2011 Vista 30 and winter travel

[Floridafran]

These questions always seem to pop into my head on late Saturday night or on Sunday when I can't call our dealer to ask about it, so I come here hoping to find answers. I searched here to find what I could about Winnebago heated holding tank areas and insulation but the most recent threads I found were from 2007.

For those who don't know, this is our first RV so we're still learning. And there's so much to learn. So here's my question.

According to our specs we have, and I quote, "heated holding tank compartment". Can anyone tell me exactly what that means on a 30 Vista? I mean we have 3 holding tanks and they aren't all in the same compartment (at least not that we can see). I'm assuming (which can be risky) that this means there's some sort of "ducting" or "hole" from the heater ducts that allow a bit of hot air into this area (these areas).

Also, anyone know anything about the R-rating for these units. When we were in NC in mid-October the nights got down into the low 40s - high 30s a couple of times. I definitely discovered where the insulation isn't! Like right next to the bed where it extends over the rear bay. Not surprising since when the bay doors are open and you open the drawer below the closet you can see daylight. That's a problem we can see and do something about. What I worry about are the places I can't see so easily.

We want to try a bit of winter camping - nothing drastic, but below freezing - and want to be as well prepared as possible. We also plan to go to Yellowstone, then Glacier in June of 2011 if everything works out. Having been snowed on at Yellowstone in late July/early August, I know how cold it could get there in June. At Glacier we hope to stay in the Park at least part of the time which means no electricity, so our propane has to last as long as possible. I figure anything we can do to cut down on the amount of cold that comes in, will help.

Even though I live in the chilly panhandle of Florida, it's still Florida and I wonder just how much our dealer will be able to answer for me about this. Ours is the first 30 Vista he's sold. (Though when it came in and he saw it, he immediately ordered one for the lot.)

Any help would greatly appreciated, even if it's just to tell us to contact Winnebago to see what they say.

Thanks,
Fran

[DAN L]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Floridafran These questions always seem to pop into my head on late Saturday night or on Sunday when I can't call our dealer to ask about it, so I come here hoping to find answers. I searched here to find what I could about Winnebago heated holding tank areas and insulation but the most recent threads I found were from 2007. For those who don't know, this is our first RV so we're still learning. And there's so much to learn. So here's my question. According to our specs we have, and I quote, "heated holding tank compartment". Can anyone tell me exactly what that means on a 30 Vista? I mean we have 3 holding tanks and they aren't all in the same compartment (at least not that we can see). I'm assuming (which can be risky) that this means there's some sort of "ducting" or "hole" from the heater ducts that allow a bit of hot air into this area (these areas). Also, anyone know anything about the R-rating for these units. When we were in NC in mid-October the nights got down into the low 40s - high 30s a couple of times. I definitely discovered where the insulation isn't! Like right next to the bed where it extends over the rear bay. Not surprising since when the bay doors are open and you open the drawer below the closet you can see daylight. That's a problem we can see and do something about. What I worry about are the places I can't see so easily. We want to try a bit of winter camping - nothing drastic, but below freezing - and want to be as well prepared as possible. We also plan to go to Yellowstone, then Glacier in June of 2011 if everything works out. Having been snowed on at Yellowstone in late July/early August, I know how cold it could get there in June. At Glacier we hope to stay in the Park at least part of the time which means no electricity, so our propane has to last as long as possible. I figure anything we can do to cut down on the amount of cold that comes in, will help. Even though I live in the chilly panhandle of Florida, it's still Florida and I wonder just how much our dealer will be able to answer for me about this. Ours is the first 30 Vista he's sold. (Though when it came in and he saw it, he immediately ordered one for the lot.) Any help would greatly appreciated, even if it's just to tell us to contact Winnebago to see what they say. Thanks, Fran

i installed 3 wired inside-outside temp gauges from harbor freight in the basement water bays. i would use wireless if i had it to do again. i use 3 ceramic electric heaters in the moho most of the time.
no guesswork when it comes to temperatures in the basement water compartments is a good thing.
i found that my fwd compartment (water pump, water heater and water tank) is warmed well as long as i run either the electric or propane water heater.
the main water tank compartment is a few degrees cooler. i figure it gets heat from the fwd compartment.
the aft water svc compartment needs some supplemental heat when i use my 3 small ceramic electric heaters to heat the moho. i use a 100w light bulb in a trouble light for this purpose. i expect that the propane furnace would warm this compartment some when used.

