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Old 12-04-2007, 05:25 PM   #1
Wayne and Carolyn Mathews
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Full-timing in COLD Montana

OK—now that we’ve had a couple of months of full-timing in Montana's winter weather, here’s the report: It’s been an "OH, NO--not another learning experience" situation! We put skirting around the trailer because the winds here frequently hit a steady 50 - 60 mph, rocking this trailer like you can't believe; fairly regularly we have gusts clocked at 80 to 90 mph. (Don't even ask about the skirting--we were caught short when a bad storm roared in without warning and weeks earlier than we usually get them; the skirting was rigged out of anything and everything we had on hand in a couple of working-in-the-dark hours. It looks like heck, but hey--it works.) We'd planned on putting some kind of skirting around the trailer because things here freeze quickly when icy winds and freezing temperatures arrive (down to -40 occasionally), but that early blast of winter last month didn't leave us time to do anything other than get something sturdy up to block the wind. Even with the skirting, which has worked out well, and a small heater under the kitchen area, our hot water has frozen twice, both times when the temperature was well above zero. (Shock!) Luckily, we didn't have any damage either time, but after the second time it happened, we added a heat lamp directly under the kitchen area where the water heater is located. Since then, we're had temps well below zero, along with some terrible winds, but have had no problems with frozen lines. We were going through propane so fast that it was becoming an inconvenience as well as fairly expensive (because we're about 45 miles from the nearest place to get propane), so we've rented a 250-gallon tank which the propane company comes and fills; now we’re hooked up to that instead of going through the small tanks. We've made some other adjustments, too, because of the skirting and the inconvenience of having to tear it down to pull the rig to town to dump the black water tank. After our first big snow, which was followed by the sub-zero temps, the skirting became cemented to the ground, making those weekly trips to town impossible. So, we've rented a porta-pottie (actually, we have two--it was a rent one, get one free deal) and have them near the trailer, which is probably as white-trash as you can get, but it was either that, move to an RV park in town where we could hook up to a septic system, or play hide-and-seek in the sagebrush all winter. We no longer use the toilet in the trailer, but we do use the shower and sinks AND the washing machine. We can dump the gray water into a tank on our land, and we have a well now, so we can get water to fill the fresh water tank any time we need it (although we can’t stay hooked up to the water because the well is a LONG way from the trailer, located where we could not park the rig). We're getting along just fine. Yes, I wish I could use the indoor toilet, but this is a temporary situation; hitting the outhouse when it's minus-10 isn't as bad as we thought it would be, either. You just learn to cowboy-up. Oh--to cut down on the propane usage, we bought two small ceramic heaters, one for the bedroom and one for the living area. We run them as necessary, on low (900 watts) to keep from flipping the breakers, and that, along with keeping the furnace set on 55 when it's below 0 outside, keeps us warm, even hot. At night, we run only the little bedroom heater (furnace still set at 55), but sometimes we can't even run the that heater because it makes the room too hot. During the day, even when it's freezing, the sun heats the trailer so much that we can get by with just one or both ceramic heaters and no furnace. And it's true--keeping the shades down, both of them, keeps the trailer noticeably warmer. Are we having fun? YES! And when will the house be finished? Oh, maybe at the end of February . . . or March . . . Funny—I thought at my age that I’d be rocking on the porch of my Texas home, enjoying retirement. But here I am, in the middle of nowhere in Montana, teaching again, living in a 5th-wheeler, and doing what I swore I’d NEVER do again—build a house. Well, I’m not living in it yet—who knows? We might never move in—just sell it and travel. We love our 3585 and can’t wait to get it on the road.
 
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Old 12-04-2007, 05:34 PM   #2
Icehouse
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Hello Wayne & Carolyn. We'd like to introduce ourselves to you. Our screen name is Icehouse but officialy we are Bernie and Tammy. You are proving that full-timing in stupidly cold weather can be done! Good for you! We are getting ready to full-time in our new Monty in Northern Alberta and are looking forward to it. I loved the white trash comment - I'm originally from the South and yes, my neck is red! Too cute! It gave me visions. If you don't mind, we will probably PM you for more tips and funny stories. Enjoy living on the wild side!
Tammy
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Old 12-05-2007, 06:03 PM   #3
DONnANNIE
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Wayne and Carolyn thanks for your story of life in a freezer. It is nice to know that one CAN live in a Monty in the -0 weather in Montana, albeit with skirting, portable heaters etc.

You have done a fantastic job.
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Old 12-06-2007, 04:06 PM   #4
TexasTraveler
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Wayne and Carolyn, that is a great tale of survival up in that cold country. Appreciate all the tips - never know when that information might come in handy. We'll be standing by, waiting for the next installment.
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Old 12-07-2007, 03:44 AM   #5
Ramblin Roadrunners
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Wayne and Carolyn,
Rhonda and I have a SOB parked on 4 acres in the Fairplay, Colorado area at 9850 ft elevation. We keep it at 50 degrees all winter long and spend about 2 weekend a month in it. We do not keep the water system charged and dry camp in the winter. We also added a 280 gallon propane tank. It is much less in cost to fill it per gallon than 30lb or 100lb tanks. I am planning on taking a 100lb tank with me when I go full time. Not sure how that will work out. I have a well and store drinking water in 2 1/2 gallon plastic containers. I run 2 oil electric heaters at about 850 watts and the central heater doesn't come on much. I set the central at 68 during the day and 60 at night. We also have flannel sheets on the bed. My bedroom has a window in the head area that we cover with a blanket to keep the cold are off our heads.
I solved the toilet problem by taking out the factory installed head, capping the water line and setting a large Thieford porti potti over the toilet drain and screwing a couple small wood (1" x 2") blocks to the floor to keep the unit steady. It is easy to service the potti and you can dump them in a outhouse, dump station or a regular toilet. No mess no fuss!!!! The other thing you might try is to do the 3M film over the windows. I am so looking forward to double pane windows when we start full timing in 15 months. We are selling the home and I have added a large storage shed to store belongings that will be left behind. I hope these ideas help. I hope never to see a winter colder than 40 degrees again after 09.
Jay D. and Rhonda
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