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Winter storage question

Yahoo Message Number: 13876
I have my '04 Magna parked outside of Portland, OR in an RV garage facility. It's a 48'X 14'enclosed garage with insulated ceiling. I have the coach plugged into 50 amp service. My question is: What's the best way to keep it safe during periods below freezing? I like to visit it regularly (start it up, etc.), and like keeping some water in the fresh water tank for washing hands, using the bathroom, etc. I have the heated bathroom/kitchen tiles set at about 80 degrees, which should keep the interior of the coach from dipping below freezing temps, but what about the holding tanks/fresh water tanks? If the coach is warmed some inside, will this keep those tanks from freezing? How about the water filter for the fresh water? I guess that I could turn the Hydro-Hot system on electric (wouldn't want the diesel burner running in an enclosed garage) and turn the coach's furnace on at a temp that would keep the interior above freezing, but kind of hate leaving things like that on with me away from the coach for days at a time. Any advice would be appreciated. I have read the manual about "winterizing", but I would like to have it "liveable" with water in it during this period.

Glen Gieg

Re: Winter storage question

Reply #1 –
Yahoo Message Number: 13893
Glen,

Mine's garaged but were freezing our you know what's off here in GA, down to 19 last night. I have been running the Hydro-Hot on electric, and setting the furnace at 50. What a great system. My thermostat in the plumbing bay was set at 45 and I turned it down to 35 so it doesn't have to run as much. I check things every few days, but all this is made to run full time in cold weather. As far as starting it up, I think your better off driving it once in awhile instead of the starts, it really doesn't do much good IMO. Hardest thing on a diesel is a cold start and short duration without it getting to normal operating temperature. Others will dispute this, but old truckin habits are hard to break.
Tom

04 Allure 30979

Re: Winter storage question

Reply #2 –
Yahoo Message Number: 13897
Quote from: truk4u2003"
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Thanks for your info. I thought that this might be the best way to keep things from freezing, and it most likely is. I did buy a small electric heater yesterday that I was intending to just put on the concrete floor of the garage and see if it would heat the whole garage up enough to prevent freezing temps in there. I don't know if that's any safer than running the Hydo-Hot electric without me around???? Any thoughts on that out there?
Good advice on the starting thing. I will just drive it around some from now on to thoroughly warm it up. Thanks.

Quote
Glen,

Mine's garaged but were freezing our you know what's off here in

GA,

Quote
down to 19 last night. I have been running the Hydro-Hot on > electric, and setting the furnace at 50. What a great system. My > thermostat in the plumbing bay was set at 45 and I turned it down

to

Quote
35 so it doesn't have to run as much. I check things every few

days,

Re: Winter storage question

Reply #3 –
Yahoo Message Number: 13907
Glen,

Many of us who don't winterized share your concerns. Don't forget about the ice maker valve. That valve is the most vunerable to freezing so I take mine off in cold weather and shut off the water supply to the ice maker.

Keeping the Water heater on is anogther good idea I had not thought of.
Paul

01' Intrigue #11309

Quote from: Glen Gieg
I have my '04 Magna parked outside of Portland, OR in an RV garage > facility. It's a 48'X 14'enclosed garage with insulated ceiling.

I

Quote
have the coach plugged into 50 amp service. My question is:

What's

Quote
the best way to keep it safe during periods below freezing? I

like

Quote
to visit it regularly (start it up, etc.), and like keeping some > water in the fresh water tank for washing hands, using the

bathroom,

Quote
etc. I have the heated bathroom/kitchen tiles set at about 80 > degrees, which should keep the interior of the coach from dipping > below freezing temps, but what about the holding tanks/fresh water > tanks? If the coach is warmed some inside, will this keep those > tanks from freezing? How about the water filter for the fresh > water? I guess that I could turn the Hydro-Hot system on electric > (wouldn't want the diesel burner running in an enclosed garage)

and

Quote
turn the coach's furnace on at a temp that would keep the interior > above freezing, but kind of hate leaving things like that on with

me

Quote
away from the coach for days at a time. Any advice would be > appreciated. I have read the manual about "winterizing", but I > would like to have it "liveable" with water in it during this

period.

