Will I be ok for 2 nights in 20 degree temps? - Montana Owners Club

Starchmill · 11-16-2005, 08:49 PM

I have a Mountaineer 335rlbs and I want to take it to Maine next week for Thanksgiving. It's winterized right now but I'd like to put water in it and go. The forecast predicts nights down in the mid 20s' and days around 40 degrees. Do you think I'll have any problems? What about the low point drains? This will be my first trip out alone since my husband died and I don't want to have any problems. Thanks, Marcia

uhftx · 11-16-2005, 11:28 PM

Are your tanks exposed to the outside air. If you have insulation under the unit and you run your furnace you should be OK.
I just looked at the brochure for the Mountaineer 335rlbs and it does have insulated tanks and ducted furnace so no problem there.

When we had another brand of travel trailer. The fresh water tank was under the master bed,

The tanks were strapped to the bottom of the unit and the gray and black water valves froze. I was able to put water in. I just couldn't drain till the temps warmed enough to thaw the valves.

You could use antifreeze for flushing which should prevent this problem. And add a gallon of antifreeze to the drain if you plan on using your grey tank. Dont forget about the hotwater heater bypass if you need to use that.

If you are concerned about the ability to keep warm. Your furnace should be adequate. An extra blanket won't hurt either. Make sure your propane is full before the trip.

Modified dry camping:
Your low point drains will have some antifreeze left in them from your winterization if you don't remove the caps and flush them out. (which is probably best to leave the antifreeze intact for this trip)

Bring bottled water for drinking and cooking if you don't flush and sanitize the fresh water system.

Maine is beautiful.
Enjoy your holiday, sorry for the sad news,

maybe we will see you at next years rally.

Just148 · 11-16-2005, 11:31 PM

Hello Marcia,
There is a lot of fulltimers that will give you the answer to your question. I know that there is heat in the belly to help prevent frezzing. Also to help keep warm, We use eletric heaters to save on propane.
Have a happy Thanksgiving and be safe.

smc · 11-17-2005, 12:26 AM

We live in our trailer and have not had any problems in those temps. The fresh water hose is the first thing that can freeze, ours doesn't until 27. If you run some water regularly, it will be fine, or put it away for the night. As long as we have the furnace running, the rest of the systems have been fine.

jrgwdenner · 11-17-2005, 01:25 AM

Marcia, I'm so sorry for your loss but admire your determination to continue traveling with your Mountaineer. The little space heaters save on propane but also add a nice toasty feeling to the inside of the trailers. They're nice. We have to share ours with our dog who like to lie right in front of it.

We've camped at places where they ask you to unhook your hose at night when it sounds like a freeze is on the agenda. But it sounds like you might be using your water pump. We don't winterize here in Alabama and just keep the furnace on at 40' so things won't freeze. Yes, we do have 20' nights....occasionally. As long as you have the furnace on, the pipes should be fine. Maybe you can wrap the low point drains with towels or something similar. Around here, we see people who cover their faucets on their stick houses with old socks when it's getting cold. Hey, this is Alabama.

FireTruckerWife · 11-17-2005, 03:08 PM

We ran the furnace last night just north of Tonopah, NV.....15 degrees and all was well. Nothing froze up.

Virgil · 11-17-2005, 03:15 PM

It might be a good idea to run a little antifreeze into the holding tanks. Otherwise yous hould be fine. Along with electric space heaters, we also use an electric blanket for camping when it is cooler. We turn that baby on a few minutes before we get into bed and that is really nice. I think you would save enough on propane to pay for an electric heater and blanket over the life of those.

fulltimedreamer · 11-17-2005, 03:21 PM

Marcia,

Sorry to hear of the loss of your husband. I'm happy to see you're going to take your 335RLBS out for Thanksgiving. We have used ours in the low 20's without any problems. Be sure to run the furnace along with any electric heaters you may run. This will put heat into the underbelly and keep your pipes from freezing. As stated above disconnect shore water if it is going to be below freezing and use your onboard freshwater. Also, don't leave your holding tanks opened and connected to a sewer connection. You might get some rather nasty popsicles in it!

