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Gneiss Guy · 02-09-2016, 07:18 AM

I keep my 2011 FC 30 in conditioned indoor storage, consequently, it is not winterized. I will take it out of storage Friday, in preparation with a trip to FL. The low that morning will be 24 with a high of 44. Friday night the temp swill drop to 24 again. Saturday will have a high of 31 and a low of 22 in North GA where we will spend the night. To keep things from freezing while on the road south, can I run the furnace? I don't mind winterizing it for Friday night, but will need water Sat. night and hate to have to winterize in again for one day. Any thoughts?

55AS · 02-09-2016, 08:06 AM

Run the furnace.

Lily&Me · 02-09-2016, 08:10 AM

Yes, that was my thought.

I don't think you need to winterize for your travel time south, just get thyself to warmer climes and don't dally along the way.

Maggie

HowieE · 02-09-2016, 08:14 AM

You should be fine while on the road if the temperature is above freezing during the day.
If you are in the trailer sat. night and have used the heater before retiring it will be fine.

Remember it takes 80 time the energy to freeze water from 32 liquid to 32 solid as it does to drop water one degree.

I went through Tenn. several weeks ago, on the way to Fl., with 8 hours of snow in the hills. That was fun.

AnnArborBob · 02-09-2016, 08:15 AM

When towing in below freezing temperatures we run the furnace on the road. Just make sure to turn it off if you go into a gas station with your rig. If the ambient temperatures during the day get above freezing, you may not need to run the furnace all the time.

Al and Missy · 02-09-2016, 08:16 AM

Took our Safari from FL to OH with overnight temperatures in the upper teens lower twenties. Ran the furnace at night. Brought a Classic back, with the same temperatures for the first two nights. Again, ran the furnace. The only problem we had was I thought it was going to be warmer Saturday night so I hooked up to water. The hose was frozen in the morning. Fill your water tank about half full and use that water instead of hooking up. The furnace should keep everything int the belly from freezing.

Al

Protagonist · 02-09-2016, 08:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AnnArborBob

If the ambient temperatures during the day get above freezing, you may not need to run the furnace all the time.

Set the thermostat as low as it will go just before you hit the road. Then if the daytime temperatures get warm enough, the thermostat will shut off the furnace for you.

dkottum · 02-09-2016, 09:26 AM

Perhaps I am overly concerned about freeze damage (it's a Minnesota thing) but I would open the plumbing and fresh water tank drains, not use the storage tanks, and get along without water until in warm weather. Run the furnace as advised above for residual water left in the lines.

OTRA15 · 02-09-2016, 09:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dkottum

Perhaps I am overly concerned about freeze damage (it's a Minnesota thing) but I would open the plumbing and fresh water tank drains, not use the storage tanks, and get along without water until in warm weather. Run the furnace as advised above for residual water left in the lines.

I am inclined to agree with doug's advice. Why not also blow out the lines with air? It only takes 10-15 minutes.

A chain is only as strong as its weakest link. ANY freeze-up of a plumbing line would be a bad way to start the trip south. Been there -- done that -- not fun to be doing plumbing repairs on the first day after arrival for a planned trip!

If you are only talking about waiting a couple of days, the risk of bursting a pipe (it usually happens in the hardest-to-get-to location IMO) is not worth it.

Please follow-up with the steps you take (if any), and how the trailer fared.

Thanks,

Peter

PS -- The forecast lows for the next few days for Atlanta are below average, and well below freezing, consistent with your original post. Check the line graphs at the bottom of this monthly page:

http://www.accuweather.com/en/us/atl...weather/348181

PS2 -- If you are driving during a period of below-freezing weather, the pipes will lose heat much more quickly due to the air movement (compared to sitting still in a campground with your heat on).

HowieE · 02-09-2016, 09:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by OTRA15

PS2 -- If you are driving during a period of below-freezing weather, the pipes will lose heat much more quickly due to the air movement (compared to sitting still in a campground with your heat on).

Lets not get hysterical. The pipes are not subject to air flow while on the road. Even if the pipes where exposed the wind chill factor, that is so commonly quoted, applies to evaporation of moisture off the skin.

The piping used in an Airstream today is plastic and quite forgiving even if freezing does happen. My city water connection has frozen at least a half dozen times while connected without a problem. That connection is the first place to freeze if the trailer has water on board.

OTRA15 · 02-09-2016, 10:07 AM

"hysterical?"

The remote spaces in which the most vulnerable pipes are located will lose heat most quickly, and those spaces are furthest from the heated interior of the trailer.

Just being cautious -- and experienced with having to correct my own poor winterization on the road, just as we were settling in to our first day on the beach in San Diego when a cracked elbow at the back of the water heater burst and leaked all over the place. [Edit -- which required removal of the bed and platform, carpeting, etc. just to get to the cracked fitting, not to mention that this was on a Sunday morning, and required digging out the remnants of the shattered elbow from the water heater. Fortunately the local hardware store was excellent and had BOTH the plastic elbow AND the right tap for cleaning up the female threads in the water heater -- quite a project for the first day of vacation!]

As I said in the earlier post, in an assessment of risk/reward, cost/benefit, the advantages of heading south with the plumbing charged and on, is not worth it in my personal opinion, under the OP's stated parameters.

