RV'ing in sub zero temperatures

 Yere, it's been cold here in Cranbrook, BC

It's February 10th today and we have spent the last two days without any water to the kitchen. Water to the bathroom has been unaffected thankfully as it's right above the service area where the furnace etc. are located. which is always warm.

The hot and cold water lines run from the service area down under the floor then back about 5 feet then come up through the floor and into the cupboard under the sink. No mystery there but as it turns out there are some low-point drains that poke through the skin that covers the all of the underneath of the RV. We originally thought that as the tanks are heated so should be the path that the water lines follow. I mean that they are close to the ducted heating. The tanks are infact heated as they are close to the furnace ducting.

A heater pointed at the low-point drain fixed the problem within 30 minutes and we were surprised at how easy the fix was. At this point we have three electric heaters in the RV two that basically have been running for about 2 months non-stop and now a third that lives under the RV. This one can be turned on when required to de-ice water lines.

We should be good for about minus 20 degC we hope and besides, it's all a leaning process. I guess in a way we are still getting setup as full-timers and learning how to cope in certain situations but Canadian winters are a challenge.

EDIT: Feb 12, 2021

Last night our furnace stopped working the temperature inside the RV dropped to 15 degC while it was a chilly -26 degC  I noticed it was cooler than it should be in the RV as Raewyn and I were being smothered by Lilly and Tux as their fuzzy, furry coats weren't providing sufficient warmth. I reset the furnace (shut it down then restarted it) and found that it would run for about 20 seconds then shut down. While I come from a technical background I am not familiar with furnaces. A quick trip around YouTube and I came across this little video that addresses the problem. 

The issue was that the sail switch get's coated in dust particles, fluff of fur from pets and prevents the sail switch (a little micro switch with a large fin on it) from closing and allowing propane to flow. It's a safety device that checks that the fan is running before the burners are lit. It's an easy fix which is nice as working in -26 is not fun.

A Dometic furnace with the cover and exhaust ports removed. Circled in red is the location of the sail switch just below is a reset button. Removal is dead easy it's just two screws just be careful removing the switch. 

Switch removed fluff etc. will build up at the base of the long silver switch lever carefully clean of lint and remount in to fan housing and replace the furnace cover and test.

Note: The linked YouTube video is not my property but belongs to this guy Our Road To Camelot It was the first video that was returned when googling "RV furnace runs then shuts down".

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 Wintering in an RV

Well today the 23rd January 2021 was our first real taste of actual cold weather in an RV. Today we discovered that our pipes were starting to freeze. We were lucky enough to get away with just the hot water freezing in the kitchen, all others were unaffected  luckily enough We think that the reason for this is that the bathroom water lines are in the service area underneath the floor next to the passthrough. While the water pipes that run from the service area to the kitchen (a total of about 6 feet) are close to the outer skin under the kitchen floor. We have since added a heater to that area and pointed it down the access pass that runs down the middle of the RV towards the back where the fresh water tank is located.

The heater faces an area where electrical cables and water lines make their way to the kitchen, back further towards the rear of the RV where the fresh water tanks are mounted and the 50 AMP socket is mounted. There is a furnace duct that is dedicated to directing warm air to prevent freezing but It needs some help when it's below minus 15 outside.

Well we did have other issues mainly with the sewer hose. It froze solid We figured the issue arose from too many tight bends and as too gradual slope for the flow from the RV to the RV park's drain. Well, we were partially correct with regards to the bends in the pipe. There is a fair distance for the water to travel but at least it's straight now. It's been around - 15 degrees C for the last 48 hours and water seems to be flowing through okay without it slowly freezing up over time.

A gradual slope with minimal sharp bends in the hose is the way to go. It's about 8 feet with a drop in height of about 2 feet from the RV to the park's plumbing. We check it periodically by tapping it to see if ice is building up in the pipe. If so we run a sink full of hot water to melt it.

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