How To Stay Warm In Your RV and Protect It In The Cold!
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 11 ก.ย. 2024
- RVing in the winter can have its challenges but you can heat your RV and protect it from the cold using these tips. Staying warm in your RV is key to having a good time but be sure to protect your RV from freezing and keep your water lines from bursting.
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An awesome tip is to get ahold of 100% wool blankets, a good quality Duvet cover and flannelette sheet, line the inside of the Duvet cover with one wool blanket and flannelette sheet. Fasten the wool blanket and flannelette all the way around! You’ll have the cosiest, “weighted” blanket ever and feel cozy and the blanket literally hugs your body. No pickiness whatsoever from the wool. Thanks for some really good tips, well done video!
Lived in an RV for 2.5 years in the northwest! I did many of these things but for condensation, I found producing extra heat with space heaters and leaving a quiet exhaust vent fan running on low worked very well. RV heater kicking on about five times a day in the coldest days put dry warm air around and really pushed out the moisture. No issues and this was a 36 foot quad bunk RV.
Cut plexi glass to fit into the inner window channel to create double pane windows. Put interlocking foam squares on the floor, then cover with throw rugs. Put foam board in the backs of all cupboards. You can spray some water on the window and put up 1 inch bubble wrap. It lets light in while giving you extra insulation. Tack a blanket over the door from the inside to keep our drafts.
Great idea! Thanks for sharing!
These are really good ideas.
Something tells me, you have frozen your balls off in an RV before??? I am also guessing you learned all of these ideas, one by one, out of desperation....
Great tips
zane sutherland there is a shrink wrap type of material that goes over a window ( or other things inside the building) put it in place with double face tape, then use a hair dryer on the film. It will make the plastic snug & really keeps out cold draughts. I used it on windows in an old house with original windows. I’ll try it on my RV.
This winter, I placed bubble wrap in the windows adding a layer of trapped air for insulatioin. It allowed enough light through to still enjoy the daylight. I also hung a plastic liner over the doorway creating a curtain effect to help reduce drafts. I hung a plastic lining between the cab of my coach and the living area which also reduced lost heat.Lastly, I disassembled the door framing and filled the gaps with foam insulation and reassembled the framing. All of theses tricks helped my stay cozy this past winter where we had temps in the low 30's.
If your going to be camping in cold weather, make sure u purchase a four seasons camper. They have double paned thermal windows. Make sure u have a good quality r value in insulation and your furnace puts out plenty of btu's. Many have heated floors as well and are fiber glass instead of aluminum. The artic wolf is a really good one. Thanks for the tips guys. Blessings to u and yours.
I wonder which brands or models thereof are 4-season. How much extra does it cost? They may not even be available in states like Florida.
Seriously Gail Fox? I should think that with your name you'd remember the most cold-worthy brand out there. It's called Arctic Fox. There are many brands that claim to be 4 seasons campers, so do your homework and find the ones that actually deliver on their claims.
@@stephenpowstinger733 A good quality 4 season unit will not likely be available as new in most southern states, especially in Florida. On the chat forums you'll see that folks from Georgia, Florida, the Carolinas, etc. have made huge road trips out to the west to buy winter-worthy units. You WILL pay more; how much more will depend on the brand you choose but you can easily expect to pay an additional 50% or more. Your best choice would be to find a used one somewhere nearer your region. Many people buy 4 season units and then discover after a couple years that they really didn't need it so they trade it for newer or lighter units. And you may discover the same thing after you buy one. You can get along for just a few days in freezing weather in almost any RV with a few additions/modifications, you really only need the 4 season units when you're going to be spending extended time in cold regions. I'm a full-time RVer who lives in the north. I do travel south these days for the majority of the winter but I also do a lot of winter camping since I have kids in Idaho and Ohio as well as one in Florida. So as you can imagine I see a lot of varying weather. The only brand I've owned is Arctic Fox so it's the only one I can personally attest to, but it does what it claims to.
Look into a Lance TT.
Sure thing, let me just go harvest my money tree! Most of us don't have this as an option at all but buy the best we can afford. Which is usually a leaky sieve type RV because we all know, manufacturers don't put any effort into sealing any air gaps.
Good advise the one thing I liked about having a heat tape on my water hose was I always had warm water to wash hands. You forgot to mention to silicone the slide and all door seals real well so they don't freeze and rip when putting slides back in or try to get doors open.
But in my opinion cold weather rving is for the birds. I'll gladly go to a motel. I have done it and I don't find it fun. I now have a motor home that has heated tanks and compartments but when it is -20 and wind 30 mph plus wind it is darn hard to heat a rig even with plugging in to power. Spent one night on the road to AZ, wind & blowing snow so hard, I pulled the slides back in, as the motor home shook worse than driving down the road. The furnace ran 45 minutes of every hour that night and it still didn't feel warm inside. Next time will make a strong pot of coffee drive all night to get farther south instead.
