Camp Trailer water

Wyo_Roadhunter · Friday at 5:59 PM

I bought a camp trailer this summer so I don't know much about them yet. What I was wondering is you guys that have trailers when do you start worrying about freezing. I plan on hunting elk the 19-25 here and want to take the trailer. The days don't look like they'll be very cold and from what i can see on the Forcast the nights barely hit 32 so I'm not worried about that. What I don't know is I want to take it up the 14th and leave it. The nights on the 16th and 17th are showing 22 degrees and 44 during the day then after warming up again. If I was going to be there I wouldn't be worried because I'm sure the heater would keep it good enough it wouldn't freeze but where I won't that's what makes me nervous. Just curious if any of you had water issues when it was in that temp range. Thanks!

montezumarchery · Friday at 6:14 PM

Wyo_Roadhunter said:
I bought a camp trailer this summer so I don't know much about them yet. What I was wondering is you guys that have trailers when do you start worrying about freezing. I plan on hunting elk the 19-25 here and want to take the trailer. The days don't look like they'll be very cold and from what i can see on the Forcast the nights barely hit 32 so I'm not worried about that. What I don't know is I want to take it up the 14th and leave it. The nights on the 16th and 17th are showing 22 degrees and 44 during the day then after warming up again. If I was going to be there I wouldn't be worried because I'm sure the heater would keep it good enough it wouldn't freeze but where I won't that's what makes me nervous. Just curious if any of you had water issues when it was in that temp range. Thanks!

I think you have the right idea, just leave the heater on set at 55⁰ or higher. I usually leave the water heater on too. Never had a problem in similar temps. I also try to park where it is in full sun.

llamapacker · Friday at 7:00 PM

Learn how to winterize your particular trailer. I wouldn't leave mine if I expected it to be 22 degrees without taking some precautions.

At a minimum, open the lines (with the pump off) and leave them open while you are gone. Also drain the hot water tank. My trailer has a winterizing kit installed making it easy to introduce some RV antifreeze into the lines, and it readily flushes out when I return.

I never worry about the main tank freezing, but broken fixtures or water lines don't take much and make quite a mess. I personally would never leave the heater on when I was gone for a few days, as the battery will eventually die.

If I expect it to be in the low 20's for long, I just put a jug of water on the counter to use and drain the system.

Bill

Wyo_Roadhunter · Friday at 7:51 PM

I figured I'll just leave my main tank empty and add some trailer antifreeze to the sink traps and into the grey and black tank. I bought a 100 gal tank that I'll just fill up and take up when I head up hunting and fill the main tank once I'm there. If it wasn't for those 2 nights that i wont be there getting that cold I wouldn't worry at all but I'd rather not ruin the trailer the 3rd trip out

.

elkassassin · Friday at 8:11 PM

H20 Starts Getting Stiff at About 32 Degrees!

Wyo_Roadhunter · Friday at 10:37 PM

elkassassin said:
H20 Starts Getting Stiff at About 32 Degrees!

I just wasn't sure at what point it starts getting expensive on these trailers with pex
water lines. I know copper not much frozen gets expensive quick

Servehim · Friday at 10:53 PM

llamapacker said:
Learn how to winterize your particular trailer. I wouldn't leave mine if I expected it to be 22 degrees without taking some precautions.

At a minimum, open the lines (with the pump off) and leave them open while you are gone. Also drain the hot water tank. My trailer has a winterizing kit installed making it easy to introduce some RV antifreeze into the lines, and it readily flushes out when I return.

I never worry about the main tank freezing, but broken fixtures or water lines don't take much and make quite a mess. I personally would never leave the heater on when I was gone for a few days, as the battery will eventually die.

If I expect it to be in the low 20's for long, I just put a jug of water on the counter to use and drain the system.

Bill

This^^^

kota · 2024-10-12T04:25:26-0600

I would blow out the lines/faucets/toilet with an air compressor, drain the hot water tank and throw a little anti freeze in the sink traps. Then fill with your 100 gallon tank when you get there. That way you don’t have to use propane and battery to keep things from freezing while your aren’t there.

Also note that battery life sucks when it’s cold, so plan to run the generator a lot. Multiple 6v batteries in a series are also much better than 12v.

desperatehills · 2024-10-12T10:58:35-0600

If it is only two nights I would just leave the heater on and open some cabinet doors. Do you have a way to charge the batteries? I was able to go 2 weeks in Nevada with average low temps in the teens. I have solar panels on my trailer so I get a little charge every day. I still run the generator from time to time

Serrano · 2024-10-12T11:52:01-0600

22 is too low for me. Do you have a trailer designed for low temps? Some are more insulated than others. Does yours have insolated water lines?

elkassassin · 2024-10-12T15:07:04-0600

I've Got An Approved Camp Trailer Ventless Propane Heater In My Old 5th Wheel!

