Possible 4 Season solution for water, pipes, tank

[SigSanDiego]

I have to admit, I’m a bit disappointed that our Grandby (and FWC fleet in general) is not particularly suitable for temps south (north?) of freezing.

We knew what we were getting into once we blew off a Lance hard sided 4-season camper and shifted focus to FWCs. Agile/ low profile form factor won the day. With that said:

Instead of “Winterizing” I propose the following possible solution for indoor shower and sink usage in sub-freezing temps. I am by no means an expert on retrofitting anything.

I submit to y’all mount small 12 volt fans flush to cabinets, strategically placed to circulate warm air by sensitive pump, lines and water storage.

The prewarmed air from the interior of the camper (furnace on of course) would be drawn into the interior of the cabinet spaces via the fans.

General idea that needs fleshing out I know, but come on! I want to use the plumbing and shower if needed.

Thoughts?

 

[Wallowa]

That approach has been in use, but not with fans...simply opening cabinet doors and if deemed needed to remove drawers to allow furnace warmed air into areas of plumbing; I have used insulating foam board along the Tundra bed rails to "seal" to a degree the bed surrounding the Hawk, so in a pinch I would also open tie down turnbuckle doors to put heated air around the sides and bottom of the Hawk floor..still must rely on furnace pumping out warm air, lose propane or electricity and all bets are off...again, hot water heater produced hot water which in turn is dumped into 20 gallon water tank and also circulating through plumbing by turning on hot water tap...all add therm to areas of plumbing..

Worst Case...no electricity, no heat...plumbing can freeze...backup 24 hr had warmers and or draining water from system and dumping in cheap vodka as an anti-freeze.. remembering when you are skiing or driving that heater must be running...my position is not to drive with heater running, which I view as risk not worth the reward.

Side note: No sun, no solar juice; no 110 outlets no 110 charger..BUT if you have a DC/DC it will put lots of amps into battery quickly ...ours is Orion 30 amp..and puts out lots of juice when Tundra is started.

No ideas on your inside shower plumbing is...we voted against that not wanting the humidity and water inside the Hawk...

In my view there is no stopping plumbing from freezing if it gets cold enough....drain everything and use water jugs...last winter on a ski trip a 7 gallon water jug in front seat area of Tundra froze solid while I was skiing ...that was only at -6F.

 

[SigSanDiego]

Yeah. Cabinet doors open won’t fly. Unsightly, in the way and dogs get into trouble.

Indoor shower has drain to exterior, double MaxAir fans take care of condensation.

A sleek 12 volt flush mounted fan directing air to vital bits is compelling and easy but would it be enough.

We live by Tahoe so our snow trips would be less than 72 hours so propane not an issue. Reliability not an issue.

I’d drive (90 minutes to Heavenly) with heater on set at lowest temperature.

I can test at my house with cabinets open before I’d drill for fan.

Thinking.

 

[Wallowa]

Yeah. Cabinet doors open won’t fly. Unsightly, in the way and dogs get into trouble.

Indoor shower has drain to exterior, double MaxAir fans take care of condensation.

A sleek 12 volt flush mounted fan directing air to vital bits is compelling and easy but would it be enough.

We live by Tahoe so our snow trips would be less than 72 hours so propane not an issue. Reliability not an issue.

I’d drive (90 minutes to Heavenly) with heater on set at lowest temperature.

I can test at my house with cabinets open before I’d drill for fan.

Thinking.

Spending the night, or most often longer, at below zero was what I was trying to protect against...however 6 hours of skiing can drop temps below freezing around plumbing..like I said, driving with a propane furnace on is not on the table for me; for you it is fine..as for shower...well, a weak area for campers is introduced moisture inside; I get enough from my wet ski gear at the end of the day..

Look, I backcountry ski and not just a 90 min drive is the issue, although plumbing can freeze in that time, but once where I am going to skin up I probably will be spending the night in the Hawk for 2-4 days while daytime temps are OK to ski in the night time temps can be brutal...honestly, under these conditions, my best bet is to drain the system and carry water..

Different needs; different strokes...

[Oh, propane or electrical juice is not a problem until it is...look for the LCDs and have a contingency plan.]

 

[Jon R]

I’m a supporter of draining the system when below freezing temperature is anticipated. It’s one less thing i have to worry about.