Anything else we should do?

[Linemans2ndHome]

Prepping for the cold winter here in NY.

The skirting is on. We used Waterproof Marine Vinyl with a snap on system. We were able to have our sewer and water lines inside of the skirting under a slider.

The inside of the windows have been covered with shrink wrap plastic.

We have our regular expandable sewer line enclosed in fiberglass duct insulation.

Heated water hose.

Vent pillows in (still need to mount vent covers)

Dehumidifier on order. Meanwhile a couple of those air dry containers in the closet and bathroom.

Called a local Propane delivery service to see what they can do to set us up.

Brought in our electric oil radiator type heater for extra help so the furnace doesn't have to run nonstop.

So...what else? Do we need to put lights inside the skirting? In the basement? Should we keep any vents open even with a dehumidifier? Will the 12V light in the convenience center be sufficient for keep the valves from freezing? Should we find a way to insulate the sliders? Should we do anything extra for bedroom slider that is too tall to skirt? Anything else???

Thanks for any suggestions!!

[DonandBonnie]

We are far from experts on winter living in our rig. Be careful that your added heat sources don't prevent your propane furnace from operating. The propane furnace is necessary to put heat into your basement to prevent freezing.

[Bigboomer]

Looks like you have it covered. We did 3 winters in the Catskill with temps at times well below zero for extended times and we did pretty much what you did. Get a couple of small electric heaters and put them in the basement and set them to turn on should the temps get below freezing. Good air circulation is key so you may want to keep your cabinet doors cracked open to prevent mold from forming.

Good luck and stay warm!

[1retired06]

Block the vents by the stair steps. You pretty well have it covered short of going to Florida.

[Linemans2ndHome]

Will blocking the vents in the steps prevent heat getting into the belly? I noticed the water lines to the bedroom vanity run thru there.

[Bigboomer]

We block the vents in the summer so the cold air stays in the rig and keep open in winter to help the warm air circulate from the basement when we have the small heaters on.

[Mrs. CountryGuy]

We find that leaving one vent open (kitchen one is our choice) just about 1/2 to 1 inch will assist in letting moisture out to make a noticeable difference in the "inside rain". It is left open 24/7.

Run the vent nearest the shower during showers, to remove moisture as well.

[bullroc3]

I don't think blocking the vents is a good idea. If I remember correctly this was discussed at a seminar at the fall rally one time and those vents are an integral part of the airflow for the heating system. It is not a good storage location either.

[Linemans2ndHome]

May be a stilly question but we've only had the camper since June,....how do we access the basement to put electric heaters in there? Would 100 watt bulbs work just as good as aa heater? We want to get into there to put a thermometer so we can monitor the temps also.

[bncinwv]

The basement is the common term for the storage area passthrough on the rig.
Bingo

[Linemans2ndHome]

Ok, my bad. I'm talking about the enclosed area where the tanks and heat ducts pass thru.

[jcurtis934]

The back wall off the passthru gives you access to the belly of the beast. I think the small ceramic heaters with fan are much better choice for heat, but just my opinion. John

[Bigboomer]

That's what we use, small 1500 watt ceramic heaters with fans and they oscillate back and forth.

Make sure you keep your fresh water tank full as this helps to keep it from freezing and acts as an insulator for the floor as well.

You may want to invest in a 100 lb propane tank and a 6 foot hose connection as when it gets real cold you will burn thru a 30 lb tank in a couple of days.

[Linemans2ndHome]

Our fresh water tank is empty since we are hooked up by the hose, I wouldn't have given it a thought to fill it. I guess I'd have thought that would be one more thing to worry about freezing,??? Anybody recommend a ceramic heater that had a thermostat that goes low enough. If hate to run it at 60 degrees down there.

As far as keeping one of the vents open 1/2" or so...I bought pillows for them to keep the heat in. I take it just skip the pillow for one of them and don't worry about the heat loss in order to keep the fresh air flow.

Any thoughts as far as the awnings over the slides. I read somewhere to pillows under them to protrct them from the weight of the snow. Any thoughts on that?

[Virginia Young]

We left the pillows in the vents and vents closed. If you have a good dehumidifier, it will do the job. Too much cold comes thru those vents.

We used the small heater in the basement, set on low. If it got above freezing, we just turned it off. We didn't do anything extra to the slides. I also like the oil-filled, radiator-type, electric heaters. They really put out a lot of heat and are quiet. They take up more room, but I think are worth it. We used one of those.

I did use a large garbage bag, filled with straw, packed around the water connection. I then turned a Rubbermaid tub upside down over it. Another smaller garbage bag filled with straw, was packed in the convenience center to protect those connections. We didn't have a heated water hose, but I used pipe insulation (two layers) on the hose. Have since discovered that the large pool noodles work great.

Notice this is all in past-tense. We now just go to FL in the winter.

[JandC]

We only spent a couple of partial winters in central Illinois while full timing, but we did experience several weeks of temps between 0 and 30 degrees.

I think you have prepared very well. I used a ceramic heater in the basement and kept it on 55 or 60. It made me feel better about my pipes not freezing plus my bathroom floor was always nice and warm instead of ice cold to walk on.

When the temps stay between 0 and 20 I experienced problems with my black tank gate valve. I had a frozen gate valve on both my 3400RL and then the first year on my new 3725RL. What we started doing was using RV antifreeze when we flushed the toilet. We would dump the black about once a week but within that
week I would have dumped at least 3 gallons of pink stuff in there. The gate valve didn't seem to freeze when it had pink in the tank.

[tooth ferry]

West Marine. UL approved heaters approved for use in engine compartments. Built in thermostats.

[TLightning]

Check where the bottom corners of the slides meet the coach...sometimes there are gaps there...stuff a towel/rag in the gap.

[Keith Schweizer]

Do the slotted stair risers just allow the heat to enter the basement area or is this part of the return air system for the furnace?

[Wheelhouse]

Looks like the belly areas are taken care of here. Add this to your list of things to do. We use a electric blanket when its cold weather to help reduce the propane use. I use plastic wire staples to tack the blanket connection lead to the bed base frame under the bed overhang. Drape the control over the light fixture and plug into wall outlet. We have separate controls for each side, so we have to connect power on each side. Make sure you unplug the connections when retracting the slide so you don't rip you cords. This has served us well since 2008. I haven't heard of anyone else using electric blankets in the forum? Maybe I missed some postings. Oh yes, turn the blanket on before you go to bed to warm it up, lol.