travelling below 0

[airedale]

ok...here's the question.....i pick up my new unit mid/late october somewhere in the east and take off for home in the north west.......unit has dual pane glass and is heated underneath [how well i'm not sure]........driving into the high country, the temp. drops down into the teens and the unit is not winterized cause i'm using it to sleep and eat in......can i leave the furnace on at 70 deg. while driving along and will it keep everything warm enough and stay lit...........never done this before but feel i may be going to live it......tnks...

 

[2010augusta]

I had a similar experience, I picked our unit up in Elkhart on Nov. 17 and drove it back to Colorado. I ate and slept in it for the 3 day trip. I carried a few jugs of water to flush the toilet and drink, but left the entire trailer winterized. If you are doing this you should consider adding a second battery upon pickup. Mine single battery died at 2am. in a very cold (7 degrees F) and windy Wal-mart parking lot. I was not very thrilled to be woken up by a beeping refer and a cold trailer and then have to buy and install a new battery. It is recommend to keep the trailer winterized if you we be traveling in freezing temperatures for more than 30 hours. where that number comes from beats me, but I thought I would share.

 

[elwaller39]

I do not think it is a wise idea to travel with the furnance on. It will take alot of LP to keep your coach that warm if you can even keep it that warm while driving. You can take bottled water along and use that until you reach where you are going. Put antifreeze in your tanks and you will do fine. We have done this for many years.

 

[oppositelock]

Airedale,
We have done some towing during weather in the teens. First, you can leave the furnace on while traveling down the road. This practice has created a longtime argument about having the propane flowing while driving. For the refrig or the furnace, some people do not like the practice. But we do travel with both on and we are still here. We set the thermostat at 45-50 F mostly for the comfort of the cat that rides in the trailer. I think it would be impossible to hold 65-70 F while traveling.

After you stop for the night with the outside temp in the teens, your furnace will run for hours to bring your inside temp up to the mid 60s. I would suggest sleeping in a sleeping bag or else you will feel cold all night long.

WATER: I would not fill your fresh water tank since most of the waterlines will freeze if the temp is in the teens. Carry water in gallon containers and use those. Use the shower in the RV park. If you have an indoor place to store the unit when you get home then you can probably use your toilet and sinks with water coming from the bottled water. IF you don't have a above freezing temperature place to drain the tanks when you get home, DON'T put anything into them.
When at a park, use an auxiliary heater to help heat the trailer. Plan on buying propane proportional to the outside temp. A 7 gal cylinder should last 2 days in the worst temps.
Take I-70 instead of I-90 till your have to head north. Plan your nightly stops for lower altitudes and not in the mountains.
Good luck and good traveling.

Jim

 

[Bobby A]

I certinly would put antifreeze in the lines, the heated and enclosed underbelly is not that efficient in my opinion. I think if you are buying your rig from a dealership it should be winterized, especially that time of year. You can still use the rig to eat and sleep in even if its winterized. Anti freeze is cheap compared to what a frozen and busted lines would cost to repair.

 

[jbeletti]

airedale,

From the Suburban website under the Furnace FAQs:

Question 5
Can I use my furnace while driving?
Answer:
No. Suburban does not feel this is a safe practice. Some states have laws forbidding the use of propane while driving. You should be sure all gas appliances are off and their ignition systems are off while the vehicle is in motion or being towed.

 

[airedale]

thanks one and all for your replies... ......think i will get the dealer to winterize the unit.....when i get there i'll throw a gallon of antifreeze in each holding tank [maybe 2 if it gets colder], throw a flat of water in the truck and try and remember to take it inside when stopped.......going to miss the hot water......the onboard genny will run my two ceramic heaters and microwave for an hour or two if i decide to stop overnite at a W-M.....[almost forgot the fireplace].......after that the furnace should look after keeping everything toasty.....going to be plastic everything for eating and drinking, but done that before......fridge and stove will still work....life is good..........dont know why i'm thinking like this......its going to be 70 and sunny all the way home....!!!!!......cheers.....pete

 

[beardedone]

Remember that the truck cannot restore the RV battery to a full charge easily by itself. It is a good thing you have a generator, so run it a couple of hours to help bring your batteries back because that furnace is hard on them.