Cold weather question

[sticks]

So my base plate is shipped and supposed to be here tomorrow. I will be
ready for some cold weather traveling. I get that my fresh water is
inside the coach and as long as it is kept warm should not freeze. Tank
heaters on the gray and black tanks on the underside of the frame are
supposed to keep them from freezing. My question is on the Truma
on-demand water heater. I asked my brother about this but his class A
has a 10 gallon tank heater, so he had no advise on this.

I suppose before leaving the mid-west and heading to warmer regions, I
could simply fill my tanks and leave the rest of the RV winterized. But
for discussion, say I'm leaving a warm area and heading into cold. Is
it true that turning the power on to the Truma which is located on an
outside wall with a vent, enough to keep it from freezing up? Obviously
you'd have to winterize as soon as you stopped running the vehicle, but
what about during transport? If you have the tank heaters on, the
inside of the RV heated, and the power to the Truma on, are you safe
from freezing?

[Ralph E Lindberg]

Post by sticks
So my base plate is shipped and supposed to be here tomorrow. I will
be ready for some cold weather traveling. I get that my fresh water is
inside the coach and as long as it is kept warm should not freeze.
Tank heaters on the gray and black tanks on the underside of the frame
are supposed to keep them from freezing. My question is on the Truma
on-demand water heater. I asked my brother about this but his class A
has a 10 gallon tank heater, so he had no advise on this.
I suppose before leaving the mid-west and heading to warmer regions, I
could simply fill my tanks and leave the rest of the RV winterized.
But for discussion, say I'm leaving a warm area and heading into cold.
Is it true that turning the power on to the Truma which is located on
an outside wall with a vent, enough to keep it from freezing up?
Obviously you'd have to winterize as soon as you stopped running the
vehicle, but what about during transport? If you have the tank heaters
on, the inside of the RV heated, and the power to the Truma on, are you
safe from freezing?

I haven't worked on a Truma, but my understanding is the power does not
keep the water at any given temperature, the only thing that does is
the cold water flowing through the system, which starts the heat going.
IF the Truma is on the insidee of the heating envelop for the rig that
should provide enough warm to keep the unit from freezing. That being
said I have doubts in SERIOUS (ie like 10F or colder) that it would

[sticks]

Post by Ralph E Lindberg

So my base plate is shipped and supposed to be here tomorrow.  I will
be ready for some cold weather traveling.  I get that my fresh water
is inside the coach and as long as it is kept warm should not freeze.
Tank heaters on the gray and black tanks on the underside of the frame
are supposed to keep them from freezing.  My question is on the Truma
on-demand water heater.  I asked my brother about this but his class A
has a 10 gallon tank heater, so he had no advise on this.
I suppose before leaving the mid-west and heading to warmer regions, I
could simply fill my tanks and leave the rest of the RV winterized.
But for discussion, say I'm leaving a warm area and heading into cold.
Is it true that turning the power on to the Truma which is located on
an outside wall with a vent, enough to keep it from freezing up?
Obviously you'd have to winterize as soon as you stopped running the
vehicle, but what about during transport?  If you have the tank
heaters on, the inside of the RV heated, and the power to the Truma
on, are you safe from freezing?

I haven't worked on a Truma, but my understanding is the power does not
keep the water at any given temperature, the only thing that does is the
cold water flowing through the system, which starts the heat going.
IF the Truma is on the insidee of the heating envelop for the rig that
should provide enough warm to keep the unit from freezing. That being
said I have doubts in SERIOUS (ie like 10F or colder) that it would

I asked the dealer a week ago about this. His answer was to turn the
power on, but to be honest I'm starting to really doubt that will do it.
I'm gonna have to check into this a lot more I think. You drain the
water in the unit from the filter on the outside, so obviously at least
part of it is on the exterior. I also saw something about an accessory
you put on it that keeps it warm. It's got tank warmers for gray and
black tanks, so I'm hoping I'm missing something. Gotta read up.

Today, I spent the day installing the baseplates on the TOAD. Quite a
job to be honest. Got it about 90 % done. Just have to figure out
where I'm gonna put the 6 prong plug, and then get the wiring all
finished. The stuff is all outside the firewall in the engine
compartment, so it should be a snap once I figure out where to put the
darn thing. Getting close to having this package ready to roll.

