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Old 11-04-2015, 03:09 PM   #1
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Cold Weather Driving

We are planning to leave SW Colorado this weekend for Phoenix. Temps have been mild here with temps near freezing at night but cold weather arrived last night including rain and snow and it looks like temps will be in the teens and twenty's for most of our trip this weekend. I've had the heat on at night while plugged in here at the house but wonder about running the heater while we head south to keep things from freezing up. We used to keep the heat on in our Motor home but have no experience with trailers. We're planning to do the trip in one day assuming no hiccups. Any thoughts?
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Old 11-04-2015, 03:19 PM   #2
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We are planning to leave SW Colorado this weekend for Phoenix. Temps have been mild here with temps near freezing at night but cold weather arrived last night including rain and snow and it looks like temps will be in the teens and twenty's for most of our trip this weekend. I've had the heat on at night while plugged in here at the house but wonder about running the heater while we head south to keep things from freezing up. We used to keep the heat on in our Motor home but have no experience with trailers. We're planning to do the trip in one day assuming no hiccups. Any thoughts?
Been there done that and appreciated the warm trailer during our rest stops. If you have the ability I would blow the lines prior to leaving just as a precaution.

Aaron
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Old 11-04-2015, 03:54 PM   #3
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We are in SW CO as well, Ridgway. It's dumping snow here this AM. Anyway, if your going to knock out the drive in a day I'd just go for it. The coldest you'll hit is maybe 20's over Lizard Head pass and you'll be over that in 30 minutes. Once in Cortez it will warm up real fast.
If you can run the heat low it's good peace of mind but I'd bet you'll be fine.
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Old 11-04-2015, 04:39 PM   #4
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I agree with Aaron...

If you're making just making a 1-day trip... open all of the drains, pull the plug on the water heater, and blow out the lines with compressed air to remove all (or at least 95%) of the water. If there's no water in the lines, there's nothing to freeze.

Make your trip, and refill when you get to PHX. Even if a situation arrises where you don't make it in just one day... just get a hotel for the night. Seems a better solution to me than running the furnace.

I'm not saying there's necessarily a problem with running it, but I've just seen too many burned up rigs on the side of the road to have any propane-fired appliances running while I'm traveling.

Just my 2¢, for what it's worth...
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Old 11-04-2015, 06:39 PM   #5
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Been there done that and appreciated the warm trailer during our rest stops. If you have the ability I would blow the lines prior to leaving just as a precaution.

Aaron
Yep, and don't forget about making sure the tanks are dumped.

I made the mistake of thinking I could do the 3 hour drive home and dump my black and grey at the local sani-dump. Good thing I dumped the fresh water and blew the lines before we headed home.

It was 45 at the coast by the time we got home the temperature had dropped to 22. I got to the sani-dump and the dump valves had fozen up.

It took me the whole next day to get enough heat into the belly pan of my old Airstream to thaw them up so I could get them emptied. Never again I'll spend the extra 1/2 hour going out of my way to dump them at the coast.
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Old 11-04-2015, 07:57 PM   #6
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One day trip and only going to be in cold weather for what maybe only a couple of hours. I wouldn't be concerned. Should be in the hi 70's to low 80's in Phoenix. I was there last weekend helping my daughter move. Towed my Teton she had been living in back home. Now my in-laws will be moving into it for the winter. Wife is driving them out from S.D. as I post this.
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Old 11-05-2015, 12:42 AM   #7
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Five inches of snow in Flagstaff today if you're planning on going that way.
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Old 11-05-2015, 03:08 AM   #8
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Five inches of snow in Flagstaff today if you're planning on going that way.
I was feeling hard done by because we already had our first 1" of snow yesterday. I mean it was only 11/3. On the positive side, it's all but gone and we shouldn't have any real amount hanging around until the end of Nov.
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Old 11-05-2015, 03:40 AM   #9
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Yeah... Cool day in AZ today. The high here in Bullhead was only 68, and its 55 out there as I'm typing this. Brrrrr!!

Oh well, just a taste of what's to come. Forecast calls for low 80s again by Friday...
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Old 11-05-2015, 02:26 PM   #10
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Thanks for all the weather reports and suggestions. Roads should be clear by Sunday and temps look to be warmer as we head south. Black tanks and gray tanks are empty. The heat is on including the water heater. Since we will be heading to warmer temps, anything that might try to freeze should warm up quickly.
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