Maybe when it hits -50f you have freezing, but I'm not sure even then the battery acid will freeze due to chemistry.

I'm not in Austin proper, I"m further south. Like I Said, I had 7 days of 32 or below and I Think three days of 20f in the overnight hours.

When I lived in the Far North East US, We got -20'F And I never had a car battery freeze, and those were not kept on chargers.

No, I did not have the ATV's on a trickle charger...part of the problem for sure, but we use to visit for few weeks around Christmas/New Year and I would play around out in the snow with them, plus I had a plow blade on one of the Honda's... Spring time around June is when I would come back up, and that's when it was hit or miss with the batteries. Started removing about 4 years ago since I don't go up in winter any longer...no issues. I do have couple trickle chargers...should have used them.

Now I have the Boondocker 4 stage converter, so I leave my AS plugged in all the time when home; I just disable the batteries if I am not going to use for a month or so...leaving converter plugged in so everything else works including the heater.

[JJTX]

Originally Posted by gypsydad

No, I did not have the ATV's on a trickle charger...part of the problem for sure, but we use to visit for few weeks around Christmas/New Year and I would play around out in the snow with them, plus I had a plow blade on one of the Honda's... Spring time around June is when I would come back up, and that's when it was hit or miss with the batteries. Started removing about 4 years ago since I don't go up in winter any longer...no issues. I do have couple trickle chargers...should have used them.

Now I have the Boondocker 4 stage converter, so I leave my AS plugged in all the time when home; I just disable the batteries if I am not going to use for a month or so...leaving converter plugged in so everything else works including the heater.

Any battery will naturally discharge over time. A standard battery will not survive months and months without a maintenance charge monthly, at least. This will vary of course based on humidity and battery condition.

Whats nice now are the solar chargers. You dont even need A/C power. Plug in a solar charger and its the same smart charge from deltran. Trickling will destroy it long term.

[uncle_bob]

Originally Posted by JJTX

Any battery will naturally discharge over time. A standard battery will not survive months and months without a maintenance charge monthly, at least. This will vary of course based on humidity and battery condition.

Whats nice now are the solar chargers. You dont even need A/C power. Plug in a solar charger and its the same smart charge from deltran. Trickling will destroy it long term.

Hi

If you store the battery outdoors in Montana in the winter and don't have a temperature compensated charger .... it's not going to get properly charged. The "magic voltages" are *way* off when you get below freezing. Your float voltage goes up from 13.2 to who knows how high. It all depends on how cold it gets. Numbers over 14V (for float) are not impossible.....

Bob

[JJTX]

Originally Posted by uncle_bob

Hi

If you store the battery outdoors in Montana in the winter and don't have a temperature compensated charger .... it's not going to get properly charged. The "magic voltages" are *way* off when you get below freezing. Your float voltage goes up from 13.2 to who knows how high. It all depends on how cold it gets. Numbers over 14V (for float) are not impossible.....

Bob

I don't doubt your numbers at all.

[Jaxon]

Originally Posted by PCroppo

Nobody here from South Padre, Brownsville or Corpus Christi??? We were thinking of some winter time next year in that area.

.
We lived in Rockport, TX for about 6 years... sold our house two weeks before Harvey hit... to a friend! Still a friend, too... House was not harmed, maybe a few shingles off. Solid built those 1930's era craftsman... the rest of the town bit it though.

Last winter was the coldest I'd experienced the whole time we were there, actually had snow! The previous winters were mild and I mean, maybe a dozen nights at freezing or below. Most days were cool, 50's - 70's. A few in the 40's. The wind can sometimes pick up (off the ocean), but they were not cold winds like you'd get on the plains - gulf waters retains heat. It is a nice place to winter as Rockport is a small coastal town (lots 'o winter Texans) and it's close to Corpus Christi (about 20-30 mins away), if you need/want big-box store stuff. Very easy living...

A really nice RV park is Enchanted Oaks - nice woodsy area, really nice scenery not on the water (don't want salt spray!), easy access in & out. What we liked about it was that it wasn't all concrete "resort" style jammed-packed together.

Check it out, you'll find many other Canadians doing the very same thing!

[ELSheffer]

Living in Central Texas, I always drain the water pipes using the little valves under the rig. I then blow compressed air through the pipes to get out most of the water. Then I put a little antifreeze in each of the drains. One more concern is the battery. It is a good idea to charge the battery now and then as a charged battery has a much lower freeze point than one that is drained.

[JJTX]

A quick search, so we can put this battery freezing thing to rest.

"At a 40% state of charge, electrolyte will freeze if the temperature drops to approximately -16 degrees F. When a battery is fully charged the electrolyte will not freeze until the temperature drops to approximately -92 degrees F."


https://www.progressivedyn.com/service/battery-basics/


Like I said, if you charge the battery, top it off to 13v, and leave a smart charger on it, it WILL NOT freeze under any circumstances in the lower 48.

[gypsydad]

Originally Posted by ELSheffer

Living in Central Texas, I always drain the water pipes using the little valves under the rig. I then blow compressed air through the pipes to get out most of the water. Then I put a little antifreeze in each of the drains. One more concern is the battery. It is a good idea to charge the battery now and then as a charged battery has a much lower freeze point than one that is drained.

I've heard several folks using vodka for the antifreeze....I like that idea better than antifreeze. I have considered blowing out the lines but the running my heater at 40 seemed to work last year.

[JJTX]

Originally Posted by gypsydad

I've heard several folks using vodka for the antifreeze....I like that idea better than antifreeze. I have considered blowing out the lines but the running my heater at 40 seemed to work last year.

Yeah I'm thinking so, especially for the units that have the tanks heated and insulated. Though the grey/black tanks appear to need A-freeze though in any case if they will have any liquid in them. A very small amount of water in the base of a tank wont hurt it, it'll just freeze if its a gallon or so. So I would definately not hesitate to dump something in there if you get a hard freeze.

Down here in S-TX though, it just does not happen. Even when it got down to 20 this year, it barely froze a puddle in the road.

[uncle_bob]

Hi

Even on a heated trailer, the low point drain valves are pretty much dangling out in the wind. The same is true of the city water inlet. The gate valves for black and gray are pretty rugged, but certainly can freeze as well.

If it gets cold enough long enough things can have issues without protection.

Bob

[JJTX]

Originally Posted by uncle_bob

Hi

Even on a heated trailer, the low point drain valves are pretty much dangling out in the wind. The same is true of the city water inlet. The gate valves for black and gray are pretty rugged, but certainly can freeze as well.

If it gets cold enough long enough things can have issues without protection.

Bob

Won't get any disagreement from me.