Normally, I only watch a video without reading comments. But this video has set my mind to ponder many topics as a fellow cold weather enthusiast! My wife would probably prefer skiing in Miami, like some of your followers. But snow skiing requires snow, so your advice, and invited suggestions and criticisms, were truly helpful. Thanks
Just this past February 2021, in the most southern part of Texas (Brownsville area), we endured a historic freeze event. Every night, I would close the slide to reduce the amount of square footage exposed to heat loss.
As a former HVAC Service Tech, I knew the importance of this. Granted, not all rigs can close their slides and still gain access to all of the necessary facilities. We could, so it was very beneficial in saving precious propane to stay warm.
Plus, years ago I purchased 2 14X14" foam rubber squares from my local hobby store to place into our 2 vent openings. I've never had a condensation issue.
We went Camping in a Tent Trailer to Yellowstone for Thanksgiving once. That was a real learning experience!
All water Froze solid, from the dish washing tub, the bottle of water in my bed, the Batteries in the Trailer and the Trucks! But we were never short on ice for food in the Snow! We had a blast
A must do is invest in Silk Long John's and Wool socks, and wool blankets, warm gloves, scarfs, jackets, Beanies, and UGGs!! Have fun!
I now have a huge Travel Trailer! Live for camping
Few points about moisture and mold.
1. Watch out about those cushions you stick up by your fan to keep the cold out. They do keep the cold out, but ... the area between them and the fan itself can get covered with mold because of lack of air circulation. And mold is really hard to clean out of that area, including the screen, the blades, etc. Leave it up there too long and who knows how far that mold could spread.
2. Also watch out for condensation everywhere else. Check your windows, a major source of cold entry/heat leak. Check the channels your sliding windows slide through -- they can collect a lot of water overnight and start to leak down walls. When that happens, some areas may dry out and some not. Example: That happened to me at my dinette windows, and some water leaked down between my wallpaper and seat cushion. Oops! Found a good crop of mold growing -- very scary! Check areas where liquid could hide frequently. After cleaning, I began to stuff 100% cotton washcloths in the runnels to catch any moisture before it could run away and hide.
3. Yes, do get a humidifier. Well worth the money. Also put extra dehumidifiers, like the kind with absorbing dessicant crystals, in cabinets you don't check too often and/or that are attached to the outside walls, rendering them a zone in-between your heated interior and cold exterior. That a prime place for moisture to condense unbeknownst to you. You can repack the dehumidifier containers with economy-size jugs of dessicant crystals.
4. Get a humidity checker. Or two. I have one by my bed so I can take a quick, frequent check on humidity. Ideal humidity to inhibit mold growth is 40% or less, but try to at least keep it below 50%. Closed off rooms, like bathrooms, can get much colder, so don't assume the warmest place(aka least humid as a general rule) or dryest is a full reflection of everywhere else. They are very cheap and the best insurance you can buy.
In short, the two main factors contributing to mold growth are humidity and lack of air circulation. Spend the money to prevent both. You'll be very sorry if you mess this up!
having problem #1 now; any idea on how to still use those pillows effectively but cut down on codensation?
How convenient that leaves fall before snow falls. Collect them in heavy duty plastic yard bags, and place the full bags around your RV as an insulating skirt.
+Roy Rustin never thought of that before
that is what I use as well
Put the rectangular straw bales all around the outside instead of skirting. They do that a lot up here in WA. And it keeps the wind out from under your RV.
R
@@williedaniels3882 The drawback with strawbales is that the attract mice. Otherwise a good idea.
I just moved from the coast in Oregon to the mountains. Big temp. difference! Prior to pulling on to the camping site I laid out a thick sheet of plastic, then put my wheel blocks on putting the plastic between underbelly and the ground. For skirting I will be using bales of grass hay and they will do double duty by me planting veggies in the bales. I'll be here through the summer working so I'll have time for harvesting my bales!
Enjoy the vids, thank you for the tips! 😊
Aloha
We just moved from the puyallup area of Washington into the mountains also. Definitely a change. Were parked permanent on my property. We installed a wood stove to help and it works tremendously! Can you message me with any tips you have uncovered?
A very reliable tip on keeping warm is to start up the pickup, hitch up and drive 500 miles south. (-:y
+Captain Obfuscation best piece of advice yet!
Captain Obfuscation There r actually people who use their r. In winter Canadian winter.
Captain Obfuscatio
Captain Obfuscation I used to till I got cancer can't travel alot no more.
and Guy Azbell for the win!!!
