Maintenance: Finding a balance between winter use and winterizing

[SacRV]

We currently have a 2021 Cedar Creek Cottage 40CRS on special order. It will probably arrive to our property around the end of October.

The location is the foothills to the Sierra Nevada at around 2,000' elevation. It is completely off-grid. Historically speaking it'll get down to the high 20's at night and warms up to the mid 30's during the day maybe a dozen days a year. The rest of the time the temp is over 35 degrees. We might see a dusting of snow once or twice a year.

We intend to use the trailer a couple weekends a month all year long. I'd like to get some guidance on how to still use the trailer during the winter without the risk of damage from not winterizing it (if possible).

One thought I have is set the furnace to the lowest setting possible and leave it on. The trailer will be connected to a 250 gal. propane tank so I'll have plenty of propane to burn.

Please share your thoughts as I try to work through this and find a suitable solution.

[SKP Kirk]

Leaving the furnace on is your best bet. It takes several hours with temperatures below 30° for enough to freeze to cause any problems but a little heat could prevent some significant problems.

[ByeTheWay]

20° on the outside does not mean it is freezing on the inside. I use a indoor/outdoor thermometer with the outdoor sensor in the water bay, to monitor the two. An incandescent light bulb (if you can plug in) can help keep the temp above 32°F. Using the furnace can help also.
Good Luck

[Persistent]

"Completely off grid" often means 120 volt AC heater are not a possible solution.

[Persistent]

Do you have solar or wind power available? If so how much? Generator power?

[jimcumminsw]

How much battery capacity will you have? If you do have enough, I would use the 12V tank heaters that are attached to your holding tanks to keep the tanks from freezing. Your propane furnace will need a 12V source also so, you will need some way of recharging your battery or batteries. This can be done with a generator and or several solar panels that will recharge the battery/batteries.

I would leave the kitchen sink and bathroom sink cabinets open to promote warm air flow to these areas. Also I believe that with the heater running this will provide heated air to the basement, at least on my Creek it does.

You may want to use the DSI feature of the water heater, using the propane to heat the hot water tank. This will provide heat in the wet bay area for water lines in this area also.

Just a suggestion.