Ep. 12: How to Keep Your RV Dump Valves From Freezing | RV How-to
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 12 ธ.ค. 2017
- If you go winter camping with your RV or travel trailer, exposed drain pipes and dump valves are at a significant risk for freezing. Learn how to modify your dump valves and drain pipes to prevent cracked piping and a filthy frozen mess!
Filmed in Cottonwood Heights, UT November 11, 2017.
PRODUCTS TO FROST-PROOF YOUR OWN RV DUMP VALVES
- Wrap-On Pipe Heating Cable amzn.to/2zBDmrn
- Frost King Foil Backed Fiberglass Pipe Wrap amzn.to/2yuwBE9
- Foil tape amzn.to/2zDoab2
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I have winter camped for over 20 years now. -42 is my record. Mt. Bohemia, Upper Pennisula of Michigan. I always add to my black water tank about 10 cups of road salt. Keeps it lucid. Yes it can ruin your electric gauge reader; but hey, a flashlight peek down the hole shows you when it is full. Lastly, I put my used paper in waste basket, dirty side down. Paper is a sponge that creates airpockets and promotes freezing. Plus no paper, I can go a long time inbetween dumps. Grey water tank, I leave the valve open, just watch out for making an ice rink below your steps.
Good advice all, Craig!
The old saying "a day late and a dollar short" sure applies to me in this case. Sure wish I had seen this prior to experiencing -45 in Montana this winter. I thought an R-13 insulated underbelly would do the trick, right? Not even close...everything froze, and I mean EVERYTHING. When I discovered that the FACTORY "4-season" insulation was the thickness of a mailer you would get at the post office (1/8"), I was outraged. Don't buy Keystone RV's unless you insist they actually put REAL insulation in the belly. As a novice RV'er, I got to find out the hard way about both this and the tank toggle valves that also froze at only 20 degrees!
Thanks for your video. Sure wish my valves were as convenient to get to as yours. I will have to drop the entire belly cover to get to mine.
I've dropped the underbelly cover on our current fifth wheel, different from the trailer shown in this video, and trust me when I tell you it was a pain! The worst part is getting the cover back in place. However, if you do that you will have the ability to insulate that area any way you wish.
Just watched your video to get some ideas of what we'll need to do if we want to travel in the snow this winter! We just started full-time RV life 5 weeks ago and things are starting to get a little more 'intense' when it's freezing. lol Some frozen hoses, our first and hopefully last frozen stinky slinky, and our grey tank valve just froze 2 days ago. So much to learn. Thanks for this Mark!! We love your vids!
Thank you! If it's heading below freezing, use your tanks. Close your dump valves and empty your tanks at once, and draw water from your fresh water tank -- just as you'd be doing while boondocking. Then when your waste tanks are almost full dump them at once. That will prevent ice buildup in your sewer hose, and using your fresh water tank will mean no frozen water hose.
Just don't do what my neighbor did, put a pipe over your furnace exhaust and pipe it under the rv. She now has a nice burn mark on the side of her rv. My husband ripped the pipe off as it was glowing red one night.
TY as always, I appreciate your time.
Hey great video! May be years away for me as I’m based in Florida and probably no time until retirement to go camping in those climates but it is some of the best weather for camping in my opinion.
Thanks, Timothy! You'll probably then appreciate the upcoming Ep. 93, when we go winter camping near Park City to go skiing at Deer Valley. There's about 3 feet of snow on the ground where we're camped. Thanks for watching, and for commenting!
Last winter we stopped in Ft Stockton during a,snowstorm. We saw someone using a red heat lamp to heat the dump tanks and plumbing under his RV. What I like about this solution is that it seems simpler and more portable (?).
And far less risk of melting plastic with that heat lamp, Glenda. Glad you enjoyed! We don't treat it as portable, though -- it's been sitting there on our pipes waiting to go for 3 years now, and it's still going strong.
Good idea and nice job. Mine almost froze last weekend. It would have had I stayed into week. Buckets of wind and some snow. I had to winterize it. Oh well many other activities to address. Glad to see you did it right! It was not complete till the Duct tape came out. Take care.
That setup held for 4 years until we upgraded to our current fifth wheel. It worked like a charm.
Great video. Thank you. It's July 2021 and I am already studying for our first RV winter. This video really helps.
Buying the supplies right now. Thanks brother!
You're most welcome Chris! We had that trailer for 3.5 years and this setup held up the entire time.
This is great! I’ve been thinking of doing the same thing since last October when my valves froze shut!
It works. We had it set up that way until we traded in that trailer this past October.
Love it... I will be doing this. Thanks
It continues to work well for us.
Thank you for taking your time to do this video very informative 👍
Glad that you found it helpful, Mario!
Very helpful! Thank you for sharing.
Thank you for watching!
Exactly what I need to do next! Oh boy! Thank you!
You bet! It was still functioning exactly as intended when we replaced that trailer in late 2020.
