Plumbing in below freezing temperature

[01cummins4ever]

getting my new to me greystone 32re with the four season package out of storage this weekend to famelieize myself with it before I take it out on a trip, I put it in storage the day I bought it in December and am glad I did being we have had 12 feet of snow here and I would have not got out here at the house until mid spring. I bought it from a dealer completely winterized, so my plan is to move it into an RV. park for a couple days to see how everything works. The temps during the night will be in the low 20’s. I plan de winterizing by filling the freshwater tank and not hook up to city water to eliminate the use of heat tape and a hose. My question is what is a good temp to set the thermostat so heat stays on plumbing and I will be also using the electric fireplace to keep the inside cozy and to save on propane.

 

[danemayer]

Hi 01CumminsForever,

4 Season or similar terms usually refer to the ability to maintain a comfortable temperature inside the trailer. It generally doesn't have anything to do with keeping the water running.

Low 20s could be a problem for your plumbing, especially if you're trying to save on propane. The electric fireplace will reduce the run time of the furnace, which in turn will put less warm air into the underbelly.

The fresh tank is usually located near the axles, toward the rear of the trailer, whereas the furnace is usually closer to the front of the trailer. The greater the distance between the two, the less heat you'll have protecting the fresh tank.

In addition, your low point drains and fresh tank drain all have water above their valves, but below the coroplast. That water is exposed to outside air and will freeze with temps in the low 20s. The ice can then wick up into the tees, blocking the water lines. You could wake up with no water getting from the fresh tank to the pump, or from the pump to the kitchen or bathroom.

If you have a refrigerator in a slide out, that has a water feed line, the feed line is routed under the slide and is exposed to outside air. It will definitely freeze and suffer damage in the low 20s. For winter use, you'll want to locate the cutoff valve and make sure you're not pumping water through that feed line in sub-freezing weather.

Take a look at our owner-written Water Systems Winter Usage Guide to get a fuller understanding of all the issues and what you can do.

 

[01cummins4ever]

Thanks for the reply, and yes the drain valve is exposed so I will have to wrap it with insulation, Looks like I will have to keep the furnace going at a consistent pace to keep things running. basically for now will only see freezing temps at night and early morning as it warms up to the mid 50,s during the day.

I checked the article on the owners write up on the winterization and helped a lot, being I have no manual or anything with this, the dealer gave some instructions at the time but was a few months ago, so pretty much forgot everything so I got to figure this out again. As far as the fridge it does not have a water line that I know of. It is the basic gas/electric type.

 

[Lynn1130]

I have found that these work well for the low point and fresh water drain.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07GWN4Y4N/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o08_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1