Using periodically in winter...Not winterizing

[slowmover]

Originally Posted by MsTara

I hope you don't mind if I ask a question on your thread?



I live in the mountains of AZ and have just brought my Airstream Home. We have been having freezing temperatures and my 16' Bambi has been professionally winterized before I picked it up. since I have been going in and out continuously while I have been setting her up, I have left my heater on at 50 degrees utilizing the propane tanks.



I was wondering what people's thoughts were on doing this and any concerns I should be aware of.



Thanks!

If you have 120V electric at the trailer, try a DYSON HOT+COOL unit. There's at least one thread about them. I can heat more than half my 35' comfortably with temps above freezing. No furnace.

[Ohiobrits]

Originally Posted by MsTara

I hope you don't mind if I ask a question on your thread?



I live in the mountains of AZ and have just brought my Airstream Home. We have been having freezing temperatures and my 16' Bambi has been professionally winterized before I picked it up. since I have been going in and out continuously while I have been setting her up, I have left my heater on at 50 degrees utilizing the propane tanks.



I was wondering what people's thoughts were on doing this and any concerns I should be aware of.



Thanks!

MsTara

Running the furnace set at 40F or a bit higher if really cold is how Airstream designed your trailer to remain warm and not frozen up. If your trailer has 12V heating pads on the water tanks then using an electric heater inside the trailer instead of the furnace (together with the pads) should work. Just make sure that any cupboards where pipes run behind are open to allow good air circulation. Note that Airstream routes smaller 2" furnace hose behind the sink and to the water tanks (if you don't have heating pads) and in other areas where pipes are to prevent freezing. Running the furnace v an electric heater is therefore probably a bit better / lower risk if you will see really cold temps. By really cold I mean single digit F or below.

If you are using the furnace keep an eye on your propane levels. You can use it pretty quick if it gets really cold even with the thermostat set at 40. I use a digital fish scale to weigh the bottles once a week or so. You can get them on Amazon. Disconnect the bottles from the hose, lift up using the scale and weight. The tare weight (empty weight of the bottle) will be stamped on the collar, about 20 lbs typically. The full bottle weight will also be stamped here also. Some simple math will tell you have many lbs of propane are in the tank (subtract tare weight from as-weighed weight). You can run everything off the other bottle whilst you get the empty one filled.

I'm in OH and still have water in my AS. We have seen some temps as low as 18F already and with the furnace at 40F everything is just fine. I intend to camp next weekend then empty the water since it will soon be below or close to freezing day and night which will chew through a lot of propane.

[OTRA15]

Her Bambi has already been "professionally winterized."

Thus the more general question asked . . .

[MsTara]

Slowmover, I do have a Dyson I use in my house. I like the idea of taking it out there.

Ohiobrits, great call out. I am taking it out in January and will undo all my nice winterization. I like the options I have moving forward that you called out. I am sad that I wasn't there to see the winterization done so I can easily replicate it.

Otra15, thanks

[Peanut]

Congrats on the new baby MsTara! Consider using the heat stripe that is built into your air conditioner - before you know it you'll think you’re in Phoenix during July. Not to worry - they are super easy to winterize. I generally do it at the dump station when I winter camp. Essentially what you do is replace the water with air and/or RV antifreeze. Takes about an hour and a half the first time, but only twenty minutes once you get the hang of it.

[pcskier]

Originally Posted by MsTara

I hope you don't mind if I ask a question on your thread?

I live in the mountains of AZ and have just brought my Airstream Home. We have been having freezing temperatures and my 16' Bambi has been professionally winterized before I picked it up. since I have been going in and out continuously while I have been setting her up, I have left my heater on at 50 degrees utilizing the propane tanks.

I was wondering what people's thoughts were on doing this and any concerns I should be aware of.

Thanks!

If your trailer is winterized what is your concern? Not sure of your question. Other replies are talking about keeping your plumbing from freezing, which isn't an issue if yours is winterized.

Leaving the furnace on is fine. You will run out of propane eventually, and unless the trailer is plugged in to shore power, your batteries will run down pretty quickly.

If you are plugged in, using an oil-filled pace heater is a great option to safely keep the interior warm and comfortable, without using up your propane.

[travellvr]

I'm a newbie 16' Bambi owner in Austin TX - we get occasional frost/freeze warnings. Brought home my new unit yesterday and looking to go out on my "maiden trip" next week, but there is a freeze warning tonight (down to perhaps 28 degrees). My trailer is outside and is not winterized (I know it has some water in the water tank). If I use a small electric space heater on the inside, would the tanks be likely to be ok or do I need to turn on the heater and blower and burn the propane? I can't quite get some of the details straight yet. Thanks!