Excellent production, good narration and composition. Easy to follow and understand in logical steps. We pause in our studio to watch your videos - good stuff.
Thank you so very much, Bob!
As we watch your production, we picked things up that helped us with ours. Overall, you have a very good follow up on each step, topic and reason(s) for each. Although we produce comedy, using TH-cam, good productions and composition like yours, is universal for enjoyment for the listener. Again, nice job.
@@bobbliss9607 thanks again. Ironically, this was one of our first video attempts. We hope that our productions have improved in the six years since.
Great info! I’m going to make my husband watch this... 😀👍🏻
Elementary Explorers Get him to subscribe, too. And your kids. And your dog! ;)
What a great idea thanks for sharing I love it Brother
Thank you for making this video!
You're welcome!
Thanks so much for sharing this!!
Our pleasure, Joyce -- thanks for watching!
Another great video. Thank you again.
You're most welcome Steven, thanks for watching!
Great video thanks for sharing !
Thank you for watching, Ron!
Thank you so much for this information!
Glad it was helpful Maryann!
Great idea
It works well, Martin!
Great information and video is awesome.
Thank you Rhonda!
Great diy video
Thank you Brad!
I full-time in a 2017 PUMA 253FBS with enclosed underbelly and 12V heat strips on the tanks from the factory, but with all three dump lines and valves exposed. In January 2017 I spent a couple weeks in North Carolina when the forecast was for 10 days staying below freezing. Ran to Home Depot and picked up a heat tape and foil backed foam insulation, and did the same type of install. This has worked great for me since then, even down to 5 degrees in PA this year. The only issue I have is the valves seem to freeze closed in the worst weather. A little hot water poured on the valves and they open. It could be the seals getting too cold.
I didn't use foil, but I like that idea.
Yup Kurt, this setup works great, as you've found yourself. We traded in the trailer shown in this video when we went full-time, and as we spend our winters skiing from the RV rather than running south, prerequisites were that our dump valves were enclosed within the underbelly and we had a heated wet bay. If we still had exposed dump valves we would've wrapped them the same way.
Can’t get to the original spot. I ended up getting new fittings and 3 inch line. My 1st cut about 4 inches back from the first section and I got wet. The ice was about 2 feet into the pipe and now I know if it is cold here (32 high-10 low) to keep the valves shut so the ice damn does not happen again. Now I get to redo the insulation. Thanks for your video
GReat video!
Remember, fibreglass insulation works by being 'puffy'(uncompressed). Very lightly wound, do not tightly wind, and with no air movement (air cracks) flowing freely from outside to inside. The 'puffier' the better. It is not self-supporting very much, (no outward push from within itself) so be careful not to force it smaller Leaving it large will get you your R rating and your monies worth, as well as peace of mind in a deep freeze.
The amount air between the fibres is what holds heat. More space between the fibres, more insulation. It works by trapping air, and its that natural and free air, kept within a boundary, which you are requesting help from.
Also, do not let get wet, or all heat is lost. Better to use "rock wool" insulation which is water resistant. As well, all insulation must breathe a little bit, to allow condensation to escape. This is a tricky one on this install. There is a tiny bit of permeability through plastic tape.
However, wrapping the fibreglass insulation in TYVEK house wrap would be better; as it allows water to run off but is designed to allow humidity to escape.
I think , just put a little roof over it to keep rain mist, rain splashes (up from the ground puddles), and water cascading down the wall of the camper from getting anywhere near it.
Great advice all the way around, Mike -- thank you!
After rockwool insulation what do you think about lightly applying reflectix over it and a black plastic 9 mil ?
PVC electrical tape has a gooey adhesive that melts under mild heat. Get a high temp tape, or use zip ties.
We used duct tape rather than PVC electrical tape, and that setup held up for the several years that we still had that RV.
Exactly what I was looking for
Perfect!
I plan on following your video on installing the heat tape on black pvc drain pipes. I have about 8 ft of 3 1/2
Hope your project goes well, Doug!
Thank you ❤
You're most welcome.
Thanx man
Our pleasure Lana, thanks so much for watching.
You are awesome brother
We need to make some turns again.
I would install the heat tape before the foil so the foil can have a better thermal property. Also, I would wrap from the outside in, that way you can add a plug inside instead of needing an external cord. This would be able to run off the main power and have a switch inside the trailer.
Interesting ideas, Ryan. We chose to put the foil beneath the heat tape to more evenly distribute the heat, especially as the pipe is PVC. We figured that we'd err on the side of caution.
Yeppers...great ideas thx. My concern would be freezing while traveling, so I would reverse per comment above and figure out how to plug in inside trailer. I have an extra outlet inside the fridge cavity right above by dump valves. New solar/battery system I installed providing 120v to OEM system while driving. Love this idea thx...along with heating the underbelly.
I appreciate your effort in showing this. Thankfully we don’t need to do this!
Even here in Arizona we've had temps right down to 34 right in low-elevation Camp Verde this week; at elevation it would've been well below freezing.
Hmmm....I think I should have been paying better attention!
