Wytex Ranch (Laramie, Cody, Wheatland: homeowners association, homes, crawl space)

[gaduchman]

Originally Posted by F350

find it's impossible to keep the place warm and my tanks unfrozen. Any suggestions are appreciated!

No problem! Put heat tape on the pipes, plug in and cover with foil insulation.

[F350]

Originally Posted by gaduchman

No problem! Put heat tape on the pipes, plug in and cover with foil insulation.

any answer to a 'living off the grid' question that involves 'plug in' might actually be a problem... but thanks for contributing!

it was more of a what-type-of-5th-wheel-do-you-recommend sorta inquiry rather than a how-do-you-keep-water-above-32-degrees kinda question.

[gaduchman]

[F350 quote]

any answer to a 'living off the grid' question that involves 'plug in' might actually be a problem... but thanks for contributing!

it was more of a what-type-of-5th-wheel-do-you-recommend sorta inquiry rather than a how-do-you-keep-water-above-32-degrees kinda question. [/quote]

Geez - the plug in works with batteries too~ If you have a windmill or solar panels you have batteries. As one who grew up and lives today "off-grid" this is what works!

[F350]

You're right, gaduchman. Sorry for that reply - bad day. If you have a chance sometime send me a message about the set-up you have. I'm always curious to see what folks are using to meet their power supply needs. I'd like to hear from people that do it the right way so I can avoid doing it wrong. Thanks.

[bzbzlady]

Originally Posted by F350

You're right, gaduchman. Sorry for that reply - bad day. If you have a chance sometime send me a message about the set-up you have. I'm always curious to see what folks are using to meet their power supply needs. I'd like to hear from people that do it the right way so I can avoid doing it wrong. Thanks.

We have a nuwa champagne 36 ft. We had a propane generator installed to run everything. We also have several backup generators.... just in case.
Right now we have frozen tanks we are trying to decide what to do with! It has been down to -15 degrees and probably will get colder.

[bzbzlady]

Well, here's another update. WE HAVE FROZEN HOLDING TANKS!!!!! Anybody have any suggestions? We bought a 40,000 btu forced air propane heater today. We are going to try to blow warm air underneath the 5th wheel to thaw them out. We wondered about putting antifrees in the holding tanks to thaw them out so we can drain them.
It's been down to -15 degrees so far and will probably get colder.
Anyone have any ideas that might work. You can give us a call if you want.
Thanks everybody.
Steve & Colleen
360-259-8800
307-331-4058

[ElkHunter]

If it's skirted, you have a chance on thawing it out but it's going to take time. If it's not skirted, you're wasting your time. Skirt it, even if you have to by straw bails and stack them two high all the way around. But if you do that, be real careful with the heater.

When I lived in my 5th wheel, I had skirting made from naghahide and could snap it on all the way around. The bottom of my skirting had a loop in it so I could put a pipe in it and then roll it up until the skirting was tight. Then each section was velcro'd to the next section.

Normaly, I kept in my holding tanks until almost full and then dumped. But during the winter, I left them open to drain and then every week or two I poured water through to flush them.

Your holding tanks are plastic so don't put the heater blowing straight on them. But like I said, it will take time to thaw out a large ice cube like that. Be patient and don't try to hurry it.

If your skirted, shovel snow up against the outside of the skirting. It will help insulate it.

[WyoNewk]

I know people do routinely put RV antifreeze in their holding tanks, but once they're frozen, I doubt that would do much good. Still, it wouldn't hurt. I'd imagine your drain pipes are frozen more than the tank itself. If your tanks aren't too full, a mixture of very hot water and lots of hot antifreeze might help. Or maybe some heat tape would be the best bet.

You are using primarily your RV's furnace, aren't you? I know some like to use auxiliary heating, but that doesn't heat the basement like your furnace does.

If I were you, I'd call your dealer (or another cold climate dealer) for suggestions. I know that the big RV dealer here in Gillette (Eastside RV) routinely thaws RVs that he's sold locally, so he probably knows the best methods.

Be darned careful with that propane heater.

[mtlogger]

I tried living in an rv one time in a ND winter. Yep the pipes froze and b/c they were pvc, you had to be real careful thawing them out. Moved into a mobile home after that and still had the problem b/c of the pvc piping and all that air blowing underneath. Once we got it thawed out, we stacked straw bales all around it and never had it happen again. Heat tape really helps.

[PCN]

Hey y'all, how's everyone handling the winter at WyTex this year? I'm hoping to get a cabin on my postage stamp this summer and gathering info. Thanks!