Was 4 degrese F last night here in Santa Fe, NM. Ashland is handling it very well.

[fredwrichardson]

Was supposed to be in Newport Beach, CA with our new Ashland but do to some health issues had to stay home here in Santa Fe, NM. I filled up both 30# propane tanks December 24th and set the thermostat to 55 degrees inside the unit to see how well the propane would hold up. Well it is now almost three very cold days later and it still is on just the first tank. Not bad when you realize how cold it is here. The high yesterday was 28 degrees F and the high today is going to be about the same. The other good news is the garage area is staying warm so the venting is doing it job from the furnace. Is anyone else with a new unit seeing similar results?

Fred

 

[danemayer]

Hi Fred,

It's -6 (F) in Breckenridge this morning. We're comfy.

One thing I'd mention - the furnace pumps heated air into the underbelly in part to keep the water lines from freezing. If you have the Yeti Package, in addition to tank heaters, you'll have heat tape on the fresh water line. But when it gets cold, the kitchen water lines can freeze if you're not running the furnace enough. If you'll be spending a lot of time in sub-freezing weather, and you haven't already done so, you ought to put a remote thermometer in the underbelly so you know when it's becoming a problem.

 

[fredwrichardson]

Hi Fred,

It's -6 (F) in Breckenridge this morning. We're comfy.

One thing I'd mention - the furnace pumps heated air into the underbelly in part to keep the water lines from freezing. If you have the Yeti Package, in addition to tank heaters, you'll have heat tape on the fresh water line. But when it gets cold, the kitchen water lines can freeze if you're not running the furnace enough. If you'll be spending a lot of time in sub-freezing weather, and you haven't already done so, you ought to put a remote thermometer in the underbelly so you know when it's becoming a problem.

Dan,

Ordered the remote thermometer on Amazon yesterday and get it on Monday. Do not have the Yeti package so I have to keep the furnace going. Looking into ways to heat both the basement and the living area if we run out of propane.

Living in Santa Fe in the winter is much like living in Colorado. Santa Fe is at 7,000 feet (much higher than Denver) and we are right next to the southern Rockies so we always get some sub zero temperatures every year.

Fred

 

[danemayer]

Our Water Systems Winter Usage Guide might have some tips you'll find useful.

 

[Possum51]

We just bought our Heartland Landmark Savannah about 4 months so we haven't really been in the cold weather yet. But, since my husband has just retired 3 weeks ago we are planning a trip and will be in some cold places. It looks like we will need to but the remote thermometer also! But, where do you get access to the underbelly? Also, which thermometer did you buy on Amazon? Our 5th wheel has the residential fridge and in the manual they warn of the water line going to it will freeze even if you put on the heated tape. We really don't know what to do about that! We plan on calling Heartland next week about that! Thanks!

 

[jbeletti]

Hi Possum,

Dan will have to tell you where he put his thermometers. Fred can tell you which one he bought.

My sense is that you would want to place a thermometer near the rearmost tanks. This generally means you'll have partially take down the underbelly material to get the thermometer where you want it. Another option may be to tie the thermometer on a string and lower it into the unerbelly under your kitchen sink along the sink drain pipe. In this manner, you wouldn't have to cut a hole from below and could pull it back up for battery replacement. The downside being that you may not be able to place it where you'd want it and some heat from the coach interior may make it down that hole and warm the thermometer a little bit.

As for the water line feeding the refrigerator, it would be quite a bit of work to heat and insulate that line. You will want to winterize that line and not use it if you plan to be in below freezing temps. On my last trip out, I had to winterize my refrigerator water line on the way home. I used compressed air to evacuate the line.

Check out pages 4 through 8 of this "owner written" Residential Refrigerator Guide on Winterizing the Water Line. Your water line is likely tapped under the kitchen sink, so that's where you should find the cut-off.

 

[danemayer]

We just bought our Heartland Landmark Savannah about 4 months so we haven't really been in the cold weather yet. But, since my husband has just retired 3 weeks ago we are planning a trip and will be in some cold places. It looks like we will need to but the remote thermometer also! But, where do you get access to the underbelly? Also, which thermometer did you buy on Amazon? Our 5th wheel has the residential fridge and in the manual they warn of the water line going to it will freeze even if you put on the heated tape. We really don't know what to do about that! We plan on calling Heartland next week about that! Thanks!

I have the remote thermometer about 18" to the rear of the drop frame, about 18" in from the off-door-side frame. That location is close to my Gray #2 and Black tank valves, and near the kitchen water lines.

A few months ago someone posted about "zippered flex-mend trap flaps" that allow you to cut an opening in the coroplast and use the trap flap as a zippered access panel. I installed one where I have the thermometer and another where the frame drops, giving me access to the Gray #1 valve. They're designed for stationary mobile homes, so I'm not sure how well they'll do after getting a lot of road crud on the zipper. But if a gate valve freezes, opening that flap is a pretty easy way to get a hair dryer blowing on the gate valve.

Monitoring underbelly temps gets important in temps below 20 (F). Running the furnace will probably keep everything just fine down to around 20. Below that it can get dicey. When you get below zero, you really have to monitor or you can wake up without running water.

On the residential fridge (or any fridge with ice maker or water feed), as Jim said, you'll definitely need to evacuate the water from the feed line.

We've got a couple of user guides that may be helpful to you. Take a look at the Residential Refrigerator Guide and the Water Systems Winter Usage Guide.

 

[TravelTiger]

I have two remote sensors, positioned just under the steps, and toward the back of the rig on the door side. These are not near any water pipes, but I figured, if these areas are above freezing, my pipes will be, too. We loosened fasteners along the frame, then added a Velcro strip to hold the sensor in place, yet make it removable to change the battery. I also put a small label on the coach j-wrap to help me remember where they are installed. I use a third sensor outside.

We have these: http://www.amazon.com/Ambient-Weather-WS-0101-X3-Thermo-Hygrometer-Calibration/dp/B003Y2CQYY


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[billyjoeraybob]

We survived 2 degrees our first night in our Ashland! We were impressed.