Topic: Ok to use Wonder in cooler temps? (Read 1484 times) previous topic - next topic

Hello All!
We're getting ready to head to the Grand Canyon and surrounding area soon where temps at night can be in the 30's.  Any suggestions on what we might need to do so we don't have any unexpected problems?  Thanks!

It depends a bit on the floor plan. The RTB freshwater tank is inside the walls which is a good thing in the cold. Make sure you have heat in the house, open any cabinet doors that access water lines and have the Truma on in ecco mode. The only really susceptible area is the outside service bay and if you have access to 120v (not your inverter but shore power) a trouble light with an incandescent bulb will provide enough warmth to hold you over in sub freezing temps. A few degrees below freezing for a couple of hours is not a concern. 

LTV’s are built as 3 season, not 4 season RVs, so you take your chances.  Besides the service bay, other plumbing is also exposed, depending on the model.  You should get under it & check it out.

for the water systems you are good to -5C (23F) before you have to winterize the system.  Running hot water for 30 seconds when you get up during the night is a good idea when you get between 30f and 23F
I have a Weather station with a remote i put in the service bay so I know what temp it is outside

Don't worry avout temps like that for a day or 2 in the 30s. Only thing is maybe a towel on the bottom of the wet bay otherwise enjoy and have fun!.

Go for it!

We have a 2022 Wonder RTB AWD with 4 solar panels and dual lithium options. We've used it a bunch in winter, below freezing temps but not below 0°F yet. We live in Northern VA but travel all over. And I'm originally from Alaska (born and raised) ...

RTB has fresh water tank "inside" so that's not an issue as long as you have heat inside. What you need to be concerned with are exterior plumbing lines, any tanks not "inside", and gate valves. Also, we were told before we purchased by someone at LTV to NOT get macerator pump option for dumping if we were planning to use in cold weather. So we didn't. I don't know all details but for us it's not an issue as we don't have.

Lines are small/thin and will freeze easily. Stuff in tanks will freeze eventually but shouldn't break anything as long as freezing contents have room to expand into (i.e., tank's not full). Obviously dumping frozen tanks is impossible. And frozen gate valves make dumping impossible until you thaw, too.

Quick and easy method to overcome all of that is to winterize RV when it starts to get cold. Then we DON'T use fresh or gray tanks at all. We use toilet but flush with RV antifreeze for black. This hasn't given us any problems. Just dump black tank as needed, flush black tank with water if you can manage, blow out flush line with air (like manual says), and rewinterize toilet by dumping some antifreeze down and flushing a few times. Works great!

Just make sure you know which antifreeze you're using -- concentrated or diluted. If concentrated, you'll have to mix with water but keep in mind urine and poo are liquid too. If diluted, you should use a bit more to compensate for urine and poo as a freezable liquid. Things might get slushy but shouldn't freeze totally.

Ultimately we put heat tape/pads on all our external lines, grey and black tank, gate valves, and in our service bay. It's quite a luxury! But we really only use this if were caught off guard with weather or haven't prepared/winterized. Now I know I have a backup plan that will keep things moving and unbroken!

If you have Lithium, don't forget to turn your battery heat switch on and leave on. It is temp regulated and only comes on and goes off when it needs to.

As for staying warm, we have Reflectix insulation on cab windows inside. Outside, we have an insulated cover for windshield and side windows (one piece, wraps around).

Also inside we have foam insulation cut and inserted to fit in all coach windows and skylights, then covered with Reflectix insulation (hook and loop tape; shiny side facing IN to coach to keep heat in).

We bought some insulated vent fan covers (magnetic; quick install).

We also bought a cheap commercial sized/grade carpet with rubber backing that we cut to fit our floorplan's unique shape. This keeps feet warm and heat in, too.

And we bring back up heaters like propane fueled Mr. Heater and an electric space heater that do a great job if furnace were to fail or we ran out of propane (when temp are hovering around freezing, we use maybe 2% of propane a night).

We also bought a large insulated cargo cover blanket (like truckers use) to clamp between cab and coach for insulation. This makes a HUGE difference! I wish someone would make a custom version you can just buy and use those snap grommets to install!!!

And we're wearing plenty of layers and using extra blankets, too.

It's very doable for moderately cold temps. But I don't think I'd want to try at -20°F ...