All volunteers to help repair burst frozen fittings in Florida can apply here.

Good luck!

Protagonist · 02-09-2016, 10:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HowieE

Even if the pipes where exposed the wind chill factor, that is so commonly quoted, applies to evaporation of moisture off the skin.

The fact that wind chill doesn't affect pipes is best illustrated with the following example, using the official National Weather Service wind chill chart…

Consider an air temperature of 35°F. Pipes will not freeze at this temperature. I'm sure we can all agree on that.

Now add a 20mph wind. The wind chill is 24°F. The wind chill is now below freezing, but the pipes still will not freeze, because the actual temperature is still 35°F, above freezing.

Wind chill only affects how quickly something will get colder, not how cold it will get.

EvelynDickinson · 02-09-2016, 10:41 AM

Been in this situation in the past a few times. We blow the lines dry with the compressor and rough it with jug water and rest stops but that's in my '69

Minipad · 02-09-2016, 10:55 AM

I pull my trailer in and through the Colorado Mountains all winter long. (I live in the middle of the mountains.) I fill my water and split a gallon jug of RV antifreeze between my gray and black tanks to cover the exposed valves. I set my furnace thermostat to 50°F and have never frozen a line, even in sub zero temps. (It was -14°F when I pulled out of the house on my last trip.)

It is true that the lines used by Airstream today are pretty forgiving to freezing but unfortunately, there are a few components that are not made from that material. The brass hot water shutoff is one, and the low point drains are another. But, still with lots of miles and days in super cold temps, no problems in my experience.

The advice above to shut your furnace off before hitting the gas station is a no-joke good practice and should include the fridge and hot water heater if on propane. Those are three sparks that might be very un-welcomed in the presence of gasoline fumes. I was standing at a pump fueling just two weeks ago when another motorist, filling a small gas can, left the can unattended for just a second. The gas can tipped over and the hose didn't shut off. The can dumped and the hose kept pumping fuel on the ground. It was a matter of seconds before the spill was within feet of my trailer. I was thankful that I had turned all the units off.

Have a safe trip.

m.hony · 02-09-2016, 11:00 AM

Winterize.

dkottum · 02-09-2016, 11:07 AM

The cold and hot water drain valves under our Airstream are brass and completely exposed to weather. When the valves are closed they contain water which is subject to outside temperatures. I think they are the weakest link in the system for freezing, so I always open them when the temp drops below freezing for several hours, especially if there is freezing wind to cool things more quickly.

The fresh water tank drain is plastic, a little more forgiving than brass, but I open it as well with most freezing conditions as mentioned above. Our storage tank shutoffs are also exposed to weather, so I'm also concerned about them although there some little room for expansion if freezing happens, and the liquid volume behind them will hold some warmth.

Siegmann · 02-09-2016, 11:14 AM

If you are driving in freezing temps, even if you keep the inside of the rig warm, there are two at risk locations for damage (I've experienced both). The low point water drains and the valve that sends water to the no-fuss-flush. Open both of them. The former requires you to open a faucet (to admit air) and will take awhile.

WestieHouse · 02-09-2016, 11:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Protagonist

The fact that wind chill doesn't affect pipes is best illustrated with the following example, using the official National Weather Service wind chill chart…

Consider an air temperature of 35°F. Pipes will not freeze at this temperature. I'm sure we can all agree on that.

Now add a 20mph wind. The wind chill is 24°F. The wind chill is now below freezing, but the pipes still will not freeze, because the actual temperature is still 35°F, above freezing.

Wind chill only affects how quickly something will get colder, not how cold it will get.

Protagonist's concluding comment nails it precisely. Consequently, if you use a heat source to increase sub-freezing ambient temperature to above freezing temperature, any circulation of the cold ambient air replaces heated air. Thus, the heat provided by the heat source will be diminished by the air circulation. Strictly speaking, this is not "wind chill" as it is typically defined (effect on biologic tissue). But the heat loss is real. This is essentially what your tv radiator does for water cooling.

Jammer · 02-09-2016, 11:18 AM

I live in Minnesota and have taken my trailer on a handful of early spring and late fall trips where temperatures have dropped below freezing.

I would recommend running the furnace and keeping the interior temperature up to around 60 degrees or so.

You will use considerable amounts of propane and 12v power while on the road. While it is true that there is no windchill effect as such, traveling at highway speeds increases the amount of air exchange so the furnace will run quite a bit more than if the trailer were stationary. Be sure your batteries are in good shape, and plan on using shore power during your stops. It's easy to go through a full cylinder of propane on a trip like this, so consider topping off before leaving or have a stop in mind where you can get a cylinder refilled.

JCWDCW · 02-09-2016, 11:58 AM

If I were caught in a freeze and worried bout the pipes, I would disconnect the inlet to the pump and let it suck air while opening each tap in turn till some air blew through. Then shut off the pump and open the taps and then open the low point drains.
If there is some air space then the water expansion while it freezes will not burst the pipes. It's only when the water has no place to expand as it freezes that the damage occurs.
On the new(to me) trailer last year, I missed the line from the city water connection to the valve nest around the water heater, and it did not do any damage. I doubt that there was enough antifreeze seeping to that section of the trailer piping to protect against the -15F temps we had. I assume the water/ice simply expanded along the line into empty space.
JCW

JCW