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[bullfrog !]

Yes it is wasteful and expensive but keeping a trickle of water running will prevent lines from freezing. Maybe catch some of it in a big pot and heat it on the stove and dump it down the sewer to thaw it out every so often. Running water is much harder to freeze. Black plastic pipe melts at a fairly low temperature. I melted through my black tank one winter just using a heat lamp on the driveway outside underneath in about an hour’s time. Be careful!

 

[maki2]

Travelaround, does the heated water hose have silicone washers on it? If not that might be an upgrade that could solve the leaking issue. They are rated for use from minus 60 up to 400 degrees. Not a bad idea to replace the washers every year. Easy to find online but not that all that common in hardware stores.

 

[jacqueg]

I do miss having my popup screen room. It made a great workshop space but the sun damage got too extensive. If I get another one for Christmas, which is likely, I will make a “rain fly” to go over the roof to prevent that kind of UV damage on the shelter. It is easy enough to make a rain fly for the roof, it is pretty basic sewing, but replacing the roof fabric on a popup hub screen tent is not easy.

Hmmm, I also had to retire my Clam due to extensive roiof damage. If I buy another one, I'm going to want a very sturdy rain fly. I was thinking about approaching one of those custom tarp businesses for a rain fly made of UV vinyl.

Instead, I got one of these - https://www.amazon.com/Storage-Portable-Motorcycle-Waterproof-Tricycle/dp/B09H39P4V5/ref=sr_1_38? Not as nifty as a Clam, but it is made out of UV-resistant fabric, and it's large enough for my outdoor kitchen setup. We'll see how it goes. (If I ever manage to get out of this apartment parking lot...)

 

[maki2]

Hmmm, I also had to retire my Clam due to extensive roiof damage. If I buy another one, I'm going to want a very sturdy rain fly. I was thinking about approaching one of those custom tarp businesses for a rain fly made of UV vinyl.

Instead, I got one of these - https://www.amazon.com/Storage-Portable-Motorcycle-Waterproof-Tricycle/dp/B09H39P4V5/ref=sr_1_38? Not as nifty as a Clam, but it is made out of UV-resistant fabric, and it's large enough for my outdoor kitchen setup. We'll see how it goes. (If I ever manage to get out of this apartment parking lot...)

It isis not that difficult to make a custom rain fly. Take measurements from one panels of the popup shelter roof panes. Make it slightly larger with an overhang at the lower edge that batches that top fabric area just below the roof line.

Use flat felled seams. You can coat the stitch lines with waterproofing seam sealer. Or you can go to the Sailrite YouTube channel and watch videio on making boat covers and use their sewing methods. They sell a special waterproofing sticky tape you can sew into the seams. The Clam and Gazelle popup hub type screen shelters also use that special seam tape when they sew the fabric pieces together. You will want to use a 100% polyester fabric that has a coating on it. Walmart actually sells polyester fabric with a vinyl coating on it. I used it this summer to sew a waterproof cover that fits over my scaffold table. It has a full length zipper in the narrow end drop section. I place my generator underneath so I can run it on rainy days. The zipper is open with the fabric pulled back and the exhaust end faces that opening.

If you have basic sewing skills it is possible to make all kinds of custom camping gear. If you do not own a sewing machine borrow or rent one. You will save a lot of money with DIY. Of course with the upcoming Van Aid event there will be people who can sew things but it would be best to arrive with the pieces precut and also bring the correct 100% polyester thread of a compatible weight for the thickness of the fabric.

Another excellent but light weight fabric for rain flys is polyester fabric with a thin silicone coating. It is called Silpoly

Another free source of fabric you might find used is the fabric tops on the mental type of 10x10 metal framed popup shelters. There are plenty of those in the dumpster at La Posa South after big windstorms that destroy the metal structure. The Clam Shelter sides are 6’ wide. So one of those tops that have 10’ wide sides could give you enough fabric to make a rain fly for a 4 sided Clam shelter.

I will be around the LTVAs most of this winter if you need some help or a tutorial. I sold my sewing machine but Camilla has set up a sewing room with machines in a big Gazelle popup shelter here at La Posa South and will be taking it to the Van Aid event in February. She could also use a tutorial on sewing that kind of project.

I have done plenty of “canvas work” including tent making over my lifetime. The photo shows the new canvas for my trailers popup top. Cutting out the fabric and then a photo where it has been sewn together with screening and a zippered opening with weather proofing plackets protecting the zipper area. Itbisvsitting upside down on the table just before I installed it on my travel trailer. So yes I am a professional sewer and a qualified instructor for making things such as rain flys. But what I like to do is empower people with new or expanded skills instead of doing all the work for them.

 

[travelaround]

I tried keeping a trickle of water on all night last year and that only made my sewer line freeze solid. I had to replace all the sewer pipes. I think that's okay for a house or even for an RV with a short distance from the gray tank to the sewer.. like maybe a 10 or 20 foot hose. But my sewer hose is about 50 feet and drainage is not good.