Re: Winter storage question

Reply #4 –
Yahoo Message Number: 13908
Hi Tom,

It's a good time to see if the grid heaters are working, and if they don't, the engine won't start, no way to know if the grid heaters are functional. These owners in southern California never know - their solenoid contacts must really be oxidized! Fred Kovol

Re: Winter storage question

Reply #5 –
Yahoo Message Number: 13913
I keep mine in an insulated garage 18x45, and have a gas heater installed overhead venting outside. Even with subfreezing temp outside it keeps the garage at 50-55

Quote from: Glen Gieg
[quote author=truk4u2003"

Thanks for your info. I thought that this might be the best way > to keep things from freezing, and it most likely is. I did buy a > small electric heater yesterday that I was intending to just put

on

Quote
the concrete floor of the garage and see if it would heat the

whole

Quote
garage up enough to prevent freezing temps in there. I don't know > if that's any safer than running the Hydo-Hot electric without me > around???? Any thoughts on that out there? >

Good advice on the starting thing. I will just drive it around

some

Quote
from now on to thoroughly warm it up. Thanks.
>

> Glen,

> Mine's garaged but were freezing our you know what's off here in > GA,

> down to 19 last night. I have been running the Hydro-Hot on > > electric, and setting the furnace at 50. What a great system. My > > thermostat in the plumbing bay was set at 45 and I turned it

down

Quote
to

> 35 so it doesn't have to run as much. I check things every few > days,

> but all this is made to run full time in cold weather. As far as > > starting it up, I think your better off driving it once in

awhile

Quote
instead of the starts, it really doesn't do much good IMO.

Hardest

Quote
thing on a diesel is a cold start and short duration without it > > getting to normal operating temperature. Others will dispute

this,

Re: Winter storage question

Reply #6 –
Yahoo Message Number: 13916
Fred,

Good point, I know mine work, you can see the amp meter take a dive each time they cycle. Can't use ether anymore, bummer! Tom

04 Allure 30979

Re: Winter storage question

Reply #7 –
Yahoo Message Number: 14112
Glen, I simply keep my hydro-hot set to run off electric and my heated floor on. One other step is that I put an isulating piece of foam in the refer access door and leave the low ambient switch on the refer turned on. My coach sits out and we have had temps down to 14 degrees with no impact to the plumbing system.

George Sanders in Birmingham, AL
Allure 31038

Quote from: Glen Gieg
I have my '04 Magna parked outside of Portland, OR in an RV garage > facility. It's a 48'X 14'enclosed garage with insulated ceiling.

I

Quote
have the coach plugged into 50 amp service. My question is:

What's

Quote
the best way to keep it safe during periods below freezing? I like > to visit it regularly (start it up, etc.), and like keeping some > water in the fresh water tank for washing hands, using the

bathroom,

Quote
etc. I have the heated bathroom/kitchen tiles set at about 80 > degrees, which should keep the interior of the coach from dipping > below freezing temps, but what about the holding tanks/fresh water > tanks? If the coach is warmed some inside, will this keep those > tanks from freezing? How about the water filter for the fresh > water? I guess that I could turn the Hydro-Hot system on electric > (wouldn't want the diesel burner running in an enclosed garage) and > turn the coach's furnace on at a temp that would keep the interior > above freezing, but kind of hate leaving things like that on with

me

Quote
away from the coach for days at a time. Any advice would be > appreciated. I have read the manual about "winterizing", but I > would like to have it "liveable" with water in it during this

period.
George in Birmingham
2003 Magna 6298

Winter storage

Reply #8 –
Yahoo Message Number: 13901
Looks like a safe thing to have it stored inside. For six years now I have stored my coach in my garage at home. It is insulated but not heated. I keep a thermometer hanging on the mirror to check thing out.
Even when outside temp drops to 10 or 15 degrees, the garage temp never seems to get lower than 28 or 30 degrees. When it is that extreme, the inside thermometer in the coach is always about 35 or so.
All I do is keep my hot water heater switch on and fire up the furnace every day. I also run the water pump daily and check things out.
For the first couple of years I heated the garage with an auxiliary heater, but I haven't used it since then and have had no problems. I don't think the temp will get below zero so I'm not concerned.

Larry
Intrigue
10762

Headed for Arizona shortly

Re: Winter storage

Reply #9 –
Yahoo Message Number: 13911
Quote from: LARRY A HANSON
> Looks like a safe thing to have it stored inside. For six years now
I have stored my coach in my garage at home. It is insulated but not heated. I keep a thermometer hanging on the mirror to check thing out.

Quote
>

Even when outside temp drops to 10 or 15 degrees, the garage temp
never seems to get lower than 28 or 30 degrees. When it is that extreme, the inside thermometer in the coach is always about 35 or so.

Quote
>

All I do is keep my hot water heater switch on and fire up the
furnace every day. I also run the water pump daily and check things out.

Quote
>

For the first couple of years I heated the garage with an auxiliary
heater, but I haven't used it since then and have had no problems. I don't think the temp will get below zero so I'm not concerned.

Quote
Larry
Larry, I agree with you. I built a steel building that is insulated but not heated. I winterized my MH because I do not intend to use it till spring. However, I set a gallon jug of water that is half full inside my MH in the kitchen sink and a similar jug on the floor in the garage. The outside temperatures got down to zero the other day and both bottles of water were still in there liquid state. I am impressed with the building and its insulating quality.

Dave G.

2000 Allure #30491
Millheim, PA