Freeze Protection

[erniecarpet@...]

Jon, do you happen to have the original thermostats that come with our freeze protection heaters? I believe replacement thermostats are available at Grainger.

Ernie Ekberg
83PT40 Wanderlodge
Weatherford, Texas

--where we need heat at 25 degrees today

50 degree difference then Sunday

---

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[freewill2008]

I had a "Doh!" moment last winter when I realized that on a side bath
FC with the propane furnaces running, warm return air from the coach
interior is being pulled into the back of the furnaces. This pulls
warm air along behind the galley, fridge, and bathroom where the
pipes run. The area behind the shower might not get protected this
way on all models, however.

Bob Griesel '84 FC31 WLII WA

--- In WanderlodgeForum@yahoogroups.com, "Chuck Wheeler"
wrote:
>
> Ernie,
>
> If you are operating in cold weather I have found that the Watts
Hot Water
> Recirculating System worked well. It circulates back through the
cold water
> side and keeps both from freezing. We have a side bath so the
shower is the
> farthest point in the system. I have the return valve at the
shower. The
> down side is that you get a little burst of hot water from the cold
side as
> the valve switches but no freezing and you get instant hot water!
Since the
> family moved I have removed it and use it at the house now.
>
> - Chuck Wheeler-
> 1982 FC 31SB Fort Worth TX
>
>
> _____
>
> From: WanderlodgeForum@yahoogroups.com
> [mailto:WanderlodgeForum@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of
erniecarpet@...
> Sent: Monday, December 15, 2008 7:16 AM
> To: WanderlodgeForum@yahoogroups.com
> Subject: Re: [WanderlodgeForum] Freeze protection
>
>
>
>
> When I was in the deep freeze of Montana, I had to put hay bales
around my
> tanks. Since I was able to be on 50 amps, all freeze heaters and
some other
> electric heaters were running. It still froze. I took the runs up
that
> covered the water lines and that helped.
>
> Ernie Ekberg
> 83PT40 Wanderlodge
> Weatherford, Texas
>
>
>
> _____
>
> Make your life easier with all your friends, email, and favorite
sites in
> one place. Try
> <http://www.aol.com/?optin=new-
dp&icid=aolcom40vanity&ncid=emlcntaolcom00000
> 010> it now.
>

[Jon]

--- In WanderlodgeForum@yahoogroups.com, "Jon" wrote:
>
> Well I blew down all my water lines this week and now its 20
degrees
> outside. So I hope I got all the water out of both lines as it
would
> be hell to repair water lines that were not drained down. I also
set
> up a oil electric heater in the coach just for good measures. Oh
yes
> one more this is that sence only haft the coach has fresh water
lines
> running from the back I also hung a heavy blanket from a rod (like
a
> shower curtain) in the front end inside of the coach by the
bathroom
> door.
>
> Now I was wondering has anyone here had the misfortune of not
checking
> there water lines before a big freeze? And do the newer coaches
have a
> better system to keep the internal pipes from freezing?



My coach has that heat tape running from the water storage area back
behind the water tank and then goes back behind the refrigerator. But
it does not work (to old) and I really can't figure out how to re-
wrap the water pipes running forward to the kitchen and then the
head. Dave beatty coach has a small electrical heater that's under
his bed in the water tank area and its suppose go on when the temp is
down to probably 40 degrees in that area. I kind of wonder if this
is a good idea as what would happen if that heater decided to short
out and caught fire. Probably would never happen but who knows. I
have the same style heater I found in a thrift store but need to know
where I can get a thermostat that would turn a heater on and oft at a
low temperature. Jon(1978 Wanderlodge)
>

[Ryan Wright]

Hmmm, this is a bit scary to me. I don't do anything to winterize my
coach. I'm hooked up to 50 amp service and keep the interior toasty
warm, as I'm in here on a daily basis. I assumed keeping the interior
warm would keep me safe, and so far, so good, but is there something
I'm missing? Are there freeze heaters I don't know about that I should
be checking up on? I know where at least two thermostats for freeze
heaters are located, but both are in areas of the coach that stay
reasonably warm, so I doubt they ever come on.

The only "winterizing" I do is dump a bit of that pink RV antifreeze
down the shower drain when temps get below freezing, to keep the P
trap liquid...

-Ryan
'86 PT-40 8V92 (lows this week dipping below 0...)


On Sun, Dec 14, 2008 at 9:44 PM, Chuck Wheeler
wrote:
> Jon,
> You do not say what bb you have, but our 82 has the plumbing wrapped with
> heat tape plus freeze heaters in the pipe areas. If you have the power for
> a electric heater I would make sure that the others are installed and
> working. It would be very difficult to keep the plumbing areas warm by
> heating the inside of the coach. I discovered this when I had a electrical
> problem that kept the freeze heaters from working. The plumbing froze up
> while the inside of the BB was about 75 degrees. Outside temperature was
> 14. I was lucky and didn't break any pipes.
>
> - Chuck Wheeler-
> 1982 FC 31SB Fort Worth TX

[freewill2008]

Having survived 50 below (really!) in an RV, it sounds like you
should be in good shape. Make sure the freeze stats are really
turning on what their supposed to, and leave the doors open on any
cupboards or compartments that have plumbing.

