Balancing act

[Russellvh]

Ok, I can’t head south until February due to some medical procedures. This will be the first time I will be camping with low temps in single degrees and 24 hour temps in 20’s for highs and for multiple days. I have read and studied multiple forums and still a bit concerned. .
I can use my electric fireplace and a space heater to be comfortable in the trailer but then the furnace doesn’t come on much thus I’m concerned about the underbelly pipes. If I use the furnace to be comfortable then I’m using 30% (+) of one 30lb. tank just for overnight.

I’m in a full hook up park. I have a heated water hose and tank heaters. Only one furnace thermostat and, I’m guessing, it comes on and off based on the temperature of the air at the thermostat. Not really practical to use skirting because this will only last 5 days, or so, plus I normally winter in south Texas RGV.

How do I balance, or learn the balance, for being comfortable but not using exorbitant amounts of propane or electricity?

 

[TheLooks]

For me, I would have to know your layout and pipe placement to fully advise. An electric heater run off the 20 amp plug on the pedestal can put a lot of heat into the distribution area behind the water hookup. You may have a sliding wall and you may have to remove a couple of screws to access it. Pipes that run to far away sinks, showers, and toilets will rely on the heat being blown thru most likely. Outside showers with poor access behind are difficult to winterize without putting antifreeze in them.
Open doors on the lower cabinets where pipes are usually run thru. Get the heat into the spaces normally buttoned up.

 

[Kevin D Pem]

I have a friend who has planned a procedure.
Rather than stay put till after the procedure, he is where he doesn't have the problem you are dealing with, and plans a trip for the procedure!!! Just saying!!!

 

[Rich W.]

how about a short term rental of a bigger propane tank?

 

[Russellvh]

I have a friend who has planned a procedure.
Rather than stay put till after the procedure, he is where he doesn't have the problem you are dealing with, and plans a trip for the procedure!!! Just saying!!!

I like that idea and thought of it but don’t think it will work this time. I’m getting upper dentures and some additional lower dental work. I have to return to the dentist once or twice a week until Jan 30. Moving south now would mean 6 hour drives. I could winterize, get a 1 month storage and live out of a hotel but I have a full season 5th wheel and would rather learn how to cope rather than avoid. I want to camp in all weathers but want to learn the right way to enjoy this chapter in our life safely.

 

[Russellvh]

One follow-up if possible. Do tank heaters heat fresh and grey or just fresh.

 

[Rollin Ollen]

I like that idea and thought of it but don’t think it will work this time. I’m getting upper dentures and some additional lower dental work. I have to return to the dentist once or twice a week until Jan 30. Moving south now would mean 6 hour drives. I could winterize, get a 1 month storage and live out of a hotel but I have a full season 5th wheel and would rather learn how to cope rather than avoid. I want to camp in all weathers but want to learn the right way to enjoy this chapter in our life safely.

So, just a little back ground from me. I am Canadian thus had to survive most of COVID in the cold of Alberta. We could not stay in our house as it was being "house sat" by my 90 year old M I L. so we had to self quarantine in our coach Our coach has a "winter package" as in double pain glass, heated wet bays (our sewer connection is enclosed in a wet bay). I see that you are in a similar situation. We were exposed to minus 22F (-30C) during our stay

We obviously survived and really, we did not have to make many modifications. .We bought a couple of small electric space heaters with built in thermostats for the wet bays. I needed to fish an "outdoor" extension cord from one bay to the other as there was no external access for power once the bay door was closed. I took the time to place good thermometers in both wet bays in order to properly monitor the temps. I adjusted the thermostats to 40F (I think, but high enough to give me a good safety margin). I monitored the temps three or four times a day, every day, just because I didn't want to find a failure too late. I also glued some styrofoam insulation to the inside of the bay doors as they had none. We hardly used the gas furnace because our propane tank is underslung thus to fill means breaking camp and driving the coach 10 miles (16 Km) to the nearest propane fill center. Propane was used pretty much for the oven and the water heater (we do have an electric water heater but the load was getting to be too much for the electric breaker because of all the electric heaters and cook top in the living quarters). We also added (but not permanently) insulation to the roof vent lids. We discovered that made a big difference warming the living quarters. Just an FYI make sure there is some ventilation or the humidity will start causing problems. We used the range vent fan when cooking. As you can tell, the preliminary costs were minimal. We only connected the sewer and fresh water hoses when needed and they were stored in the heated wet bays when not in use. We overlooked one item and it caused a big problem. When filling your fresh water tank, make sure the vent is usable. Ours froze thus when we needed to fill our tank, the high water pressure used by the water truck that serviced us caused our tank to split thus flooding both wet bays. It was not fun mopping up the water in the freezing cold. The worst part was finding someone that could repair the tank. I don't remember the type of plastic used to manufacture the tank but it took a long time to find someone that could do the job.

Good luck with your stay. Just keep your eyes open for potential problems. Foresight is better than hindsight.

Darrell

 

[Russellvh]

If I disconnect the”city water” and use my fresh tank do I still need to drip the faucets?

 

[TheLooks]

NO. Running water may not freeze but dripping water will, if not in the pipes, it will in the drain. That is how icicles are formed.