Freezing temperatures-drain water lines ok?

[janieryan]

We are travelling north and will encounter 6 days of -4 C (25F) temps at night,  for 5 days before it goes above freezing at night.  Are we ok to drain our water lines, or do we have to winterize (anti-freeze) again? TYIA.

 

[Rene T]

We are travelling north and will encounter 6 days of -4 C (25F) temps at night,  for 5 days before it goes above freezing at night.  Are we ok to drain our water lines, or do we have to winterize (anti-freeze) again? TYIA.

You would need a few days (24 hours) of weather temps at 25 degrees or lower before anything freezes. As long as it gets warm in the daytime, you should be fine.

 

[janieryan]

The highs are only going to be 6 C (43 F) during the day. Will that be warm enough?

 

[Rene T]

The highs are only going to be 6 C (43 F) during the day. Will that be warm enough?

I think you'll be fine.  I assume you'll have the heat on at night so you could also open some of your cabinet doors to let the heat get in there.

 

[lynnmor]

There is some risk, are you feeling lucky today?  I don't take that much of a chance.

 

[Isaac-1]

Without knowing details on your RV it is hard to give a good answer (enclosed or exposed tank and plumbing, running heat inside, etc.)

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

I'd add some RV antifreeze in the waste tanks, just to be sure the exposed drain valves don't freeze overnight. They don't benefit much from interior heat and are directly exposed to sub-freezing temperatures.  0.5-1.0 gallons in each tank should be plenty to avoid a freeze-up there.  May well not be needed, but its one of those "cheap insurance" things.

 

[Senator]

Are you going to be stopped when the temps are freezing?

I have traveled in the cold up to Thompson, Manitoba, on my way to Churchill.  I drained my tanks and water heater and still had freezing issues on a 5-hour drive.  No broken pipes, and it was ~25 degrees F.  When I got stopped I plugged a 1500W heater and put it in the basement of the fifth wheel.  Maybe I could have run the furnace while traveling, maybe that would have helped.

Drain everything you can.  Use the pink stuff if you do not need to use the water during this period.  A few hours below freezing, while stopped, probably isn't bad.  A few hours while traveling is a lot of cold.