Thanks Ralph!

[sticks]

I asked the dealer a week ago about this.  His answer was to turn the
power on, but to be honest I'm starting to really doubt that will do it.
 I'm gonna have to check into this a lot more I think.  You drain the
water in the unit from the filter on the outside, so obviously at least
part of it is on the exterior.  I also saw something about an accessory
you put on it that keeps it warm.  It's got tank warmers for gray and
black tanks, so I'm hoping I'm missing something. Gotta read up.

I believe the dealer was wrong in claiming I could just turn the unit to
the on position and it would keep it from freezing. I believe I need to
use this extra. I have the Truma AquaGo DLE 60CP

<https://www.amazon.com/Truma-AquaGo-Electric-Antifreeze-Kit/dp/B099X3RMKS>

They claim it works down to temps below zero, which is probably more
than I need, but this does look promising as far as traveling with water
in the system.

[sticks]

Post by sticks

I asked the dealer a week ago about this.  His answer was to turn the
power on, but to be honest I'm starting to really doubt that will do
it.   I'm gonna have to check into this a lot more I think.  You drain
the water in the unit from the filter on the outside, so obviously at
least part of it is on the exterior.  I also saw something about an
accessory you put on it that keeps it warm.  It's got tank warmers for
gray and black tanks, so I'm hoping I'm missing something. Gotta read up.

I believe the dealer was wrong in claiming I could just turn the unit to
the on position and it would keep it from freezing.  I believe I need to
use this extra.  I have the Truma AquaGo DLE 60CP

I guess I should amend this point a little. I do think if you are a
Truma AquaGo owner, and you set it to "comfort Mode" instead of "eco
mode" it does circulate the water and will also keep the unit safe to
-4F. So if you are camping and it freezes, it should not hurt the
water pipes unless it gets very cold. So theoretically, you could fill
your fresh water tank in freezing temps, and as long as you don't turn
the pump on and circulate any water, the tank is inside the heated areas
of at least units like mine will not freeze since they are within the
heated areas of the coach.

The antifreeze kit will allow you to turn off the gas, and the water
heater completely as it heats the filter area using DC current. This
will allow you to pick up and travel with water in the lines and still
be safe. Of course it's not hard to simply drain and winterize, but
this can give you peace of mind and not force you to winterize if you
intend on staying at another location.

Post by sticks
<https://www.amazon.com/Truma-AquaGo-Electric-Antifreeze-Kit/dp/B099X3RMKS>
They claim it works down to temps below zero, which is probably more
than I need, but this does look promising as far as traveling with water
in the system.

[Ted Heise]

On Thu, 31 Oct 2024 17:54:32 -0500,

Post by sticks

Post by sticks

Post by sticks
I asked the dealer a week ago about this. His answer was to
turn the power on, but to be honest I'm starting to really
doubt that will do it. I'm gonna have to check into this a
lot more I think. You drain the water in the unit from the
filter on the outside, so obviously at least part of it is on
the exterior. I also saw something about an accessory you
put on it that keeps it warm. It's got tank warmers for gray
and black tanks, so I'm hoping I'm missing something. Gotta
read up.

I believe the dealer was wrong in claiming I could just turn
the unit to the on position and it would keep it from
freezing. I believe I need to use this extra. I have the
Truma AquaGo DLE 60CP

I guess I should amend this point a little. I do think if you
are a Truma AquaGo owner, and you set it to "comfort Mode"
instead of "eco mode" it does circulate the water and will also
keep the unit safe to
-4F. So if you are camping and it freezes, it should not hurt
the water pipes unless it gets very cold. So theoretically,
you could fill your fresh water tank in freezing temps, and as
long as you don't turn the pump on and circulate any water,
the tank is inside the heated areas of at least units like
mine will not freeze since they are within the heated areas of
the coach.
The antifreeze kit will allow you to turn off the gas, and the
water heater completely as it heats the filter area using DC
current. This will allow you to pick up and travel with water
in the lines and still be safe. Of course it's not hard to
simply drain and winterize, but this can give you peace of mind
and not force you to winterize if you intend on staying at
another location.

