PD Inspection during winter months

[violinini1]

I plan to order the 2016 3760 EL in late November and it will probably be delivered in January or February. Since the dealer is in northern Indiana, it will be very cold. My questions have to do with not winterizing the RV during travel. I plan on ordering it with the Yetti package and the Onan Generator and I would like to camp close to the dealer the first night to check everything out. What precautions, or extra checks, if any, should I take during the PDI process. It will probably be accomplished in the dealers repair service center. Are there any problems with transporting the RV in cold weather without winterization. I will, of course, need to have the fresh water tank at least partially filled if I am going to camp in it. Does the Yetti package protect the water lines enough? Do they work off of 12V DC or 120V AC? Should I keep the heater going during transport? I believe that I heard that the tank heaters work off of the 12V DC system, but not sure. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. I live 4-5 hours from the dealer, hence the reason I would like to camp in it nearby the first night. I expect to order the standard 18 cu ft gas/electric refrigerator. Not sure if it comes with an ice maker. I see from some of the forums that the exposed ice maker hose could be a problem. What other problems could arise. Thank you in advance for your expert advice.

Don and Jan Allen

 

[danemayer]

Hi violinini1,

I think the heat tape on the fresh line is 12V DC, but the holding tank heating pads are likely to be 110V AC. The Yeti package heat tape will keep the underbelly portion of the fresh water feed line from freezing overnight in mild sub-freezing weather - maybe down to 0 (F). But overnight you'll need to also run the furnace to pump heated air into the underbelly.

If you have the furnace running in the morning and the coach is warm, you should be ok while towing. I've towed many times in Colorado winters and haven't had any problems. The only time I've run the furnace while towing is when I start out and it's zero (F) in the morning, or if the inside temp in the trailer drops below 40 (F).

For a rundown on how to keep the water systems working in sub-freezing weather, take a look at our owner-written Water Systems Winter Usage Guide.

Before putting any water in the coach, make sure the ice maker water feed line valve is shut off and the water has been evacuated.

If you have slide toppers, you'll have to clear snow.

 

[Bones]

Can you drain the water heater and blow the lines out with air before you travel. I would think that would work well.

 

[violinini1]

Excellent response, thank you very much Dan. It is good to know that I can tow with the heater on if needed. I assume it doesn't blow any air due to not having 110V. I will read the Usage Guide. The dealer may have provisions for blowing the lines before traveling. I will check when I order. If not, I will bring my portable air pump.

Sincerely,
Don

 

[jimtoo]

The heater will blow air, it is powered by 12 volts.

 

[jbeletti]

I've accidentally travelled with the furnace on by forgetting to turn it off. Be careful doing this as some of your vents may be covered. My bedroom floor heat vent is blocked by the bedroom slide. Downstairs, the floor vent on the long side of the island is covered by the dinette slide. In the back, sometimes I put the dog bed over the center floor vent in front of the rear-cap sofa.

So - just be aware that obstructing the vents can lead to not allowing enough hot air out of the heating system which can lead to overheating the furnace.

 

[jmgratz]

On our last two campouts I actually tried to do just that (cover the bedroom and bathroom furnace vents) to try and blow them out as they seem to be clogged from the factory.

We get very little heat from the kitchen and living room vents . . . but the bathroom and bedroom vents crank out the heat!

On our last two campouts I covered the bathroom and bedroom vents and ran the furnace . . . and even ran a shop vac hose down into the vents while the furnace was running and still didn't get them unclogged!

However . . . we did get a huge dust cloud in the trailer each time the furnace ran . . . but it still didn't unclog the vents!

I would look at the duct work to be certain it is attached to the furnace. It may have come loose.

 

[violinini1]

Jim,
Thanks for the heads up on the furnace. I will be on the look out for those covered vents. And, good to know that the blower works off of the 12 V.