Winter & RV: beating Jack Frost and thriving?

[zoemorn]

Ok so understanding that Fulltimers on the road can simply flee winter or other undesirable weather, let's focus on the other scenario of living through a winter season. In other words if you were planning to tackle that lifestyle what would you do.

Considerations for an RV setup through the winter that come up often when talking about the subject:
.warming the space safely (fire hazards, CO2 issues etc) - are electric fireplaces worthwhile(functional and pretty)?
.ice on the inside
.condensation and mold concerns- dehumidifiers were mentioned in one post that I've read, but I don't see it mentioned very often and wondered why?
.snow/ice on exterior - bringing in sides is probably a definite consideration if a heavy snowfall or raining ice/sleet occurs. I've heard it mentioned that bringing in the sides may be warranted simply for more efficient heating, but that'd sure be a bummer for available space to need to do that.

thanks for advice and input. the idea behind it is for living in a home base area that goes thru winter seasons (rather than snowbirding). This may be a must for non-retired fulltimers without a mobile income source.

Oh, and replying with "don't do it" isn't an option! I will not accept defeat!

[zoemorn]

Oh, and I've seen some RV units marketed as having a "polar package" or such buzzword. Wondering how effective those are at weathering the elements. Would such a package make handling winter easier to do?

[LPryor]

Helo Zoemorn (neat name)

I just read your posts to my husband and he hasn't stopped talking about it...We normally live on the west coast so unless we visited family who live in the snow country, it deletes half if the challenge. His thoughts are that if you were fulltiming you shouldn't have alot of the concerns mentioned because you'd have heat in it - all the time.....oh and I should also mention that alot might depend on what type of a unit you have!!

. if your hooked up to electrical, you should be able to keep your furnace running,,,,even if it's propane. Before we built our house (20) yrs ago, I lived in a 35 ft 5th wheel and I think we learned alot through that experience, saying that, he also said there's alot of things you could do while stationary in the cold.

. build some kind of a 'shed' for lack of a better word, so you could drive into it....even one of those temp snow/rain covers...probably only practical on the coast....better the structure type if you'd be getting alot of snow and staying put for the winter.

. a friend of ours lives in a slide out 5th wheel, and often complains of the cold,,,,but also hasn't taken many measures to protect against it.

. hubby said that some type of styrofoam could be used around the slideout areas would cut down on the cold seeping in....I didn't have slideouts back then, so wasn't spoiled with the extra room, but I will be this time. Windows today are of a much better quality and that should help.

.condensation and mold are a result of 'lack of air'...so you do need abit of flow somewhere, even if it's just a tiny opening. My sister and family have a sailboat that is not used in the winter and they do use the humidifiers.....I used them in the under storage areas in the 5th wheel,,,,,you just have to remember to empty them.....weekly maintenance takes care of that, depending on how many you need.

. Extra heating if necessary, hubby said a ceramic heater would be the best.

.ice inside need heat! and airflow movement...why would anyone live inside a unit that froze.....I think that would only happen if you weren't living in it.......

.and lastly,,,buy quality undergarments,,,like the kind they use for skiing....they're great! and some 'nice' jogging outfits' looking good helps with cooler temps

So all in all, build a free standing roof, heat and air flow, and the proper clothing should go a long way for a comfortable winter.

If you're in 40 below.....move into a furnished apt...

Lynn

[zoemorn]

LPryor, thanks for relaying your hubby's tips, encouraging and helpful! Sometimes people simply post "oh dont mess with it and just snowbird" which is fine for those that are retired and financially can, but i'm neither.

my forum name is a made up word i came up with in college. means "life in the morning" - kind of an optimism thing.

Some have said to skirt the bottom of the rv either semi-permanently or even temporarily using insulation boards found at home depot/lowes type of stores that can then be adhered like a skirt. Also heard hay bales can be used. (would think that might attract critters though). Some have mentioned using heat lights in certain areas if needed, though I was thinking that some or most newer RV's (particularly if they are "polar" featured) have heat venting to vital areas to help ward off freezing.


Please give your hubby my thanks again, for him pondering my questions. Thats what the internet is supposed to be about, sharing knowledge, and in my interpretation, helping others.

[tyndalelady]

We live at 7000 ft in snow country. We are currently here year round. This winter we had about 6 feet of snow. Last winter we had 12 feet. We are originally from Texas. lol

Our rig is a 40 foot 4 season rig. More insulation than normal. That is a huge deal. The more insulation the better. Things that have helped us are the following.
1. Shrink wrap the windows. This is a kit you can get at home depot. It helps more than you can imagine.
2. We added refletix to the wall behind the bed and couch.
3. Skirt the rig with 2 in foam insulation.
4. Make refletix window coverings.
5. make curtains out of fleece.
6. make a curtain of fleece for the front door.
7. crack the vents in the shower and bath area to dry out the bathroom
8. Make sure you uncover the windows each day for sunlight and fresh air
9. throw rugs
10. a small electric heater for the living room and bedroom. Heat the bedroom for a few minutes before you go to bed and warm the room. Then turn off.
11. Wool or down blankets for bed and lounging on the couch
12. lots of money for propane and electric

That and a snow shovel will get you through the hardest winter.
Missy

[zoemorn]

Wow tyndalelady, talk about an informative reply! I'm glad you saw my question, before starting this forum thread I had gotten pretty discouraged that I'd not heard much from anyone doing the winter RV thing.