I've just found out about RV antifreeze which should keep the sewer line unfrozen, if I had any. If I can't get it in town I'll either have to drive 80 miles to buy some, or order from Amazon for three times what it is worth at Walmart, and they wouldn't deliver it for 10 days. Walmart won't ship it to me at all.

I got my heated water hose out today but then couldn't find the pipe wrench to loosen the hoses. Hopefully I'll get it sorted out tomorrow.

 

[maki2]

You need to have the proper slope on a line with waste water in it. If you have standing water in your sewer hose it will indeed freeze and cog the line. There also has to be enough water flow to move any toilet paper waste out of the line if you are flushing the TP. It would take a strong volume of water to move it 50 feet if the slope is not just right. Your trickle flow theory is not quite right, that on its own would not have frozen the pipe. But if the water was dammed up behind a blockage it would have compounded the original blockage issue.

 

[NctryBen]

The trickle will keep the water lines open but with a long run of even the most perfect slope will freeze if said pipe is subject to cold enough temps… I had it happen once in my old shack. I used steam to open it up… easy peasy… if you have a friend with a good steamer… haha!
Once it gets to the tank it has a sort of natural heat source… poop! Haha!
The water should keep flowing into a second tank and either pumped or gravity fed into a drain field. All below the frost line… the main thing is to have a means to run warm enough water through to melt and move any ice that formed without clogging. Which one shower should accomplish… wasting water is not really a thing… extra water in such a case dilutes and helps the soil filter and clean used water. Most all water ends up back in the aquifer… the more it’s diluted early on the purer it is in the aquifer… just about every drop of water available has been used and reused throughout time many times over…

 

[bullfrog !]

Yep you must have a proper slope on the sewer line. We got into the habit of not putting any thing down the toilet that doesn’t come out of our body years ago when we got our first RV with a black tank. We keep a gallon freezer bag in a garbage bag lined container for used toilet paper, wipes and anything else next to the toilet. That bag goes out with the trash.

 

[NctryBen]

Yep you must have a proper slope on the sewer line. We got into the habit of not putting any thing down the toilet that doesn’t come out of our body years ago when we got our first RV with a black tank. We keep a gallon freezer bag in a garbage bag lined container for used toilet paper, wipes and anything else next to the toilet. That bag goes out with the trash.

Agreed… but freezing will occur even with proper slope if enough pipe is exposed to cold enough temps and the trickle thing without the occasional flush of warm water. And don’t think trickling warm water would accomplish that. Another interesting fact is warm water actually freezes faster then cold water. Something about molecules… blah blah blah… haha!

 

[RonDean]

@Gr8ful - So now if I ever walk into a hanger and see a funnel contraption attached to the wall, I'll know what that's for. I learn so much from this forum!

@NctryBen - Stick figure art is trendy and can be awesome and meaningful.

@vanbrat - Abstract art is also trendy. I've tried making some and I liked it but I usually challenge myself to paint something recognizable, like a human being. I'm not especially good at it but I like doing it. I call what I do "folk art."

@maki2 - It is the middle of the night call of nature that would concern me most about sleeping in a loft. I could climb into the loft if I took my large ladder into the shed - but I haven't done that yet. I really just want to store things up there... probably the things I make that I want to offer for sale.

Well, another day has dawned and not surprisingly, I again have no running water. Today I'll do what is needed to install that heated water hose I used last winter. It worked great but leaked, so I removed it last summer and stored it in a box. I think that will take care of my water flow problem into the trailer - it turns on when the temperature hits 40 degrees outside.

There are heated sewer hoses too but I don't have them. They are super-expensive. I do have a snow-melting de-icing cable ordinarily used on roofs but I'm thinking of putting it next to the sewer line to keep that running. I just hope it doesn't melt the plastic. Last winter I remember throwing all my dishwater out the front door because the sewer line was frozen solid. I also probably disconnected the sewer line from the trailer and let my shower water just fall to the ground. Desperate measures.

When I lived in Minnesota I spent a fair amount of time trying to thaw out frozen pipes. I finally installed some heating wire and all was (mostly) well. It get REALLY cold back there. Amazon has something like it called "Heatit heating cable" for a reasonable price. The exact price would depend on how many feet you want. But you should be able to get by on less than $20.

On the climbing into a loft, I agree. When I was young I could sleep all night and this was not an issue. Now it is. I wouldn't even use a cab-over bed in a truck camper for this reason. As a man, I have some advantage in this, but trying to use a funnel in a horizontal cramped space in the dark would be a recipe for disaster. I understand that astronauts use tape-on pouches but I think skipping on lofts is a better solution.

 

[travelaround]

One thing I definitely don't have here is a proper slope for my sewer line. My property is flat as can be. I'm so glad that I might be out of this situation in less than a month. The house is built, it just needs all the finishing touches to make the structure livable.

