Tampa 2014 Trip: The Big Freeze-up (Day 1, 1/4/2014)

Last night the Advanced RV team completed the 2014 model that we have been calling “Mzungu,” the Swahili word for one who wanders aimlessly, originally referring to the white explorers searching for the source of the Nile. Our aim is to head south, out of the Cleveland cold, ending up at the Florida RV SuperShow in Tampa, which starts January 14.



This exposed outlet pipe from fresh water
tank is possibly where the system froze up

This morning, as we pack up and head out at 6:30am, it is 12 degrees Fahrenheit with a stiff wind. We think the motor home is sufficiently insulated to keep the water system from freezing up before we get to warmer temperatures. But, two hours into the trip, with temperatures still in the teens, we realize that water won’t come out of either the kitchen or bathroom faucets. Another hour later, I see that the rugs are soaked and our toiletry bags, stored on the floor of the bathroom, are floating in four inches of water. The water is sloshing over the lip of the bathroom floor into the hall, while the bathroom faucet is dripping slowly. Apparently, I left the faucet on when I checked it the first time; when the water thawed, our 40 gallons of fresh water overflowed the grey tanks, which then backed up to flood the RV. 

Mike pulls over quickly and tries to open the grey water tank, but the valve is frozen. We frantically grab the plastic waste-basket, and I start I bailing out the, passing the bucket outside to him. After a few quick relays, we start laughing. We sponge the water out of the hall rugs with our bathroom rug and paper towels. The floor underneath is fine. 

Warm running lights on a cold night for camping

About 1:00pm., we meet Mike Wendland—a prolific Class B RV lifestyle writer and blogger—and his wife, Jennifer, for lunch at a good Mexican restaurant off I-75 south of Lexington, Kentucky. I think my Mike is not going to tell him about the flood, but well into lunch, he gets Mike W. to swear not to blog this story. They discuss all the factors that might have contributed to this problem: not enough heat in the back of the coach (the heat was cranked up in the front), the wind chill factor on the pipes and tanks underneath, not enough antifreeze in the tanks, the outlet valves being wet from testing and then freezing. Thankfully, they gloss over my leaving the bathroom faucet on. 

We camp just over the Kentucky border into Tennessee at Standing StoneState Park.  It is late and we are tired. We eat crackers and cheese and a couple beers.  We have no water, but the campground bathroom is fine and well heated.  We stay warm and comfortable all night.