When you say "uncover the windows" each day, do you mean just the reflectix or do you pull down the shrinkwrap too as that would be a pain i'd think? Also, I saw on the internet that some folks use bubblewrap instead of shrinkwrap or combined with, kind of makes a double pane effect.


We have 2 small children so I think we'd probably have heaters going 24/7 of some sort (in response to #10). Can anyone speak as to if solar power can hold up heating for any length of time or is solar only going to handle small powered appliances, laptops and such. (just a curiosity in case shore power got cut off- obviously fossil fuel heating would come into play)

Skirting - yes someone else had mentioned using hay bales, or foam board (or some other type of skirt) - do you have any issues with critters sneaking in there for shelter?

great responses from someone obviously having experience!

[decodancer]

I did one month of New York winter in a travel trailer and plan on going full time soon. I do not choose to avoid winter, I enjoy it. The shrink wrap was a big help, amazing how much that thin layer did. I also insulated all outdoor hatches with the pink foam as well as skirting the trailer. Put heat tape and insulation on all pipes and water hookups. Enjoy the snow, I can't wait till it cools down again.

[tyndalelady]

Ha. I forgot about the heat tape. lol
We have heat tape on our hose and faucet. We then have it wrapped
in fiberglass insulation...the stuff with a plastic outside backing. Then we have packing tape wrapped around that. If it drops into the single digits then we also drip the water.

Yes, critters want to come in. You have to deal with that. We live in a forest and the chipmunks want to invade. We just have to work to keep them out.

Do NOT take off the shrink wrap off the windows. You can see clearly through the wrap, you just need some light to save your sanity and as much warmth as you can get. I used this stuff for the first time this winter and I am in Love. It made a HUGE difference for me. The shrink wrap makes the double pane effect, the refletix (bubble wrap) adds another layer of insulation.

In effect, solar charges your battery. It cannot run the furnace and you will need the furnace. That is a power hog. You will also have a lot less sun in the winter for solar. Even as far south as I am solar would not help us at all. Look to a catalytic heater instead. Camping world carries the Olympian Wave. Learn how to use it correctly before you do use it.

There are many ways to heat your rig from catalytics to wood burning if you are that brave. There are special stoves made for boats that burn wood and such that people in busses and such will use. You have to make your own determination on what you are willing to do and what you can afford. (the wood burning stove comment should bring out the CO police soon...lol)

Have fun figuring out what will work for you.
Missy

[nvreloader]

Zoemorn

You might want to check out this site, they deal with lots of winter camping, see info here:
4 Season Campers Forum • Index page

Also GOOLE up RV/trailer skirting, it would be a big help with the cold air underneath the RV. I am finishing up building my skirting for the TH for Cold weather Hunting seasons etc.

Don

[JohnFreyja]

ZoeMorn,

I read these with great interest because I would like to use the motorhome for skiing as we did with a class C when the kids grew up.
I found another site that you may find valuable...

Surviving Winter

John

[Dacotah]

About 20 years ago we lived in North Dakota and were factory representatives who traveled 5 states year round in a 35' gas motorhome. The motorhome was built for northern climates with a heated basement, oversized furnace, and extra large propane tank. We still had our home there, but travelled for up to 3 weeks at a time at down to 35 below zero!! We rigged the toilet to flush with windshield washer anti-freeze, built plexiglass storm windows for the inside, and dumped the tanks at a car dealership that had an inside heated shop. Will you have sewer hookup and water? You will have to insulate and heat those lines with heat tape. The slide out will be a real problem because once it is out I doubt it will go back in with the seals frozen and hard from the cold. If you try to heat with electric space heaters your limited power from your RV panel probably will not handle the extra load, so put in at least a 40000 BTU propane furnace, and extra large propane tanks. Also it is hard to fill propane much below zero as the rubber seals get hard and do not seal properly. DACOTAH

[zoemorn]

Dacotah -
wow you guys were hardcore with that 35 below zero RVing! hopefully my situation wouldn't ever be that brutal!!

Thanks all for the tips and info. I wouldnt' have realized that the RV electrical panels wouldn't handle the throughput of power with extra heating appliances being used. That's why I like posting these kind of newbie questions, seems like theres always some extra wrinkles that show up that need resolving or at least considered.