Winter Camping

[bigb]

My Via has tank heaters but the PEX lines are just exposed under the rig with no insulation or heat tape. What's entailed if I want to do some cold weather camping and still have the plumbing be functional? I am thinking heat tape on all the exposed PEX followed with foam pipe insulation. I also thought about some incandescent light bulbs hanging underneath near the water lines instead of the heat tape. I realize that I will need to be on shore power for all this to work unless I run the generator. I'd like to hear what others do for occasional cold weather camping.

[DCMac]

I assume doing that would work. With heated tanks I wonder if there'd be enough heat transfer through the water in the pressure lines, assuming you're not talking (1) extended cold like below +20F and daytime temps get up into the 40s or higher. (Thankfully, I don't think we've had a handful of nights with below +20F the 34 years we've been here in SW Okla.)


FWIW, completely different setup but this is what I do. My work schedule gives me a long weekend every other or third weekend so we're off to just get away unless the weather's just too uncomfortable. Both parked in an open barn. Experienced no problems.


The 5er we had had a plastic corrugated cover ("insulation") covering the entire belly. I put a couple of infrared lights under where the black & grey water and fresh water tanks were assuming they'd produce enough warmth to keep things fluid.


With the coach we have now, everything is "inside" but the tanks aren't heated. Whenever the temp goes below 30F I turn on the electric heat 60F and a 100W incandescent bulbs in the two belly bays below the water tanks.

[bigb]

I need to make a correction to my original post, I was talking with my BIL asking him about this as they do some winter camping and he asked me with a tone of surprise in his voice "you have exposed water lines underneath?". Sure enough I checked and the only lines underneath are drain/waste (including a 1.5" gray water drain line) and all the supply lines are inside, under the bed and in the boxouts for the heating ducts so I guess I am in good shape for mild cold weather camping. I have been doing a lot of work on the rig and taking things apart to explore and learn.

[Morich]

Small point that may help if you are inside the Rv when it is cold, is to open the cabinet doors to let the heated air into all those spaces under and behind the cabinets as that is where the lines run. This is something we learned when having old rental houses with poor insulation. One guy explained to me that it not only heats that particular spot but when one section of pipe gets warmer than another, there will be an automatic water movement set up as the warm rises and forces cool down. So if you have a heater or light to warm one small section that can mean that the warm moves and cooler comes in all night long so that the whole thing is more protected.