At least I know where I need to go to see this again.
Fortunately I’m no stranger to heat strips when it comes to keeping motors from being cold and damp.
Thankyou that really helps.
Happy to hear that Karen, thanks for watching!
Arctic Package? I just saw a 2022 Keystone with that same package and the dump valves installed outside of the heated under belly! A true 4 seasons rated camper will have those dump valves inside the heated under belly up near the tanks with a cable to an exterior T handle.
We completely agree Ray, and that was a prerequisite to our new fifth wheel when we purchased it.
Thanks for sharing!!!!
Our pleasure, Renee. Thanks for watching.
Just came across this video and I've really liked that useful tip. Oh by the way I like the banjo 🪕 🎶
Thank you Barb!
Thanks for sharing. I would probably use styrene sheet as insulation for better appearance
Love hearing alternatives from other folks, thank you!
Great info thanks.
You're most welcome Ivan, thanks for watching!
Hey, been watching videos similar to this for 2 hours and yours is clearly the best. Really simple and thorough, thanks!
Quick question: how exactly does the heating cable work, where should I plug it in?
Also, if we are driving around all day, I can't really plug it anywhere, will the pipe not freeze then?
Thank you Mart! In our case, we pretty much did this only for when we're in camp. For those days when it dips into the mid-20s for only a few hours overnight, you could run this off an inverter on your house batteries. For longer periods of below freezing temps, including all-day situations, you'd have to be in an electric site or be prepared to run your generator often.
We really didn't design it for driving for a few hours, but it wouldn't be too hard to run an extension cord to an inverter and then zip-tie the extension to your frame, etc.
Very helpful! Thanks a ton!
Glad to hear that McKay, thanks for watching!
Thanks!
You're most welcome, Bryan.
Thank you man I’m in a pickle right this moment and needed to see this
You're most welcome, Reaper -- hope that it gets you out of it!
Hopefully it isn't frozen lines because in the instructions it says that it can't thaw frozen lines(too low of a watage).
@@TheTruthPlease100 It is so I’ve been waiting for it it to thaw right now temp is going to be about 50 today so should be perfect
@@TheTruthPlease100 it worked perfectly for us down into the teens.
great video., this will be my first time living in an rv full time., its permanently parked., would i need to do that if i underskirt the rv with a little space heater?
It depends on your climate, but if you're in a regularly below freezing area I would definitely skirt it. It can only help.
Good 👍 job
Thank you!
Newly Updated Safety Suggestions: for Campers, Explorers, Travelers,
I just happened to see your channel, and others similar channels recently, and I think that you, and others sharing their actual reality, and some have expressed some of the up, and down sides to van, RV, or vehicle living.
Although, I just noticed your TH-cam channel, and other similar channels, displaying van living.
I just wanted to remind everyone to Aware Be of your surroundings and Alert, I just posted this anyway to help anyone who may benefit from these suggestions
I believe that it is very helpful, and beneficial to others who may be thinking about this type of living without actually thinking through, about the some of the realistic problems that could occur with vehicle or van living etc...
People need to know what up sides there are, as well as some of the down sides of vehicle living.
I believe this channel, and other channels have been informative to others, including myself.
Although, I am NOT living in a vehicle or anything like this.
I feel that you , and others TH-camrs sharing this with your viewers will be very helpful.
I wish you ALL the Best with your traveling endeavors.
I shared this with several other travelers, as I watched their TH-cam channel for the first time, as yours, and I shared with them this information that may be helpful to you as well to others.
Therefore, I would also like to suggest a few Safety tips, and items that may help you, or others in your viewing audience.
Although, you may have knowledge of this already,
I am not sure, so I hope this will be helpful to you, others or someone.
*Keep a Extra working cellphone with you or in your vehicle.
You can purchase inexpensive phone with a very low monthly price between 25, 35, 45, dollars a month with unlimited data and text, and some have Nationwide coverage
Do your research for the best fit for you
Consider Carrying Several Extra portable cellphone phone chargers, and cables.
Consider theses items:
*Mini portable power charging station.
I have also seen outdoor portable solar powered power stations, that can be recharged from sunlight this may be very useful to have, to power your devices.
*Invest in a Cellular signal booster for outdoor use, and camping situations to boost or amplify your cell signal and reception.
Consider also the purchase of a WiFi signal booster to also boost your WiFi signal.
Research to see what you prefer.
*Very Inportant:
Invest in a SOS distress electronic signal device, this a kind of device can send out a distress signal with your exact location.
There are various types of these devices, and including devices that can be used when boating, or camping situations.
*Some have emergency Strobe lights SOS signaling with location alerts, and location updates that can be sent to your family, and emergency first responders.
Some can be synchronized with your smart watch or phone.
There are some satellite SOS texting messaging, locator devices that will send messages with your phone even if there isn’t any cellular signal, or WiFi. With this device your can still text, and communicate with others in a emergency satellite transmission.
Check online, for various emergency SOS products, some are small to fit in the palm of your hand.
