When my wife and I go camping in below freezing temperatures, we would be concerned about the freshwater tank and associated plumbing freezing. Not so much anymore. A couple of weeks ago I removed the plywood under the corner mattress on our PC2351 to install new wiring for a thermostat for the propane furnace. I did this due to adding a new quieter 15k BTU Houghton AC removing the Dometic which has an integrated controller for the furnace. In doing so I saw one of the openings for the flexible ducting on the propane furnace was open. At first I thought it was odd but after a couple of seconds to think about it I realized that it was to keep the freshwater tank from freezing. In testing the new thermostat, there is significant air that flows through that opening (much less I am sure when the plywood is in place). It appears to be a very easy and effective way to keep the tank and plumbing from freezing. Typically when we camp in cold weather and have hook-ups, to save propane we will use a small ceramic heater which does a great job keeping the interior warm. But when it gets below freezing, we will make a point to use the propane furnace.
By the way, our first impression of the Houghton AC is very good. The improved sound levels match what they advertised and is a noticeable improvement to the Dometic. The Houghton has 15k BTU vs the 13.5k BTU which will hopefully give us more cooling on the very hot days. This unit also has a heat pump for when you want to quickly take the chill out of the RV on a cool (not cold) morning. If anyone wants our low hour Dometic AC and thermostat, let me know as I will give you a great deal. They work like new, but too loud for us.
JJ
