How bad did I screw up...

[cgaskins]

Well, I have been out of town on business for a few days. After I left town the news reported that it was going to get near freezing in Austin, Texas. My wife told me this morning that it was 32 degrees at our house this morning. I have not winterized the new Big Country. Since there are no low water drains in on my unit (bad decision by Heartland), I am sure there was water in the lines. So... what are chances I have busted lines at this point? Arrgggg!!!

-Chris

 

[GOTTOYS]

Re: CRAP - how bad did I screw up...

If I was to guess it's probably just fine as long as it didn't get a lot colder than that and stay there for a long time....Don

 

[krhyde]

Re: CRAP - how bad did I screw up...

If I was to guess it's probably just fine as long as it didn't get a lot colder than that and stay there for a long time....Don

I have had it get down to 26 degrees overnight and no problems the next day.

 

[danemayer]

Re: CRAP - how bad did I screw up...

Chris,

The pex lines will survive freezing and thawing. If they froze solid, the crimps might get expanded and become leaky at some point, but it would have to get pretty cold and stay that way for hours before that happened.

Main areas of concern:

The 4-way water valve and water inlet in the UDC.
The outside shower in the UDC

Of less concern if temps just dipped below freezing for a few hours:
Water pump
Toilet valve
Faucets and shower.

Daytime heating will usually warm up the interior enough that it stays a few degrees higher than outside temps overnight. So if it just went down to 28 or 29, you're probably fine.

 

[JohnDar]

Re: CRAP - how bad did I screw up...

If you haven't winterized yet, a quick check might be to connect an air compressor (40 psi will do) to the city water inlet and see if there are any leaks. You may have to remove the basement wall and stick your head in cabinets, but if something did burst, you'll either see water or hear air hissing.

But, as mentioned, a short exposure to those temperatures probably did not do anything to the interior plumbing.

 

[scottyb]

Re: CRAP - how bad did I screw up...

Chris, I'm not sure where you are in Austin, but I am about 30 mi west of Austin in the Hill Country. It barely got to freezing at my house but tonight will be a little colder. Are you sure you don't have low point drains? I have a hot and cold drains on the DS underneath and near the door and a water tank drain on the ODS underneath and near the tank valve handles.

 

[TravelTiger]

Re: CRAP - how bad did I screw up...

We keep a remote sensor in our underbelly. I've noticed that even when temps outside are chilly, the underbelly is still 3-5 degrees warmer... And that's without running the furnace. Like Dan said, your UDC and outside shower are probably a little more vulnerable. Also if you have a fridge ice maker water line that is exposed to the outside, I'd look closely at it.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Gaffer]

Re: CRAP - how bad did I screw up...

If you are not home yet have your wife turn on the furnace. Just be sure none of the outlets are covered.

 

[JohnDar]

Re: CRAP - how bad did I screw up...

Chris, I'm not sure where you are in Austin, but I am about 30 mi west of Austin in the Hill Country. It barely got to freezing at my house but tonight will be a little colder. Are you sure you don't have low point drains? I have a hot and cold drains on the DS underneath and near the door and a water tank drain on the ODS underneath and near the tank valve handles.

It is possible he doesn't have low point drains underneath. Mine does, but on some later models, they stopped putting them in. Or they didn't poke them through the coroplast and some owners had to play hide & seek to get them out.

I like them because I can drain the bulk of the water (or antifreeze) out of the system, as needed, even reclaiming some good antifreeze in the Spring. We don't use the rig in winter, so the idea of them freezing up isn't a concern once it's winterized.

 

[cgaskins]

Re: CRAP - how bad did I screw up...

Thanks everyone for the input. I got home earlier today and went straight to the camper with my air compressor. I don't believe that any damage was caused as my lines held the 30 PSI no problem. I was amazed at the amount of water that came out of the lines. Took forever for it to blow with no drips on all the facets. Winterizing the residential fridge was a breeze. I'll sleep better tonight. Again, thank you everyone.

On a related topic can someone explain to me the logic behind not including low point drains on this new 2015 trailer? Honestly, if I had known that I might have selected a different trailer. I really think it was a bad idea.

