How do I camp in COLD weather with my Sequence

[Dennis1951]

Hey Guys,



We would like to do some camping in November and early December with my Sequence 20L. We have the Truma Combi eco . Main questions:



1. Truma Combi : Can I use the hot water heater in cold weather ??
2. Can I use my plumbing in the wetbath and Kitchen sink area ??

3. While driving in cold weather how do I keep the lines from freezing ??
4. Are there any lines OUTSIDE that I can insulate ???
5. Manual says to install a ByPass kit if using antifreeze. Does the Sequence

come with a Bypass already installed ????


My Truma Combi heats the water at the same time it heats the RV BUT the water is in my fresh water tank so how do those lines not freeze up ??? I was told I have tank heaters BUT does this mean my water lines will not FREEZE ???



Its our first time trying this camping stuff in cold weather ......we don't want to experience a disaster . THANK YOU !!!

[DavidEM]

Can't speak to your specific coach, but here are some generalities:

Originally Posted by Dennis1951

Hey Guys,
We would like to do some camping in November and early December with my Sequence 20L. We have the Truma Combi eco . Main questions:
1. Truma Combi : Can I use the hot water heater in cold weather ?? Yes, certainly.
2. Can I use my plumbing in the wetbath and Kitchen sink area ?? Yes you can. As long as overnight temps don't go below 25 or so you will be fine.

3. While driving in cold weather how do I keep the lines from freezing ?? Here it gets tricky. At 65 mph heat transfer rates quadruples. Something that you would not have to worry about getting below freezing for 6 hours or so overnight will freeze up at 65 mph. Waiting until it warms up a bit is what we did in similar conditions.
4. Are there any lines OUTSIDE that I can insulate ??? Don't know. Most MHs have their plumbing lines inside but often run along the floor which is just plywood so it can get cold just inside it.

My Truma Combi heats the water at the same time it heats the RV BUT the water is in my fresh water tank so how do those lines not freeze up ??? I was told I have tank heaters BUT does this mean my water lines will not FREEZE ??? Same answer as above.

Its our first time trying this camping stuff in cold weather ......we don't want to experience a disaster . THANK YOU !!!

So, in general you will be fine down to 25 or so as long as you don't drive off early in the morning when it is still cold. Wait until it gets up above freezing and you should be ok.

David

[MJC62]

Interesting question. We have had RV's for 25 years and have never used the coach's in below freezing weather.
Personally I wouldn't want to dewinterize a coach for a couple weekends of camping but every body floats a different boat.

Can you operate the furnace independent of the hot water heater?
If so than I wouldn't put water in the coach. I would use an outside water source (gallon jugs) for flushing, tooth brushing, washing etc.
If u need hot water for anything heat in micro or stovetop, that is unless you plan on showering, and in November/December in cold climates that makes you are a braver man than I showering in a class B

[Dennis1951]

I think I can use the heater ONLY . I will have to do more research. NO WAY am I taking a shower unless we have HOT water and HEAT !! LMAO

[Dennis1951]

DavidEM



Thanks for the reply.

[RSKDSK]

This spring I took my Tellaro to Utah. Although I was not planning on cold weather, I ran into a couple of night of 28-32F. With my Truma heater set at 70F and the waste tank water heater on I did not have any issues at all. I did drive while it was cold as well, but kept the inside of the van warm. In the Tellaro 20L, the fresh water tank is inside (under the passenger side bed) the van and only the waste tanks are outside. I would make sure to keep the inside of the van warm, not drive in really cold weather, keep the tank heater on, and run the water every now and then on cold days. I was able to use the hot water and cabin heater without any issues but the gas stove does not work at higher elevations.

[paulwadley]

I wrapped insulation around the exposed sewer lines under my 2018 Thor Siesta to help them from freezing. All of my water lines are not exposed. My furnace has a vent that goes into the compartment where my water tank and water pump are located that keeps it warm as long as I have the furnace on. I usually set it at 60 degrees inside and use an electric heater inside to keep us warm. I put the pink antifreeze into the waste tanks and use the electric tank heaters. We camped out in Utah last year just after Christmas for a week and the temps dipped to 16 degrees at night each night. We had no issues. We used our tank water for the shower and did not hook up to city water. It did snow on us twice during that week.

