Finally Made My First Big Mistake (advice?)

[leviweaver]

So it finally happened. I knew I was bound to mess something up eventually, and I did.

It froze last night.

And I know.
I know to plug it in, turn on the heating, and the tank warmer.
I am so mad at myself because I know these things.
But I didn't do it.

So this morning, of course, there is a large puddle. It appears to be dripping from a hose.

Neat.

My question now is this: it's supposed to freeze again tonight. I assume I should do tonight what I didn't do last night (plug-in + heater + tank warmer), but my question is: if the water runs completely out, am I going to cause a problem by heating an empty tank?

I don't even want to know what this mistake is going to cost me. If I could karate kick myself in the face, I would.

 

[RoyM]

I hate those moments. You will likely burn the heater element out if the tank runs dry, best scenario would be to pin point the leak, drain the system and git 'er fixed.

 

[SargeW]

If you mean the fresh water tank, I doubt it. The way the tank is constructed there will always be a certain amount of water left in the tank when the pump will not pull any more water.  The tank heaters are basically heating pads under the tank, so even with a minimal amount of water in the tank,  it would be fine.

 

[captsteve]

Welcome to the OOPS I messed up club!! Been there done that, lost the t-shirt.

Now, the best thing to do would be to drain the system from the low point drains, then open all the fawcets and blow some air through the system. This should clear the rest of the water out. Make sure to empty the HWH out first.

There will be a little water left in the potable tank but that will be ok. When it freezes it will have plenty of room to expand and will not do any harm.

If you have an icemaker, unscrew the waterline from the back of the reefer when you are doing the blow down to get the water out of it.

The above will keep you safe. If you can find the source of the leak, it very well may be a simple fix. Look for it before you pay someone to fix it.

 

[Harvard]

I notice the OP is in Nashville TN. That is a bit of a surprise, in our country it is a no brainer at -20F but who would have thought it would be cold enough in Nashville to do harm. Me thinks had the OP asked before hand he may not have been warned of the perils because of how far south he lives.

Any idea how low the temperature went?

 

[Molaker]

I notice the OP is in Nashville TN. That is a bit of a surprise, in our country it is a no brainer at -20F but who would have thought it would be cold enough in Nashville to do harm. Me thinks had the OP asked before hand he may not have been warned of the perils because of how far south he lives.

Any idea how low the temperature went?

Nashville is not that far south.  Although the average low in November is about 40 degrees, temperatures in the 20's are commonplace.  The record low for November is about 0 degrees and near -20 all year.  Granted, not blizzard territory, but cold enough to warrant winterizing or, at least, maintaining some heat.  It looks like the temps hit near 20 degrees the past few nights.

http://www.weather.com/weather/wxclimatology/monthly/graph/USTN0357

 

[Hfx_Cdn]

    In the daylight today, I would recommend that you try and track down the source of the water.  Given that it wasn't likely a real hard freeze, you likely have a connection that has become unsealed.  If that's the case, it is an easy fix by replacing the connector with a compresison fitting available at most RV Parts shops or hardware store like Home Depot or Lowes.  Once accomplished, then consider if it is going to freeze again, if so, drain and/or use some RV antifreeze in the water lines and drains.
  In the scheme of things, that is a minor oops that usually can be readily fixed.  It is part of RVing, so don't get upset.

Ed

 

[leviweaver]

Thanks for all the input, guys.

Yeah, Nashville is part of the "south", but it does freeze here fairly commonly in the winter. I wasn't specifically warned of the dangers of a single freeze, but inferred from the process of "winterizing" (and also I read enough here on the forum) that I knew better.

On to solutions: I did try to track down the source of the leak, but since I am so inexperienced at this, I don't know if I found it or not. I pulled out the cabinets to access the water tank, and there was a little water on the floor (crossing my fingers I found it before there is any permanent water damage there). I can see the hose that appears to be leaking underneath the rig, but with there being water on the inside floor as well, am I right to assume that it's the actual tank that's cracked?

I hate to be the incompetent idiot, but I suspect taking it in might be the way forward at this point.

Anyone want to suggest a trustworthy repair place near Nashville?

 

[jje1960]

Don't be so hard on yourself... Live and learn with RV's, that's for sure.  Last year I was all satisfied that I had winterized properly (done it year after year with different RV's) had all the lines blown out, antifreeze in the traps, tanks empty.... Upon de-winterizing this past Spring.... nice flow of water coming out of the back of the toilet... Plastic valve had frozen and split... I obviously had forgot to hold the pedal down long enough to clear all water.... However, definitely remembered this year while winterizing!  :-[

 

[captsteve]

With an RV, Never assume anything.

The chances that the tank cracked are slim. It would take a hard freeze for a couple days to freeze a tank of water. Best bet is a line or connection. Fill the system enough to run it and look for the leak with some pressure, it will be easier to find. A little water for the short term won't  damage the floor, just clean it up as best you can when done. Water standing and saturating the ply is what will cause the damage.

 

[John From Detroit]

A few days ago (perhaps 2) I was in a rest area likely in KY or OH, not sure.. (One of those weeks, 800 miles in 48 hours or less) and I keyed the Accu-Weather widget on my phone.... I checked the cities list.

Flint, MI 22
Taylor, MI. 22
Seneca SC, 22
Fair Play SC 22
Where I was, 22
I think it might have been a bit warmer in Dairen GA

I passed Nashville one of those hours in that 48 list.. I'm in Seneca now (47 not expected to freeze tonight).

 

[jje1960]

A few days ago (perhaps 2) I was in a rest area likely in KY or OH, not sure.. (One of those weeks, 800 miles in 48 hours or less) and I keyed the Accu-Weather widget on my phone.... I checked the cities list.

Flint, MI 22
Taylor, MI. 22
Seneca SC, 22
Fair Play SC 22
Where I was, 22
I think it might have been a bit warmer in Dairen GA

I passed Nashville one of those hours in that 48 list.. I'm in Seneca now (47 not expected to freeze tonight).

Brrrr!  Careful, that global warming, wait no, new ice age, wait no, climate change ... yea yea that's it, going to jump out n' bite you!