You can check online, and on Amazon, research what SOS devices will be a good fit for you.
*Mini portable vehicle battery jumper charger
*vehicle battery jumper cables
*Vehicle Jumper cables
*PLEASE BE AWARE* that in the *WINTER*
*vehicle *Batteries fail* many times in very cold weather conditions.
Vehicle batteries drain more often in the winter months.
Please Keep a vehicle battery portable jumper pack, this is a device that can jumper or boost your vehicles battery yourself without another vehicle.
If you have a older battery in your vehicle, Please have it tested or replace it, and consider the purchase a new vehicle battery with higher Cold Cranking Amps rating.
Be Aware that Sometimes even a battery that is a few years old can fail in the Winter months, and extremely cold temperatures.
Some alternatives to Winter Camping, Travelers, Explorers, etc, if you can find a Warmer Climate Location to stay during Extreme Winter months, or stay with family for a few weeks.
Another alternative is renting somewhere although this can probably get expensive.
What ever you decide Be Careful, Alert, Aware, Safe, and Informed...
*Keep a Fire extinguisher handy
*Smoke detectors, and Carbon monoxide detectors can be helpful
Consider installing;
*Mounted Dashboard camera front and rear possibly.
*Exterior vehicle mounted camera for the front, rear, and both sides of your vehicle.
Some can be activated by motion, Including spotlights.
*Interior vehicle cameras
*Flashlights or pluggin spotlights
*Portable spotlights, and lanterns
Keep a few whistles around with you, and in your vehicle possibly in your vehicle’s center console
*Keep a Sound horn, for hiking this can service, as a deterrent, and a emergency signal alert for others.
*A set of long range 2 way radios, walkie talkies, to communicate with others during trips, some have 100 mile radius keep for emergencies, you can keep with you when hiking.
Use your own discretion regarding the use carrying of any weapons.
Don’t forget to bring
Bear Spray
Pepper spray
Where is allowed
Purchase a couple canisters just in case and keep it with you
If you own a drone you can use it to survey your area for animals etc.
However, Please Be Safe and Beware of your Surroundings.
Stay Alert, and Be Safe even when stopping at Rest stops, Truck Stops, and conducting your various tasks.
Keep in often contact with your family, friends etc.
Keep up with the latest Weather Updates, beware and prepare for unexpected Weather events and conditions.
*VERY IMPORTANT*
*WINTER AWARENESS*
I would suggest *NOT* to travel to locations without internet, cellular service in the Winter, the reason is that weather conditions can change very quickly, and you absolutely DO NOT want have a vehicle break down, or malfunction, or emergency, and not have the availability to communicate, and contact your family, and or, emergency road assistance, or emergency services.
PLEASE BE AWARE that in some extreme cold temperatures that vehicle fuel lines could Freeze and causing a vehicle to not start.
Just in case Keep your gas tank filled, which helps prevent vehicle fuel lines from freezing.
Keep gas or fuel line additive, or gas line antifreeze, that is rated to use okay for your vehicle.
Check with your a certified mechanic and your vehicle owners manual, and or dealer repair facility to inquire what is best to prevent freezing gas tank and lines in extreme cold.
In the Winter even your bottled Water can freeze so Be Careful and Plan ahead.
*Safety is Paramount*
*Your Life is Important*
*You want to Live to Travel another Day*
*So Be Safe*
*Stay Alert*
*Keep your vehicle gas filled*
Don’t ride on fumes, or on Empty.
Don’t chance your Safety by running your vehicle fuel or gas too close to Empty.
Fill it up anyway, it will save you alot of time, and headache later on.
Remember to keep up on routine maintenance, check your tires for wear, keep up with your fluids for your vehicle, like oil levels, antifreeze coolant,
Please carry extra (oil)(washer fluid), (brake fluid), (antifreeze).
You will need extra Winshield Washer fluid because of the ever changing Weather conditions, dustly roads, especially in slushy wet roads.
*WINTER AWARENESS*
In the winter consider purchasing and deicing Windshield Washer Fluid, for the much colder weather conditions.
Furthermore, you will need extra Windshield Washer Fluid, Because you will Be driving more often in dusty, dirty, windy, and varying weather conditions.
Your windshield will gather dust and debris from long term driving.
Also, Remember Because you are on the road riding for sometimes very long distances, and long periods of time, I would suggest investing in 2 sets of tires, and a spare, the extra set to rotate, make sure that you have a spare tire.
Check the mileage ratings on your tires they all very.
Conduct visual inspections of your tires often, check for damage, wearing, air pressure, etc
Keep a pressure gauge to check your tires pressure and a tire pump. Electric, Portable tire pump.
Keep towing insurance to Be Safe if you ever need it.
It Doesn’t cost much try to get National coverage if available, or where you will be traveling.
Keep Extra financing, and savings for any unexpected issues, vehicle repairs, and overnight stays, in a emergency or if you need to rest indoors.
