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Old 12-15-2008, 09:46 AM   #1
Connorsmom
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Fresh water tank

Well, as of Saturday morning I no longer have water. The problem isn't with me, it's with the campground water line, and it isn't going to get fixed this winter. I won't bore everyone with the problem since it's nothing that will be taken care of in the near future. The plumber recommended I fill the fresh water tank and just use that. Can I do that without the water freezing? That would certainly take care of my problem. I could just run garden hoses from the pump house to my trailer and fill the fresh water tank when I need to. If I disconnect and empty the hoses each time, then I won't have to worry about the hoses freezing with water. So...can the fresh water tank be used in the winter without worrying about freezing? Any responses would truly be appreciated. I sure do want a shower...LOL Thanks!!
 
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Old 12-15-2008, 10:07 AM   #2
HamRad
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Connorsmom,

From what I've read and understand from folks that full time in cold weather you should be OK. Your plan should work. Too bad you won't have water from the "city" system all winter! That's a real downer. Can you negotiate a reduction in price for your site?

Ursula is one of my favorite authors.

Good luck.

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Old 12-15-2008, 11:39 AM   #3
TLightning
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All you need to do is run the furnace a bit...it'll heat the basement and the water tank.
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Old 12-15-2008, 01:55 PM   #4
bob n pam
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Your water tank will be fine as long as you run the furnace, just like TLightning says. That's exactly what we did during two winters of living in our rig in the Chicago area, and what we do now.

Pam
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Old 12-15-2008, 03:46 PM   #5
blamb
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Wow, that really sucks. I couldn't do it... then again, the water spigot is sunk below ground in a pit in my RV park, and the difficulty is turning the water on and off for me. Anyway, I have yet to be in below freezing for more than 3 days in a row, but my fresh water tank was full and never froze or anything like that. In fact, the cold water from it ended up being warmer than the water from the hose.
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Old 12-16-2008, 02:08 AM   #6
Connorsmom
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Thanks everyone, it's a relief to know I can at least have some form of water in here. I worked on that damned water line trying to locate the problem for 7 hours yesterday. There were high winds, and with the wind chill factor, it was -6. To say I was a little chilly would be putting it mildly!!LOL Thank goodness for snow pants, they're a beautiful thing...LOL

I'm really impressed with how warm it stays in here after doing some prep work. Having two parrots, I was very concerned about the heat. But, I keep the thermostat at 72 during the day, and up it to 74-75 at night. This allows me to maintain a 72-73 temp in here at all times. The fireplace runs almost constantly, but it allows me to save on propane. I was really enjoying this until the water problem hit. so being able to use the fresh water tank will be the next best thing. It's not something I'm familiar with, so I hope I don't mess anything up with it. Do I keep the pump on all the time, or only when I'm using the water? I also see a knob for the fresh water tank at the convenience station. Do I need to do anything with that? Do I keep it on Normal Flow or Fill? What purpose does this serve? So many questions...such a long winter ahead.LOL Thanks everyone...

Jan
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Old 12-16-2008, 04:56 AM   #7
HamRad
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Connorsmom,

You turn the pump on and just leave it on. It is an "on demand" type pump. It will stay off until it senses that it needs to supply water. It will run a little while after you turn off the faucet but only for a very short time. It is just building up a certain amount of pressure. By the way when you first turn the pump on it may come on and stay on. If it does that it means there is probably some air somewhere in the line. Just open a faucet and let it run until a solid stream of water is supplied. Then turn off the faucet. The pump should then shortly stop running.

I do not have the convenience center on my rig so do not know what the knob is for. Someone else will have to answer that.

If you keep your rig at those temps you should never have your water tank freeze. It will get plenty of heat from the furnace.

Good luck.

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Old 12-16-2008, 06:48 AM   #8
blamb
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I do have the convenience center but I don't have a knob for the fresh water tank. Are you sure that knob isn't for something else? The only thing I have for my fresh water tank is a valve with a white rubber cap in the convenience center, to stick the hose in and fill it up with.
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Old 12-16-2008, 07:32 AM   #9
Connorsmom
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I don't have a fresh water tank valve for filling at the convenience center, It's located at the back end of my trailer with a locking door on it. I may need to call the dealership on this one, it's confusing me what that switch is for now...LOL

Jan
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Old 12-16-2008, 09:48 AM   #10
Connorsmom
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Okay, I talked to a buddy that works for an RV dealership. He said that I could also fill the fresh water tank while hooked up to the city water connection at the convenience center. If I flip the switch to fill, it bypasses the water lines and goes to the fresh water tank. When I go back to using the city connection, I flip the switch back to Normal Flow. I won't be doing that since I have a hard line connection there now with heat tape and insulation applied. Even though I don't have campground water anymore, I don't want to mess with disconnecting all that stuff. I'll just leave it all hooked up until spring. I'm waiting until tomorrow to fill the fresh water tank since it's only 13 outside not including the wind chill factor. We're supposed to have a heat wave tomorrow of 28, so I'll do it then. I'm also bringing in the hoses one at a time and letting them thaw in the shower drain. After I fill the fresh water tank tomorrow, I'll use an air compressor to blow out the hoses, then make room for them in my basement so they stay warm and don't freeze again. I am now fondly remembering last winter staying in south Texas with weekly visits to Mexico...LOL

Jan
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