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Old 12-06-2020, 10:01 PM   #1
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Default Roadtrek sprinter chassis water lines

Hi,
I would like to be able to use my roadtrek sprinter in occasional freezing temps (think AZ mountains in winter) down to a minimum temp of 25 degrees at night, with daytime temps in the 50's.
I'm trying to determine if most of my water lines run through the interior or exterior of the van. I can't get under it to look unless I get it in the air a little bit, so being the lazy gal that I am, I thought I'd ask here first!
I know I can winterize, but would not like the hassle of winterizing and dewinterizing, especially if we go in & out of the freezing temps, which is likely.
Has anyone tried to do this? I'm curious if skirting with a small heater underneath is sufficient - or even necessary if the water lines run inside and I have the heat on.
Thanks
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Old 12-08-2020, 08:59 PM   #2
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The freshwater tank is under the van and it and lines could freeze. You also need to winterize black and gray systems, drains and traps. We camp all winter - carry fresh water inside, flush toilet with anti-freeze and use lidded bucket for grey water.
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Old 12-09-2020, 01:43 AM   #3
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Default Thanks!

Thanks, I appreciate the info.
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Old 12-09-2020, 05:25 AM   #4
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With the temperature requirements mentioned just keep the furnace set at 55F or above making sure the water pump is open to interior temperatures along with the water heater. You can put an AQ 150 aquarium thermometer on the water heater. You will find it gets nowhere close to freezing temperatures.

You will not be able to dump till the warmth of the afternoon so don’t even try. Skirting and heating not required. Try it and you will see.
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Old 12-09-2020, 10:49 PM   #5
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I like the thermometer idea. It would be a good way to monitor the water temp so that I can take emergency measures if it gets too low. I'm pretty sure that the fresh water tank is at least partly in the interior of the motorhome, under the rear passenger seat. With the combination of monitoring the temp and and a space heater for emergency purposes, I will see how far I can go with the low temps.
Thanks!
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Old 12-13-2020, 05:31 PM   #6
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We have a RT Sprinter. On our first trip we ran with water in the tank when the nights unexpectedly went into the mid 20's and had no issues. I would speculate that latent radiant heat from the furnace and water heater do account for some protection under the vehicle.

I appreciate your reservations about winterizing. It can be a pain. I looked at various methods and blogs and settled on blowing down the fresh water system. I have an air compressor and equip the hose to an adapter that connects to the city water connection (see pic). I gravity drain the fresh tank, and remove the water heater anode. (Make sure the water heater is cooled down and not under any pressure.) I use a low air pressure (<15 psi) to pressurize the system. I open water valves sequentially, closest (the exterior shower) to furthest from the connection, ending with the city water fill valve to the water tank. This process makes dewinterizing easier as no need to flush the antifreeze out of the FW system.

Before freezing weather, I put some antifreeze in the black and gray tanks and sink traps. and kick over the sewage pump to get some antifreeze into the pump and piping.
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Old 12-13-2020, 07:11 PM   #7
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Thanks for the info!
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Old 02-14-2021, 04:03 PM   #8
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Update: We went as low as 27 degrees without problems. Thanks to all who posted advice.
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