Safely Using RV Plumbing on a Winter Drive from Indiana to Florida

[jb1911]

We have a 2014 Winnebago Adventurer. It's cold here, obviously. We're heading to Florida for 3 weeks in a few days. Can I half fill the freshwater tank to use the toilet on the trip? Will it freeze? The water pump is in an outer compartment in the basement. Will that be a problem? We are stopping over south of Kentucky and northern Alabama overnight. The Winnie was professionally winterized a couple of month ago. Thanks for any advice.

 

[Waterbug]

There has recently been snow and freezing rain as far south as Atlanta and Tallahassee. For the next several nights there will be periods of over 6 hours of freezing temperatures as far south as Orlando. If it were me, I would keep it winterized until you reach your destination.

 

[Morich]

The devil is in the details!
If you travel and use campground with power hookups, you can do different things.
But then you have the same questions for the return trip! Three weeks will still leave you with freeze questions on the way back, so ideas on what to do if you use the plumbing while there and then need iot empty for the trip back?
For our winter trips, we always used campgrounds for the power and ease of dealing with freezes.
Looking at the parts catalog shows you do not have furnace vents to feed heat to under the floor, so you will need to have a plan for added heat there during stops if you use the plumbing before heading back!
We tried Florida several times for winter and found it not all that much fun as weather is prone to surprises!
For the trip down, I go with jugs of water for the small amount needed to flush the stool when really needed. A jug of pink in the holding tank keeps it safe and we always needed it on hand to put in traps if we used things like the sink. We heated water on the stove to wash a couple dishes and then added a touch of pink to the trap for ease of mind.
During travel when you keep the RV warm enough to feel right, there will be enough heat going out the bottom to keep most things safe but we never tried to use the hose as too much trouble when just running through freezes overnight.

Point to consider if power is in the plan? A small 1500 watt heater can do a lot of good for keeping the floors better to walk on or just while sitting.

 

[be happy]

If it were me I would go along with what Richard said. Take a couple gallons of water to help flush the toilet, get some bottled water for drinking. I would also run the generator, using a small heater to help keep the coach warm, or if you have heat pump heating.
Enjoy the trip

 

[Morich]

One of the small things that we learned to love as it helped to relieve the stress of not knowing if we had guessed right on what and where was going to get cold?
We picked up some of the battery powered remote reading thermometers for peace of mind!
If I used tie wraps or velcro straps to put the sensor on the things I worried about and had the readout inside where I could watch what was happening, it helped remove lots of questions!

 

[l1v3fr33ord1]

jb1911-

When I went south I left the coach winterized until I reached reliably warm weather. I carried bottled water for drinking/toothbrushing/cooking and five gallons of tap water for flushing. I also carried at least one gallon of antifreeze to add as needed to the grey- and black-water tanks.

If I knew I was returning to freezing weather I would put six gallons of antifreeze and my antifreeze "tools" in the toad or a storage compartment. I would use that to winterize the coach at the last warm-weather stop heading north. I took me about two hours to winterize the coach. I planned my stops and how far I expected to drive the last day or two (two hours was a big chunk of the typical travel day for me). I had nowhere to dump when I got home, so I had to dump the tanks at the last RV park and keep them empty from there on out. That means knowing where the bathrooms along the route were.

If you can have someone else winterize and dump the coach on arrival home that simplifies things for you. Just make sure he does that work soon after arrival. Keep heat in the coach until that work is done.

 

[RayIN]

I assume you live in Dyer, IN., if so, This will be a long driving day for you.
Look at the weather forecast for the area of FL you intend to visit before leaving home. For instance the high today in Miami is forecast to be 34°F, Tampa 32°, Jacksonville 28°.
That is usually short-lived though.
Our MH has heated tanks and plumbing. I remain winterized until I reach I65 @ exit 354, Athens AL, and stay at Northgate RV park. It's very quiet and peaceful. It's also convenient, as it's on US31, about 1 mile from that exit.
This year is exceptional though, you might need to stay winterized until you reach an area where lows are 32°.
Best of luck, and I hope the weather improves South of the Mason Dixon line.

Edit: Closely study the route through Nashville TN. It is very heavily congested most all day, exits close together. IMO it's just bad as driving through Atlanta GA. now.

 

[tim myers]

Some wise advice there Ray, when we travel south from Ohio in winter I usually leave and plan which stop I will de-winterize at, and coming home figure out where I will winterize, it is just a part of having an RV. Like you I also invested in some remote temp sensors have one near the water pump next to the fresh water tank, one in the wet bay where the city water connection and whole house filter is and and one in the dump station near the black and gray holding tanks. I do not have heated tanks but there are a couple warm air outlets fed by the propane furnace that feed the basement.The temp readout lets me know when I should run the propane furnace and not the heat pump, which does not provide any warm air to the basement.

 

[rvmatty]

I have done New Jersey to Naples Florida trip in winter the past 5 winters. As others have said leave it winterized until far enough south to not have to worry about freezing. That could be tough this year. Unusually cold even in Naples. A gallon of pink stuff for the black tank and a few jugs of water to flush. We use bottled water, take away cups for morning coffee and paper plates and plastic utensils for any meals we eat in the RV or eat out, usually Cracker Barrel. For trip back north you have to winterize if still experiencing freezing temps. The plumbing can handle high 20's overnight if you're running the heat.
Winter travel makes it interesting.
Safe travels.