 

[abnorm]

".....................two weeks "

 

[vanbrat]

It would not be something for long term solution, but have you tried to wrap the pipes with bubble wrap. and waterproof whatever. We have one pipe outside to the drinking fountain that gets wrapped and covered with a piece of blue tarp over a good wrap of bubble wrap. We rarely get below 15 but we do get below freezing every year and had to replace this one pipe the first year it was put in so now every year it gets wrapped and we have not had it freeze. It is in a weird place almost impossible to get to.

 

[user 22017]

I tried keeping a trickle of water on all night last year and that only made my sewer line freeze solid. I had to replace all the sewer pipes. I think that's okay for a house or even for an RV with a short distance from the gray tank to the sewer.. like maybe a 10 or 20 foot hose. But my sewer hose is about 50 feet and drainage is not good.

I've just found out about RV antifreeze which should keep the sewer line unfrozen, if I had any. If I can't get it in town I'll either have to drive 80 miles to buy some, or order from Amazon for three times what it is worth at Walmart, and they wouldn't deliver it for 10 days. Walmart won't ship it to me at all.

I got my heated water hose out today but then couldn't find the pipe wrench to loosen the hoses. Hopefully I'll get it sorted out tomorrow.

If you use the search terms "sewer line supports" on Amazon, there are quite a few that will help your line slope. But they may not be long enough. Here is one on Amazon:

https://a.co/d/2XSHOud
You could use cinder blocks (place vertically and horizontally) and bricks... really anything that supports the hose. With pieces of concrete on top to keep it from falling off the cinderblock/bricks. That's what I would do.

 

[Frood]

If you use the search terms "sewer line supports" on Amazon, there are quite a few that will help your line slope. But they may not be long enough. Here is one on Amazon:

https://a.co/d/2XSHOud
You could use cinder blocks (place vertically and horizontally) and bricks... really anything that supports the hose. With pieces of concrete on top to keep it from falling off the cinderblock/bricks. That's what I would do.

Have you considered just filling/dumping the tanks as needed instead of leaving them hooked up? Or do you have problems with your storage tanks freezing too?

 

[maki2]

Have you considered just filling/dumping the tanks as needed instead of leaving them hooked up? Or do you have problems with your storage tanks freezing too?

She is temporarily living on her own private property in a travel trailer loaned to her as disaster relief housing after her home was destroyed in a wildfire. Her vehicle can’t tow that large of a trailer.

The move in date for her brand new house on the same property which has properly installed water and waste lines is just a few weeks away which means the issue with the drain and water supply in the trailer has now reached the category of being a a temporary but frustrating inconvenience. So all that is needed is a temporary fix that hopefully requires not much money or labor.

 

[travelaround]

Yes, maybe two or three more weeks? It is almost over, but I seriously considered taking a brief van vacation until the house is ready to be occupied, just to get away from the freeze. But it looks like temps will rise above freezing for the next week so I have time to think about it. In any case I did some work on cleaning out the back of the van and will continue, trying to make myself a living space in there again in case I need it.

Thanks everyone for such good suggestions. I appreciate your ideas and concern. The worst part of vandwelling for me was dealing with cold weather, and it is the same in the trailer, but not as severe as I have a propane furnace in the trailer.

My water supply was seriously interfered with today including a pipe coming apart and gushing water in the utilities hole right next to the house foundation. The contractor came and fixed it for me and helped me attach the electric water hose (insulation and heat) ... then never came back to tell me it was time to turn on the water again.

But - you know what? My short time of vandwelling made this *not an emergency* for me as I know how to live without running water. All those skills learned while in the van are serving me well even today.

Today we got supplies in for the house. I saw them carry in the interior doors, closet doors, baseboards... saw three ceiling fans and three sinks and a cool porch light. I left it pretty much up to the contractor to choose these things. I thought he did okay. Also the wood for the porch railings was delivered. The railings will be cedar wood, stained, not painted.

Tomorrow the pecan wood custom cabinets will be installed. I hope I'll like how the resin countertops turned out. At least tomorrow I'll know what I'll be looking at every time I cook.

 

[Zerpersande]

I am also a female, we are setters, not pointers.

Actually laughed out loud. Laughing now and it’s two days since I first read it.

 

[quilting22]

Yep you must have a proper slope on the sewer line. We got into the habit of not putting any thing down the toilet that doesn’t come out of our body years ago when we got our first RV with a black tank. We keep a gallon freezer bag in a garbage bag lined container for used toilet paper, wipes and anything else next to the toilet. That bag goes out with the trash.

I think you are very wise. I saw a post from a professional services of RV blk and grey tank
and he stated use a lot of water when flushing, always. Both yours and his sound like excellent advice. Thx for posting.

 

[quilting22]

It would not be something for long term solution, but have you tried to wrap the pipes with bubble wrap. and waterproof whatever. We have one pipe outside to the drinking fountain that gets wrapped and covered with a piece of blue tarp over a good wrap of bubble wrap. We rarely get below 15 but we do get below freezing every year and had to replace this one pipe the first year it was put in so now every year it gets wrapped and we have not had it freeze. It is in a weird place almost impossible to get to.

Oh good think'in ! I love how everyone shares what has worked for them.