Cold temp. Advice

[Apollo62]

Have a niece returning from college,because of a friend and her grandma 's health,she needs a place to quarantine fof a week.. Have not used my new to me BB 87 fc35 in cold weather. If she is plugged in to 50 a.p,the temps will be close to freezing but probably not under 28 degrees. Will keeping the heaters going inside the coach keep it all safe from breaking pipes? Should I fill tanks or run off hose?
Any advice would be appreciated .
Kevin

[Bill Pape]

Toe heaters and or propane furnaces should be good to keep her and pipes warm at 28, if the temps drops low 20's/ teens day and night, I would worry about freezing water.

[Frank W.]

1: An outside hose (water supply, waste dump) will freeze and be difficult to store/clean/use at those temps if left outside for any length of time. OK for use and then put away.

2: To heat and live in an FC in that temp is doable. Electric and/or propane heat will work. Additionally, it sounds odd, but running your ice maker (don't need to make ice...you can leave the ice bale wire up) puts heat from the compressor right in your galley plumbing area for those really cold nights.

3: Once you fill tank and use water...keep the heat going all the time at say a minimum of 60F. A single person can easily do a week + on the FC fresh water tank and waste tanks. Once you fill and use onboard water you must maintain heat until you winterize again.

4: FC windshield and windows loose a lot of heat. Consider insulated window covers - such as Reflectex or hanging a fleece blanket or beach towel behind blinds/curtains/visors. Consider blocking off the Kool-a-matic vent grill..

5: Supplemental cube type electric heaters are nice to warm a specific area and can be teamed up with an electric blanket.

[dlefty]

I only have to add to what has been said above. The 87 should have a set of front windshield heavy blinds that snap on to the vertical blinds. Come winter time I use not only the vertical blinds but also the heavy blinds. I keep all blinds covering the windows throughout the coach. Make sure you have the thermostat adjusted underneath the kitchen and bed. It will be a grey box with a knob on it. Keep them around 60 degrees to fight off any cold air intrusion.

For many years I would not winterize the coach. Just would keep the back and front toe heaters adjusted to about 40 and the kitchen & bed radiators at 45. I would also keep the bathroom door open with the cabinet open and the kitchen cabinet open. This would work fine.

[Apollo62]

Hey guys thanks...Dan I know about the toe heaters and the propane ones(under the stack-o-drawer,under the dinette and under the front couch) what is the radiator ones back by the bed? Do you mean the ones that work off the engine coolant?

[badandy]

At 28F it won't freeze inside with minimal heating. Just run the heaters enough to keep it 68 or whatever is comfy and it won't be a problem inside the bus.

[Captain Fred]

inside the bus won't be a problem with heat on and cabinets open but the black and gray tanks and their drain pipes and valves are outside the bus.

[clyndes]

I learned a lot from these folks;

https://www.cheddaryeti.com/2013/03/...ter-in-you-rv/

[dlefty]

Hi Kevin, I took some photos showing the ""freeze heaters". Just a note on the heat tape (not the same thing as the freeze heater), the heat tape around all the copper plumbing is suspect to be a fire hazard. I unplugged mine. I believe there is a plug underneath the kitchen, bathroom sink, and bed.

I have a island bed. Under the bed on the curbside is the thermostat. On the roadside is the heater.

Under the kitchen sink is a peg board. You have to remove a shelf and the peg board to gain access. Once done you should see a heater on the right and a thermostat on the left floor side.

You have to have the main breaker on which is located next to the door.

Hope this helps...

[Apollo62]

Thanks for the pictures, found what your talking about. Didn't know about those heaters. found an old mouse trap and old mouse. Whole new area to clean. So glad to find out about these heaters. So the nearly unanimous opinion is to disconnect pipe wrap heat tape?