[zippo]

Fran, First off the heated tank thing in most cases only applies if you run the furnace. Running electric heaters inside the coach in cold weather will not keep the tanks and lines in the storage areas and below floors from freezing. Putting a small electric heater in the water bay will keep the water system from freezing. But how safe is a electric heater you can't see, I don't want to go to bed with one running in a storage bay,

Next insulation, yes there are places with little or no insulation. You will never see Winnebago brag about their insulation, it's next to nothing. It's about the lowest R-Value foam there is. Wait till summer comes and you open a cabinet door on the side the Florida sun is shining on. You'll think you left an electric heater running in there. One low cost help for the poor insulation is to go to your local building improvement center and purchase the highest R-Value per inch foam board they have. Cut, fit and glue it in the back of all cabinets, couch or anyplace you can place it against an outside wall that it can't be seen. It takes time and some areas are hard to reach, but it will help. In cold weather if you have hard surface floors (non carpeted areas) cover them with carpet runners it will help keep your feet warm. As you say you can see daylight when the bay door is open, well don't plug them up or you won't get air movement to keep those areas warm and non freezing in cold weather when running the furnace. Poor insulation to me is one of the biggest Winnebago complaints I see in these RV forums. Just look around and you will find a number of large class A owners that have added addition roof AC units because they couldn't cool the RV in hot weather. I saw a post on RVforum.net in the Winnebago section just the other day about the poor insulation. Good luck, you can patch your new Winnebago up so it's better than factory for heating and cooling. But for the price we have to pay we shouldn't have to.

[pyoots]

Fran,

As a fellow Floridian from Palm Coast (near Daytona Beach) and a proud owner of 07 Vista, I traveled to the mountains of Oregon when the snow was still on the ground. Water supply hose froze until about 9am and then we could get some water. I had a holiday stay in the mtns. of NC with 30 mph at 9 degrees. Furnace was going strong along with a small ceramic heater. Not enough. It was still too cold. As mentioned above, Winnies Vistas are not made for extreme cold weather. A little may be ok but not for the long harsh winters we see on TV in Minnesota and Montana. Spending time in WY as a teenager, I promised myself if I ever got out of there I would never be cold again! As a Vista owner, I try to avoid the extreme cold climates whenever possible.

[skigramp]

"heated compartments" generally means that the hot air duct from the LP furnace runs through the compartment or there is a small hose from that duct that leads to the compartment ... you will have heat in the compartments only when the LP furnace is running ...

When I camp in really cold weather (over night lows in the single digits) I use "trouble lights" in two bays ... where my water pump is located and where the dump valves are located ... I use insulated windshield shades to provide additional insulation over the windows ... retracting the slide(s) will decrease the volume of air that needs to be heated ...

When you camp in temps that will freeze you learn to fill your fresh water tank and stow your hose ... you dump your holding tank and stow the hose ... frozen hoses are troublesome on several levels ... no fresh water when frozen ... nearly impossible to roll up to stow ... and frozen sewer hoses break easily

Some of this I learned on my own ... some I learned from fellow RVers ... I prefer not to disclose which is which ...

[Floridafran]

Thanks for all the replies. Lots of good info that we'll be able to use.

We don't intend to do much, if any, lengthy traveling in sub-freezing weather, but at some point we'll likely find ourselves in a pretty cold situation. Best to do, and learn, all we can ahead of time so we can be as well prepared as possible. Some of this will help us with the heat, as well, come summer.

I popped over to the rvforum.net and read several of the threads there about the insulation issue. Thanks for the info about that site. I didn't know about it, and don't know how I missed finding it in my google search for RV forums.

pyoots, we're probably heading over toward your part of the State for a week or so around the middle of December. Shouldn't have to worry about the temps on that trip.

Our love for Montana, Wyoming, and the West in general, any time of year, is the reason I asked about this. Don't plan to take the Vista out there in the dead of winter, but I know we'll probably push the seasons by heading out that way early, or delaying returning home until the snow starts on some trips.

Good thing we travel with 4 cats who love to sleep with us. May not be as warm as traveling with 3 big dogs when it gets really cold, but they do make pretty good vibrating backwarmers.