Tips for being stuck in snow???

[bliss]

Just this morning I was concerned about driving too slow on the Interstate. Now, I've stopped all together because it's snowing! Middle of Montana, middle of September.

This is supposed to be my shakedown cruise, but snow was certainly not expected. Ironically, I got an RV because I wanted to get away from the cold completely.

I contacted my Airstream dealership about what I should do, and they only thing they recommended is to empty the holding tanks.

Now that I'm going to stay in the trailer during the night, I'm told that since I'll have the heat on, I don't have to worry about the tanks freezing. Right now the only tank that is full is the fresh water tank.

Thoughts from the experts? It's going to go down to 32 degrees tonights according to the forecast.

[wulfraat]

Nothing to worry about. Just run the gas furnace and nothing will freeze no need to empty tanks in fact its best to have them full.

I love winter camping - just be careful out on the roads - if your are forced to drive on snow / ice surface then consider staying put. Otherwise at a minimum disengage your anti-sway and proceed with caution!

[Bill M.]

Run the gas heat. Unhook and drain the water hose to the trailer. I have a friend who says "Propane is cheaper than plumbing". Wait tell the snow melts. Sounds like a good first trip to me.

[AtomicNo13]

You need not worry as it probably won't be at freezing long enough for your plumbing to freeze.
Best to have water in the tanks any way... Thermal mass.
Hunker down and enjoy the experience!

[Lily&Me]

32 degrees is nothing....you can manage that easily with your furnace on.

Once you get into the teens, that is a bit more challenging.

Think of it as an adventure.

Maggie

[bliss]

thanks everyone.

So the furnace is running. I also have a heat pump via the A/C. Is the furnace preferrable to the heat pump, and if so why?

Reason is, I'm noticing that my battery is being run down when the furnace is on, even though I'm plugged into shore power.

Been "living" in the airstream for a week, and this is the first I've seen the battery meter change from green. It's now red.

Thoughts on this one?

[bliss]

Originally Posted by wulfraat

if your are forced to drive on snow / ice surface then consider staying put. Otherwise at a minimum disengage your anti-sway and proceed with caution!

Why disengage the anti-sway?

[bliss]

Originally Posted by Bill M.

Run the gas heat. Unhook and drain the water hose to the trailer. I have a friend who says "Propane is cheaper than plumbing". Wait tell the snow melts. Sounds like a good first trip to me.

"Propane is cheaper than plumbing" - ha! good way to think about it

It's been a ... very interesting first trip. At least a dozen new challenges every day. When one is solved, another arises!

[bliss]

Originally Posted by AtomicNo13

You need not worry as it probably won't be at freezing long enough for your plumbing to freeze.

Good point. Snow and storm is supposed to pass by Sunday.

[DaveP]

Bliss,

You want to run the furnace when it is below freezing because it circulates warm air around your tanks. The heat pump does not warm your tanks.

[bliss]

Originally Posted by Lily&Me

32 degrees is nothing....you can manage that easily with your furnace on.

Once you get into the teens, that is a bit more challenging.

Think of it as an adventure.

Maggie

ha! Yes, it is an adventure for sure

[Isuzusweet]

I'm thinking the AS people probably were trying to reduce your trailer weight when towing in slippery conditions; which is why they suggested empty holding tanks.

I wouldn't worry about plumbing freezing at 32 degrees as it would take many days before the temp in the trailer and tanks matched the outside, especially just the overnight temp.

Relax and enjoy; just remember to allow for more room between you and others when driving in slippery conditions and if possible have one hand on your brake controller to add a bit more braking to the trailer.

Cheers
Tony

[bliss]

Originally Posted by DaveP

Bliss,

You want to run the furnace when it is below freezing because it circulates warm air around your tanks. The heat pump does not warm your tanks.

Oh, great. Many thank!

Now, for the battery issue... manual says the furnace is "powered by 12 volt current from the batteries or power converter when plugged into city power."

Since I'm operating at the moment like I've hooked up to city power (all the lights all, television going, etc) I could be running down the battery. How can I tell if I'm hooked in or not? The power surge protector is between the electrical outlet and the cable that's plugged into the trailer. All seems well, except the furnace part.

[HiJoeSilver]

Do other 120volt appliances work. Like the microwave, that'll let you know if you've got 120v going into the trailer. Check all the circuit breakers move them FULLY to the off position then back to the on position. You may have a tripped breaker.
For some reason it seems like the converter isn't getting power or charging the batteries.

I wouldn't be afraid to go politely ask someone for a little help, if your batteries are red you likely won't have heat through the night unless this gets figured out.
Make sure use/store switch is in use position if you have one.

[bliss]

Originally Posted by HiJoeSilver

Do other 120volt appliances work. Like the microwave, that'll let you know if you've got 120v going into the trailer. Check all the circuit breakers move them FULLY to the off position then back to the on position. You may have a tripped breaker.
For some reason it seems like the converter isn't getting power or charging the batteries.

I wouldn't be afraid to go politely ask someone for a little help, if your batteries are red you likely won't have heat through the night unless this gets figured out.
Make sure use/store switch is in use position if you have one.

Hi Joe - thanks. No microwave. I need the inverter for the television, so is that 12 volt?

Will check the breakers. Thanks.

[HiJoeSilver]

Well just remembered you had ac/heat pump running so you have electric in thectrailer. So look for breakers that might have tripped. When they trip it can sometimes be hard to tell and to reset them you have to move them all the way to off then back on. Also check for any blown fuses on the DC side just in case. The furnace is running so that fuse is obviously but there may be something for the converter.
What type and year trailer?

[WT1J]

Battery voltage dropping due to cold?

[HiJoeSilver]

Yes the inverter uses 12vdc and converts it to 120vac. So if you're using the converter to run 120 vac items while plugged into shore power you shouldn't need to do that. The conversion is 10 to one so trying to live normally through the inverter can/will draw the batteries down quickly.
Hopefully you find a popped breaker. They can do that sometimes when you hit a rough bump.
If you have things running through the inverter I'd turn them off to save as much battery power as you can.

As a plan last resort...Did you leave your tow vehicle connected? Do you have a full tank of gas.

[HiJoeSilver]

Originally Posted by WT1J

Battery voltage dropping due to cold?

If the converter is working it'll keep the voltage up. The converter isn't running or getting voltage to the batteries. So the batteries are drawing down and being cold doesn't help since they aren't charging like they should.

[wulfraat]

Originally Posted by bliss

Why disengage the anti-sway?

In a turn, on ice or snow, if there is friction preventing the coupler from turning freely on the ball, the trailer can be pesky, and refuse to return to center coming out of the turn, which can push the TV in a direction it doesn't intend to go in.... as-in towards on coming traffic or the ditch vs. staying in-lane....