Winter Travel

[jwengermt]

New to RV travel and will be doing a month long trip in October. Wondering what precautions are necessary when traveling in below freezing temperatures. Don't plan on traveling in bad weather, but the temp could be below freezing at times during travel times.

[shovelhead86]

Turn on tank heaters. Use furnace at night so heat gets to basement and water piping. I would not worry otherwise unless travel is in less than 20 degrees F. Then you might want to run furnace while traveling.

[jwengermt]

Not sure that i have tank heaters. I wasn't sure if you could run with the furnace on?

[DQDick]

Some rigs can run with the furnace on and the slides in and others can't. In our 2010 we could run with the furnace on, because most vents were still open with the slides in and I'd added an extra one that was also open. On our 2 current rigs we can't run either one with the slides in because the majority of the vents are covered when the slides are in. On the other hand, if the temps aren't a lot below feezing and you've run the furnace overnight to get heat in the floor you shouldn't have an issue just towing it with the furnace off. Tank heaters were added to newer Montanas and you'll have three switches in your pannel if you have them. Our Montana has them, but our HC doesn't. We didn't have them on our 2010 either and never had a problem as long as we ran the furnace as necessary.

[Rondo]

Jack-- It would help if you would tell us the year and model of your unit. You've got some good answers already but would more than likely get more answers to your questions if we had that information.

[jwengermt]

My RV is a 2006 29Ft. Keystone Montana. I believe the furnace vents are still open when the slides are in but will check it. I appreciate the advice every one has given.

[mlh]

If you aren’t getting down in the low 20s for very long every thing will be all right. You have a 12,000 pound heat sink. It takes a while to cool it off.
Lynwood

[fatcatzzz]

If you will be staying in a campground or rv park, then I suggest a heated water hose.

[Camp CA]

Originally Posted by jwengermt

............Wondering what precautions are necessary when traveling in below freezing temperatures......

And I will add.........we started fifth wheel trailer camping in the winter in Lake Tahoe back many years ago so made my own electrically heat traced and insulated rv water supply hose. Today you can buy an electrically heat traced rv water supply hose.

[Loneoak]

We have travelled many times to Florida in freezing weather. We are only in freezing temperatures for a day or so, but we have the unit winterized before leaving and use water in jugs for things like flushing the toilet, washing our hands and brushing teeth.

We run the furnace at night the first night on the road. If you run the furnace while in transit (which we have never done), keep in mind you will be going through a lot of propane.

[mazboy]

have an electric heater too....the furnace is noisy.

[DutchmenSport]

We do the same as LoneOak. Travel from Indiana to Florida, South Carolina, Georgia, Lousiana over the week of Christmas and then back home again. Camper is winterized at home. Once past the freeze zone states, we unwinterize. When traveling back home, we winterize again. Winterizing take only about 15 minutes and provides a lot of peace of mind. For $2 or $3 a gallon of pink stuff, and only 2 gallons needed, it's the best way for peace of mind. We purchase our pink-stuff antifreeze before leaving Indiana. As we discovered many years ago, once in Florida, you can't find it anywhere. So we take 3 gallons with us (actually under the bed all the time), because you just never know????

Over the course of the winter, between November and the end of March, we have winterized and unwinterized, (on an average) 3 times, as we travel during cold weather often.

[twindman]

A sort of off topic question- When unwinterizing, do you just run the antifreeze into the sewer? If so, isn't that sort of toxic? Just curious as I live in AZ and travel during the summer so never winterize.

[skypilot]

RV antifreeze, the pink stuff, is non-toxic. It will mess up your grass for some reason so we are sure to flush our lines thoroughly when dewinterizing but it is safe for humans and pets.


NEVER, Ever use the automobile stuff ever!! It IS HIGHLY TOXIC.

[Rozeboom]

Hello have a montana 3721,
does anyone travel in winter with the furnace on???

[Rozeboom]

Hello have a montana 3721 legacy, very noisy furnace , anyone ever put insulation around it to make it more quite

[jwengermt]

My 5th Wheel is a 2006 2980RL. We are on our October trip and in Ohio. Start back to Montana tomorrow. We're fine until we reach Wyoming. Temperature in the low 20's high teens for the trip on Saturday and Sunday. Don't have a heated water hose so that's not an option. Worried about things freezing up on the road. Any suggestions would help. The heat vents are all open when the tip outs are in. Can i run with the furnace on? Help.

[jimcol]

You can, and many do. Set the thermostat at 50 and head west. Even though it will be in the 20's or high teens the belly where the pipes are doesn't cool down all that quickly. Much of the heat from the night will stay in the belly for some time.

[JimIrish7]

We have our Montana HC up in South Bend at a KOA. We will be bringing it back to Atlanta in a week.
1.Temperatures are running next week 32F to 33F in the am. We arrive on Thursday next week to pick it up and drive back. Should I have it winterized before I DRIVE IT BACK TO GA.? Once in GA I will have it winterized.
2. I am also up there this weekend and wondering should I leave the tank heaters on as I leave Sunday am this weekend and will be back next Thursday/Friday? I do leave the heat pump on at 50F when we are gone.

Thanks
Jim

[jimcol]

At those predicted outside temps and the heat pump set at 50 I doubt that the tank heaters are even coming on. I'd use the RV going back to Atlanta and winterize once home.