Winter usage

[foster2]

I would like to use my Airstream during the winter months but I don’t want to do dry camping. I am currently winterized using just compressed air to dry out the water system. I’m wondering if I can drive to an rv site while winterized then make a full hookup, stay a few days, then use my viair 88p air pump to winterize before the drive home, using it to blow out all the lines. I normally use a small 5 gallon compressor to winterize but it’s quite heavy and I would like to leave that at home.

I have a 2017 fc27 fb so I’m guessing that if I run the furnace I will be ok while camping and water lines and tanks should be protected. Anyone else do this?

[Adventure.AS]

You can drive with the furnace running. This will have your trailer at a more comfortable temperature when you arrive at your destination. You may be able to use campground water if you have a heated hose and the camp spigot is also heated. I would only dump your holding tanks when ready to leave. You could also drive home with the furnace on and winterize at home with your 5 gallon compressor.

[OTRA15]

Originally Posted by foster2

I would like to use my Airstream during the winter months but I don’t want to do dry camping. I am currently winterized using just compressed air to dry out the water system. I’m wondering if I can drive to an rv site while winterized then make a full hookup, stay a few days, then use my viair 88p air pump to winterize before the drive home, using it to blow out all the lines. I normally use a small 5 gallon compressor to winterize but it’s quite heavy and I would like to leave that at home.

I have a 2017 fc27 fb so I’m guessing that if I run the furnace I will be ok while camping and water lines and tanks should be protected. Anyone else do this?

There is no easy answer to your questions, without knowing more about the specific weather you intend to "endure" -- including location, temps, wind speeds and direction, and so forth. Too many variables IMO.

I would advise scanning the list of topics in this Winter Living forum [where you correctly posted -- thank you] for other on-topic threads.

Also the new search function above with the blue border works very well -- powered by Google to search only airforums.com -- so your efforts there should prove rewarding IMO.

In general, winter living involves the general rule of "the weakest link disables the entire chain." In terms of AS plumbing, this weak link is often the outdoor shower, city water intake and pressure regulator, or other fittings/runs furthest from the heat.

Please give as much detail as you can, and you will get better feedback IMO. Simplistic "go for it" advice -- without knowing the actual weather conditions -- is not that helpful IMO.

Good luck!

Peter

PS -- For instance, in Pittsburgh PA, the answer to your question would be almost a blanket "No" IMO. Try the search function mentioned above, and put "Colorado winter" in as search terms. Maybe add "propane use" and you will get some older helpful threads.

Check out the temp lines at the bottom of this monthly chart for Boulder CO, as another example:

https://www.accuweather.com/en/us/bo...onyr=2/01/2018

The forecast is for the daily low temp never to go above freezing. Yes, this is an exaggerated example, but if you enter your intended location at the top, then choose the Monthly view, you will get a more helpful overview for that location.

[foster2]

Originally Posted by OTRA15

There is no easy answer to your questions, without knowing more about the specific weather you intend to "endure" -- including location, temps, wind speeds and direction, and so forth. Too many variables IMO.

I would advise scanning the list of topics in this Winter Living forum [where you correctly posted -- thank you] for other on-topic threads.

Also the new search function above with the blue border works very well -- powered by Google to search only airforums.com -- so your efforts there should prove rewarding IMO.

In general, winter living involves the general rule of "the weakest link disables the entire chain." In terms of AS plumbing, this weak link is often the outdoor shower, city water intake and pressure regulator, or other fittings/runs furthest from the heat.

Please give as much detail as you can, and you will get better feedback IMO. Simplistic "go for it" advice -- without knowing the actual weather conditions -- is not that helpful IMO.

Good luck!

Peter

PS -- For instance, in Pittsburgh PA, the answer to your question would be almost a blanket "No" IMO. Try the search function mentioned above, and put "Colorado winter" in as search terms. Maybe add "propane use" and you will get some older helpful threads.

Check out the temp lines at the bottom of this monthly chart for Boulder CO, as another example:

https://www.accuweather.com/en/us/bo...onyr=2/01/2018

The forecast is for the temp never to go above freezing. Yes, this is an exaggerated example, but if you enter your intended location at the top, then choose the Monthly view, you will get a more helpful overview for your intended location.

I’m in pittsburgh so there’s no way to identify what temperatures to expect in sw pa :-)

Sounds like I might need a bit of heat tape?

[OTRA15]

Originally Posted by foster2

I’m in pittsburgh so there’s no way to identify what temperatures to expect in sw pa :-)

Sounds like I might need a bit of heat tape?

You will need more than that IMO.

Pittsburgh Feb 2018 monthly chart:

https://www.accuweather.com/en/us/pi...onyr=2/01/2018

Overnight lows around 15F. Add strong winds to that and it will be difficult to avoid freeze-ups IMO.

Please do the research suggested in the earlier post. It will reward you many times over. ["Colorado winter propane use"]

Over and out.

Peter

[twbucksr]

If you are just staying for the weekend, don’t even bother with the campsite water. Just fill your fresh water tank use it. Should be enough water to get you thru the weekend.

[foster2]

Originally Posted by twbucksr

If you are just staying for the weekend, don’t even bother with the campsite water. Just fill your fresh water tank use it. Should be enough water to get you thru the weekend.