-Chris

 

[danemayer]

Re: CRAP - how bad did I screw up...

On a related topic can someone explain to me the logic behind not including low point drains on this new 2015 trailer? Honestly, if I had known that I might have selected a different trailer. I really think it was a bad idea.

On low point drains the water above the drain valve is exposed to outside temps. If you use your trailer in sub-freezing weather, as some of us do, ice forms above the valve and wicks up into the tee, blocking water flow.

 

[TravelTiger]

Re: CRAP - how bad did I screw up...

On low point drains the water above the drain valve is exposed to outside temps. If you use your trailer in sub-freezing weather, as some of us do, ice forms above the valve and wicks up into the tee, blocking water flow.

I think the low point drain freeze-up can cause people to question the claim that the unit can withstand temps to zero degrees. Even if you run the furnace thinking underbelly heat will help, those pipes hanging outside any form of insulation are vulnerable. -- When the water freezes and cuts off water, you're not going to be a happy camper.

We actually removed our low-point drains after we had a freeze-up during our ski trip in the 5ver. Even though we had them wrapped in pipe insulation, we had issues.

 

[jbeletti]

Chris,

Plant 2 (LM, BH and BC) stopped adding low-point drains (LPD) a number of years back based on complaints from cold weather campers. To add LPDs, one T is added to a hot and cold water line in the under belly. Then a piece of vinyl or pex is dropped down through the underbelly material (coruplast etc) and a valve is added to the end.

When plant 2 used LPDs, they often used brass valves. Those camping in freezing conditions found that brass valve and exposed vertical column of water to be the weak spot in their cold weather camping plan.

This said, there's no arguing that for those who wish to use them, LPDs are handy to have. Retail owners who wish to add LPDs can do so on their own or have their dealers add them. Perhaps one day plant 2 will return to using LPDs. If retail customers and dealers started asking for it - it could happen.

 

[cgaskins]

Chris,

Plant 2 (LM, BH and BC) stopped adding low-point drains (LPD) a number of years back based on complaints from cold weather campers. To add LPDs, one T is added to a hot and cold water line in the under belly. Then a piece of vinyl or pex is dropped down through the underbelly material (coruplast etc) and a valve is added to the end.

When plant 2 used LPDs, they often used brass valves. Those camping in freezing conditions found that brass valve and exposed vertical column of water to be the weak spot in their cold weather camping plan.

This said, there's no arguing that for those who wish to use them, LPDs are handy to have. Retail owners who wish to add LPDs can do so on their own or have their dealers add them. Perhaps one day plant 2 will return to using LPDs. If retail customers and dealers started asking for it - it could happen.

Thanks Jim. I appreciate the explanation. I am not a cold weather camper so the thought of the LPD causing an issue never occurred to me. Fully understood now.

Regards,
Chris

 

[happykraut]

Re: CRAP - how bad did I screw up...

Chris I think you'll be fine. Several years ago we went to Phoenix with a dewinterized rig. We spent the night in Gallup New Mexico at a Walmart parking lot. The furnace was off all night. Woke up in the morning to snow and ice and a temp of 17 degrees. I was sweating bullets, but all was fine. No leaks. I'm sure that would not work for more than a night or two.

 

[Hippy]

Re: CRAP - how bad did I screw up...

This might be a dumb question, if your entire system ( blk,grey,waterheater, and fresh are completely empty do you really need to winterize?

 

[GOTTOYS]

Don't forget to drain your water heater...Don

 

[happykraut]

Re: CRAP - how bad did I screw up...

This might be a dumb question, if your entire system ( blk,grey,waterheater, and fresh are completely empty do you really need to winterize?

Draining your tanks will NOT drain all your water lines. AND don't forget the toilet and all P-traps.

 

[danemayer]

Re: CRAP - how bad did I screw up...

This might be a dumb question, if your entire system ( blk,grey,waterheater, and fresh are completely empty do you really need to winterize?

Outside shower, water control valve, water pump, toilet valve, ice maker line, washing machine, faucets and shower can all suffer damage even though the tanks are empty.

Check out the Winterization Guide.