It Ain't Big Enough To Heat The Whole Trailer!

But It Creates Enough Heat I Can Leave It On In Fairly Cold Weather Without Being There & I Don't Have To Worry About Anything If I Decide To leave & Not Be Back For A Few Days!

It Doesn't Use Any Voltage So It Doesn't Drain The Batteries!

coloradoman · 2024-10-12T15:25:03-0600

It doesn’t have a fan?
If not I know the heater your talkin about
I have a couple in the cabin

elkassassin · 2024-10-12T18:07:26-0600

Right!

No Fan!

I Have Stayed In trailers With Others That rigged Up A BUDDY Heater Inside The trailer With A 5 Gallon Propane Tank Inside The Trailer As Well!

I'm Not A Fan Of having The Propane tank Inside The trailer!

But Depending On How Cold It Is You Gotta Do What ya Gotta Do!

coloradoman said:
It doesn’t have a fan?
If not I know the heater your talkin about
I have a couple in the cabin

coloradoman · 2024-10-12T18:42:56-0600

elkassassin said:
Right!

No Fan!

I Have Stayed In trailers With Others That rigged Up A BUDDY Heater Inside The trailer With A 5 Gallon Propane Tank Inside The Trailer As Well!

I'm Not A Fan Of having The Propane tank Inside The trailer!

But Depending On How Cold It Is You Gotta Do What ya Gotta Do!

Yep

Shadow · 2024-10-12T21:46:32-0600

elkassassin said:
Right!

No Fan!

I Have Stayed In trailers With Others That rigged Up A BUDDY Heater Inside The trailer With A 5 Gallon Propane Tank Inside The Trailer As Well!

I'm Not A Fan Of having The Propane tank Inside The trailer!

But Depending On How Cold It Is You Gotta Do What ya Gotta Do!

Empire ceramic burner catalytic heater. Just crack a couple windows for good measure. Best $500 I ever spent.

Shadow · 2024-10-12T23:40:28-0600

Is your tank and all the lines above floor level? If so, I don’t think mid 20’s with mid 40’s daytime is quite cold enough to worry about. If your tank is below the floor, the line coming up through can freeze quite easily. I know this from experience.
If you’re really worried about it, pull the supply line to the pump and run a couple gallons of antifreeze through the lines. Don’t forget to dump a little in the p-traps.
Another trick is if your trailer has low point drains, open them and all the faucets before leaving home and most of the water will drain itself out by the time you get where you’re going. Just a little water in spots won’t expand enough to break lines and will thaw quick once you run water back in them. Just don’t turn on the pump until you're ready to camp.
The tank and water heater are actually better off clear full because there’s no way they freeze solid at the temps you describe.

elkassassin · 2024-10-13T04:45:37-0600

I'd Make Sure If You Get A Ventless Heater,Get One That Is Approved For The Application!

Alot Of Regular Ventless Heaters Are Not Legal/Approved For Camp Trailers/Sleeping/Bathroom Areas!

I'd Also Get A Couple Of Carbon Monoxide/Oxygen Detectors As Well!

The Bad Part About Alot Of The Newer Stuff Is The Government Has Taken Alot Of The Reliability Out Of Them With All The Safety BS & They Usually Fail / Or Are A PIA!

Gotta Keep Everybody & Their Families Safe!

Wyo_Roadhunter · 2024-10-13T06:17:59-0600

Shadow said:
Is your tank and all the lines above floor level? If so, I don’t think mid 20’s with mid 40’s daytime is quite cold enough to worry about. If your tank is below the floor, the line coming up through can freeze quite easily. I know this from experience.
If you’re really worried about it, pull the supply line to the pump and run a couple gallons of antifreeze through the lines. Don’t forget to dump a little in the p-traps.
Another trick is if your trailer has low point drains, open them and all the faucets before leaving home and most of the water will drain itself out by the time you get where you’re going. Just a little water in spots won’t expand enough to break lines and will thaw quick once you run water back in them. Just don’t turn on the pump until you're ready to camp.
The tank and water heater are actually better off clear full because there’s no way they freeze solid at the temps you describe.

This is what I'm going to do. Get it through all the lines then when I get there for the hunt I'll flush them all out

BenHuntn · 2024-10-13T07:37:40-0600

Rem it has been my experience while hunting in colder weather to winterize your trailer. Just carry jugs of water for cooking and cleaning. Don't for get about your hot water heater tank. If it freezes it will crack and then it's about $800 to replace it. Good Luck my friend.

hossblur · 2024-10-13T12:10:44-0600

Ours freezes nearly every year. The lines themselves don't, as most are internal anyway. The line from the main tank to the pump does every year.

Park in the sun. That's about all you can do if your off grid, leaving heat running kills batteries.

We take a few gallons of water in jugs, the shitter needs a little for flushing.

The PEX lines are way better than the old copper ones