At home I keep the holding tanks empty and pour in 1/2 gallon of pink
into each so the traps have anti-freeze and the excess ends up down
at the dump valves.

Bob Griesel '84 FC31 WLII WA

--- In WanderlodgeForum@yahoogroups.com, "Ryan Wright"
wrote:
>
> Hmmm, this is a bit scary to me. I don't do anything to winterize my
> coach. I'm hooked up to 50 amp service and keep the interior toasty
> warm, as I'm in here on a daily basis. I assumed keeping the
interior
> warm would keep me safe, and so far, so good, but is there something
> I'm missing? Are there freeze heaters I don't know about that I
should
> be checking up on? I know where at least two thermostats for freeze
> heaters are located, but both are in areas of the coach that stay
> reasonably warm, so I doubt they ever come on.
>
> The only "winterizing" I do is dump a bit of that pink RV antifreeze
> down the shower drain when temps get below freezing, to keep the P
> trap liquid...
>
> -Ryan
> '86 PT-40 8V92 (lows this week dipping below 0...)
>
>
> On Sun, Dec 14, 2008 at 9:44 PM, Chuck Wheeler
> wrote:
> > Jon,
> > You do not say what bb you have, but our 82 has the plumbing
wrapped with
> > heat tape plus freeze heaters in the pipe areas. If you have the
power for
> > a electric heater I would make sure that the others are installed
and
> > working. It would be very difficult to keep the plumbing areas
warm by
> > heating the inside of the coach. I discovered this when I had a
electrical
> > problem that kept the freeze heaters from working. The plumbing
froze up
> > while the inside of the BB was about 75 degrees. Outside
temperature was
> > 14. I was lucky and didn't break any pipes.
> >
> > - Chuck Wheeler-
> > 1982 FC 31SB Fort Worth TX
>

[Jon]

--- In WanderlodgeForum@yahoogroups.com, erniecarpet@... wrote:
>
> Jon, do you happen to have the original thermostats that come with
our
> freeze protection heaters? I believe replacement thermostats are
available at
> Grainger.
>
> Ernie Ekberg
> 83PT40 Wanderlodge
> Weatherford, Texas
> --where we need heat at 25 degrees today
> 50 degree difference then Sunday
> **************Make your life easier with all your friends, email, and
> favorite sites in one place. Try it now.
> (http://www.aol.com/?optin=new-
dp&icid=aolcom40vanity&ncid=emlcntaolcom00000010)
>
My coach did not come with a freeze protection heater but I can install
one really easy as I have the original type heater but not the
thermostat. I will contact Grainger and see what they have. Thanks Jon

PS. It been dipping down into the teens and I have had on my oil heater
and the rear end of the coach seems to be staying even at 20 degrees
about 50 degree. But I'm glad I blew down my lines just to be sure. Jon

[erniecarpet@...]

We just did a total replacement of Mike Kanes water heater. During that time the thermostat had disintegrated from the water damage. He bought one at Grainger and it was easy to install. --the thermostat, that is.

Ernie Ekberg
83PT40 Wanderlodge
Weatherford, Texas

---

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[mrkane1952]

Greetings:

The original thermostat (actually "Line Voltage Control") for the
freeze protection heater was a Dayton 2E206, which Grainger shows as
obsolete/short supply. The new replacement is a Dayton 1UHH2, about
$68, and it was in stock in Garland, TX.

The water heater was probably the original Atwood EHM-II SM. The
replacement was identical in size, Atwood model EHP-10, at around $300.

While I stood around, Ernie and his collaborator deconstructed the
closet enclosure, removed the old heater and moldy rotten flooring in
the closet and also the ruined plywood on the bed platform. Then the
floor and platform were replaced with new materials, the new heater
and thermostat installed with new plumbing connections, and the puzzle
of the enclosure re-assembled. There were only two screws left over
when they were done!

Then they found the bathroom chassis heater core under the
refrigerator was leaking coolant...

--M.R.Kane
1987 PT40
1985 PT40 for sale
currently Terrell, TX



--- In WanderlodgeForum@yahoogroups.com, erniecarpet@... wrote:
>
> We just did a total replacement of Mike Kanes water heater. During
that time
> the thermostat had disintegrated from the water damage. He bought
one at
> Grainger and it was easy to install. --the thermostat, that is.
>
> Ernie Ekberg
> 83PT40 Wanderlodge
> Weatherford, Texas
>