Sub-zero Cold Cold Highway Travel

[Kispiox]

Forgive me if this covered elsewhere but I am not able to find it if it is.

My question has to do with highway travel in sub-zero winter conditions. If the camper is being used winterizing does not work. Therefore, how do you folks keep everything above freezing? Are you able to run the Atwood propane heater at highway speed? In windy crosswind conditions? Is a boot the answer? Please advise......

 

[craig333]

Sub zero mine stays toasty by staying home. Sorry, can't help ya.

 

[riz]

I keep my water in a flexible 5 gallon jug in the sink. If it's really cold I start out with hot water. It has gotten some ice in it a couple of times (usually after sitting all day while I'm out skiing), but it would have to be awfully cold for a long, long time for it to freeze solid. I've never tried driving with the heater on. After stopping,the forced air heater warms up the inside within minutes even when the temps are below zero. I've camped in temps low enough that I used the ice box to keep the beer from freezing...

 

[KILR0Y]

I Run My Furnace. Works Great, But You Fill Bottles More Often...

 

[idahoron]

Right now I am not using the sink or the water tank. I have a 2.5 gal water jug in the sink and I throw the water out the back. I am all winterized.

 

[Kispiox]

I keep my water in a flexible 5 gallon jug in the sink. If it's really cold I start out with hot water. It has gotten some ice in it a couple of times (usually after sitting all day while I'm out skiing), but it would have to be awfully cold for a long, long time for it to freeze solid. I've never tried driving with the heater on. After stopping,the forced air heater warms up the inside within minutes even when the temps are below zero. I've camped in temps low enough that I used the ice box to keep the beer from freezing...

Riz,... Thanks, yea the food provisions is a concern. Everything from canned goods to bread, veggies etc. One can move them back and forth to the truck but it all starts not being any fun.

Kilroy,... How cold have you traveled iwith your heater on? Do you have an Atwood externally vented system? If I can heat while traveling on the highway it is worth the extra propane use to not have to move provisions around. My remaining concern is that even if maintaining a core temperature inside the Hawk, that the external water fill and drain points might still freeze expand and break? Again, talking about at highway speed. What temperature do you maintain inside while traveling? Im interested in any further experience you may have specific to these concerns.

 

[Hittheroad]

We left the heater on for about 2,000 miles, Texas to Massachusetts. Just had to be sure nothing blocked the inside heater vents and got cooked (not easy when you have a really full load. Have left it on all night in motel parking lots - tried to park so no one would burn themselves on the external vents. Setting thermostat at 50 kept everything from freezing without cooking the contents of the fridge. We did drain the water tank and water lines just in case but that may not be necessary. With the top down and the thermostat low the propane tank will last a long, long time.

 

[KILR0Y]

Like Hittheroad, I Keep My Thermostat Set At About 50 or 55. Its Been Below Freezing Here For Almost A Month Straight, With Max Lows Sitting At 17 To 20 Below Zero (100 Year Record Low Temps). I Have The Atwood Furnace And Leave The Door Below The Sink Cracked Open While Traveling To Avoid Freezing The Pump And Hoses. Haven't Had Any Issues Yes (Fingers Crossed). Not Much Area To Heat With The Top Down, While Traveling Or Parked At Work All Day. I Fill The Tanks About Every Two Weeks. Of Course I Keep The Truck in The Garage At Night, So The Furnace Doesn't Even Kick On In There Because its Heated.

 

[Kispiox]

Thank you gentlemen.

I was thinking there might be an answer with an inflatable or foam window to truck boot. Everyone that I talk to says don't bother because of bad seal, road noise, leaks, paint wear, etc. They also say the truck heat does not effectively transfer without a fan or duct. A little spiral duct with computer fan could be rigged but something else to jostle around when it is not needed the majority of the time.

Anyway, that doesn't sound like an effective option. I guess I will crank up the Atwood, open the water pump door and give it a go. It probably wouldn't hurt to run a little new warmer water through the tank drain valve at every opportunity too.

 

[AK Nomad]

IMO, running the furnace does very little to protect from freezing the following:
outside shower plumbing (including valve)
water tank drain line and valve
water utility hookup (if used since last drain)
I always winterize the camper for freezing weather (drain plumbing, antifreeze in pump, etc). When using the camper in freezing weather, I keep food in a cooler (except ice cream) and use water jugs. I can move these to cab when travelling to keep from freezing. When winter camping, I don't do canned goods, fresh veggies, etc. Nothing wrong with frozen salmon, frozen veggies, ice cream, etc. Keeps better that way!!!! I do lot's of winter camping here in AK......it's one BIG freezer out there! In fact, I don't carry water......just melt some snow.
I understand some of you are having good success by keeping your fingers crossed, but for me it is peace of mind.

 

[Wandering Sagebrush]

IMO, running the furnace does very little to protect from freezing the following:
outside shower plumbing (including valve)
water tank drain line and valve
water utility hookup (if used since last drain)
I always winterize the camper for freezing weather (drain plumbing, antifreeze in pump, etc). When using the camper in freezing weather, I keep food in a cooler (except ice cream) and use water jugs. I can move these to cab when travelling to keep from freezing. When winter camping, I don't do canned goods, fresh veggies, etc. Nothing wrong with frozen salmon, frozen veggies, ice cream, etc. Keeps better that way!!!! I do lot's of winter camping here in AK......it's one BIG freezer out there! In fact, I don't carry water......just melt some snow.
I understand some of you are having good success by keeping your fingers crossed, but for me it is peace of mind.

