Conserving diesel and LP in cold weather

[SlaterDoc]

Although I am still very wet behind the ears here, I have been on this site quite a bit before signing up! I have found so much help and info that has helped me so far!
I am preparing to spend a few weeks in the chill of December in upstate NY (Albany, not the mtns). I am really going to throw myself into this and try to be completely independent for the three weeks and hopefully stay warm.
I have read quite a bit from the members here about fuel consumption (diesel & LP) and battery use. From that I am planning on running the the generator during the day (it won't need to run all day) with electric space heaters, the batteries will be charging and then run the furnace during the night. I figure that would spread out the use. Eventually I will install two Solar strips on the roof to keep the house batteries charged up.
When I received the rig it had two Marine deep cycle 12volt batteries for the house side. But, I am thinking I will take my six Trojan 6 volts and install them instead. They are not new. But, they hold a charge. As a backup I will keep the 4 Marine batteries charged up and stored, just in case! All the lighting is going LED. With only one adult there won't be a lot of stuff running! I am not even sure I will run the fridge. I may just keep a cooler in an unheated bay. The rig (Bounder 38n) has only a 25 gal LP tank and I want that to last as long as possible. I am taking some advise from here and installing an electric element in the water heater.
So, where I need help is whether my thinking is off track anywhere. There appear to be many more "cold weather RV'ers" here than I thought existed. So, I am sure there is a lot of experience and ideas out there.
The money is tighter than a cow's anus in the Artic! So yes, I am trying to do this on the cheap! One saving grace is the current decline in diesel prices!

[Old Scout]

As for a heating source--propane is probably your cheapest option. Run you diesel genset a few hours--am and pm--to keep bats charged. "A couple" solar panels wont help much beyond power for lights--LED or otherwise. You can use your electric heaters while recharging bats but thats about it. Best bet is to minimize space by keeping slides in and covering windows with insulation/foil--however--this could give you the appearance of being a "uni-bomber want to be".....good luck staying warm on the cheap--its hard.....
PS--fresh water storage and waste water disposal are also a challenge when it gets below 30 degrees......

[D Lindy]

If you have electric available, i.e. an rv park pedestal, run a separate heavy 20AMP. ext cord out thru the lower corner of a slideout and plug into the 15amp outlet. This will allow you to have a dedicated power source for a 1500 watt space heater.

[SlaterDoc]

Thanks Old Scout! Since that LP tank is only 25 gal, that was my first concern on saving and stretching. I will see how long I can go without taking a trip for re-filling tanks! This will be a shake down run for me!
You sparked an idea I had forgotten about! I am going to be installing insulated window covers and that just jumped up on the list!
I just added a small heater to put in the tank bay to my list!
Uni-bomber?? Funny you should say that! I don't think I will be worried too much about that as I will be parked next to a Destroyer (ship type)!

[SlaterDoc]

Thanks D Lindy! I am not sure I will have any outlets available. So, I am going on the assumption that all my power will be within the rig. If I am lucky and can work something out, most of my concerns will be washed and the anticipation may be a little less! I am looking at this as a test of my survival skills! However, I will have clothes on and not be on some island somewhere!

[pasdad1]

You should read this thread about unvented propane heaters....they don't need
Electric power to operate, and use less propane than your built in furnace.

http://www.irv2.com/forums/showthread.php?t=220934

[Old Scout]

PS--not sure how your rig is plumbed for propane but RV dealers like Camping World sell an "extended stay" device that allows you to plumb in external propane tanks to your existing gas lines so you can just swap out tanks rather than packing up the RV and heading in to town to fill you on-board tank....

[Elf111]

Be very careful with unvented heaters of any kind co2 kills. Follow all safety instructions from manufactures.

We have winter camped for years it really isn't as hard as you might think. Without electrical power a heater in the water bay won't be of much use at night, a drop light with a 100 watt bulb will provide enough heat to protect your water pump assuming your motorhome has heated bays. You would need a inverter for the drop light. Keep a remote thermometer in the bay to monitor the temp.
I have two twenty pound lp tanks that I use with a extend a stay hose, I use the portable tanks and reserve the onboard tank for emergency back up in case we are snowed in. We turn thermostat down to fifty five at night.
December shouldn't be so bad normally the real cold doesn't hit until January and February your worst enemy will be the wind if at all possible try to park where your protected from some of the wind.
Good luck enjoy upstate N Y hope you like white.

[Mr_D]

Marine batteries are not "deep cycle" batteries, they are a poor substitute for true deep cycle batteries. You may find they run short of power and don't last very long either. Our OEM true deep cycle 6 V batteries were still keeping up with our needs after almost 10 years. I replaced them with more of the same.

[SlaterDoc]

Elf, I agree! Though those propane heaters are suppose to be OK for inside, I would sleep better with out it! I may start out with the drop light if I need it.
As for the 20lb tanks I will just switch your method and plan on using that as backup. The 25 gallon onboard tank holds a little over 100 lbs and if I succeed I should be OK with it. Even though I will be right beside the river I will be in the city (Albany) and away from those cooold white peaks up North! I spent 12 years up there in the Adirondacks and will only return when things turn green!
55 degrees? I need a little more warmth than that! Especially since I don't have that other heat producing body to snuggle up to!
Mr D, you are correct! That is why, since the golf cart is getting stored away for the Winter anyway, those 6 Trojan T105's are gonna be my house batteries! But, I am going to set up a backup system with the four marine batteries just in case. I love redundancy! I saw somewhere else where this fella installed a transfer switch in the inside rear of his rig that enabled him to switch over to the second battery bank when the low level alarm went off on the volt/amp meter he installed went off.
He must have been a Navy man!

[the trainguy]

Hello from a fellow Albanian!
If you're camped next to the USS Slater maybe they'd let you plug into their electric service.

[1mainiac]

I would call a local LP service and get the extend a stay t installed. When we stayed in ours for longer periods we would have the local LP company drop us a 100lb or larger tank. Between that and the built in tank we could get by pretty good. The one place we did it dropped 2 100lb cylinders and they came by once a month to change them. We paid a dollar each to rent the cylinders from them.

[POPPASMURF]

1mainiac has the right idea. Most propane companies will lease a 300 lb tank on a very nominal monthly basis and then fill it as needed. A lot of the oil patch workers around here do this and we have quite severe winter temperatures.

[Ray,IN]

Many people use Propane heaters inside the RV. Before spending money, go to their website and read closely. For instance the Buddy heaters say they must have a source of fresh air, only the smallest says it is safe for use inside without a vent.