Keep Enjoying Yourself,
Keep Enjoying the outdoors, and Nature
Just..Please continue to
Be Positive, Safe, and Alert..
Wishing Success, Well-being and Happiness You All.
God Bless You, and everyone
Traveling, or living in their vehicles, Vans, RVs, etc.
Please Be Safe.....
God Be With You.....
Author Advocate for Humanity,
Jason Sandifer,
Michigan,
11/15/2022, 11/18/2022,
11/26/2022
11/27/2022
Great information. One question. Do you keep everything wrapped like that when you're driving down the road?
Thanks Rich. You bet, it never came off. It was still there when we traded that trailer in October 2020.
thumbs up for you just having to deal with the fiber glass part LOL , I hate that stuff
Yeah, it's definitely far more pleasant with gloves on. Stuff itches like crazy.
Nice mountain hardware jacket.
Thanks! That one was actually a prototype that turned out to be too expensive to manufacture. The shell is a 4-way stretch, so they actually had to hold the tubes open with compressed air to be able to insert the down fill. It's too bad they never made it for the public, as it's one of my favorite jackets ever.
Heat tape isn’t a wrap around product it’s used as a heat trace tape under the pipes I install this stuff weekly
Very helpful video! Question: can I do this while its already cold and my pipes are frozen? I do not have running water that is frozen, it is my waste tank that is full and the valves wont open...
Shouldn't hurt at all, Christy, and personally I'd hit it with a hair dryer first. Good luck!
Great vid. Is there a risk of using the fiberglass insulation with the heat tape. Couldn’t it catch fire (very rare i assume)?
Thanks Fouzan! The heat tape just doesn't generate that kind of heat. I suppose that if you inadvertently crossed wires while wrapping it would be possible (?) but I still have my doubts.
I just used the foam insulation and taped all the seams with duct tape. 10*F and all good. Holds up in high wind and wet too. I feel like that stuff would be a mess.
Hey, whatever works! Happy to hear of your solution, Kevin.
This is how I did my valves as well except I used that kind of heat cable and it failed in a year. So I went with the expensive ones. Only difference from mine is I used stick and peel flashing on the outside to weather proof. And then cut holes and put expanding foam in there to get rid of any air pockets. So the wind cant blow in. Works wonders I got to -30 celcius and was still able to dump. My tanks are heated so no issues
dylan christiansen an excellent (and apparently quite effective) variation! Thanks for sharing.
hi dylan, can you share a link to the brand of heat cable you used instead of the one that failed ?
Some of the same principles may apply to wet tanks and stick on heating pads and insulation. Which the latter of the two most seem to ignore and why I haven't figured that out yet.
Agreed. That trailer had both an insulated underbelly and tank pads, so we focused on the last remaining vulnerability.
Love your vids, and have winter camped. Don't like the fiberglass insulation wrap.
You certainly don't have to agree. 😁 I will say that it served us well for over 3 years.
Are you using Rockwool ?
Great dyi video brother. Sub and liked
Thank you! We're happy to have you along.
DEI exhaust heat wrap and paint might work as well.
We love the way our commenters add these alternatives. Thanks Mitch!
Good video. I would want this switched, just like tank blankets/heaters. That way during those months you need it, just flip a switch and your water systems don't freeze up. I wonder how long that tape and eventually wet compressed fiberglass insulation will stay on there? Let us know if the set up made it through a season. Thank you.
We're now on season 3 actually, Kris, and it's holding up just fine. Of course you could switch it easily enough, but we find just plugging it in is all we need. It has a thermally-controlled switch that actually kicks on when it dips below 38ºF.
@@GrandAdventure I'm a travel trailer newbie. Picking up my first 32ft later this week and plan on living in it for a year. I've been watching videos like they're not making them anymore. Lots of good information out there.
@@kriskumaroo congrats, and wishing you a wonderful year ahead!
Thanks do much for your video. How has this held up for you? Looks like the install was over 6 years ago. I was reading the instructions on the heat tape I purchased and it says to not run when it is coiled. Any issues?
You're most welcome, and thanks for watching! No issues whatsoever during the four additional years we had that trailer. That setup was still going strong when we got rid of the trailer.
Great video, thanks. Just wondering if pouring some rv antifreeze down into black and grey tanks, keeping any liquid in the pipes near the valves, and the valves themselves, would negate the need for the heat tape? I see the issue of the valves/push rods being frozen themselves. Then you always have the problem of finding winter dump sites that are operational, no?
It could, and we do that ourselves. However as the tank contents continue to fill, that antifreeze will continue to be diluted and less effective over time, unless you keep adding sufficient quantities of antifreeze.
@@GrandAdventure Thanks for the reply, but what does one do who is not plugged into shore power to contend with the actual exterior components of the valves themselves being frozen, like the cable, slide mechanism, etc. Seems like everything rests on whether or not you can actually open the valve, to dump the liquid. I would assume heating with a heater or heat gun/hair dryer, no?