I bought the insulation for the sewer pipes from Home Depot.

Paul

[Dennis1951]

Originally Posted by RSKDSK

This spring I took my Tellaro to Utah. Although I was not planning on cold weather, I ran into a couple of night of 28-32F. With my Truma heater set at 70F and the waste tank water heater on I did not have any issues at all. I did drive while it was cold as well, but kept the inside of the van warm. In the Tellaro 20L, the fresh water tank is inside (under the passenger side bed) the van and only the waste tanks are outside. I would make sure to keep the inside of the van warm, not drive in really cold weather, keep the tank heater on, and run the water every now and then on cold days. I was able to use the hot water and cabin heater without any issues but the gas stove does not work at higher elevations.

Thanks for the information. Very helpful

[Dennis1951]

Originally Posted by paulwadley

I wrapped insulation around the exposed sewer lines under my 2018 Thor Siesta to help them from freezing. All of my water lines are not exposed. My furnace has a vent that goes into the compartment where my water tank and water pump are located that keeps it warm as long as I have the furnace on. I usually set it at 60 degrees inside and use an electric heater inside to keep us warm. I put the pink antifreeze into the waste tanks and use the electric tank heaters. We camped out in Utah last year just after Christmas for a week and the temps dipped to 16 degrees at night each night. We had no issues. We used our tank water for the shower and did not hook up to city water. It did snow on us twice during that week.

I bought the insulation for the sewer pipes from Home Depot.

Paul

Thanks Paul. Time for a trip to HD

[jls56]

Dennis,


I'd highly recommend joining the Facebook group set up for the Thor Class B lines - "Thor Sequence and Tellaro Owner and Wannabees" - SO much information there pertinent to this and many other questions!

Originally Posted by Dennis1951

Hey Guys,


We would like to do some camping in November and early December with my Sequence 20L. We have the Truma Combi eco . Main questions:



1. Truma Combi : Can I use the hot water heater in cold weather ??
2. Can I use my plumbing in the wetbath and Kitchen sink area ??

3. While driving in cold weather how do I keep the lines from freezing ??
4. Are there any lines OUTSIDE that I can insulate ???
5. Manual says to install a ByPass kit if using antifreeze. Does the Sequence

come with a Bypass already installed ????


My Truma Combi heats the water at the same time it heats the RV BUT the water is in my fresh water tank so how do those lines not freeze up ??? I was told I have tank heaters BUT does this mean my water lines will not FREEZE ???



Its our first time trying this camping stuff in cold weather ......we don't want to experience a disaster . THANK YOU !!!

[Monicas Tellaro20AT]

Hi everyone, I’m new to this forum and going to be doing some cold-weather camping. I’ve done some before in November 2020 had a blast. My propane tank gauge was originally installed improperly upside down during Covid. So I never know how much propane I have. I can’t get it fixed until my tank is empty. However, I never know when my tank is empty because the gauge is literally reversed! Such an odd problem! My question today is on my tank heaters. I believe they run off of 12 V DC rather than off of propane. However does anybody happen to know? The reason this matters is because I can’t rely on my propane tank at the moment so I am hoping it runs off of electrical tank heaters. I believe that is how they operate with only 12 V DC. Does anybody happen to know for sure. Because I can’t rely on my propane tank system. Also, I have a cassette toilet. This means that my black tank is just underneath it’s not completely exposed to the elements and it would not matter much if it froze. So I think I just have to be careful to have my tank heaters on assuming I’m plugged into shore power most of the time. Then, I guess if temps get low, I would need to have my propane furnace on. But I get an error when I run it because it thinks it is empty when it isn’t….any advice?

[paulwadley]

My tank heaters run on electricity. I believe they are on the 12 volt system. When we winter camp in the snow, I dump some pink antifreeze in my black and grey tanks even though I have the tank heaters on. My fresh water tank has a furnace outlet that goes into that compartment to keep my fresh water from freezing. We were in 16 degree weather last year for a week in Utah and had no issues. I supplement the interior heat with a plug in electric heater since we are hooked into shore power. I set my furnace to a low heat setting. I also wrapped my exposed sewer lines with insulation to help prevent them from freezing. My water lines are not exposed to the outside elements.


Paul