Lesson from cold weather camping

Well, we went out for our monthly escape from life, this time to Cheatam Annex near Williamsburg Va.

We had snow on Saturday although it didn't last too long it was pretty on the trees while it was there. Temperature got down to 18.7 F on Saturday night (lowest I saw anyway). Earlier in the evening when it looked like it go below freezing I went and disconnected from "city" water and filled the onboard tank up about 1/3 (we have the 40 gal potable mod).

No problems with the water freezing up although we think the cold water line to the shower came awful close - when breaking down Sunday, DW couldn't get flow to rinse the Thetford but after using some hot the cold worked again.

Outside was a different matter - Black water Valve was frozen stuck. Took 10-15 minutes of using a hair dryer and cups of hot water to free up the valve. No problem with the grey water valve or the water in the tank freezing.

Since the TM is so easy to winterize I do it every time we break camp in the winter and before I tow it back to the storage location. The drain plugs are not insulated from the cold and a couple of them were frozen. The furthest forward was not a problem (hot water tank drained through it). The drain on the potable tank was a plug of ice that I had to melt with the blow dryer. One of the rear plugs was frozen shut and again the hair dryer was put to use. Even one I got it open very little water came out but it might have been because the forward drain had been draining the whole time. I still ran the hair dryer on them for a while just to be safe.

I was very impressed with the insulation provided by the TM. We maintained the inside at 65 degrees (a 47 degree delta at the coldest point) using 2 ceramic heaters (one in the back bed and one in the front on the floor) with the propane furnace occasionally kicking in if the temp dipped below 65. That is with one of the sky lights cracked and the window in the door cracked to help minimize condensation.

We will be putting pipe wrap on the stub tubes from the 4 drain locations before I put the TM back in stroage.
Bill

I guess this must qualify as a real "DUH" post but wanted to share this basic tip. We just returned from our first outing where the night temperatures were below freezing. It was also our first outing with full hookup. On the first night our outside water hose froze up. The second night we left the water trickling in the sink and avoided the freezeup problem. Disconnecting the hose was not an option as we found out after setting up that our hydrant was out of order so actually used every foot of hose to reach the hydrant at an adjacent campsite. The extra "Handi Hose" hose reel we bought paid for itself this weekend!

Bill, Great post. Being in South Texas this will all be new to me. I'll be up in your neck of the woods soon. Dave

camp2canoe, we carry an extra length of hose and have had to use it once at a site with a community hydrant. Having a Y splitter valve helps in that situation as there is still a way for others to get water while you are hooked up to the faucet. DW wrapped that hose with foam pipe wrap (buy it at home depot ect. in 5 foot lenghts) and wrapped the stuff with duck tape. We have used that hose for the past 2 weekends while out camping and didn't have a problem with freezing. I was curious when you said disconnecting wasn't an option. Since the holding water tank is inside the main cabin could you not have filled the onboard storage tank and used that during the night?

Bill

Originally Posted by Bill & Lisa

Having a Y splitter valve helps in that situation as there is still a way for others to get water while you are hooked up to the faucet.

We also carry a Y splitter and use it frequently. I remember we were at a campground with electricty to every site but shared water. We put the Y splitter on to fill up the tanks, planning on taking it off soon. When I walked out to do so, I found the neighbor (huge motorhome, the >$200K kind, every option under the sun, satellite dish, slides, expensive toad, etc) had just unscrewed the splitter and was walking into his motorhome. When I called to him "Hey, that's mine!" he turned around and handed it to me saying "Oh, I thought it belonged to the campground." I guess he thought it was fine to steal from the campground, but at least he gave it back to me.

I have lost 2 different splitters, but luckily they're cheap. Just keep your eyes on them! I prefer these days to just fill the tanks and then take it back to the trailer.

Pam

Wow! I have never had that kind of an experience camping. What part of the country did this happen in?

Thank goodness they were cheap. I will be more cautious. Thanks

Bill

The guy who tried to steal the Y splitter was camped in Minnesota, Faribault I think. Can't blame Minnesotans; most are absolutely wonderful (the catch phrase used is "MNice" and it's accurate). Have to blame the unethical individual who was stealing a $2-3 gadget while driving a motorhome worth more than $200K. Rotten people come in all price categories!

I can't remember where we lost the others, but I'm pretty sure they were public campgrounds pretty far in the boonies. We camp primarily in the upper midwest and the Rocky Mountains.

Pam