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jcphotog
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Joined: 21 May 2016
Location: Colorado
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Posts: 6
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Topic: Temporary winterization....? Posted: 03 Oct 2016 at 6:24pm |
I live high in the mountains in Colorado. I'm planning on taking off for California/Oregon coasts in two days, but the nights here are getting chilly. Forecast for tonight and the next night are in the mid to high 20's, and I'm starting to worry about frozen pipes, etc. Problem is I don't want to have to completely winterize for just a couple of days worth. Are there any intermediary steps I can take to tide me over...? Can I just circulate some antifreeze in the lines for now...?
Thanks in advance..!!
JC
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Pete Brayton
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Location: Parker, CO
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Posted: 03 Oct 2016 at 7:05pm |
Can you plug in a small electric heater inside overnight. That should probably keep things above freezing, being careful to keep it away from combustibles of course.
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2021 Rpod 196
2013 Ford 150 V8
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jcphotog
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Posted: 03 Oct 2016 at 7:56pm |
Excellent idea! I plugged in the camper (it's in my driveway right now), and hooked up a space heater set to 55F. Hopefully that is sufficient....
Look forward to being in California where it's warm. We had snowflakes today....
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Blue Highways
podders Helping podders - pHp
Joined: 20 Sep 2016
Location: NC mountains
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Posted: 03 Oct 2016 at 8:24pm |
Great question, great answer.... thought about that a lot: a temp way to hold off a full winterization. We will be in the NC mountains for awhile as temps cool, but want to run the WanderPod down to family on FL Gulf Coast for Thanksgiving, before the step of putting it into full NC hibernation for the winter.
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Tars Tarkas
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Posted: 03 Oct 2016 at 10:08pm |
The heater might be enough for mid 20s but a little extra insurance would be to take off the panel under the sink, exposing that plumbing to the heat, and to turn the heat on the water heater. Either electric or propane.
TT
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2010 176
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Blue Highways
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Location: NC mountains
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Posted: 03 Oct 2016 at 11:10pm |
Good idea, Tars. (On my 179, I would pull the three drawers out below the sink to let air circulate in there.)
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techntrek
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Posted: 04 Oct 2016 at 12:41pm |
Bingo, open everything up, and I would go warmer than 55, and put the heater on the floor where it is cooler. Even with everything open any piping on the floor by an outer wall may be pushing the freeze zone if it gets too cold.
Also dump the fresh water tank and run the pump with a valve open to clear the fresh water pickup hose.
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Our pod
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Joined: 03 Oct 2016
Location: Olympia WA
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Posted: 04 Oct 2016 at 3:40pm |
And anything you can do to reduce the free passage of air underneath the trlr will help. Hay bales work well.
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Life is good.
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jcphotog
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Joined: 21 May 2016
Location: Colorado
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Posted: 04 Oct 2016 at 11:29pm |
Basically I ended up setting up the heater with under sink cabinet door open, as well as running some fairly diluted antifreeze through the system that I can easily flush once I get to Utah tomorrow. Hopefully that will do it...!
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john in idaho
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Posted: 05 Oct 2016 at 10:56am |
We have camped several days on bottled water. We went from Idaho to Death Valley for a week in Feb. The trailer was winterized. They had a grey and black water dump there.
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