2inAlabama
Huntsville, AL
Senior Member
Joined: 01/08/2008
View Profile
 Offline
|
Are you confident enough that your furnace will keep your tanks and water lines from freezing to travel during the winter? I would love to travel during the late winter and early spring, but don't know if I want to risk it.
Just DH & DW
'02 Allegro Phaeton, 300 hp Cummins, Freightliner
|
trop-a-cal
Palm Coast Fl
Senior Member
Joined: 09/24/2007
View Profile
Offline
|
If your rig is subjected to cold temperatures of 28 F or lower from outside temperatures the tanks will freeze at about the 5th hour. Electric heat elements can keep them warm, but are not origional equipment. That aslo means providing the heat via powered generator, at a cost for fuel. The interior also needs heat which it can get from the engine, and heaters.
So, yes you can, but only if the heat stays around 35 F minimum. They just are not made for freezing temperatures unless you have the modifications done.
|
Macktee
Canada
Senior Member
Joined: 12/19/2010
View Profile
Offline
|
It depends where you are travelling to. When we travel down south, it takes 2 1/2 days to get to where it is warm enough to de-winterize the rig. During those days, we stay at parks that have showers. It really isn't that terrible. And we have travelled many times in very sub zero temps and winter road conditions. Macktee
Of all the things I've lost in my life I miss my mind the most"
05 Monaco Diplomat ( Homer)
2012 Ram 1500 4X4 Quad Cab towed
Tom and DW Nancy
Dreaming the life and living the dream
Holliday Trails member
Good Sam Life time member
Garman 376C
FMCA member# F419937
|
sowego
northwest panhandle of Nebraska
Senior Member
Joined: 03/14/2006
View Profile
|
We have traveled & lived in our motorhome for 10 years year round. One time we drove from Seattle to Key West in January at temps below zero with snow and ice (not all the way of course).
Then we lived in our coach fulltime for 3 winters beside the barn in our home location in Northwestern Nebraska not far from the Wyoming and South Dakota borders. We did indeed live in there down to -20. From our experience in our coach...at temps below 10 the furnaces will run a lot, zero and below they will hardly ever shut off using up a lot of propane. We went through 2 two hundred gallon tank fulls in the winter! The furnaces "help" keep the pipes and pump from freezing but when the temps got below 10 degrees and stayed there we had to put a light bulb in the water bay right on top of the pump to keep it from freezing solid. We also had to cover all glass with heavy insulation, cover the step well, kept the main living area slide pulled in, hung a heavy towel over the door, put down extra rugs on the floor and ran 1 small electric heater to keep the interior comfortable. With all that furnace run time we also had to keep a humidifier running 24/7 or the interior humidity got down well below 20%, which as we all know is hard on hair, noses and causes lots of static shocks. At those extremes--65 is about the best interior temp you can manage.
So, it is indeed doable but takes a lot of propane, strict attention to water bay temps (use a remote temp sensor like from a weather station), adding fresh water or dumping tanks only when the temp is up to freezing then restowing the hoses in a slightly warmer place.
Add that to a blizzard or two with 60mph winds and high drifts...you can end up in a real mess. Have enough supplies/fuel to be safe and warm for at least a week. We would travel again in the winter but never into the mountains. The snowfalls up there are DEEP. Also over mountain passes you'll need to carry chains and be prepared to put them on. We never, never, never went out on the road with wind, snow, ground blizzards, or ice and always parked before dark.
I see you are in the south so your will not experience such extreme temps/conditions in your region. But if you decide to venture north &/or west it is possible. Just keep one eye on your thermometer and the other on the Weather Channel or NOAA and you can find a lot of nice traveling days.
Another thing to be aware of...in winter in cold country many Rv parks shut down for the winter. Some are open with full hook-ups and usually thier shower houses are closed. The best some can offer is power only. Call ahead for open parks along your proposed route.
2002 Tiffin Phaeton
2005 Malibu Maxx toad
|
rondeb
Pacific Northwest
Senior Member
Joined: 05/06/2005
View Profile
Good Sam RV Club Member
Offline
|
We don't unwinterize until we are out of any freezing temps. Just carry gallons of water and use RV parks that have bath houses. It is tough enough trying to keep everything flowing when you are stopped in below freezing temps, almost impossible if you are moving.
|
|
|
zmotorsports
Utah
Senior Member
Joined: 11/29/2007
View Profile
Offline
|
Our current coach has heated basement and we have been in the negative temperatures and not frozen up. We kept the slide in to minimize the amount of square footage to have to heat but the Aqua-Hot did fantastic.
On our previous coach, it did not have a heated basement and the black/grey tanks were inside a compartment while the water tank was just over the engine/under the rear bed. It was not heated but it was insulated quite well. We used it for seven years for winter travel and snowmobiling. In all of those seven years we froze up once when the temperatures got into the single digits and the wind was blowing horribly. Other than that the LP furnace did a great job of keeping us warm. That coach did not have slides.
Mike.
2003 Monaco Dynasty/ 26' Haulmark Edge trailer
2011 Jeep Unlimited Rubicon
|
Busskipper
Arnold,Md
Senior Member
Joined: 11/25/2002
View Profile
Offline
|
2inAlabama wrote:Are you confident enough that your furnace will keep your tanks and water lines from freezing to travel during the winter? I would love to travel during the late winter and early spring, but don't know if I want to risk it.
We have traveled year round for the last 12 years with only a few issues that were easily resolved, heat will keep things from freezing -- so just keep things warm.
One thing we have used to help us keep track is the remote thermometer in the bays. Works great and some even have a warning beep, hot halogen bulbs have also helped when we are camped, I have even mounted one in the water bay to help see and heat it during extreme cold -- has worked great.
Couple things that have made it easier -- auto start Generator , so the batteries never get discharged and allow the furnace to stop when we dry camp in the winter. extra insulation, just not pressing the issue too much. We have wintered in Golden Colorado with 10 days that had the low of -17 every night with no issue.
My advise -- Go For It!
BOL,
Busskipper
Maryland/Colorado
Travel Supreme 42DS04
MDX-FMCA--M&G Brake
States traveled in this Coach
|
harold1946
Surprise Arizona
Senior Member
Joined: 06/20/2009
View Profile
Offline
|
If you have ducted heat going to the tank area there should be no problem. We have been in temps to -14 and had no freezing. We went through a lot of propane.
Pulling in the slides helps considerably, much less space to heat.
Harold and Linda
2009 CT Coachworks siena 35V
W-22 Workhorse 8.1L
Explorer toad
|
racer99
channahon
Senior Member
Joined: 02/16/2010
View Profile
Good Sam RV Club Member
Offline
|
2inAlabama -We start from ILL and head south to either Padacah KY or ELKMONT AL late Feb -early Mar and by then we can think about de-winterizing By the second night if its cold we make Elkmont and it is usually warm enough to remove the RV antifreeze-Rich
1991 Bounder/454/p30/31'
pauperspride.blogspot.com
|
wny_pat
Western NYS
Senior Member
Joined: 08/11/2007
View Profile
Offline
|
2inAlabama,
You have a '02 Allegro Phaeton. Why not check out the Tiffin Owners Group at Tiffin RV Network. You have a whole dedicated support group who own Tiffin Motor Homes. They have a answer for your every question. Not trying to chase you away, but when you have a bunch of real expert owners available 24/7, I'd sure be taking advantage. Great bunch of guys over there, and I'm sure that they would welcome you with open arms!
|
|
|
