First Break Camp departure on Tuesday

[bergeman]

On Tuesday I leave Wyoming and back to Texas. It has been one month and my RW feels like home. A lot more went right then wrong. Heat pumps and fireplace allowed me stay with only having to purchase on tank of propane. Heat pumps worked down to 30-32.

First departure question:
While playing around at my service center I found a tube underneath that looks like it is used to store the sewage hose. Does everyone have this and do people use it? I think all the entries I have read refer to storing it in a bin and plastic bag.

Second:
I brought antifreeze for the water lines, but If I drive fast enough to Texas, do I really need to bother with it if I drain and purge with air?

[travelin' texans]

Yes, I use the sewer tube but I relocated it so I didn't have to crawl under the coach to get to it. I wouldn't winterize it, if it gets too cold you can run the furnace while traveling.

[bergeman]

Originally Posted by travelin' texans

Yes, I use the sewer tube but I relocated it so I didn't have to crawl under the coach to get to it. I wouldn't winterize it, if it gets too cold you can run the furnace while traveling.

This is why this forum is so great. I wouldn't have even considered running the furnace. But that would work.

[atom ant]

That tube is kind of a pain to get to. I added a second one so I can carry two 10 ft hoses and fittings.

PS, we are getting clobbered with snow Monday night. Have you looked at the forecast for Wyoming?

[bergeman]

Originally Posted by atom ant

That tube is kind of a pain to get to. I added a second one so I can carry two 10 ft hoses and fittings.

PS, we are getting clobbered with snow Monday night. Have you looked at the forecast for Wyoming?

Thanks for heads up, no, just looked at Tuesday. I could sneak out here Monday afternoon if I had to.

How do Dually's (4WD) handle in snow compared to other 4WD vehicles, like a jeep? I'm thinking the dual tires would be a deficit.

If I had to leave the RV someplace to ensure I could get back. Would I be looking for a storage place or leave it at some campground?

[atom ant]

It's going to get colder too looks like, down in the 20s at night, 10 by Friday.

If you have 4WD you should be fine towing. Mine is not great in the snow when I'm not towing. If the snow is deep it seams my front wheels are constantly trying to pull the wide ass through, because the greater tire surface in the back and lighter weight with an empty truck causes the rear axles to try and run up on top of the snow sometimes. I have a Jeep and thats the car of choice in the morning when I see snow on the ground. I try to leave the dually in the garage.

I've never tried short term storage on quick notice, but there are several year round campgrounds you could pull into.

[Shane Wood]

I would be hesitant about running with the propane on. The rubber line that feeds the stove runs right above the driver side tires. In the event of a blow out you may get more than you bargained for

[brenkco]

Scott,
I didn't use the sewer hose storage. I like the Rhino hose and the fittings didn't fit without filing off the tabs. Instead, I used plastic fence posts from Home Depot (Lowes sells them too).

If I mounted them directly on the frame, they would have been behind the fender skirt so I used a length of 2x2 aluminum tube, attached it to the frame and then attached the fence post to the tube.

Ken

[bergeman]

Very nice, did you add weep/drain holes?

[brenkco]

Scott,
A few. They are fence posts so they have slots for the horizontal fence boards. I made sure they were facing down.

I used the caps as covers using some springs and cotter pins to hold the springs in place. Makes for easy access.

Ken

[atom ant]

Originally Posted by Shane Wood

I would be hesitant about running with the propane on. The rubber line that feeds the stove runs right above the driver side tires. In the event of a blow out you may get more than you bargained for

Kind of paranoid don't you think? Have you ever seen the low volume of gas that flows out of the propane system downstream of the regulator? Now having a blowout and ripping open the black tank - that's something to fear!

[travelin' texans]

As I said on the other post, the valve on the propane bottle will shut off flow almost instantly, you still have the minimal about still in the lines, I wouldn't hesitate to run the furnace for fear of that happening.

[Tomkidder]

As far as a dually in the snow is concerned... They are a little light in the rear but one of the biggest problems is snow packing between the wheels and causing the rear wheel to be unbalanced. I run Goodyear Silent Armor. They take a while to break in but they are the best snow tire I have found.

[RV4us2]

Ken, thanks for the pictures. The tech who did my PDI suggested the same and I'm planning on doing the same. Very ingenious on the springs to hold the caps. Are these mounted towards the rear of the RW?