It gets to -55 f here in fargo n.d you pretty much have to set yourself on fire to keep warm in the winter
🔥🤣
Yikes only reason i dont miss North dakota
Soo funny
Hahahahahahah!!!
Seedling grow/heat mats put off about 70 F of heat and can be affixed to bottom of black/water tanks with velcro squares instead of heaters. I'm always paranoid heaters under a trailer (unless skirted) might catch debris on fire that could blow under a trailer. A large heating pad in the front storage bay will keep area above freezing if insulated. Pool noodle with hose and heat cable shoved through is thicker than the the pipe insulation at hardware stores and at the end of summer can be dirt cheap. If you can't find one with big enough hole, it can be sliced lengthwise and contact cement or duct tape used to seal up.
If you are hooked up to power etc leave a tap trickle at least overnight letting some warmer water through and keeping the water in your hose moving pulling some of the cold into your heated space.
Keep your tanks on the full side, the liquid is above zero and acts a mild heat sink, drain the tanks in one big rush, let it drip dry for a while then dry the cap end so it is not frozen when you go to do this again.
Yes to everyone mentioning straw bales, go big here if you can stacking them up the sides to the bottom of your windows and shovel snow over them packing it with your shovel to make a great seal and deterring mice. .
When my wife and I lived in a class A full time we threw cheap throw rugs on the floor as a carpet. We also bought larger electric heaters from Wal-Mart that were digital temperature controlled. They also had a feature to put the units on a eco mode. The eco mode made it possible to have up to 4 units going without tripping a breaker in a 50 amp coach. Buy a coach/trailer with a built in electric fireplace even if you live in the south. They are good enough to take out the chill in the cabin. For the windows we bought seat foam from a local craft/sewing store. Our windows had a three sided valance to them so we cut the foam to size of each window and shoved the foam up in the valance. With doing just these things, with snow on the ground we were able to maintain temps in the mid to upper 60`s in the coach without ever once using the furnace. Using propane on a snowed in class A was not really a option because the park as with most parks don`t have mobile trucks that can fill a rigs tanks were their parked. We went a whole winter in the mountains without using propane.
When I am looking at this I see 233 dislikes and 3 LIKES what is wrong with these people? What is not to like? I think you are great and really appreciate all you do and have learned a lot... Love you man mean it...
Charles Youngblood - It actually says “3.8k”. Which means almost 4 thousand likes. “K” is short for 1,000. I hope I helped. 🙂
When you start telling people use electric heat when they don't have electricity to run electric heaters 😉
Those dislikes are probably from the people who didnt do any of this and broke pipes lol. Just a guess for fun
Full time in cold climates is a challenge , we skirted our RV with plywood and insulated it then we took 2 1500 watt space heaters and placed one under each end of the RV, this accomplished keeping a heat source under the rv to keep the tanks from freezing and to keep the rv floor warm
Just having a warm floor in the RV is a huge improvement and sure cuts down on the amount of Propane that one goes through
We just installed the Cubic Mini Wood Burning Stove and love it.
I've heard of this! Great! It's something that I've considered for future upgrades
Is there any major concerns for fire hazard? Or is it insulated well enough to be a negligible risk? Those little stoves put out a lot of heat; and there's no doubt that they can provide sufficient space heat for an RV. 😋👍
I need to get one of those mini cube stoves ,where did You get it ?
I use my RV when I go hunting in the fall in the mountains -temps can get down to low 20’s high teens. We have horses so use the horse feed (alfalfa bales) for insulation around the RV. Works great.
Yes sir! Alfalfa bales around the ol' RV trick, eh? Yes sir, it will bring the elk and deer right up to your RV door. Tag out early. Short hunting trip, my guess. OH NO SIR Mr. Game Warden! Those alfalfa bales I planted are there to keep my RV warm. ; -)
I have been camping for decades and to all you You-tubers it is pretty easy to de-ice the doors and windows of your RV. Use Antifreeze The same as Airports Deice the Airplanes before they take off to stop Rime Icing. Get you a Pump up sprayer and Half and Half it and spray the doors access panels and any area needed to get snow and Ice from Sticking. If done right it will last a while. I have also done the Roof, Hitches etc Door Hinges and Rubber Grommets. Vaseline on door Weather Strips in extreme weather help in a good way. Get the non toxic Antifreeze and use it wisely and watch snow and Ice melt away. A simple wash Job Cleans everything up later. Truckers use this method also in Arctic Weather, Just let your Imagination, be your guide.
Pool noodles then an electric heat pad on the water valves. Cover that with a styrofoam cooler. $15.00.
Nice tips
We live in a 30amp class C. Added an outlet to the a/c circuit for a second ceramic heater to be able to operate.
