Winter Questions

[spat61]

I have a LY AS (Gas) and live in Eastern North Carolina. It does not get bitter cold very often, last year we had zero snowfall. What is the jeopardy in not winterizing my tanks with antifreeze. Reason I ask is I would like to use the MH for short trips 3-5 days,during the cooler months. I could understand the need if I'm heading north. Thanks.
Steve

[flitzwhopper]

In some respects Arizona is in a similar situation to the one you describe. Only occasionally does the weather get cold enough to freeze things. Last year it was 22 degrees in my back yard, where I store the Argosy, for 4 hours. The above ground domestic water pipes in the back yard were frozen.
My solution, which may not be mainstream, is to leave the power on in my shop which is connected to the shore power in the coach. I then leave the furnace on at its lowest setting. I make sure I have a full 30lb tank connected. The argosy has vents that go to the black and grey water cavities and the fresh water tank is inside in the front of the coach. This method worked fine for the above mentioned cold snap. I only leave the furnace on during periods where a freeze of more than an hour is expected.
Keeping the camper ready to fly is important because winter in AZ is when some of the best camping is available.

[Boondocker]

Hi Spat,

So long as the temp doesn't drop below freezing there is no problem. If the temp goes below freezing you can have water pipe damage, kill your water heater and tear up your faucets.

I suggest at the very least draining the system between uses and rigging the water lines to be blown out with compressed air. Damaged plumbing is no fun.