This is a great idea. Do you only plug into the external 120v outlet once you're at your campsite? Or did you hardwire it somehow? Thanks
If we're in a campground, we just plug it into the 20A outlet on the pedestal. If we're boondocking we plug it into our trailer's exterior 120 V outlet, as all of our outlets are powered via our batteries and inverter.
Really appreciate this info.
It’s been a few years since you insulated the dump valves and pipes. How did it did it do in freezing weather and how did it travel? Thanks for the time doing the video.
It held up perfectly right up until we traded in that trailer in October. It worked like a charm for the past few years.
@@GrandAdventure thanks, just the information we needed. We're in tennessee and occasionally see the 20's. And just need something to give piece of mind. Looks simple and cheap.
@@joshbowman4060 It is both, two of our operating principles right there. 😁
Mark , I replied earlier this week on doing my exposed drain pipes as you did .
Question ? If I used the black duct tape as you did do I still need the foil tape you applied to insulation before using black duct tape ?
Thanks , Doug Floch
I just figured that out was good to reflect that heat back inward.
I enjoyed your video and thinking of doing same . I have about 10 ft of 3 1/2 inch black pvc drain pipe with valves to cover . Am thinking a 12 ft length would be the most likely length ? Would like to include wrapping valves also ? Is using a 3 prong grounded extension electrical cord sufficient?
Option : I only need cold weather protection briefly for a couple of nights of temps 10 degrees F , would putting a couple quarts of rv antifreeze in empty grey water and same in black water suffice ?
Your comments would be appreciated !
My wife and I have started watching your channel a year ago and one of our favorites as your content and information is very well covered.
Thanks , Doug
Thank you Doug! I'd go with a length of heat tape roughly 1.5x as long as the pipe. Yep, a grounded outdoor extension cord should be fine. RV antifreeze would certainly help, but it'll be so diluted at the valves I'd be concerned that it wouldn't be enough by itself at 10F.
I just cut into my pipes inside of the underbelly and added cable valves. A little more expensive, but it looks nicer, will last longer, and uses less electricity.
Great idea David, thank you for sharing that!
Thanks for the video! How do you keep the freshwater tank from freezing on those consecutive single digit days? Is it best to use heat pads or also a space heater underneath to keep from freezing on consecutive -0 days? Should you immediately empty the grey after showers? We’re thinking about staying in rv park up north over winter and any advice much appreciated!
Our pleasure, Big Sky. The Evo travel trailer that we owned when we filmed this had heat pads in the tank. Our current fifth wheel doesn't, and we had a freeze-up happen while we were winter camping at Lava Hot Springs to ski at Pebble Creek, Idaho. The KOA we were staying at had their water turned off for the winter, so we had to rely on our tank. Fortunately for us the daytime temps allowed it to thaw out. We'd have to come up with a different solution in this rig.
We winter in Salt Lake City, where temps are not inordinately cold. Nevertheless, we keep our grey tank valve open unless it's going to be especially cold overnight, then we allow it to sit there until it's warm enough to dump. We were there all last winter and didn't skirt, but if we did we'd put a heat source down there. Because we rely primarily on our fireplace and a mica panel heater while we're in SLC we're not running the furnace very often, and therefore it's not putting any heat into the basement where our water lines, etc. are located, so we keep a small thermostat-controlled ceramic heater running down there and we monitor the temperature via an RV Whisper sensor with an alarm set if it dips below 40 in our basement.
Hope this helps.
@@GrandAdventure It helps a lot. Thank you!
Hot water bed warmer that’s what I got a mind get a hot water bed warmer and put it on the bottom of the tank
If I have foam board and vinyl skirting do I need to wrap the pipes? I was thinking of just wrapping the hose that connects to the valve which will be exposed.
I'd think that if you can keep it sufficiently warm within the skirted area, you'd be good to go.
What about the RV water pressure regulator what do you think would be best to protect it
Absolutely. Anything that's potentially exposed to freezing. In our current rig the water pressure regulator is actually inside our heated wet bay. On this old travel trailer that we featured in this video, however, when we were on hookups we used a heated hose and put a foam sleeve over the pressure regulator.
Any updates on how that held up to wind driving down the highway???
We had that trailer for 4 years with those dump valves protected in that manner. It held up beautifully the entire time.
WARNING Do NOT over lap the heat tape. It is important (like he said) to keep it spaced out. if they touch and over lap. it will very easily catch fire!
Just got the wrap-on cable. And guess what....it says in the instructions..."Do not use for other services such as waste or drain lines,....." In the first paragraph after warning and caution paragraphs. Man! Also it doesn't specify any pipe bigger than 3/4" on the back of the box. Read the instuctions first please. The one I got actually looks defective. After the tester the exposed coper wires are untwisted and spread apart and a stray filiment of wire is almost touching the other side. That could mean a bad shorting issue. The twisted filiment wire needs to stay twisted and locked together so you don't get single filiment shorting causing a fire. Soooo...dang I have to call support and they make me pay for shipping back! That is BS. I was sooo hoping for a fix. Just thought I'd let you know. Oh, it also says the lines have to be filled with liquid water so if you have like the gray drain open you can't use the wrap on it or more fire issues on a plastic pipe.
