Camping in freezing temps…how to keep pipes from freezing??

[Raise]

Well guys, we are on our last camping trip for the year before winterizing the trailer. We will be camping til Sunday and the daytime temps are not going to get above the 30s and the nighttime temps will be down in the teens and 20s. Unfortunately, we do not have a city water connection, but my hose is able to reach from the water valve to the water tank fill port. So I am able to top off the onboard water tank when needed. One problem is that my water tank guage is broken, so i dont exactly know when its full or close to it. Anyway, other than running the heater and leaving cabinet doors open inside the rv all day and all night long, what else can i do to keep pipes from freezing? I was going to let one or 2 faucets continuously drip throughout the day and night, but if the water tank gets empty overnight, will the water pump burn up? Any advice is needed and appreciated. Thanks guys and Happy Thanksgiving

 

[Lloyd S]

I have dry camped in those temps, and by leaving the cupboard doors ope, we never had any issues.

I don't think I would let the water drip. That's a good way to fill the drain hose and freeze that..

 

[Raise]

I have dry camped in those temps, and by leaving the cupboard doors ope, we never had any issues.

I don't think I would let the water drip. That's a good way to fill the drain hose and freeze that..

Thanks Lloyd. Two questions sir:

What do you mean by dry camping?

What are you referring to as the drain hose?

 

[Lloyd S]

Thanks Lloyd. Two questions sir:

What do you mean by dry camping?
Also referred to as -boondocking.
No hookups.


What are you referring to as the drain hose?

The hose that drains all liquids into the sewer .

 

[Raise]

The hose that drains all liquids into the sewer .

Thanks Lloyd

 

[Raise]

The hose that drains all liquids into the sewer .

When youre dry camping, do you fill your water tank and use your plumbing?

 

[Lloyd S]

When youre dry camping, do you fill your water tank and use your plumbing?

Certainly do. Also carried 35 gal. extra in jugs. Most all the places we dry camped in the fall had a pit toilet, and some had a hand pump for water. We were very careful how much we used our water supply and what went into the holding tanks. Once a tank gets full, or you run out of water, that means you have to pick everything up, hookup and brake camp to dump your tanks.
One year we made it for a month before we had to break camp.

 

[Raise]

Certainly do. Also carried 35 gal. extra in jugs. Most all the places we dry camped in the fall had a pit toilet, and some had a hand pump for water. We were very careful how much we used our water supply and what went into the holding tanks. Once a tank gets full, or you run out of water, that means you have to pick everything up, hookup and brake camp to dump your tanks.
One year we made it for a month before we had to break camp.

Good advice, we are still learning, only our 2nd year with the trailer. Loving it though. Always lookin for tips from you veterans

 

[Wingerdinger]

It is a good thing that you are not connecting to city water. The outside fittings and hoses are the first thing to freeze. You should always use your fresh water tank in freezing weather.
The 'extended season' RVs that have an underbelly usually have tank heaters. You should use them.
Do not drip water, it will only waste it and fill up your waste tanks.

 

[Nigel-XRD]

It is a good thing that you are not connecting to city water. The outside fittings and hoses are the first thing to freeze. You should always use your fresh water tank in freezing weather.
The 'extended season' RVs that have an underbelly usually have tank heaters. You should use them.
Do not drip water, it will only waste it and fill up your waste tanks.

We have one of those expensive blue heated water hoses and it seems that alot of camp sites are insulating the supply hook up. So far so good.

 

[Raise]

It is a good thing that you are not connecting to city water. The outside fittings and hoses are the first thing to freeze. You should always use your fresh water tank in freezing weather.
The 'extended season' RVs that have an underbelly usually have tank heaters. You should use them.
Do not drip water, it will only waste it and fill up your waste tanks.

Ours is a 2016 Crossroads Rezerve so i dont think it has a heater for the fresh water tank. Do you guys buy aftermarket ones and install them? If so, how does it work?

 

[Wingerdinger]

Ours is a 2016 Crossroads Rezerve so i dont think it has a heater for the fresh water tank. Do you guys buy aftermarket ones and install them? If so, how does it work?

I have a 2015 Crossroads Sunset Trail Reserve ST26RB with the 'Extreme Weather' package, and it has tank heaters from the factory. It is the Extreme Weather package that gives it the tank heaters, as well as (not much) extra insulation and a little larger furnace.
The heaters are a large rubber heating pad under each tank.

 

[Laj]

I have a Crossroad Cruise Aire, how can I know if I have an underbelly heater? I have the extreme package. Also if there are underbelly heaters, do you have to do anything to turn them on?

 

[Wingerdinger]

I have a Crossroad Cruise Aire, how can I know if I have an underbelly heater? I have the extreme package. Also if there are underbelly heaters, do you have to do anything to turn them on?

I assume that you are referring to tank heaters. Every RV that I have ever seen has switches to turn them on. In my case, they are just below the main convenience panel, and are labeled 'tank heater'.
Also, if you have a covered underbelly, there is a duct from the furnace that feeds heated air into the underbelly to help keep plumbing from freezing. It is rarely very well designed and often partially blocked from getting to all the plumbing.
In general, most RVs are simply not designed to use in sustained below freezing conditions, regardless of the 'package' that you have, and what some sales person tells you.

 

[DavisK]

My Rockwood has a switch on the panel for the tank heaters. There is also a warning that the tanks need to be about 1/4 full before using the heaters to keep from damaging an empty tank.