RV campers know there is no right season for travel because all seasons have their enjoyments associated with them. Some seasons are, however, harder to camp than in others. Camping in the winter comes with its own set of challenges, and preparation is the name of the game for winter camping. Your RV is more vulnerable to the extreme conditions of the atmosphere, which is why people ask to Prevent your RV holding tanks from freezing in such extreme winter conditions? The answer is Yes, but not if you go prepared.
Will RV Holding Tanks Freeze?
Water is a fickle element to take care of when you want to go into colder climates for travel. Winter poses the worst threat to pipes and holding tanks because they always have the probability of freezing over. Frozen parts are causes for emergencies, what’s more, is that the repairs will be quite heavy on your wallet. Avoiding the whole freezing situation is quite important because it can become quite problematic for your RV’s lifespan, and future travels.
Why Do RV Tanks Freeze?
We all know that water has a freezing point at 0 degrees Celsius, and when the water is exposed to these temperatures for long exposures time within winter, it can freeze the holding tanks as well. Pipes pose the most problematic as they can freeze and crack, which would further cause complications. The type of RV you own can help combat the freezing situation, as four-season RVs come equipped with heated underbellies. The inclusion of tank heaters can help remove the problem of RV tanks freezing over as well.
Time Is Taken to Freeze Your Holding Tanks
You’ve got to consider a lot of things when talking about the time taken for tanks to freeze. How to keep your RV holding tanks from freezing when exposed to long exposures of cold? Yes, they will. You need to do everything in your power to minimize all the variables that will constantly try to turn your RV parts into a popsicle. You’ve got to see all factors that can freeze your tank over. Generally, it takes a few hours for the water to freeze up so you have ample time to avoid the situation.
Temperature
The first thing to notice is the number of hours in the day where the temperature is above freezing point. If a few hours in the night barely dip below the freezing temperature then there’s no problem. If you’re in a winter wonderland where all you see is snow, then most of your RV parts will be affected by the sheer cold. The risk increases directly proportional to the amount of time it’s colder than 0 degrees Celsius.
Precautions
The next thing to consider is the precautions you’ve taken to combat the cold for your RV. If you’ve fitted your RV with heating tapes, RV skirt, and heating tanks then it can significantly decrease the tank freezing, if not outright stop it altogether. Having an enclosed underbelly, and having several layers of heating to help your pipes and containers stay warm will keep your parts warm, and protected from the harsh winter winds.
Kind of container
The last thing to consider is the kind of holding containers we’re talking about for your RV. Your RV just doesn’t have freshwater, but it has gray, and black water as well. The different kinds of liquids freeze at different rates regarding the amount of contamination they contain. The contaminations can either speed the freezing or combat it. The size of the container is also important in determining the freezing rate.
How to Reduce the Freezing
There are several ways you delay or outright diminish the freezing of your containers. Winterizing your RV is the best way to fight the cold, and taking precautionary measures is the best way to get rid of the fear of your camper’s parts freezing.
Keep the Tank Full
When talking about containers, you have to make sure they’re full when you’re going out camping. It takes longer for water to freeze when there’s more of it. If your tank is empty, then it won’t take any time for your container to completely freeze. Extending the time it takes for your container to freeze will help keep the damage to a minimum, and will also help warmer hours of the day to help fight the cold.
Heat Tapes Are Your Best Friend
Heat tapes offer a layer of much-needed insulation in the cold. Heat tapes are used on pipes and tanks so you can trap any semblance of warmth within the parts. You can apply multiple heat tapes to help cover up your parts to further help keep the parts warm but one layer is usually enough. Heat tapes are great for preventing the freezing of your parts. You can also check the thermostat to make sure how bad the cold is for your RV parts.
Here you can read: Will RV Holding Tanks Freeze? – What You Can Do About It
RV Skirt
RV skirts function of the principle of insulation. Capturing the comparative warmth of the underbelly of the camper with the RV skirt is the easiest thing you can do. The RV skirt won’t let any outside cold winds reach the bottom of your camper as well. You just have to roll down the RV skirt and make sure With additional warming for the underbelly, you can be sure that your container isn’t going to freeze anytime soon.
Conclusion
Your RV containers are always at the risk of getting frozen over if you don’t prepare your trip beforehand. Checking the average temperatures of the location you’re traveling to in the RV will help you guess if there’s any risk of your RV’s tanks freezing over. You’ll also have to take precautionary measures to make sure you’re RV’s parts won’t freeze and get damaged. All in all, you can avoid all of the risks of winter damage to your RV’s containers with ample preparation.
