Community Forums

Marguerite66 · 02-27-2018, 10:23 AM

Hi all need some advice on going to NV for a memorial service Saturday. We live in central California and temps have been in the 50's daytime and mid to high 20's at night. We drain all the water out of the RV at the start of winter but don't use the winterizing pink stuff. Now we need to go into 30-40 degree daytime and teens at night. I read some post yesterday on cold weather camping but fill I need more advice.
Here is what I think I know: Will be using just the water we take with us, no water hose use because it will just freeze, kept the water heater on electric, and the furnance on 24/7. Put trouble light in wet bay and fresh water bay at night,(60 watts?)
We will be leaving Fri. morning and going over on I5 then 80 and then 95A. Will also be buying chains today just in case. Does anyone have more advice for this trip. Thanks in advance.

sbleiweiss · 02-27-2018, 10:30 AM

You will also need space heaters to keep inside warm, especially at night. Electric is easy assuming you have electric where you will be camping.

cruzbill · 02-27-2018, 10:31 AM

Big storm coming; Stay at a hotel. Leave the RV at home.

jazzerjump · 02-27-2018, 11:26 AM

Word of caution on space heater use. They are great-we use one but not when temps get below freezing. Bays do not heat unless furnace is running. We keep space heaters off at night and run furnace.

The bulb in the wet bay helps with that area but don't know if it will heat holding tanks and water pump depending where that is at.

Marguerite66 · 02-27-2018, 12:00 PM

Thanks for the water pump warning, forgot about it.

Marguerite66 · 02-27-2018, 12:04 PM

We always take the space heater and fan for weather conditions.

Marguerite66 · 02-27-2018, 12:08 PM

Looking at leaving tomorrow now as the weather looks much better for travel. Just need to get over the mountains. May end up going the south route, longer but better weather conditions.

Marguerite66 · 02-27-2018, 08:16 PM

Decided to leave tomorrow and go south route, come back Sunday or Monday. Thanks all for your input.

pghbob · 02-27-2018, 08:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Marguerite66

Decided to leave tomorrow and go south route, come back Sunday or Monday. Thanks all for your input.

good luck, safe travels, let us know how everything turns out.

Marguerite66 · 03-07-2018, 09:49 PM

Home safe and sound with no problems. So glad for this site and another that I follow
(Keep Your Daydream). All of the help worked very well and I think if I hadn't read all the helpful advice it could have turned out very different. Traveling Wed. was the right thing to do, no weather issue, Friday would have been very bad. Took I80 back on Mon. and all was fine. The hardest part of the trip was saying good-bye to my best friend of 20 yrs. who died very sudden.
Thank you again for all the help.
Marguerite

Hikerdogs · 03-08-2018, 07:31 AM

We've often camped in weather similar to what you're expecting. With the furnace set between 55* and 60* the water compartment and all the storage compartments stay in the low 40* range. We purchased a Lacrosse weather station similar to this one.

https://www.weathershack.com/product...-9037u-it.html

They are available at almost any home improvement store, hardware store, or farm store.

We also purchased 2 additional remote sending units. The main unit is on the wall in the bedroom. One remote is in the wet bay, one is in the fresh water tank bay, and the third is in the propane tank compartment measuring actual outdoor temperature.

We didn't find any need for additional heaters, or light bulbs in any of the bays.

sbleiweiss · 03-09-2018, 07:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hikerdogs

With the furnace set between 55* and 60* the water compartment and all the storage compartments stay in the low 40* range.
We didn't find any need for additional heaters, or light bulbs in any of the bays.

So with this arrangement are you living in 55-60 degrees inside the MH? DW would not stand for that.

JMynes · 03-09-2018, 07:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hikerdogs

We also purchased 2 additional remote sending units. The main unit is on the wall in the bedroom. One remote is in the wet bay, one is in the fresh water tank bay, and the third is in the propane tank compartment measuring actual outdoor temperature.

You are aware that if you’re using propane, for instance running the furnace, the evaporation of propane in the tank will chill the tank. The temperature in your propane tank compartment could be cooler than the outside temperature.

Hikerdogs · 03-09-2018, 09:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JMynes

You are aware that if you’re using propane, for instance running the furnace, the evaporation of propane in the tank will chill the tank. The temperature in your propane tank compartment could be cooler than the outside temperature.

The propane compartment is open on the bottom and rear side. There's easily a foot of open air space around it. The thermometer reads actual air outdoor temperature.

In addition to the 3 sensors for the Lacrosse system there's another sensor for the built in thermometer in the dash under the hood and a totally independent Radio Shack thermometer on the left rear corner of the coach. We have outdoor thermometer sensors in three places so at least one will not be exposed to direct sunlight. When we get up in the morning all 3 thermometers read within one degree of each other so the propane tank isn't having much if any effect on the sensor in that compartment.

As for setting the thermostat at 55*-60* that's where it gets set when we go to bed at night. During the day it's set between 60* and 65*. The normal temperature inside the coach during the day is nearer to 68* because of the sunlight.

Keep in mind this is "winter camping" we don't run around in shorts. We dress for the outdoor weather.