Northstar · 11-17-2005, 04:33 PM

The space heaters really help when the temps get low.

Starchmill · 11-17-2005, 04:54 PM

Hey, thanks everyone for the replys. I hadn't thought of adding antefreeze to the tanks so I'll be sure to do that. I will be filling the fresh water tank at home and using the pump as the campground water is off now. So I think as long as the low point drains still have some antifreeze trapped in them, we should be in good shape. I took a winterizing class a few weeks ago and did the initial winterize myself so I feel comfortable rewinterizing up there in Maine before I travel home with the rig. I should probably run the heat on the drive up, huh? Or do you think that is unnecessary. Daytime temps should be low to mid 30's.

jrgwdenner · 11-18-2005, 01:23 AM

Marcia, I wondered where you got all this 'spunk', for lack of a better word, to take on this adventure alone, but I understand better since seeing on your profile that you're an ICU nurse. I'm an old, retired Labor and Delivery nurse which has some intensive moments as well. So I understand and commend you for your spirit. Have a great trip. I'm so glad you found the forum.

Sharon, you need to get out of the cold!

OntMont · 11-18-2005, 02:48 AM

Wind, more than temperature will be your biggest enemy. Try to find a sheltered spot, and if possible park with the nose into the wind. If you have internet access, keep in touch with the forum, I'm sure people here will glady offer advice if you encounter problems of any kind.

As long as temperatures rise above freezing during the daytime, you should be OK.

Good luck and safe travels.

dsprik · 11-18-2005, 07:15 AM

I agree with OntMont... Wind is your biggest enemy. It will suck the heat out of the Montana faster than if the temp was 20¼ colder. As OntMont suggests... nose into the prevailing winds at the very least. I like the suggestion of being able to stay in touch with this forum by internet. You will get help here faster than 911 (not saying don't use 911).

Starchmill · 11-18-2005, 10:58 PM

jrgwdenner, Oh us nurses can be spunky all right. But serously, I have always been the one to do all the towing, hitching and unhitching, set-up, ect, but, Only because I really enjoy it. Bill enjoyed traveling but he really only went cause I wanted too. So I was wanting to take one last trip for the season before the snow flys and I decided a thanksgiving trip would be good. The girl that comes to stay with my dogs when I work offered to go on vacation this spring with me so that I could take the Mountaineer out for a week or so, and have someone to travel with. Her parents never had the money to go to Disney, and she's always wanted to go, so I booked us 7 nights down at Fort Wilderness in March. It should be a blast. And now some other friends heard we were going and want to join us too. I'm looking forward to it all.

Garin1 · 11-19-2005, 12:42 AM

Marcia,, The temps for a couple of days should not be a problem. I spent the winter there and after skirting the bottum with sheet plastic it was ok. The hard thing is finding a park that is open at that time of year. Most of the parks in the northeast close after October because of the permafrost. Contact the Maine tourist department for a list of all campgrounds and it will show you the ones that stay open year round. These parks have heated hydrants to keep the water flowing. Good luck and God Bless your for your strength.

jrgwdenner · 11-19-2005, 01:10 AM

A girl party! There's something to be said for that. And Fort Wilderness is a great place. We were there last January. The best part is that you can park your rig and your truck and never drive again for your entire stay. You have a great spirit. Enjoy!

Starchmill · 11-19-2005, 10:08 PM

Hey, thanks Garin1. I found a small campground right in Bethel that is open all year. It is just a few miles from my friends house were we will be having Thanksgiving. They have their water turned off but I'm just filling the tank from home anyway. I'll rewinterize and dump the tanks before I leave, so all should go well. I'm glad to see that the snow they were forecasting may go north of there. I'm taking the 4 dogs, and they just LOVE to go in the camper. They have such a good time, you can't help but catch their spirit!

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