+ 1

Good advice.

 

[Kispiox]

IMO, running the furnace does very little to protect from freezing the following:
outside shower plumbing (including valve)
water tank drain line and valve
water utility hookup (if used since last drain)
I always winterize the camper for freezing weather (drain plumbing, antifreeze in pump, etc). When using the camper in freezing weather, I keep food in a cooler (except ice cream) and use water jugs. I can move these to cab when travelling to keep from freezing. When winter camping, I don't do canned goods, fresh veggies, etc. Nothing wrong with frozen salmon, frozen veggies, ice cream, etc. Keeps better that way!!!! I do lot's of winter camping here in AK......it's one BIG freezer out there! In fact, I don't carry water......just melt some snow.
I understand some of you are having good success by keeping your fingers crossed, but for me it is peace of mind.

Thanks AK,.. Talkeetna is one of my favorite places on the planet. I do a little tail dragging, but nothing like those boys up there. I'll also spare you from any yellow snow comments.

The water fills are high and probably self drain. Though I have not investigated yet, I assume there is a shut off valve to the exterior shower. That the case it could be drained and then closed off. I am not certain what you call "water utility hook-up", but I must not have one of those? As for the drain, I am thinking that I could configure a foam cover to insulate that. The jury is still out on that one. Kilroys comment about having the pump door open is a good one. The sink bottom is also open to that door and the sink faucet is well in board so it shouldn't get to freezing. The water in the tank should be okay because it is moving and warm on two sides. (Side comment,.. Never understood why they done build some baffles into the tank, but not worth getting into here,.. forget I said that).

Net of it is, I am thinking if the heater works doing 70 in a crosswind, no damage should be done? I don't believe in just crossing fingers though.

 

[Hittheroad]

Thanks AK,.. Talkeetna is one of my favorite places on the planet. I do a little tail dragging, but nothing like those boys up there. I'll also spare you from any yellow snow comments.

The water fills are high and probably self drain. Though I have not investigated yet, I assume there is a shut off valve to the exterior shower. That the case it could be drained and then closed off. I am not certain what you call "water utility hook-up", but I must not have one of those? As for the drain, I am thinking that I could configure a foam cover to insulate that. The jury is still out on that one. Kilroys comment about having the pump door open is a good one. The sink bottom is also open to that door and the sink faucet is well in board so it shouldn't get to freezing. The water in the tank should be okay because it is moving and warm on two sides. (Side comment,.. Never understood why they done build some baffles into the tank, but not worth getting into here,.. forget I said that).

Net of it is, I am thinking if the heater works doing 70 in a crosswind, no damage should be done? I don't believe in just crossing fingers though.

I know we were doing over 70 in windy Texas. Cross wind was such that at a rest stop we could not open the door on the windward side. But now that I think about it I am not certain we had the heater on then. It wasn't until a bit later that we hit really cold weather. But if we did have it on this would have been the test you were looking for.

 

[KILR0Y]

Kispoix, Like Mentioned Above, Winterize The Shower. And Never Turn Off Your Hot Water Heater Until You Get Home And Drain.

 

[Shadyapex]

I don't camp in the kind of cold you do but I do regularly see well below freezing temps so I rigged a drain in the supply hose to the water pump. Its a hardware store hack but it works. I just put a fitting in line just below the water pump that allows me to open a valve to let air into the supply line and the water just drains back into the tank. Then I run the pump for a few seconds to clear any left over water out of it. I then close the valve and I'm ready to go in the morning. In your case the water tank might freeze but for me its generally only cold enough to freeze the water in the pump and supply line and not the larger thermal mass of the actual tank. For a valve I used a swamp cooler supply faucet. It works for me.

 

[Kispiox]

Thanks Hitherroad, that is exactly the kind of info I'm looking for. Good thing you had a pop-up in that cross wind. My folks used to live down near Brownsville. Have a cousin in Houston and an aunt and uncle in Austin. Great folks and great country. You folks are probably not going to put up with too much more Central Planning and I don't blame you.

Kilroy, with re to the hot water heater. I accidentally left that on a couple of times and it does not like running while driving. If leaves soot all over the side of the camper. As far as water in the hot water tank,... As long as that is hot before I start and turn it on again for fuel, food & pit stops that should be okay. It is insulated and also exposed to the water pump door. I think that one will be okay. Agreed the shower needs drained and left drained.

Sandyapex: Good information! With a little creative plumbing, I'm thinking that I could set it up so that with very little effort drain the whole system? Will advise on that!

TWO HEADS ARE ALWAYS BETTER THAN ONE!!!

THANK YOU ALL

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

 

[camper101]

Is there any safety concern with traveling while the heater is on? I was under the impression that it's best to shut off propane at the tank when you travel because if you wreck or get rear ended by something big (not that it'll ever happen...) the lines could break and gas would start leaking out at high pressure.

Now, I'm tempted to pre-heat my camper as well. I've just told myself that I'd wait until getting off the highway and am doing the last few miles to camp at slower speeds. But I'd like to know if those tanks/lines have something built in that prevents gas from spewing out somehow.

 

[pvstoy]

Modern tanks have a green ACME nut at the tank valve that prevents gas to release when a line is cut.

For some reason I can not paste to any post but Google " Propane 101-The basics" and go down to the one with address from EarthLink.net

 

[ski3pin]

This one?

Propane 101

 

[BFH4N]

Great link about Propane 101! Everyone should read it. Thanks.