First Winter Travel....any suggestions??

[lvcat2004]

Relatively new owner of 2009 25' CCD...had it since July and making one trip/month on average.

I'm going up to Utah for a few days in Xmas where average low is in the teens.

I have never traveled in cold weather and am worried about things freezing up. I looked at winter travel forum to see if there are any stickies on "winter travel 101". Is there such thing?? I need some basic things on how to prevent things from freezing, heating (I have furnace and AC but many people use space heaters?), and everything a noob needs to know about staying in subfreezing temp. Thanks.

[dwightdi]

Any outside water or sewer lines will freeze, if the have any fluid in them. Keep them dry. Interior tanks and plumbing will be OK as long as your keep the unit heated. Runing your furnace will quickly deplete your batteries, if you are not connected to electricity. That is why people install catlytic heaters (which do not use electricity) if they intend to camp without connecting. Traveling on icy roads is at least twice as dangerous as pulling during the summer. The best solution for camping in the winter is to go south and keep out of the mountains.

[moosetags]

You will probably want to use your gas furnace as opposed to the heat pump for two reasons. The heat heat pump doesn't work when the temperature dips much below freezing. Also use of the furnace helps keep the trailer's internal water lines from freezing.

As has already been suggested, take in your city water line at night and use your internal fresh water tank overnight.

We use silver roll insulation between the windows and the curtains when camping in the cold. We also insulate the sky light and Fantastic Fans. This helps keep the heat in.

Brian

[RollingCondo]

Some tips I caught from some die hard Canadian campers. Keep your electrical cords including cable TV or phone lines off the ground. An accumulation of ice and snow can freeze them to the ground. Pack a hair dryer. Safe way to thaw a pipe out should that happen. I've lined all outside walls that are hidden (back of closets, under my mid twin beds, rear trunk area and cabinets) with Reflectix. I've also made an inside cover for my large front window out of Reflectix and use Velcro tabs to hold in place. I have one large dead light window that I covered with one of those shrink film storm window kits. I measured and had cut 1/8" Lexan to cover my 2 bedroom windows and use Velcro to hold in place. An electric heater will be a big help to keeping the trailer warm and reduce furnace usage. But don't plan on using an electric heater only as it's your furnace that provides the heat to keep your tanks and water lines from freezing. Make sure you have adequate supply of propane. Put a gallon of RV antifreeze into your black tank to help prevent freezing. Use your fresh water hose and sewer hose when necessary, then take them up and drain them well till you need them again. Here's a link on another forum I particapate in that has some good info and links as well. RV.Net Open Roads Forum: Help on living in 5th wheel for the winter Some good common sense and preparedness can make the trip an experience instead of a nightmare.

[Jim Foster]

Birds fly south in the winter to avoid the cold.

But then what do they know?

[lvcat2004]

Those are some really good suggestions, thanks.

I will have full hook-ups when I go.

So fill up the fresh water tank during the day and disconnect from the water huh??

It won't freeze up at all?? I don't know if there is an "antifreeze-like" thing that I need to put in fresh water tank or not. So I CAN put RV antifreeze in grey and black water tanks?

[RollingCondo]

Suggestions I've heard are to put the RV antifreeze into your gray and black tanks first. they will settle down to the drain pipes and help prevent the pipes from freezing up. Another trick is to buy a spare sewer outlet cap. Then drill and mount a lamp socket to it. Wire up the socket and use a low wattage bulb like a Christmas light. It will keep the outlet area warm and the adjoining pipes. No antifreeze additive for the fresh water tank...... although I've read of one who put a large bottle of wine into his. Claimed that mixed with all the water it couldn't be tasted. Whether or not it helped to prevent freezing is debatable, but still something to be considered.

[Drathaar]

In December, we are thinking about taking our Airstream (the ViewFinder) to Bosque Del Apache in New Mexico for some bird photography. It is high elevation and cold. I plan on winterizing the trailer, plus putting several gallons of RV antifreeze in the holding tanks and traps. I am not planning on using any of the water system, so it will be blown out and I will pump AF into it. I will keep a couple of water cans in the trailer for personal use and cooking. Can you think of anything else that I should consider along the winterizing/winter use lines??

I've never pulled the trailer in the winter. Any words of wisdom other than be willing to wait out snow and Ice?

If you want to contact me directly, my email is drathaar001@yahoo.com.

Thanks!!!

[kingfisher24]

we are currently at Brantley Lake State Park, Carlsbad, NM where over night temps are in the low 20s...our travel plans will take us north to Las Vegas and Santa Fe and possibly Taos and any other destination with nightly temps in this range and daytime temps above freezing to a significant degree...we have camped at Fools Hollow in Show Low with snow on the ground and new snow falling with teens at night and low thirtys in the daytime with no significant problems...

I have ceramic electric heaters that are fantastic...and we move often and don't plan on getting caught in any snow storms or blizzards