Propane operation in extreme cold question

[BillinTexas]

We are currently living in our 221RB while building a new house. Low-temperature prediction for next Thursday night is 15 degrees which is not in our wheelhouse here in SE Texas. I plan to run the heat at 60 degrees with a small electric contributing. All waterlines and tanks will be emptied prior to the night. Any tips or necessary information anyone can provide about this type of situation? During the big week-long deep freeze two years ago I ran the heat at 50 degrees for heating the underbelly and the electric heater as well but we weren't living in it at the time.

Edit to add: In case of a power outage, how is the heater fan powered? 12v?

[TedS]

The furnace fan is dc. There should be no problem with the propane system at 15F.

[BillinTexas]

The furnace fan is dc. There should be no problem with the propane system at 15F.

TedS, I appreciate the response.

[Country Campers]

Remember to do the low point drains, this is a good freeze point. With the furnace running alot at 15* a standard battery may not hold up overnight, it will be good to have a back up plan for that scenario.

Brian

[Cate&Rob]

Hi Bill & Cindy

15F (-10C) should be well within the capability of your trailer. Unless propane is in short supply, I do not think you need to let interior temp go as low as 60F or do without water. The warmer you keep the interior, the warmer the underbelly will stay.

What do you mean by "empty the water lines"? If you are not going to keep the underbelly above freezing with generous use of the furnace, you should at least blow out the water lines with air or preferably purge the water with antifreeze. If temps are dropping below freezing just overnight, there can be an advantage to leaving a reasonable quantity of water in all tanks. It takes a lot longer to freeze 20 gallons of water than it does to freeze the 1 gallon of water that will remain in a drained tank .

The furnace does run on 12V . . . but is very sensitive to battery state of charge. If you have a regular lead/acid battery and lose shorepower, you will only have a few hours of furnace run time. So, plan accordingly.

Rob

[Jlawles2]

Bill, if you can wrap / block the trailer to mitigate the gap between the bottom of the trailer and the ground. Wrap any exposed water lines including the supply line (had this one freeze during Harvey when I was staying in the camper in the driveway.


Agree with Rob, draining the lines with interior heating could cause other issues. Pressurized volume of water takes longer to freeze. You can drop the supply line, drain, and then run off the pump. If no generator is available to keep the battery charged, you can probably run the truck with the 7 way plugged in for a short time to add a bit of energy to the battery (did this on previous 5er when we were broke down in Pecos).

[BillinTexas]

Thanks for the responses. The problem I face is not being here for 2 of the cold nights but I will be here the coldest which is now predicted to be 10 degrees. Good to know about the tanks. I have a camera in the building the trailer is parked next to and will have lights inside so would be able to know if we lose power. I want to drain the lines when we won't be here and would blow them out. I plan to pour RV antifreeze into the p traps but can it actually be added to the tanks themselves. Obviously not the fresh water. Any further comments are appreciated.

[Country Campers]

When winterizing I always get some antifreeze in the black and grey tanks, there are no issues with this that I have seen.

Brian

[Guest]

The less you favor propane heat and lean toward electric heat the risk of an issue will rise. The reason is that the electric will warm the cabin alone where the propane will warm the cabin plus will heat the underbelly.....tanks, plumbing etc.

Jim

[BR549]

How did it go during your Arctic adventure?
The wind chill seemed to be the biggest concern here in North Texas.

[BillinTexas]

We survived everything ok. I drained everything and blew out since we were gone for two nights. This included the water heater. I set the thermostat to 55 degrees and let it run. Just now getting to the bottom of the primary propane tank. Since returning yesterday, I ran the heat at 65 overnight and turn the electric on when we get out of bed. The propane will still come on but not as often. It has worked pretty well and no problems that I have found.