Sorry to hear that you got a defective unit, John. Agree that you shouldn't leave your gray open -- there needs to be liquid in the line. That said, we had no issues whatsoever using this in the manner which we posted.
Thank you.If you had not b posted this warning I would have used his method and potentially started a fire.Unless Mark Guido puts a full disclaimer that the lines must full of liquid before heating, his instructions put people at risk for injury and property loss. I am really thankful for your input.I encourage Mark to rethink his entire post for obvious reasons.
Funny that I’m seeing this video now. We just got back from a trip,to CO and our pipes froze. Apparently on my last trip, I didn’t close the black tank valve. So, if my pipes would not have froze, it would have been messy. I ended up buying a heat pad, wrapping it around the valves and wrapping with a packing blanket. Then removed the pipe cap and connecting to a honey pot. Marc, you have some great ideas for my future plumbing needs. The only change I would make is to switch out the tape with tie straps. Tape gets gummy after a while. Stay safe on the road.
Maybe I missed something what about the black water tank piping to the valve? Do you do the same with that piping. I was also thinking of a heat pad on the bottom of the holding tank. What do you think?
David, we did have tank heating pads in that trailer (we traded that trailer in October 2020), so the vulnerability that we addressed in this video was the exposed dump valve and pipe. That's what we wrapped and insulated in this video.
I use a paint striping heat gun for a few mins when my valve is frozen ...
We'd imagine that works, we're just trying to prevent it in the first place.
I thought that was a good video but one question is everything covered up enough so that the insulation doesn't get wet
Yep. With the foil tape and duct tape we've had no issues after roughly 15k miles and a year of travel. Thanks for watching. And for commenting!
A few questions . . .
1. Are factory installed heating elements an option when buying an RV?
2. Is this a one time solution to the freezing dump valve issue or do you remove the materials in the spring and reinstall them in the autumn?
3. And kind of related to question 2, How long to expect this concoction of foil, tape and wires to hold up as you drive along dirt, snow and stone filled roads.?
1. Not for the dump valves, only for the tanks themselves. Those more "winter-proof" than mine (which are few), plus most motorhomes have their dump valves in an enclosed space instead of hanging out in the open like mine.
2. I intend to leave mine on.
3. I'll find out. ;)
Just went out to look at ours, it appears Arctic Fox has buried the valves in the heated belly. This was NOT an option that we chose, must be standard.
Thank you. Aren't you supposed to leave the thermostat outside the insulation? Or did I miss that part of the video?
You are correct. In our case the thermostat is contained within the electronics that include the power LED, which is outside of our insulation. We didn't specifically point that out, however.
That maybe true but unless the pipes are freezing why use more electricity and money than necessary. Some of those heat cables stay on until 60 degrees, which maybe 24/7 for three months in some locations. I would either install a separate thermostat plugin shutting off at 50 degrees or monitor temperature separately (manually), or get a wireless thermometer with alarm, and pay attention to a weather app. When in doubt leave it plugged in otherwise unplug it.
Can you leave the hot water heater on when you turn water off in river while using fresh water tank
If I understand correctly, you're asking can you leave the hot water on while disconnected from city water and using your fresh water tank? If so, absolutely.
Need to wrap, heat cable around valve box slides ,and cap entrance. Also some salt down drain will lower waters freezing point for grey/black tank. No fun to have your cup runneth over.
None at all.
Wont the salt ruin damage tanks ?? Why not RV antifreeze
@@DavidSmith3750 Dave , holding tanks are made if A B.S.plastic and are not affected by salt , as for antifreeze price are $ 3 to $4 dollars a gallon at full concentration 50 blow Zero but when mixed it looses it's strength quickly , rather salt at a low .50cents a carton will lower water freezing down to zero degrees Fahrenheit , the choice is yours.. it's just a low cost low tech below 32 f winter camping protection.
How has this held up over the years
It's held up surprisingly well, Ryan. After tens of thousands of miles and now into a third year, I've only had to put one or two small duct tape patches on the setup when a corner started to peel away. It's stayed almost completely intact.
I think I would spray the outside of that with flex seal to waterproof it.
The holding tanks would each get a heat pad. The other piping use heat tape also and the rubber foam pipe insulation.
Insulate the tanks also.
On that rig (which we just got rid of) we already had tank heat pads and an insulated and enclosed underbelly. The dump valves were our weak point.
I have to do all that to mine this year.
I suppose I should buy a bunch of the heat tapes when they go on sale soon.
@@2009mechanic that sounds like a good plan. We discovered when we did this video that not all heat tapes are created equal. We chose those with the lowest electricity draw we could find, and with an automatic on/off temperature sensor that triggers in the right range.
How to insulate the 3 tanks beneath?
What insuation material works best?
