# How Cold Can You Go Before Winterizing?



## Stolenfates

Since my wife and I are planning on using our new Outback year round, how cold can we go with the heated insulated underbelly before we have to winterize? I don't mind using vault toilets but my wife isn't as much a fan.


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## BlueWedge

Most will agree the Outback isn't a 4 season camper in most areas of North America. You would need to have heated tanks and pipes etc to really be 4 season.

You can camp in freezing temperatures, without winterizing, if you are careful. Keep the trailer heated with the cabinets open a bit to warm the pipes. If the temperatures stay below freezing the entire day then you should winterize.


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## Scott C

We purchased our Outback in November and used it several times over the winter. We live and camped in Georgia but we did have an unusually cold winter with lows some weeks in the teens, We found out that draining the TT and blowing all the water out with air would have been wise. We ended up cracking an elbow joint under the kitchen sink, broke an o-ring in the kitchen faucet, and the toilet seal leaks slowly. Luckily all of these were very inexpensive fixes.

This coming winter we will still go camping, but we will ensure that the Outback is completely dry before storing it to avoid the above or worse problems.


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## CamperAndy

When in storage anything in the 20's means it need to be winterized. If in use you can go into the teens as long as it goes up to or above freezing during the day. Also you need to use the furnace and not rely on electric space heaters.


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## gone campin

We use ours throughout the winter. We wrap the water hose with pipe insulation and use heat tape. We winterize everytime we come back. We only do weekends usually during the winter now. It doesn't take that much in time or antifreeze. We have not had any troubles at all so far with the water lines. I did fail to place a bottle of soap in a plastic bag and put it in the trash can for storage so I had a soapy mess to clean up under the sink this year. We do run the furnace while camping and sometimes the electric heater as well. We placed vents in all of the cabinets and bench seats to help with the condensation issue we had while winter camping. We've been winter camping for nine years now. I use all of my water facilities while camping.

We have camped when it got down to 7-10 degrees







at night.

Linda


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## Collinsfam_WY

If the temps will get below 30, you will need to winterize it or you will damage your camper. When we first bought it - it got to 26 one night and the ice in the lines destroyed a faucet. We were very lucky that is all it did. We do a "Southern winterize" every winter now.

-CC


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## TexanThompsons

collinsfam_tx said:


> If the temps will get below 30, you will need to winterize it or you will damage your camper. When we first bought it - it got to 26 one night and the ice in the lines destroyed a faucet. We were very lucky that is all it did. We do a "Southern winterize" every winter now.
> 
> -CC


Can you describe your southern winterize? We live in Houston and will get maybe one night a year in the 20s then its up to 40 by the end of the day. Just curious. I was wondering if I need to winterize this far south.


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## ZHB

Scott C said:


> We purchased our Outback in November and used it several times over the winter. We live and camped in Georgia but we did have an unusually cold winter with lows some weeks in the teens, We found out that draining the TT and blowing all the water out with air would have been wise. We ended up cracking an elbow joint under the kitchen sink, broke an o-ring in the kitchen faucet, and the toilet seal leaks slowly. Luckily all of these were very inexpensive fixes.


Here in Charlotte, NC, we get a few weeks below freezing each winter. My neighbor that we camp with doesn't winterize, but just blows out the lines. well we had a cold snap in February, and something cracked...... first trip out for the year last weekend, he found that the lines under his sink were cracked.

I was debating myself whether 'winterizing' was necessary in our climate: that question has been answered.


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## OregonCampin

We camp all winter here and have camped in weather as low as 20 degrees. We don't generally camp with hookups, but if you do, you should unhook the water lines before you go to bed at night. When it gets that cold, you need to run the heater to get the underbelly warm. So far as long as we have kept the inside of the trailer above 50 we have not had any problems. We also open the cupboards under the sinks and leave the bathroom door open at night.

We do winterize when we get back home.


