Year Round Travel Trailer in RV Park ?? Help Please

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JBPearson

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Joined
Apr 20, 2015
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6
Good evening everyone.  Couple of questions if possible.  Have a 30' Travel Trailer that I purchased new in May.  Thinking about just leaving it at the RV Park its been at for the summer, the whole year so we can use in the fall and winter.  Question..  can this be done ?  How do you keep pipes from freezing ?  Do you leave the heat on a low temperature all week when not there to keep things from freezing ?  If so how long does 2 propane tanks last using the heater during the week when no one is there ?  That's a lot of questions but I think you see where I am going with this.  Any suggestions would be appreciated.  Thanks
 
Where do you live? 

People who live in your area could best answer your question although there are a lot of people who full time where it gets cold in general.

I'm in California and don't have cold weather concerns so I can't be of much help.
 
I lived in Missouri for many years. The pink RV anti-freeze is your friend. Be sure to get all the tanks and traps, don't forget the toilet. You should have a 'winterize bypass' for your hot water heater, remove the drain plug. Don't leave the propane heat on, a small space heater set low will be enough. Consider purchasing a couple of those pillows you stuff in your roof vents for insulation. A trickle charger on the battery. Leave your cabinets and fridge etc open. I think that should do it.
 
Depending on where the trailer is, I think you are asking for trouble. If cold enough, the pipes will still freeze even if the heat is left on. Heat rises and wont get under the floors where the pipes are.......Plus, any snow/ice on the roof is going to melt causing all kinds of grief.....leaks......etc

Winterize your plumbing system. The park is not going to leave the water on anyways if its a cold area.  If you want to come up in the winter, get the snow etc off the roof and run the furnace while you are there. Bring water with you and dont use the plumbing at all unless you want to rewinterize each time you leave.
 
It also may be illegal, depending on where you live.  Some states and localities license RV parks and campgrounds as temporary lodging, meaning that the owner cannot allow you to stay a full 12 month.  Then it becomes a trailer park, which is another category of licensing. Check with your area to see what the laws are. 

Also, it is difficult to find an RV park open all year because of the difficulty of keeping water pipes and sewer systems open and unfrozen.  Talk to the owners of the RV park you are currently using and ask if they have any residents who stay all year and whether the park's systems operate all winter.
 
I live in a 33' travel trailer and in the winter when we have freezing temps I have to leave water running or drain the system. also I have lost two refrigerators from sitting too long and not being used . and your pipes will freeze with heat on.
 
I'm up here in Idaho where temp fall well into the minus numbers. Most people here blow the lines out and leave the RV empty while stored in a RV park. Then if you visit the RV make sure to bring the air compressor. Just blow all the line back out after your done.

Be careful... Like my previous Motorhome had the water tank and all plumbing within the RV and freeze issues where very very low and typically would not freeze as long as the heat was above 60*F and the cabinets where open along the floor. Two 20# propane bottle lasted barely 5-7 days at 0*F.

Now my current Jayco Travel trailer will not make it any lower than 30*F and be frozen no matter how much heat you have.  The problem is the water tank is outside the house and not heated or insulated very well. Then the water for the bathroom has to pass under the slide so it exits the house and runs under the RV again insulated poorly. So this RV need to be blown out and empty by the time 30-32*F weather occurs.
 

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