Another Mobile is Frozen

[Starshan]

I don't trust the weatherbug website as it says the low was 14 degrees, it seems colder. The wall outside faucets even with the covers were frozen this time (monday & yesterday was same temp & faucet was running) so I can't fill up my grooming van. I get to funnel the water in once the pipes thaw. The van was 40 degrees all night w/ the space heater, guess the heat didn't get to the pipes. I have been draining hoping the pipes wouldn't freeze but they still had enough water in there to freeze. This is my first winter with this van we converted. I have a 9am new client so getting this thawed is going to tight.

Shannon
The Soapy Puppy

[Starshan]

Little update

So its about 8:30am. I called the client & pushed the appt out to 12pm. I will hand wash if I have to. It is just so cold out there that any water that drips onto my floor of the van will freeze if I don't wipe it up. I got the van up to 58 degrees. I just can't get the pipes to thaw even pouring hot water down the intake hose. No fun. I'm going to see if I can get my hairdryer to thaw the faucet on the side of the house, maybe getting that to flow I can get the van filled.

Shannon
The Soapy Puppy

[mylady]

What about starting the van and letting it run allowing the dash heater to heat up the majority of the van. It may help in getting the water in the back to thaw faster if the majority of the van is at a good temp. My van, with the dash heater pumping on high gets so dang hot I sweat my butt off and that is how I heat my van while grooming, I let it idle. May not be ideal, but just for today it may help. And maybe you can use a fan or forced air heater to push some of the heat from the grooming area to where the water tanks are? I know with mine if I open the cabinet doors the tank and water heater are right there, but I know everyone is different. Just an idea

[Starshan]

My hubby, I do love him dearly, built this van with the water pipes under the van, he used pex pipe so it won't break during freezes but what a pain in the neck. The water tank is behind the drivers seat under the bench seat. I had the bench seat part way open last night thinking room air from the space heater would be enough but it wasn't. My propane hotwater tank is on the passenger side of the van so the water pipes had to go somewhere. Basically the camper van is about the same way when it was a camper. I don't remember how the pipes went when it was a camper, just not sure how to route the pipes in the van if we were to redo it.

My van is not a diesel so it uses alot of gas, I've had it idling for an hr already getting it up to 70 in there. At 9:30am I was able to get the hotwater pipe under the van to thaw enough to get water to the hotwater, filled the hotwater tank so I have that heating. Now to get the hotwater to the tub but that should be easy to thaw once the thing is hot. I don't think it will be re-freezing with how warm I have it. If it does then I'm done for the day. My propane heater in the back is keeping it about 60 - 65 degrees. Believe me with all my running around trying to get things working I am sweating. I had to take my heavy coat off in the van to work.

Atleast tomorrow I have an new 16yr Aussie that I will do a tidy clip only, no bath. I hate doing those but the guy is willing to pay a little more for it. The dog stresses too much at a shop anymore. The shop actually recommended me.

For the Friday dog we are suppose to be warming up a tad so maybe it won't be so bad.

Shannon
The Soapy Puppy

[Starshan]

Made it through

So half hr before I had to leave the house for the 12pm groom I still couldn't get water to the tub. Hotwater tank was full & hot. So I filled my 7gal jug of hot water, brought a small bucket to put it in so I could hand bath the dog. Even brought a bottle to dilute the shampoo in & had hotwater in that. So I drive the 10miles to the client house, as I get out of the van I hear air coming out of the hotwater faucet at the tub. The last pipe had thawed on the way there. I finished getting the air out of the line & made sure the water was hot which it still was. So I ended up bathing the normal way. The chubby greasy yorkie came out all nice, squeaky clean & fluffy. She was just a bath & tidy, light tidy at that. Here is her holiday photo I took, wasn't super thrilled with the picture idea so after a few mins of me trying to get the perfect picture she started showing teeth so I gave up. This one was the best I could get.

Now if I can have no more stressful icey or snowy days that would be nice.

Shannon
The Soapy Puppy

[Dolly]

Starshan, I hope I’m reading this wrong, but did you say your water pipes are UNDER the van, no protection from the cold?? I know that WGT has all the water pipes in the back area, so you can have a ceramic heater on them overnight, plus an antifreeze system that prevents any water in the pipes from freezing. Also the furnace, turned down to its lowest setting, is left on overnight, (furnace vent pipes wrap around the water tank).

Happy freezing your butt off !!

Dolly’s Barking Bubbles, LLC

https://www.dollysbarkingbubbles.com

[Starshan]

Starshan, I hope I’m reading this wrong, but did you say your water pipes are UNDER the van, no protection from the cold?? I know that WGT has all the water pipes in the back area, so you can have a ceramic heater on them overnight, plus an antifreeze system that prevents any water in the pipes from freezing. Also the furnace, turned down to its lowest setting, is left on overnight, (furnace vent pipes wrap around the water tank).

Happy freezing your butt off !!

Dolly’s Barking Bubbles, LLC

www.dollysbarkingbubbles.com

Yep reading it right. They are tucked up high. He is trying to think of a way to run them on the inside but with a walkway down the whole middle of the van makes it kind of a tripping hassard if they go across the middle. He bought some wrap & will be wrapping them tonight. We have possible snow on Satuday, what fun. I just booked a client for that day but I warned her & she told me to reschedule her if there is any snow on the ground or ice/frozen issues.

Shannon
The Soapy Puppy

[TopDogMobile]

Been there, done that...

Originally my pipes (pex as well) were also under my trailer, too. They had line heaters on them with the foam insulation. Well, that didn't work for very long. So we had to put the lines inside and they are against the wall covered with diamondplate. Haven't had any problems since. I do keep a heater on in the trailer at night though. Eventually you will have to bite the bullet and move them inside... Its the only reasonable idea...

[stewiedog]

Happy freezing your butt off !!

Dolly’s Barking Bubbles, LLC

www.dollysbarkingbubbles.com

I love how you have a "happy" for everything.... It's CUTE

[gottalovegracie]

Dolly...I have a WGT and I did everything required to keep from freezing but I still froze up last night!! Didn't freeze at all last year! I'm waiting now to have water to the tub. Truck was slow starting, gene had a hard time but got it running...now just waiting on the water? :/ Gosh...it's cold...-2 this morning.

Starshan, I hope I’m reading this wrong, but did you say your water pipes are UNDER the van, no protection from the cold?? I know that WGT has all the water pipes in the back area, so you can have a ceramic heater on them overnight, plus an antifreeze system that prevents any water in the pipes from freezing. Also the furnace, turned down to its lowest setting, is left on overnight, (furnace vent pipes wrap around the water tank).

Happy freezing your butt off !!

Dolly’s Barking Bubbles, LLC

www.dollysbarkingbubbles.com