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## Peckster2

Last winter we stayed in our trailer in Petersburg, Alaska. The coldest it got was 5 degrees. When it was that cold it would usually warm up to 15 or so during the day. We were not traveling so we used heat tape on our water lines. I put antifreeze in our water tank & only used the city water. I figured if we had a major problem and had to winterize the trailer on short notice it was ready to pump through the system if necessary. We would leave cabinet doors open as much as possible where there are water lines. I put some tube insulation on exposed pipes under the sinks. I taped visqueen like plastic all around the bottom of the trailer and held it to the ground with rocks from a stream. We left the sewer hook up attached and I wrapped that in heat tape too but only ran it periodically and monitored it when I did since the sewer line is not full of water like a water line is. We used our toilet for liquids only. For solids we used the RV park restrooms avoiding poopsicle syndrome. We kept the water heater working at all times and the furnace set at least 60 maybe 59 or 55 at night.

I wondered if the plastic visqueen skirting would really make a difference. It is pretty thin. However, on a cold night, if you reach in under it and just feel the temp under the trailer you'll find it is much warmer than the ambient air.

We also purchased a 40 pint Soleus dehumidifier to help with the condensation which becomes the real challenge in the winter, especially in a damp climate like the rainforest of southeast alaska. I kept both the black & grey tanks open with the thinking I'd rather they freeze open than shut! They did not freeze. I also refrained from messing with the valves or sewer line when it was cold.

Sometimes we would leave a driping fawcet to help prevent freezing.

Without the skirting I'm sure we would have frozen up. Some other trailers without skirting did. We did not.

I think 5 degrees is about as cold as you'd want to experience in a 23 KRS. When it stays cold to that extent for a week or so the cold begins to penetrate the walls and in areas behind cushions etc you actually get frost/or ice if there is condensation. We also heat shrunk plastic over some of the windows..this really cut down on all that moisture you get condensed on those single panes!

I'm hoping we don't have to do it again this winter!


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## Sweathog62

Peckster2 said:


> Last winter we stayed in our trailer in Petersburg, Alaska. The coldest it got was 5 degrees. When it was that cold it would usually warm up to 15 or so during the day. We were not traveling so we used heat tape on our water lines. I put antifreeze in our water tank & only used the city water. I figured if we had a major problem and had to winterize the trailer on short notice it was ready to pump through the system if necessary. We would leave cabinet doors open as much as possible where there are water lines. I put some tube insulation on exposed pipes under the sinks. I taped visqueen like plastic all around the bottom of the trailer and held it to the ground with rocks from a stream. We left the sewer hook up attached and I wrapped that in heat tape too but only ran it periodically and monitored it when I did since the sewer line is not full of water like a water line is. We used our toilet for liquids only. For solids we used the RV park restrooms avoiding poopsicle syndrome. We kept the water heater working at all times and the furnace set at least 60 maybe 59 or 55 at night.
> 
> I wondered if the plastic visqueen skirting would really make a difference. It is pretty thin. However, on a cold night, if you reach in under it and just feel the temp under the trailer you'll find it is much warmer than the ambient air.
> 
> We also purchased a 40 pint Soleus dehumidifier to help with the condensation which becomes the real challenge in the winter, especially in a damp climate like the rainforest of southeast alaska. I kept both the black & grey tanks open with the thinking I'd rather they freeze open than shut! They did not freeze. I also refrained from messing with the valves or sewer line when it was cold.
> 
> Sometimes we would leave a driping fawcet to help prevent freezing.
> 
> Some other trailers without skirting did. We did not.
> 
> I think 5 degrees is about as cold as you'd want to experience in a 23 KRS. When it stays cold to that extent for a week or so the cold begins to penetrate the walls and in areas behind cushions etc you actually get frost/or ice if there is condensation. We also heat shrunk plastic over some of the windows..this really cut down on all that moisture you get condensed on those single panes! Without the skirting I'm sure we would have frozen up.
> 
> I'm hoping we don't have to do it again this winter!










Great overview and report....I'd add one comment and it is called the 'price' of propane and wind...OK- two comments.... Having stayed in mine for a few months during the winter in oklahoma I discovered wind. The skirting you used was a great idea. But since i only slept in mine the cost to heat was crazy and it was much simpler to just use the RV park facilities. Ya, walking to the shower with snow on the ground was kinda different, but looking back it was an adventure. I never used a full tank of propane because the electric heaters worked great.


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