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Topic ClosedR-Pod survives 9 hours of subfreezing temperatures
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Pod_Geek View Drop Down
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Posts: 261 		Direct Link To This Post Topic: R-Pod survives 9 hours of subfreezing temperatures
    Posted: 16 Oct 2020 at 9:56am
Well, the unwinterized R-Pod is parked out front, ready for a late-season adventure.  The forecast said a low of about 34 last night.  Ha.  My weather station indicates that it hit 31 before midnight and got down to 26 for several hours.  It just crawled above freezing about 20 minutes ago (about 8:30 AM).

Went out at about 7 AM and the inside temp was 29.  Tested the outlets and commode...leftover water was running just fine (had pretty good pressure, too...interesting since it hasn't been hooked to city water for a couple weeks).  Guess it takes longer than 9 hours and/or lower temps to start freezing the water in the lines.

Just a data point for y'all...guess the little buggers can take a bit of freezing weather, but sure wouldn't want to push my luck again with a longer/colder freeze.
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Posts: 5290 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 16 Oct 2020 at 10:56am
You have to pull out 1 btu per lb of water to drop its temp by 1 degree F. You have to pull out 144 btu per lb to freeze 32 degree water. Put another way, you have to pull out less energy cooling hot water from your tap down to freezing than you do to turn that freezing cold water to ice. 

The point is that its not easy to get water to freeze (or thaw once frozen). So if its only a few degrees below freezing its going to take awhile for things to freeze up. Overnight lows in the mid to high twenties for a few hours are not likely to be a problem, especially if it was fairly warm the day before and if there isn't much wind in increase the heat transfer rate.  We get lots of frosty nights in the high twenties around here this time of year and I don't worry about it at all. 

But if the temps are forecast to get to the low twenties or stay in the 20's for a prolonged period then eventually things will freeze up. That's when you need to winterize. 

 
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Posts: 261 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 16 Oct 2020 at 11:04am
Thanks, OG.  I think this will keep a lot of folks from freaking out over a couple of nights where it may hit 25 (that's -4 for our friends north of the border lol) and then rise into the 60s or 70s the next day.  Looks like we won't need to winterize until November Cool
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GlueGuy View Drop Down
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Posts: 2702 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 16 Oct 2020 at 11:08am
It also depends on what temperature you started at before things got down around freezing. If OAT had been around 60 for a day or two before the temp drop would be very different than if the OAT had been hovering around 35. I make no claims about the Mpemba effect.
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Posts: 261 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 16 Oct 2020 at 11:47am
Originally posted by GlueGuy

It also depends on what temperature you started at before things got down around freezing. If OAT had been around 60 for a day or two before the temp drop would be very different than if the OAT had been hovering around 35. I make no claims about the Mpemba effect.

Great point.  Given our usually low dew points here on the high plains we usually get into the high 50s to high 60s during the day this time of year, unless our friends to the N and W send us a cloud deck. 
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Posts: 5290 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 16 Oct 2020 at 3:14pm
Even in the more humid East Its usually fairly dry in the fall. It’s common inland here to get highs in the 50s or low 60s combined with lows in the high 20s or low 30s this time of year. On the coast it’s a different story, it’s rare to get down to freezing at all till December. Lots of thermal mass in seawater.
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Posts: 3324 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 16 Oct 2020 at 4:55pm
+1  include any large body of water.  I am located just over 2 miles from Lake Michigan to my west and across the street from Torch Lake - 19 miles long and averages 250 feet deep in the middle.  This morning we had sleet at 37 degrees yet inland they had snow and they were only 5 miles away as the crow flies.
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Posts: 170 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 17 Oct 2020 at 10:41am
While there is no humidity problem here, the wind or at least a breeze is often moving the air around. Appreciate your info, offgrid, while GlueGuy's instance is more like what we experience thru the winter here. Kinda reassuring to know I should be ok to use the Pod now without tank heaters or winterizing the water system for a few more weeks.
 
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Posts: 3419 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 17 Oct 2020 at 4:55pm
I don't winterize until the season is over for me. I lived in my 2015 178 as I was retiring in OCT, NOV and DEC in N. Alabama. While temps are not extreme, I experienced many days and extended days below or near freezing. I had one 2KW cube heater, a heated water hose and I insulated the rear window near bed. The heater kept the interior warm, and a constant usage of water which was heated. I had two freezes, the gray water tank dump valve and the campground water spicket. Both of which I corrected with the cube heater and an extension cord. After I winterize with compressed air, I put a cube heater in the Pod set at around 50 degrees and that keep the interior temp above freezing.
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Posts: 2702 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 18 Oct 2020 at 1:39pm
Is it a humble brag that we haven't had to winterize in the time we've had our RP179?
bp
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