Winne Paseo and over night winterizing

Rgossen · 12-01-2020, 07:50 AM

Hi, I've purchased a Winne Paseo 2017. It includes tank heaters and I've found is sometime billed as a "4 season" RV. I'm in St. Louis and it does get down to the teens and less in the winter. I've got indoor storage as in-and-out, but only open M-F. IF I come back from a trip on a Saturday and the temp is, say, 18 degrees, can I leave the tank heaters on and the Propane powered (Truma) cabin heater on at maybe 60 degrees for an unoccupied 48 hours and it not freeze up, pipes go boom, owner cries loudly? About the unoccupied, I figure "why not" it's just as if I were there and being. very quiet. ALSO, the solar power should keep the house batteries charged enough to operate that side of the cabin heater.
Thanks,
Ron

**creativepart** · 12-01-2020, 08:03 AM

Keeping heating and heating pads running for 48 hours in storage sounds like a recipe for disaster. It’s not like you are there taking care of things... because you are not the to intervene if there is a problem.

I can’t tell if the RV would be plugged into shore power or not from the way you worded your question. But if not I doubt your batteries would last 24hrs, solar panels or no.

Both the fan of your coach heater and the tank heating pads take large amounts of power to operate.

If you are talking about the RV sitting in your driveway and plugged into shore power that would be different. But a true 4-season coach is not an accurate representation. The walls are thin and plumbing in the walls, if not winterized, can burst and create massive problems.

Rgossen · 12-01-2020, 08:05 AM

Thanks for the reply. No, no shore power. Any other solutions to 24-48 hours sub-freezing short of winterizing, dewinterising, winterizing, dewinterizing?

Morich · 12-01-2020, 08:23 AM

I know the area and I think of it as being more likely down to -10 at times! And it may stay below freezing for a full week!
Inside storage about rules out using propane as heat as there is no exhaust and becomes a killer really quick.
I never did the risk of getting it wrong as the result can be so bad. It is a pain to live where it gets cold but the other side is even worse if you guess the weather wrong and get to do the draining while your hands are freezing!
As a way to use the RV on the rare occasions when we wanted in the cold, we did not use water in the tanks and lines until we got to warmer weather and just used water in jugs for the essentials. When driving and stopping overnight, we found the RV plumbing was still suspect due to the way things are laid out but we never risked the total destruction involved in letting the lines freeze.
With all the totally new folks hitting the RV market, the repair shops will be way busy come spring!

**creativepart** · 12-01-2020, 08:26 AM

There is a huge difference between 24 and 48 hours. Temps constantly below freezing for more than about 24 hrs is the point where winterizing becomes necessary.

Overnight freezing with above freezing days are not much risk. It’s the amount of time below 29 degrees that matters.

I live far South of you in South Texas. It was 25 here overnight last night. But the high today is 58. So the cold doesn’t have enough time to do any damage.

If you parked your RV for 24-hrs in the teens overnight with the highs in the 20’s the next day you would need to be plugged in and running your furnace and those heating pads for sure. But it’s totally unlikely that you could have enough battery storage to do that overnight.

Gordiegaffer · 12-01-2020, 08:58 AM

It would be safer to use air to blow out the lines only takes a couple of minutes and put antifreez in the traps

Rgossen · 12-01-2020, 10:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by creativepart

There is a huge difference between 24 and 48 hours. Temps constantly below freezing for more than about 24 hrs is the point where winterizing becomes necessary.

Overnight freezing with above freezing days are not much risk. It’s the amount of time below 29 degrees that matters.

I live far South of you in South Texas. It was 25 here overnight last night. But the high today is 58. So the cold doesn’t have enough time to do any damage.

If you parked your RV for 24-hrs in the teens overnight with the highs in the 20’s the next day you would need to be plugged in and running your furnace and those heating pads for sure. But it’s totally unlikely that you could have enough battery storage to do that overnight.

Thanks for your reply. Having spent my first 57 years in San Antonio, this thing that happens to water in the winter still confuses me. I wasn't clear on my thought of the one-to-two days on cabin furnace and tank heater - yes, outdoors, so no worry about C01. Right now, it's getting down to the teens and up to the 40s, so I still like the idea (outside, only) of using the furnace and tank heaters just as I would if I were off the grid for a day, then charge the batteries and do it again if needed. I also like the idea of blowing out the lines and bought a compressor to do that. As I read from the instructions, it's that quick and easy - even mechanically insufficient me can do it. Thanks again. Vaye con Dios. Ron