Everything I have seen so far points to the sheet foam 4'x8' that you find at the home improvement stores and they use a good grade of exterior clear silicone sealer for all the joints and corners.
It appears that I will need to unstrap my tanks and partially drop them down to get the foam around them.
@@2009mechanic to be honest we never looked into that, because that trailer had an insulated and enclosed underbelly and tank heat pads. As far as I know they used spray foam beneath the belly shield.
What about the slide valves still unprotect from cold , hence out comes the hair dryer, use armaflex or closed foam insulation when that gets wet it's worthless. Good luck.
We've been running like this for over 3 years with no issues. Agreed that we could have used a different insulation, but it's been holding up just fine. And the slide valves are actually within the heat tape and insulation. Never needed the hair dryer.
i was always told not to cover up the thermostat on the heat tape or it wouldnt work correctly. Dumb question but why does this area need to be heated? if you dump the tank there shouldn't be any fluids to freeze in the pipe by the valves right? Im new to this so probably dumb questions
Not dumb questions at all. We left the thermostat outside of the wrap, for the very reason you mention. The way our valves were set up on that trailer, the gate valve was near the end...so there would've been fluid leading all the way to the gate valve. That gate valve didn't have a remote handle the way that some others do.
👍👍
Try using foam insulation like they use on air conditioners
We thought about that, but went with the far better R-values that this setup provided.
Me personally, I liked your idea of the black spray paint over the gobs of duct tape. I think the black spray paint would have looked better.
Appreciate your feedback, Charles.
Black spray paint maybe easier, but one layer of duct tape would afford more protection, against rocks and debris. While traveling on down the road and kicked up by rear trailer tires.
What do you plug the heat tape into when boondo king?
A power inverter connected to the RV's batteries.
We just got our first camper this year and having this same problem
This trailer was our first too, Russ, and we don't think it's something that many people think about when buying their first. When we replaced it with a new fifth wheel, however, we ensured that our dump valves were enclosed and insulated.
I actually got the pipes unfroze by using a hair dryer one of my awesome camper neighbor was able to provide for me now I'm trying to figure out how to drain my waste tank I left it open my first week not knowing
@@russmajor6987 sounds like you're halfway there. Is your underbelly insulated, which is preventing you from getting heat to the tank drain pipe where it meets the tank? Is that where the ice jam is presently?
Do you need to do this if you're putting a skirting on? I'm a newbie at this so if the question is a dumb one....🤪
All depends on whether or not your dump valves would be within the skirting. If they're enclosed I wouldn't worry about it, Mark.
@@GrandAdventure Yeah! Thank You!
Thank you. Why not heat tape the actual valves? Do you keep it on when traveling, or are you stationary for the winter?
We kept it on for traveling, LK, and actually did wrap the valves too. We had that setup for over 3 years before we traded in that trailer, and it held up the entire time.
@@GrandAdventure Super! Do you still do that?
@@TheLakingc our situation now is a little different. Our present fifth wheel has its dump valves enclosed within the insulated underbelly.
@@GrandAdventure the one i want to get does, too.
I hope rhis will work found. My valvs frozen yesterday and temp here is 5 dagrees we had it blocked off the generator exaust blowing under but still froze i put salt down hoping it works but nop still froze now i need to have some on gift me thes items to fix it things go bad when im broke all ways
FYI blowing your generator exhaust beneath the trailer is a direct route to carbon monoxide poisoning inside the trailer. That's therefore not a recommended solution.
With that attitude you’ll never get ahead
What about your dump valve handles.. are those not an issue when camping in artic temperatures?
Not at all, just the gate valve itself.
Thank you! I was just afraid of going out and pulling on the handle and it being frozen and not being able to dump my gray/black
@@robertwaldrop3100 anytime. Just keep those cables lubricated, which should be done anyway in any weather.
did it work?
Yep, never had a freeze up the entire time we owned that trailer.
Have you considered using insulation foam tape and giving it a few wraps? It would be quick, easy, and you would come out with a visually appealing final product.
Bonus... its water and mold resistant. Also creates a good barrier to protect against rocks.
That's an interesting idea, to be sure. If you try it let us know how it turns out!
Is this safe to use around the water hoses that go in to facet?
It should be, I know of many RVers who have created their own heated water hoses that way. To insulate a water hose, however, I'd likely use split foam pipe insulation.
@@GrandAdventure mine would be going under a food trailer our water froze and need something to keep them from freezing again
@@A.B.Juarez have you considered a ready-made heated water hose, like those from Pirit or Camco?
We were rushing last min to winterize our boat... we live in Texas and waiting till the weather report said there would be a hard freeze..... ooops.... so we rushed and ended up with Plan B.....
Which plan was plan B?
Grand Adventure essentially, nothing.... Put it inside, and plug in a heater. We just weren't prepared... With no battery, we couldn't move the boat to the pump
those wraps are not 12 inches apart but you have them closer to 6 " apart, just wondering.
They worked like a charm the way we had them., whatever that spacing was.