Heated tanks

[Flyingpiper59]

Hey Forum Chums

Got an 85 Pace Arrow last fall

....wintered in it with some fine advice

From some folks on the forum..while building a permanent house on my land....put hay bales around the perimeter....but in extreme cold...my dump valves froze on a couple of occasions....I want to make it more versatile...for cold weather camping...my son fell in love with it...anyone do a retrofit with heated tanks....valves....etc?

 

[captsteve]

Heated tanks on most means they are enclosed in the basement with a heat duct from the furnace blowing down there.

Some newer ones (coaches) I have seen actually have 12v stick on heat strips on the tanks.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

What captsteve says.

In any case, valves can freeze even with a modest amount of heat.  The valves are exposed, so need either direct heat (often a 75-100W incandescent or infrared bulb is enough) or direct insulation wrap on the valves themselves.    Even that only means you can't dump the tanks until a warm spell.  The main concern is fresh water lines and the water pump. Again, you need to apply heat in the water pump area and possibly around the line from tank to pump. Each RV differs in its vulnerabilities, so has to be evaluated on its own merits.  Some coaches have water lines running under the body (along the chassis rails) or lying so close to the outer walls that they can freeze.