Winter camping while skiing.

[HOUND DOG]

When I travel for two months of skiing in Idaho, Wyoming, Utah, and Colorado, I find the the helm area of my 38' Dutch Star very cold while parked or driving. Has anyone really solved the problem?

[HOUND DOG]

When I travel for two months of skiing in Idaho, Wyoming, Utah, and Colorado, I find the the helm area of my 38' Dutch Star very cold while parked or driving. Has anyone really solved the problem?

[DriVer]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by HOUND DOG:
Has anyone really solved the problem? <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>Yes sir, wait for spring!

[DriVer]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by HOUND DOG:
Has anyone really solved the problem? <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>Hi Hound Dog, I was hoping to get a friendly dialog going with you about this issue but we'll try the time tested direct approach.

It's obvious that your shell is allowing a cold blast of air to enter your living space. The tool that you would need to really rule this out would be an IR gun. You should be able to meter any cold air with the laser beam while underway and if you find a cold spot you might want to take action to resolve the cold air bleed.

I would meter the walls,floor, ceiling and all the corners that I could to see if there is any instantaneous change in the temperature reading on the gun.

While parked, you can certainly setup ceramic or electric forced air heat to keep the chill at bay, it's what most of us do.

We have dual pane glass throughout the coach except for the driver's window and front windshield. This area in our motorhome has always been a problem and it's typically cold up there because of very low R values in these areas. Again what we do is simply run electric heat up there and direct the heat to the interior of the coach. If it gets really cold outside we'll run more than one heater.

Good luck and happy skiing!

Hound Bob, Thanks for joining us here on iRV2 we hope that you will find the incite from our Newmar owners here to be of value as you pursue a resolution to your problem. Please keep in touch and we'd like to hear how you have resolved the current problem at hand.

PS: One of our members here that owned a DSDP went skiing up here in the NorthEast with his family and the problem that he had was that one of his jacks froze to the ground overnight. Now that's a problem!

[HOUND DOG]

Hi Robert! I like friendly conversations. I am so new I am trying to find out how. To your, "wait till spring"�, I did chuckle, but did not know how to do anything about it.
To your comment about jacks freezing down, I've been there and done that. I now carry in my tool kit along with all the other tools that it takes to keep these six wheelers running, I have a crow bar. Just slip the point in under the jack plate and snap it is loose and up it goes.

As for cold helm I have two solutions, and now thanks to you a third, and it is greatly appreciated. Where do I get an IR gun with a laser beam?

My first solution I got in Albuquerque. Newmar would not tell me to flush out the donut shaped filter in the Evans Heater water line, so I had to drive from Loveland Pass summit at zero degrees F to a dealer for them to tell the dealer to do it.

The next solution I figured out myself. While I waited for the lounge to warm up in the morning from 55 degrees F to something comfortable like at least 65 I hard the furnace cycling on and off every three of four minutes. That told me that the heat could not get away from the furnace. I pulled the heat register off of the floor in the front end of the lounge and found a duct approximately 3"� X 12"� with a register totaling 18 square inches to let the heat out. I now have two registers up there totaling about 50 sq. in. each.

Now the bus warms up quickly and the furnace does not cycle and I can now sit in the helm chair to read my book in my shirt sleeves and sweat shirt when the ambient temp is below freezing.

That is all well and good and it makes the Newmar a different bus, but I feel drafts here and there and now you have shown me how to find their source. Thanks again!

The Newmar specs say that their coaches are good from 30 to 90 degrees. They have not tried sitting in the helm chair to read a book when the outside temp is 40 degrees or below, or even 50 degrees, because they would not be there long. I told them all about this but I can see that they are doing nothing about it.

Does anyone else have a good idea?

[DriVer]

Raytek MT4 Mini Temp Non-Contact Temperature Gun with Laser Sighting

This is the gun I use.

Specifications:
Temperature Range - 0 to 500F,
Ambient Operating Range - 32 to 120F,
Power - 9V Alkaline or NiCd Battery.
Automotive Applications: Low Compression, Exhaust Systems, Cooling System.
Home Safety Applications: Home Improvement, Energy Savings.
Other Applications: Hobby, Do-it-Yourself Enthusiasts.

Signed: Mike

[sandie]

DriVer, how much did that Raytek cost?????

[r2dillon]

Click on the picture and it will link to the site selling the gun.