Post by sticks
<https://www.amazon.com/Truma-AquaGo-Electric-Antifreeze-Kit/dp/B099X3RMKS>
They claim it works down to temps below zero, which is
probably more than I need, but this does look promising as far
as traveling with water in the system.

FWIW, I appreciate this discussion. We do some cold weather
camping, or cold weather transfer to warmer climes (and have a
Truma Combi), so it's most appropos.

[sticks]

Post by Ted Heise
On Thu, 31 Oct 2024 17:54:32 -0500,

Post by sticks

Post by sticks

Post by sticks
I asked the dealer a week ago about this. His answer was to
turn the power on, but to be honest I'm starting to really
doubt that will do it. I'm gonna have to check into this a
lot more I think. You drain the water in the unit from the
filter on the outside, so obviously at least part of it is on
the exterior. I also saw something about an accessory you
put on it that keeps it warm. It's got tank warmers for gray
and black tanks, so I'm hoping I'm missing something. Gotta
read up.

I believe the dealer was wrong in claiming I could just turn
the unit to the on position and it would keep it from
freezing. I believe I need to use this extra. I have the
Truma AquaGo DLE 60CP

I guess I should amend this point a little. I do think if you
are a Truma AquaGo owner, and you set it to "comfort Mode"
instead of "eco mode" it does circulate the water and will also
keep the unit safe to
-4F. So if you are camping and it freezes, it should not hurt
the water pipes unless it gets very cold. So theoretically,
you could fill your fresh water tank in freezing temps, and as
long as you don't turn the pump on and circulate any water,
the tank is inside the heated areas of at least units like
mine will not freeze since they are within the heated areas of
the coach.
The antifreeze kit will allow you to turn off the gas, and the
water heater completely as it heats the filter area using DC
current. This will allow you to pick up and travel with water
in the lines and still be safe. Of course it's not hard to
simply drain and winterize, but this can give you peace of mind
and not force you to winterize if you intend on staying at
another location.

Post by sticks
<https://www.amazon.com/Truma-AquaGo-Electric-Antifreeze-Kit/dp/B099X3RMKS>
They claim it works down to temps below zero, which is
probably more than I need, but this does look promising as far
as traveling with water in the system.

FWIW, I appreciate this discussion. We do some cold weather
camping, or cold weather transfer to warmer climes (and have a
Truma Combi), so it's most appropos.

I'm sure you realize this, but the Combi is a completely different
system than the AquaGo. Whereas mine only heats water via gas, yours
can heat via electric I believe, as well as being the actual camper
heater. This allows them to be placed inside the units away from
exterior walls. My "antifreeze kit" only protects the area at the
burner where water is outside the interior walls of the coach. It does
this via 12 volt. Everything else is either protected with tank heaters
or vehicle heat inside the coach. How you actually keep the Combi from
freezing I don't know.

[Ted Heise]

On Thu, 17 Oct 2024 07:55:36 -0700,

Post by Ralph E Lindberg

Post by sticks
So my base plate is shipped and supposed to be here tomorrow.
I will be ready for some cold weather traveling. I get that
my fresh water is inside the coach and as long as it is kept
warm should not freeze. Tank heaters on the gray and black
tanks on the underside of the frame are supposed to keep them
from freezing. My question is on the Truma on-demand water
heater. I asked my brother about this but his class A has a
10 gallon tank heater, so he had no advise on this.
I suppose before leaving the mid-west and heading to warmer
regions, I could simply fill my tanks and leave the rest of
the RV winterized. But for discussion, say I'm leaving a warm
area and heading into cold. Is it true that turning the power
on to the Truma which is located on an outside wall with a
vent, enough to keep it from freezing up? Obviously you'd
have to winterize as soon as you stopped running the vehicle,
but what about during transport? If you have the tank heaters
on, the inside of the RV heated, and the power to the Truma
on, are you safe from freezing?

