How do you set an RV up for high altitude/cold weather travel?

[muleman]

What size are the lines for the water? You should be able to do regular heat tapes and use the foam tubes to cover them with. Modern heat tapes have thermostat ends on each one. If your runs are not that long they work great. always put the split seam down and tape the seams between pieces. Wish I was closer I could fix you up quick as I have done a lot of mobile homes over the years. The valves for the holding tanks will be the toughest to insulate but plastic sheeting alone helps to hold the heat in. You might need to use fiberglass on the valves and wrap them good with plastic and tape. I would not sweat the tanks if you use some antifreeze in them. Make sure the thermostats are left outside the insulation on the tapes or they wont work.

 

[Dargo]

What size are the lines for the water? You should be able to do regular heat tapes and use the foam tubes to cover them with. Modern heat tapes have thermostat ends on each one. If your runs are not that long they work great. always put the split seam down and tape the seams between pieces. Wish I was closer I could fix you up quick as I have done a lot of mobile homes over the years. The valves for the holding tanks will be the toughest to insulate but plastic sheeting alone helps to hold the heat in. You might need to use fiberglass on the valves and wrap them good with plastic and tape. I would not sweat the tanks if you use some antifreeze in them. Make sure the thermostats are left outside the insulation on the tapes or they wont work.

Thanks! When I get back from a Dr. visit I'm going to start trying again to look up places where I can find the heating tape you talked about. I'd love to buy the tape and tank pads from one place, but if I can't, I can't. I just need to get it done. Just from memory, I'd say the supply lines are no larger than 1/2". Where the drain valve is, that compartment is insulated and has the standard hose and rinse out lines I'd need to warm but also I noticed a 120v outlet inside that compartment. Why couldn't I just secure the 1500 watt ceramic heater sitting right next to me that has a thermostat that goes down to 45 degrees inside that compartment? It would heat that small area in no time. Any issue with doing that?

 

[tommu56]

What size are the lines for the water? You should be able to do regular heat tapes and use the foam tubes to cover them with. Modern heat tapes have thermostat ends on each one. If your runs are not that long they work great. always put the split seam down and tape the seams between pieces. Wish I was closer I could fix you up quick as I have done a lot of mobile homes over the years. The valves for the holding tanks will be the toughest to insulate but plastic sheeting alone helps to hold the heat in. You might need to use fiberglass on the valves and wrap them good with plastic and tape. I would not sweat the tanks if you use some antifreeze in them. Make sure the thermostats are left outside the insulation on the tapes or they wont work.

brain storm use some out door wood boiler pipe its pre insulated 2 lines heat tape might not be needed.

we use heat tape at our waste water treatment plant and this is what we use

http://www.easyheat.com/PDF_Files/_files/14047_001_r9_FF_ii_weblayout.pdf

we get it from our electrical parts supply house the plugs kits come separate.

It works there with out a problem the only thing we found is on some larger lines (4") put 2 or 3 passes on bottom of pipe about 1" apart worked better for us than wrapping we used neoprene insulation (armoflex) over them.

tom

 

[muleman]

You can get the heat tapes and insulation at Ace hardware or Home depot, Lowes. You need to know how long your runs are as they come in all kinds of lengths. Get the long one and wrap it around in 6 inch spirals. I think the ceramic heater would be overkill for what you need but if everything is in there it would work. Those things take a lot more power than a heat tape. Frost king is a good brand of heat tape. Get the good gorilla tape or a real good duck tape. It needs to take the water and spray going down the road. I usually use 3m brand electric tape to tape the heat tape every few feet to keep it from moving when you are wrapping it around the pipes.

 

[Dargo]

brain storm use some out door wood boiler pipe its pre insulated 2 lines heat tape might not be needed.

we use heat tape at our waste water treatment plant and this is what we use

http://www.easyheat.com/PDF_Files/_files/14047_001_r9_FF_ii_weblayout.pdf

we get it from our electrical parts supply house the plugs kits come separate.

It works there with out a problem the only thing we found is on some larger lines (4") put 2 or 3 passes on bottom of pipe about 1" apart worked better for us than wrapping we used neoprene insulation (armoflex) over them.

tom

Hmm, I wonder if any local electrical supply place around me would carry this product? My only other question is how much draw it would have? I like the way they showed wrapping it around valves. I could wrap it around valves as well as the drain petcock and then insulate properly around all. All I'd need then would be the heaters for a 100 gallon fresh water tank (preferably with a thermostat), 60 gallon gray and 40 gallon black tank.

If I did that and used high quality insulation and high quality tape like Muleman suggested, wouldn't that work for me? I do like the Gorilla duct tape. I always carry a roll or two in my little tool kits I have in each vehicle. That stuff is TOUGH.

So, think this would work? I'm not seeing why it wouldn't nor why I couldn't do it working at less than 100%. I'm very serious when I ask, am I missing anything? I'm not concerned with inside plumbing nor the water heater. The coach has a 60 gallon propane tank, so keeping the coach heated inside and keeping the water heater on still isn't going to send me running for propane refills very often.

 

[Dargo]

Just called my local supply house that I've used for electrical materials and they do carry that product. They said they had it in 500' rolls. Umm, that sort of was concerning me until he said he'd cut it whatever length I needed at $2.31 a foot. The thermostat is $17.56 to control the temp. He even suggested me consider just wrapping (and then insulating) the tanks with this product because apparently it draws very little and I can control everything from one thermostat.

If I do that, I need to measure, but maybe I may need a 500' roll; especially if there is a decent price break for buying a complete box. Or, probably way too much?

 

[tommu56]

I would do it in separate sections that way you can in plug the different sections in needed you can still use one thermostat

I would do the water lines fresh water and waste tanks all separately.

The cable is self regulating that means as it warms up the semiconducting material slows down conducting.

There are ways to splice it too but it is a pain if you but try and avoid that if impossible.

for insinuation i would try the closed cell stuff from HD just get it a size or so larger to go over pipe.

tom