Winter & other questions - RV-Dreams Community Forum

omgChez · RV-Dreams Community Member

Winter & other questions

cejones4210 · RV-Dreams Family Member

Welcome! Go south😊

Barbaraok · RV-Dreams Family Member

There is a reason why 'snowbirds' go south for the winter. RVs are not made for very cold weather no matter how much they say 'four seasons', they have very limited amounts of insulation.

Barb

The Restless Youngs · RV-Dreams Family Member

We wintered this past winter in our RV in Pennsylvania. While this was hopefully just a one time thing, we did know going into it that we would have to endure at least one winter. We researched our purchase and looked for coaches that were rated for four seasons. The resource we used for that was the rv.org ratings. (While some debate that resource, we couldn't find a better one to give us some fundamental knowledge that would help narrow down the scope to the right manufacturers.) Our coach has decent insulation; temps got below zero and we were toasty all winter (inside!!). We have different heat sources in our coach--heated floors, heat pump (for cooler winter weather) and a forced hot air system. Having various heating resources (and supplementing with a space heater) worked just fine. Having good double pane windows another important thing. The only real issue we had was the campgrounds water froze so for a couple of weeks we had to pump water into our tanks. While our bays are heated, we also did some additional prep work to keep the tanks from freezing, but nothing that was instrumental to the actual purchase of the coach. Heated hoses, etc. are all important cold weather must haves.

Another consideration for cold weather RV'ing is campgrounds. In our area, we didn't find any that were open for the winter, but luckily made nice with a local campground owner where we had our seasonal site and they allowed us to stay for the winter.

RickandJanice · RV-Dreams Family Member

A 4 season unit and double pane glass are two of the most important things to have for both old winters and hot summers. Plan on either purchasing a heated water hose or you can also use heat tape and foam pipe wrap on a regular hose for much less cost.
You will also want to make sure the campground either provides a way to heat the water spigot or you have a way to heat it yourself with either heat tape and pipe wrap or a box with a heat lamp. Keep all holding tanks closes and only dump when they are full, making sure the sewer hose is completely empty when finished. Skirting around the rig will help with your heating bill and aso help keep the rig warmer when the wind blows. I have seen allot of people use Tyvek house wrap to block the wind while allowing the ground moisture to escape from under the rig. They anchor the wrap to the rig using vinyl window and door tape so it is easy to remove without leaving a reside on the rig and then stake it to the ground using gutter spikes.

omgChez · RV-Dreams Community Member

Thanks for all the great sounding advice everyone! Going south will happen, but being based in NY with family and work were going to find either a private garage or driveway or warehouse space to park.. hoping it will be an inside space with electric and water.. just not sure about the electric 50 amp connection inside such a space. Hopefully one can be installed if we find what we're looking for. Will def check out rv.org and research the equipment mentioned and keep Tyvek in mind. So aside from the windows I take it most of the air is coming in from below? Is it possible to seal the sources? Or just generally add some kind of general extra insulaltion, any kinds? Can i ask how the heated water hose works and what is the most common way you connect the external water source to fill the tanks? Thanks again everyone! ! :) btw i tried to put breaks but i dont know how in the mobile site So sorry for the huge dense block of text!! :)

RickandJanice · RV-Dreams Family Member

Allot of cold can infiltrate an RV from the under carriage. This is also where you will loose allot of the heat generated inside. Cold will migrate from the suspension and landing gear (jacks) and any exposed part of the frame up into the heated areas through the steel. There is also allot of heat loss just through the wind being able to blow under the rig. Sealing any gaps and adding insulation anywhere possible will certainly help some but no matter how tightly the rig is sealed or how well insulated it is, it is not as tight as a house and it has allot of steel and aluminum to conduct heat out of the rig.

Heated hose just has a heat strip molded into it. It plugs into 110V AC to heat the heat strip and keep water from freezing. The only issue is that when the heat strip fails, it cannot be replaced. It is much cheaper to just wrap a standard hose with heat tape and then you can replace it if needed or you also have a standard water hose when you can winterize by driving south. Both ways, it is best if you also cover the exposed hose with foam pipe wrap for those times that it drops to sub zero temps.

You can fill your fresh water tank form any frost free spigot using an standard hose or just disconnect your heated hose and use it if the fill spout is close.

-- Edited by RickandJanice on Wednesday 20th of May 2015 08:57:55 PM

omgChez · RV-Dreams Community Member

Alright! Thanks Janice! I feel a little better about it now. Were going to a dealership tomorrow but I just discovered the Thor Outlaw with the drop down patio so we need to find a place to visit one of them too.

Trabuco · RV-Dreams Family Member

We spent 4 months one winter in Deer Park, WA. Coldest day was -14 degrees. We used space heaters to save on propane, 1 in the bedroom and 1 in the living room. Kept the coach around 68 at all times. we also had a basement heater that I set at 45 just to keep pipes from freezing. Used the fresh water tank on a daily basis and replenished with the fresh water hose as need on sunny days.

Being from Southern California this was an adventure for us and we no issues.