[Vitaver]

Originally Posted by slowmover

If you have 120V electric at the trailer, try a DYSON HOT+COOL unit. There's at least one thread about them. I can heat more than half my 35' comfortably with temps above freezing. No furnace.

On near zero temps, while in use, will a Dyson alone (no furnace) keep them from freezing (FC27, 2016)?

[Ohiobrits]

Originally Posted by Vitaver

On near zero temps, while in use, will a Dyson alone (no furnace) keep them from freezing (FC27, 2016)?

No, the furnace is required to heat the plumbing and tanks that are not directly inside the coach. There is piping that runs under the floor on top of the fresh tank. This piping I guess is technically "inside" but needs a warm fresh water tank (heated by the furnace) to prevent freezing. The tanks themselves of course also need the furnace to be running if they have fluid in them.

My 27FB has not been winterized this year since we are winter camping. We have seen 2 periods with lows around 0 F for 2 - 3 days at a stretch. I had no issues at all with the furnace set at 40 F except for one night when I decided to leave a Dyson heater on set at 39 F to "supplement" the furnace. The water pump and piping that runs under the floor froze. Turned the furnace up to 60 F the following day and got it thawed out but beware if it is really cold.

If you are living in the AS in sub-zero temps (60 or so inside) you will probably do OK with a Dyson in supplemental mode but make sure the furnace is still cranking....

By way of some data points, on the first cold snap I took some measurements to reassure myself that I would not have a big ice block on my hands the following morning. I measured the following temps with an IR thermometer :-

Outside the AS
Ground temp -1 degF
Exterior skin 0 degF

Inside AS
Floor in the rear was the warmest at about 50F (furnace lines run under the floor)
Walls in the rear were at about 40F (temp sensor for the thermostat is adjacent to an exterior wall in the rear so that makes sense)
Walls in the front about 32F (this is an FB that are about 10F cooler from front to rear)

Overall the AS seems to do OK in pretty cold temps, other than the propane usage rate 😳

[IanPoulin]

It only takes me about 30m to winterize my Serenity 28W, (after some practice makes perfect and a good checklist) -- so I have no qualms about camping and then winterizing any time I go out in the winter...

[Vitaver]

I have our FC27FB 2016 in CO where every day, at least part of it, is subzero. We sat the Funrance at 50F and two ceramic space heaters at 80F. Water dripping, hot hose to city water, gray tank valve open, thermostat vieweable with wifi camera so we can check remotely the outside and inside temp. 2 heat lamps under the belly surrounded by boards. It is working great so far.

[OTRA15]

Originally Posted by MsTara

Slowmover, I do have a Dyson I use in my house. I like the idea of taking it out there.

Ohiobrits, great call out. I am taking it out in January and will undo all my nice winterization. I like the options I have moving forward that you called out. I am sad that I wasn't there to see the winterization done so I can easily replicate it.

Otra15, thanks

Just a reminder that your 16' Sport may not have the same furnace and heat ducts going by the water/holding tanks and plumbing in the belly, so that the recent comments about larger and newer AS surviving extreme cold weather may not apply to you, MsTara. It might be worth confirming with your dealer exactly what cold weather capacity your AS has.

"Caveat Emptor" when it comes to putting an aluminum tent out in the cold. What works for some models may be a recipe for disaster for other models.

[OTRA15]

Originally Posted by Vitaver

I have our FC27FB 2016 in CO where every day, at least part of it, is subzero. We sat the Funrance at 50F and two ceramic space heaters at 80F. Water dripping, hot hose to city water, gray tank valve open, thermostat vieweable with wifi camera so we can check remotely the outside and inside temp. 2 heat lamps under the belly surrounded by boards. It is working great so far.

By "subzero" do you mean below 0 degrees Fahrenheit?

Did you not post a couple of weeks ago about a frozen black water valve and shower elbow? In the interest of accurate information for the inexperienced, it is helpful to be more candid about the trials and tribulations of extreme winter use IMO.

Originally Posted by Vitaver

Today one of my propane bottles emptied, after a month of use. I did experience freezing on the black tank valve and on the shower elbow, so I added 2 lamps under the rig with some wood boards around the tanks to keep more of the heat. One space heater on high, one on low (1.5KW and 750 W), and the thermostat on the wall set at 69.

[click to arrow in quote above to go to the other thread]