RV Holding Tank Heaters

Above, The Beast at Goulding's Lodge Campground where the nighttime
temperatures got down into the 20s in November 2016. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Since I live in a climate that gets cold during winter, I have to take measures to protect my RV holding tanks from freezing.

Generally, I empty the fresh water tank as well as the holding tanks. But I have used the motorhome a couple of times during winter and although I have kept using the tanks to the bare minimum (using a campgrounds restroom instead of the motorhome's and using bottled water for coffee, for example) there are some fluids in the tanks.

So, I've added anti-freeze to the tanks as well as using the holding tank heaters (that came with the RV).

Above, having the RV garage equipped with 30 amp power keeps the
 holding tank heaters from draining the battery. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

If it wasn't for adding 30 amp power to the RV garage, the holding tank heaters could not be used as they draw a lot of power from the battery. I have had no problems with winter freezing as a result.

But the question many might ask, do we really need holding tank heaters? 

RV Life discusses this question in a new article. To me, it is better to have them and not need them than to need them and not have them.

They begin with:

RV tank heaters are a useful RV gadget that can really improve your winter camping experience. Some rigs come with these handy heaters already installed, but many RV owners choose to install RV tank heaters themselves. 

That said, there are a number of RVers out there who don’t have tank heaters at all and have gotten along just fine without them. This leaves some RV owners wondering if RV tank heaters are really necessary.

The answer? They are extremely helpful for some types of RVers in certain cases, but are not necessary per se, as there are other ways to get the job done. 

Want to know more about RV tank heaters? We’re going to talk about what they are, who should think about installing them, and other useful winter camping tips.

To read more, go here.