So our redwood does not have holding tank heat pads , my dealer says we don’t need. But I’m not sure I believe a dealer , what is everyone’s thoughts ? Do you have or not have ? We will be based in Texas panhandle in the winter which has cold weather and high winds , thought about skirting but don’t want all the feline buckles screwed to the sides . We will be full timing starting soon , 2-3 months out , just trying to do everything I need to do before we go full time since tools will be in storage.

We've been in the panhandle with temps in the teens with 40+ winds dropping the chill factor well below zero without heating pads on the tanks & the only thing that froze was the water faucet, our hose was heat taped & wrapped. As long as you run the furnace there's duct work going into the underbelly which apparently works.
Forgot to mention I turned water off to the ice maker & drained it.

Thanks , good to know u have been here and know the wind

We head south from Canada in November and we hit some below freezing temps in Michigan and Indiana. We run off the FW tank overnight so we don't freeze the water hose and haven't had a problem. If we were to do some camping in really cold weather I would consider pads as on our model they would be easy to install. Our FW tank is close to the plastic undercover so not much insulation.

Not necessary...We have been to 4 degrees F for short periods (2-5 days) and all is fine. Keep the Furnace heat on though. And you may have to limit the indoor ceramic heaters. By having these on, you reduce the amount of time the furnace runs, but you also reduce the basement heat. The basement has furnace vents down there to keep the tanks from freezing. Worry more about the dump valves if they are exposed to the outside.

There can be issues with the coreplast belly pan. You'll note that one side is screwed to the bottom of the frame. The other side is "stuffed" above the bottom frame lip. This is for travel as the beams move. Over time, this will curl up the coreplast and allow cold air into the basement.

There are also vents located inside the RV. Typically, they are located at the bottom of each sink basin and under the front entry closet. Keep the area clear.

With the skirts, there are issues to consider:

1) Storage when not in use
2) Varmints and insects like to hide in a warm location
3) They are very heavy to work with
4) You have to drill a lot of holes in the RV to add snaps or turn latches
5) They wear out in the summer UV heat
6) They are expensive to replace
7) They take time to set up and tear down

Some people have these and add light bulbs or ceramic heaters to the underside. With the skirting, this amplifies the varmint hang out. Get the heat source to close to the coreplast and you have an invitation for a fire.

Separately, don't forget to get a heated water hose. Try to keep them short. We have a 12' and a 25'. They are available from Camping World. The 12' was $89. The 25' was $119. Keep the thermostats on the outside of the RV or they will not work and your hose will freeze.

One last thing...Get one of those Styrofoam ice chests. Throw away the lid. You'll be installing the Ice Chest upside down. Cut out the hose area keeping it tight. Get some of the 4" reflective insulation and wrap the head of the faucet. I used the entire roll. Add a heavy weight on the top to keep the wind from blowing it away. Lastly, put some dirt around the outside edge to keep the wind out and fill the hose cut out area with rags or more insulation.

That should hold you over for the winter...