[Shane Wood]

Originally Posted by atom ant

Kind of paranoid don't you think? Have you ever seen the low volume of gas that flows out of the propane system downstream of the regulator? Now having a blowout and ripping open the black tank - that's something to fear!

Yup I have seen what a backhoe digging into a low pressure gas line as well as a high pressure line.
I will take the high pressure every time. The flow of gas coming out of your propane bottle has the right air to fuel mixture to ignite. High pressure lines have to much gas to the air ratio to do the same. When you have a blowout and sparks are created to light your ruptured stove line up you want to hope you are going fast enough that the only thing that burns is the trailer and not the tow vehicle.

[Rosey]

Coil the sewer hose into a slotted plastic storage bin & store it in the pickup bed. Works for me. The attached factory storage tube is a royal pita in my opinion. I used to use a front end loader to clear my long country driveway of DEEP snow. Now I just make a dozen or so passes using my Dulley. Plows thru deep snow like a tank.

[mhs4771]

Before I retired, my Dually was my "Go To Vehicle" when the roads were bad (Buffalo/Rochester Snow Belt Area of Western New York). But I was cheating, as I had approx 700 Lbs of Sand Bags in the Bed located behind the wheel wells.
Our first trip to Florida for the winter was in Early February, so we ran the furnace, set at approx 55, the first couple of day to keep the under belly and water lines warm.

[hoosierguy]

Originally Posted by mhs4771

Before I retired, my Dually was my "Go To Vehicle" when the roads were bad (Buffalo/Rochester Snow Belt Area of Western New York). But I was cheating, as I had approx 700 Lbs of Sand Bags in the Bed located behind the wheel wells.
Our first trip to Florida for the winter was in Early February, so we ran the furnace, set at approx 55, the first couple of day to keep the under belly and water lines warm.

So, you were able to run your furnace while traveling? I have tried that on trips south in the cold weather and have not had success in getting the furnace to ignite. I have guessed that there is too much air turbulence to sustain ignition. I have considered the possibility of making and attaching an air baffle to the exterior of the furnace exhaust tubes, but, I have not tried that yet. I wonder why some furnaces will ignite and burn while moving and others will not.

My Dometic refrigerator operates on LP just fine while traveling.

[atom ant]

Originally Posted by travelin' texans

As I said on the other post, the valve on the propane bottle will shut off flow almost instantly, you still have the minimal about still in the lines, I wouldn't hesitate to run the furnace for fear of that happening.

Actually I don't thing anything will shutdown on the low pressure side of the regulator. The safety valves on the cylinder and pigtails are designed to shut down a free flow on the high pressure side before the regulator, but not the restricted flow downstream, or they would activate when running the furnace and oven which when running together nearly exceed the regulator flow capacity.

[atom ant]

Originally Posted by Shane Wood

The flow of gas coming out of your propane bottle has the right air to fuel mixture to ignite.

Actually not true at all - what comes out of the cylinder is pure LP vapor - or liquid - depending on how the cylinder is laying - and no air. The LFL of propane is 2.1% in air and the UFL is 10.1% in air. Any mixture outside of that range is not flammable. The LP coming out of the cylinder would need to mix with atmosphere and only the perimeter of the gas cloud that has a mixture between 2.1% and 10.1% is ignitable and capable of continued burn.

Originally Posted by Shane Wood

High pressure lines have to much gas to the air ratio to do the same.

Also not true - the gas or vapor cloud at the source of the high pressure release may be above the UFL - but at some point between the source of the release and atmosphere there is a perimeter of exact mixture within the 2.1% and 10.1% that is ignitable. It may not be as close to the source as low pressure (where the backhoe is), but the ignitable range is there, usually right where the supervisor pulls up in his pickup to yell at the backhoe operator.

Originally Posted by Shane Wood

When you have a blowout and sparks are created to light your ruptured stove line up you want to hope you are going fast enough that the only thing that burns is the trailer and not the tow vehicle.

Chances are high you could never release enough gas in atmosphere while rolling down the road to ever support ignition. The air transfer past the ruptured line would continuously keep it below the LFL. Once you stop, maybe you would get ignition assuming the ignition source was still there, but you know what they say about propane leaks - much rather have it burn where I can see it than collect where I can't see it to go boom later.