I haven't worked on a Truma, but my understanding is the power
does not keep the water at any given temperature, the only
thing that does is the cold water flowing through the system,
which starts the heat going. IF the Truma is on the insidee of
the heating envelop for the rig that should provide enough warm
to keep the unit from freezing. That being said I have doubts
in SERIOUS (ie like 10F or colder) that it would

We have a Truma Combi Eco in our Lance 1475, and it's supposed to
be installed so that it keeps the tanks from freezing (to a point,
of course). My understanding is that it should heat on 12 V power
if propane is also supplied. That said, when we camped a couple
of weeks ago we needed some heat while flatspotting. It would
start up okay, but shut down after a minute or two. On the other
hand, it would continue running if I hooked up the generator. I
thought I had it set to gas only for heating (i.e., not electric
or mixed), but maybe I goofed somehow.

[George.Anthony]

Post by Ted Heise
On Thu, 17 Oct 2024 07:55:36 -0700,

Post by Ralph E Lindberg

Post by sticks
So my base plate is shipped and supposed to be here tomorrow.
I will be ready for some cold weather traveling. I get that
my fresh water is inside the coach and as long as it is kept
warm should not freeze. Tank heaters on the gray and black
tanks on the underside of the frame are supposed to keep them
from freezing. My question is on the Truma on-demand water
heater. I asked my brother about this but his class A has a
10 gallon tank heater, so he had no advise on this.
I suppose before leaving the mid-west and heading to warmer
regions, I could simply fill my tanks and leave the rest of
the RV winterized. But for discussion, say I'm leaving a warm
area and heading into cold. Is it true that turning the power
on to the Truma which is located on an outside wall with a
vent, enough to keep it from freezing up? Obviously you'd
have to winterize as soon as you stopped running the vehicle,
but what about during transport? If you have the tank heaters
on, the inside of the RV heated, and the power to the Truma
on, are you safe from freezing?

I haven't worked on a Truma, but my understanding is the power
does not keep the water at any given temperature, the only
thing that does is the cold water flowing through the system,
which starts the heat going. IF the Truma is on the insidee of
the heating envelop for the rig that should provide enough warm
to keep the unit from freezing. That being said I have doubts
in SERIOUS (ie like 10F or colder) that it would

We have a Truma Combi Eco in our Lance 1475, and it's supposed to
be installed so that it keeps the tanks from freezing (to a point,
of course). My understanding is that it should heat on 12 V power
if propane is also supplied. That said, when we camped a couple
of weeks ago we needed some heat while flatspotting. It would
start up okay, but shut down after a minute or two. On the other
hand, it would continue running if I hooked up the generator. I
thought I had it set to gas only for heating (i.e., not electric
or mixed), but maybe I goofed somehow.

How did your battery hold up?

[Ted Heise]

On Fri, 18 Oct 2024 21:07:14 -0000 (UTC),

Post by George.Anthony

Post by Ted Heise
On Thu, 17 Oct 2024 07:55:36 -0700,

Post by Ralph E Lindberg
I haven't worked on a Truma, but my understanding is the
power does not keep the water at any given temperature, the
only thing that does is the cold water flowing through the
system, which starts the heat going. IF the Truma is on the
insidee of the heating envelop for the rig that should
provide enough warm to keep the unit from freezing. That
being said I have doubts in SERIOUS (ie like 10F or colder)
that it would

We have a Truma Combi Eco in our Lance 1475, and it's supposed
to be installed so that it keeps the tanks from freezing (to a
point, of course). My understanding is that it should heat on
12 V power if propane is also supplied. That said, when we
camped a couple of weeks ago we needed some heat while
flatspotting. It would start up okay, but shut down after a
minute or two. On the other hand, it would continue running
if I hooked up the generator. I thought I had it set to gas
only for heating (i.e., not electric or mixed), but maybe I
goofed somehow.

How did your battery hold up?

I owe you all a trip report, but am on a business trip that
started shortly after we got home. So it will have to wait a
little longer.

Briefly, the battery worked okay. After 5-6 hours of towing, it
would be in the 50-70% capacity range. The use would have been
for the fridge. It generwlly took an hour or so on the generator
to get it back to full SOC.

I also learned if I run the electric kettle while the battery is
charging it trips the generator reset. Same with the AC. Even
with the soft start, the AC would not go if the battery was also
charging.