Frozen water tank or supply line? - Montana Owners Club

GRHooper · 02-01-2011, 06:41 AM

Here in OKC where we're having a blizzard and 9 degrees.......my outdoor faucet cracked so I'm using water from the fresh water tank. I have no water from either hot or cold although the gauge shows 2/3 full. I've jacked up the furnace to 75 degrees and put a small heater in the basement to help thaw whatever is frozen. Any other ideas? Thanks so much!

bncinwv · 02-01-2011, 06:54 AM

Check the low point drains under the rig to see if they are frozen. They can cause ice to form upstream and block water flow.
Bingo

GRHooper · 02-01-2011, 07:28 AM

Thanks. If that's the case, can I drain them and, if so, how?

bncinwv · 02-01-2011, 07:42 AM

If they are frozen they probably need to be thawed. Some have used a hair dryer in the convenience center and beneath the rig to thaw them. Obviously if it is 9 degrees, a hair dryer may not cut it. It is a good idea to put pipe insulation around them in very cold temperatures. I would think a heat tape might be of benefit in thawing them and keeping them from freezing. Hope that is all it is. There are also some lines in the convenience center (behind it) that may be close to the outside of the rig that can possibly freeze, but I would think with the heat at 75 that they would not be a problem.
Bingo

GRHooper · 02-01-2011, 07:52 AM

Is the low point drain the one at the rear of the coach that is used to drain the water tank? Are there others?

jimcol · 02-01-2011, 07:53 AM

Jerry, Just a couple of questions. Have you been running the furnace the entire time or using portable heaters inside the rig? If you been running the furnace the belly should have stayed warm enough to prevent freezing pipes. If you were using heaters that belly where the water lines are gets mighty cold mighty fast. If that is the case get as much heat down there as quick as you can. Make sure you put the heater behind the wall seperating the storage area from the belly area. Are you hearing the pump run when you open an inside faucet? If you are not hearing the pump run you might want to check and make sure you don't have a 12 volt issue. I'd start at the DC fuse panel and work my way back to the pump. Good luck and let us know what you find. Jim

bncinwv · 02-01-2011, 08:06 AM

There are two others that should be beneath the convenience center. Good suggestion about checking that the water pump is coming on.
Bingo

GRHooper · 02-01-2011, 08:22 AM

Thanks. We have had the furnace consistently set at 67-68 and haven't turned it off. We have also been using portable heaters. The pump is definitely coming on......just no water is coming out (but the gauge reads 2/3 full). I removed the shroud that covers the pipes behind the convenience center, have a small 750-watt Vornado heater running on the storage side of the lines and turned the furnace up to 72. I've got the kitchen faucet open; any idea how long it might take to thaw? Going to be about 0 degrees tonight and +/- 15 tomorrow. Your help is really appreciated!

bncinwv · 02-01-2011, 08:39 AM

This may sound crazy, but the indicators have been known to be very quirky (although usually not on the fresh water tank). Are you sure there is water in the tank?? There is a manual fill for it as well that you can dump a couple of gallons in to be sure (if you have any water available at all???)
Bingo

GRHooper · 02-01-2011, 08:46 AM

I just went out again and think the water line between the tank and faucets must be frozen. Is the water tank located above the water tank drain? There are several feet between the tank and faucets; lots of room to freeze.

bncinwv · 02-01-2011, 09:14 AM

The water tank should be directly above the low point water tank drain. If you open that drain, does water flow out?? That will check if the tank is empty or frozen.
Bingo

GRHooper · 02-01-2011, 09:36 AM

I tried turning the cap and it's frozen. Guess that's a pretty good indication, isn't it? Do you know how to thaw the water tank or lines?

pineranch · 02-01-2011, 09:39 AM

Your fresh water tank drain is at the left rear of your unit. You have (low point) 2 drain valves (plastic tube runs down and out)in the convience center, open the valves and hopefully water drains.
Check the temp in your basement, running the furnace should keep your water lines at least above freezing. Since your tank level is 2/3 that may or not be accurate but you should have water.
The good news is you should be over the worst conditions in a couple of days so plan for the worst and hope for the best.
Mike

bncinwv · 02-01-2011, 10:17 AM

I only have two suggestions and if you don't have any water, one is moot. You could try pouring hot water into the tank from the fill in the convenience center. The other is heating the low point drain somehow, but I would imagine that if the tank is frozen, that that would take a very long while. Wish I could be of more help, but at least I think we have figured out that it appears that the tank itself is frozen.
Bingo

Mudchief · 02-01-2011, 11:47 AM

We went through the same thing when it got down to around zero. The fresh water tank starts to freeze from the bottom up and it blocks the pick up tube coming from the pump.We were running the furnace and had it set to 75. However by the time any warm air makes it back to the tank area it is cold and does little good. None of the pipes froze in the unit even when it went down to -10. I would hook up to the camp ground water long enough for us to shower then unhook and put the hose back in the Montana. I had filled the low point drain with the pink stuff and it did not freeze but the main tank did. When it got back in the teens I was able to switch the valve to fill the tank and it broke the ice loose in the tank and things started working until it got back in the single digits. I fixed the problem, we are now in Southern California.

Wiesehan · 02-04-2011, 04:44 AM

One thing no one mentioned that might help is keep the cabinet door open where ever you have a water line, that way heat can get in and helps keep lines from freezing under the sinks.
Good luck.
Don

sreigle · 02-04-2011, 07:29 AM

Your 2009 has its low point drain valves inside the basement storage area, probably in the water connection center. It should not freeze but it can when it's cold enough. I have a remote thermometer mounted in the water connection center near our low point drain valves and find that even at 5 below zero it never gets below 34 degrees in there so long as the furnace runs occasionally. To make me more comfortable, I have a 60 watt trouble light sitting in the water connection center right now. I have it attached to an extension cord I run into the rig through the laundry chute opening. When it's to be really cold at night I can just plug it in at the outldet on the wall next to the step. Other models may not have that outlet. Now it stays considerably warmer in there.

Be sure the opening where the hose goes from water connection center to outside is plugged either with a rag or two or the close lids so you're not getting cold air in there.

Also, after some work was done on our rig by a mobile service they left a gap where the wrap under aluminum panel fastens to the frame under the rig. That allowed cold air to scoop right into the water connection center and we did freeze a line right there by the low point drain valves.

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