Avoiding freeze-ups while towing in very cold weather?

[profdant139]

(I am posting this in the Alaska/Canada forum because this is not a DIY question -- it is "What do real Arctic RVers do?")

So that is the question -- when you are towing in very cold weather, do you run the furnace in your trailer? Do you run the heat tape off of the inverter? I know that when I am parked and I have hookups, I will be ok. (Actually, once I install my underbelly package I will be ok.) But when I am traveling during the day in mid-winter, what to do? What is the source of heat while rolling?

I understand that some folks travel with no liquids on board at all -- so there is nothing to freeze. And if I have to do that, I will. But it means that I'd have to refill my jerry cans every night and dump gray and black every morning, I guess.

Thanks in advance for your guidance! I am really trying to "Arctic proof" my little three-season trailer so we can travel at least to the Yukon, if not beyond, during the late fall, if not the dead of winter.

By the way, I have opted for "the Yukon," based on a survey of the residents of Yukon. 😉

The? Yukon

[GordonThree]

My insulated underbelly is actually full of fiberglass batting but for whatever reason, my waste tanks and plumbing are outside the underbelly fabric. This did make my work at adding heat easier. Only one water line in the belly, the fresh pump discharge line. Had to make an incision to put heat trace on that one.

[almcc]

A couple of additional comments:

We have a "4 season" 5th wheel with tanks and pipes above the plastic bottom, I dropped the plastic to fix a FW water leak, all there is between the tank and the outside is a thin layer of aluminum and the plastic underbelly cover itself. There are 12V tank heaters (I think they are blankets) available on new RVs now, they would do a great job of heating the tank bottoms.

This is a link to a manufacturer, who says "retrofitting is easy"
Heaters

Regarding running a genny in the pickup box, our dealer said folks do this to run the A/C unit(s) in transit, I'm sure it would work in the cold, make sure that you have good ventilation, I have a Honda 3000 in the front of the pick up box but no box cover. People have put in a plug at the front of the RV to do this with a auto change over electrical box.

[GordonThree]

profdant139 wrote:
Gordon, have you run the generator while under way? Are there any problems in doing so? I think that my cargo bed is sufficiently drafty so that ventilation will not be a problem -- plus the generator will keep my luggage nice and warm. 😉

Yes, I run my generator frequently in the truck bed. I have not had any troubles for years now. Summer and winter. If I'm cooking something on the crock pot while driving, or traveling from one boondock campsite to another, running in the bed saves everyone from hearing it run at the destination, at least for one day.

When I made my 2015 winter western expedition, leaving Michigan until crossing the Rockies, the generator ran in the bed 24x7 on eco mode. The only times I stopped it was at gas stations.

I installed a good quality 12/3 extension cord into the frame of my travel trailer. The far end of the cord has a twist-lock connector that mates with my shore power inlet, and the front end has the normal 15 amp plug. I have about 10 ft of slack at the front end, so I can drape it over tailgate and secure it with bungee cords while having it plugged into the generator.

[pianotuna]

Hi,

I had drastic freeze up problems in my class C fresh water system. The living quarters would be at 21 C (70 f) and it still froze. I tried putting a 1500 watt electric heater under the sink, while running the water heater. No dice!

Then I replaced the return air grill for the furnace with twin window fans. They draw 27 watts--and slightly pressurize the heating ducts. It is enough to prevent freeze up at -27 c (-16F)

The generator runs were to warm up the rear bedroom before stopping, not for direct freeze prevention.

[profdant139]

Tony, you are right that everything has to be enclosed and insulated -- and it will be. But without a source of heat, things will eventually freeze in very cold weather.

And piano, if I understand you correctly, that is a very good idea -- run the generator in the bed of the truck while we are under way, and run an ordinary extension cord directly to the heat tape. That way, I have power while towing, and then I have hookups while we are parked.

Gordon, have you run the generator while under way? Are there any problems in doing so? I think that my cargo bed is sufficiently drafty so that ventilation will not be a problem -- plus the generator will keep my luggage nice and warm. 😉

[pianotuna]

furnace inverter and sometimes generator.

[tony_lee]

Is the underbelly reasonably insulated and fully sealed against wind infiltration while under way.

Otherwise blowing a little bit of warm air down through a 2" duct isn't going to keep up with heat loss. Dumping both tanks every morning before heading off and adding some RV antifreeze will protect your dump valves, but other items such as external showers and tank drains and tank fill circuits might still be vulnerable.

[GordonThree]

time2roll wrote:

profdant139 wrote:
time2roll, that was a great link to your recirculator project! Unfortunately, some of the photos have died, probably when photobucket kicked the bucket.

I have the pics but cannot edit or add to the archived thread. Sent a message to the moderator but that may not go far.

If you are that interested I could send the pics or recreate the thread.

Prof check out https://www.rv.net/forum/index.cfm/fuseaction/thread/tid/28635785/srt/pa/pging/1/page/1.cfm

[time2roll]

profdant139 wrote:
time2roll, that was a great link to your recirculator project! Unfortunately, some of the photos have died, probably when photobucket kicked the bucket.

I have the pics but cannot edit or add to the archived thread. Sent a message to the moderator but that may not go far.

If you are that interested I could send the pics or recreate the thread.

[GordonThree]

Cant speak for the OP

When I win the lottery I'd like to be an extremophile tourist. Visit the sub Arctic and even Arctic in the winter would be top of the list. I'd want a nicely appointed self contained expedition vehicle of course, not towing a trailer 🙂

Even visiting southern destinations like Colorado, Utah and the Grand Canyon in the winter was great.

[Lwiddis]

Tripalot, same reason posters say they want to visit Death Valley in July.

[Tripalot]

Do you have a real valid reason for wanting to go to Yukon so late in the year? The tourist places will be closed, campgrounds and facilities fewer and the scenery not at its best.

I have been to Whitehorse, Yukon during the winter. We ran a company that took cross country skiers to Yukon in March. It was beautiful and I have slept in a snow cave while there, but pulling a trailer would not be something I would consider. I have also visited the area several times in summer/early fall in our truck camper, but it never got cold enough for any freezing concerns. If your trip is in September you probably will not have anything to worry about.

[GordonThree]

Just to add. I heat the cabin mainly for the fridge. If the ambient temperature is too low, the freezer contents melt while the fridge contents freeze. Also my fresh tank is under the bed.

Lastly, in my book there's a difference between cold weather transit and a long duration trip.

If I were snowbirding to Florida from Michigan I would consider that transit. I'd likely be winterized, go out to eat when stopping for the night and not use any onboard facilities.

However spending a month (or more) living in the unit, I want everything I paid for working. Flushing toilet, washing dishes, taking a shower, etc.

[Lwiddis]

“sales on their canned goods”

Nothing like a good canned goods sale. I’m in!