Sounds like a good plan, thx

[sb55]

We are leaving Vermont approx Jan 3 and long range is frigid. First night his usually between Scranton and Harrisburg off Route 81. How low can I use tank water and not worry about freezing. Will I be safe at 0 if the forecast is right, or should we plan on hotel first night.

[A W Warn]

Originally Posted by sb55

We are leaving Vermont approx Jan 3 and long range is frigid. First night his usually between Scranton and Harrisburg off Route 81. How low can I use tank water and not worry about freezing. Will I be safe at 0 if the forecast is right, or should we plan on hotel first night.

The fresh water tank can be kept from freezing if the furnace is left running.
The tanks will not be the problem, I think.

If you use any of that fresh water, when it drains it goes into the waste tanks. From there the waste water will flow down until it is against the dump valves. That bit of pipe and the dump valves where exposed outside of the trailer will freeze and can be damaged.

I would advise running dry/winterized until you get further south.

Keep an eye on the weather forecast, then do what is appropriate. When I was negligent in doing this (heat off and not winterized), my trailer's water piles froze and burst while I was near the Florida border, in Brunswick, GA in Jan 2006 when temps dropped down into the 20s overnight. Repairing waterlines while on a trip is not fun!

[pcskier]

Your plan is exactly what I do, except I take my pancake compressor. I have the same Viair and am not convinced of its effectiveness in blowing out the lines. While it can build pressure, opening a faucet will blow some water and the pressure will drop from 40 or 50 psi to zero in seconds. That would make the process very time-consuming as you wait for pressure to build in all the lines again, plus the duty cycle of the 88p I believe (would have to check) requires turning it off to cool after a certain number of minutes. Lastly, with the larger compressor, beside having greater volume of air to to stay pressurized, and a fast recovery to re-pressurize, I can hook up the hose to the Airstream inlet with an air tool connector, using the brass Camco connector, rather than having to stand there with the Viair schrader connector and hold it against the inlet. Being able to turn on the bigger compressor, attach it, then spend my time inside blowing out the fixtures while the compressor runs and quickly rebuilds pressure is so much easier and so much faster.

Not to say what you propose won't work, but I'd vote for the inconvenience of taking the larger compressor to make the job much more time-efficient, and effective.

Towing home with the furnace on, and then winterizing, is an option, but more of a PIA, and includes some variable that could be catastrophic, such as the furnace failing.

Take the 5 gal compressor and travel home worry-free.

p.s. don't forget to blow the black tank flush if you've used it.

[OTRA15]

Originally Posted by foster2

Sounds like a good plan, thx

Please update us after you make the trip, especially about the weather conditions including wind.

The advice below seems somewhat simplistic IMO, especially for severe wind-driven cold weather.

Happy New Year!

Peter

Originally Posted by twbucksr

If you are just staying for the weekend, don’t even bother with the campsite water. Just fill your fresh water tank use it. Should be enough water to get you thru the weekend.

[Gearheart]

2 @ 5 gallon jugs and a case of bottled water and don't worry about using or compromising you on board water system. Jugs can be refilled as needed. Use campground facilities as necessary. 5 gallon pail with a toilet seat adapter and a trash bag inside covers your bathroom needs.

[Vitaver]

Our shiny and beautiful rigs are perfect for near perfect weather due to the lack of good thermal insulation (poor?). Above and below near perfect requires the brute force of watts to fight the temperature nature puts into our coaches though massive AC or heating. I accept the cost and last month’s electric bill (RV park charges extra for electric) was $200+

I made a box of 2” styrofoam foam panels underneath, covered with a Windskirt for looks (mandates by the Park management). Inside the box a small ceramic space heater and a ceramic heating lamp, both kick in at about 40F. Inside, two larger Voronado space heater set a a high and at a minimum of 55F. The furnace powered by propane set at 50F for insurance. When we live in it, we raise the Voronados to a comphy 69F.

For good measure I added 4 Accurite temperature sensors that I can read remotely on my iPad. 1 outside, 1 inside and 2 under (the most critical as I don’t want the pipes/tanks to freeze). This is a pic:

[russellt]

I took my new Globetrotter rig up to Mammoth several times this winter.

I was really nervous one night it dropped to 8 degrees around 5am, but everything was working fine inside. I tested everything and nothing was frozen the cold water temperature from the faucet was around 50 degrees. Unfortunately I didn't test it later so it's hard to judge how much it changes.

A small bit of ice formed from a little bit of water that was inside the waste pipe. So I would make sure that is totally empty.

I left the furnace on at 60 degrees during the day when I was up on the slopes and I left the water heater on all day, and have an electric space heater too as a backup.

That is just one data point and who knows if it will safe at temperatures that low. Extra caution is sensible as if there was an furnace failure or unexpectedly ran out of propane you'd have very little time to react.

[OTRA15]

Originally Posted by foster2

I would like to use my Airstream during the winter months but I don’t want to do dry camping. I am currently winterized using just compressed air to dry out the water system. I’m wondering if I can drive to an rv site while winterized then make a full hookup, stay a few days, then use my viair 88p air pump to winterize before the drive home, using it to blow out all the lines. I normally use a small 5 gallon compressor to winterize but it’s quite heavy and I would like to leave that at home.

I have a 2017 fc27 fb so I’m guessing that if I run the furnace I will be ok while camping and water lines and tanks should be protected. Anyone else do this?

Could you let us now how the winter camping worked out, and what winterization steps you had to take?

Thanks,

Peter