Set ceramics to 5 degrees warmer than propane furnace and we’re toasty.
Hadn't thought of my gray and black tank dump valve pipe freezing... I'll have to look into that before I go up north ever. Heating and insulating those pipes with a thermostat to keep them just above freezing seems like an option.
>Not going to go ripping into the walls.
Well, I already had to do that so... :P Thankfully with every restoration project I get into on my camper, the walls become better insulated.
I've found that spray foam can be injected through a small hole, and is very good if you do have a section that is not insulated at all inside a wall and don't want to totally rip off the paneling and stick in foam board or such...
You can drill a small hole at the bottom, and a small hole at the top, and inject the foam into the bottom hole. It will fill up the wall cavity until it reaches the top hole, at which point you can stop.
Simply wipe up any foam that came out of the holes, and place a small piece of masking tape over them. This will prevent the foam from expanding out of the holes. After it hardens, remove the tape and patch up the aesthetics of it with some paint or such, or maybe cover it with a decorative item or sticker. It's a bit less than perfect of course, but if you have uninsulated wall space, spray foam is definitely your go-to for a quick fix I think.
+Four ZeroFour we used the spray foam in our hitch because when we would drive down the road the air was being forced up our fifth wheel hitch and trying to go out our roof. It was raising the roof of our rv in the corner. It has worked wonders and we no longer have the same issue
Four ZeroFour you can dump anti freeze in all the drains and toilets.
We found that around the wheel wells didn’t have insulation in our office trailer which has 3 inch walls and is fully insulated.
After the first winter, we took those areas apart and fully insulated them. We have an electric toilet incinerator. No kitchen, but I pre make food and have a few kitchen gadgets. We use bottled water and don’t fully bathe every day. We do go to a gym and shower or head home for provisions, laundry and cleanup. But I can tell ya 3 inch walls and fully insulated is awesome. Electric heat is what it uses. It has 2 heaters...2 larger ones and a small one near the nose. It’s much dryer than propane. We do have to plug into a large generator. Usually there is one. But our 3500 generator and 2200 cold technology will start in the cold and get us through. Sometimes we don’t have lights.
After trailer hauling ....
Have any of you heard of an in-line heater? It runs on diesel fuel. Quite a few of the large rigs will have them in their big trucks. So we decided to install one in our smaller 1 ton truck. It is amazing we tapped into our tidy tank in the back of the truck and it runs all night keeps you warm. We were thinking of installing this system in our office trailer pipe it in and Still have it draw from The tidy tank in the truck. It does not use much fuel. A person could just have the tidy tank sitting by the trailer and have it tied in if you were on a permanent spot. It requires a battery which she would probably have to charge back up it’s still an interesting concept.
It really puts out the heat.
I have actually used an electric blanket inside the wet bay. It worked well actually.
Heat tape might be OK but for my water lines I use the heat hose with the hot element built in. Comes on at 40F and is good to -20F. Spent 4 years in Iowa winters with no freeze up. The hoses are spendy but they work!
Except when the wire in the hose breaks...
What kind of hose was that?
@@JoseReyes-jq5pc I forget the brand name, Jose, but if you do a search on Amazon they have them.
YOU ARE A LIFE SAVER!!! You’re videos are very easy to follow and I’m so glad I found your channel!!!
I find it easier to just carry a water container inside, along with a portable toilet. You can buy a battery powered shower hose that you can sink in the hot water you prepare on the stove and turn on for use. Any waste water goes into the portable toilet and is dumped at gas stations or camping grounds. It's just too easy for a portable heater to go dead and then the area you THINK is being heated is not. In my opinion its just too easy for something to go wrong and, as a result, you'll be looking at expensive pipe and valve replacements.
BUT if you want all the conveniences you have during the summer...you have some good suggestions.
A dehumidifier is a must and remember when you use a vent fan you are actually drawing cold/moist air into your coach.
You can buy a vent pillow for your roof vents. They are cheap don't need to be fabricated and work well.
Back in the old days when my family lived in an RV, we used to use this plastic sheeting that once heated with a hair dryer would shrink and tighten to the window to keep cold and moisture out. It worked pretty well.
We ran a dehumidifier in the bunk room to alleviate some of the condensation that occurred and it also generated a good amount of radiant heat, double benefit.
That’s a great idea!
We made our own Skirt to go around Our 5th Wheel It is a rubber based material that is about 1/4" thick and folds up real easy . It holds the Heat in under the Trailer Really Well .
That’s great!
Can I ask what that rubber is called and where to get it? Cost/ft?
We have an older Class A and we put one of the bubble sun shades on the windshield. It is a great insulator. I bought a couple of the large ones and am going to make custom inserts for each window to reduce heat loss. Love your channel.
Great idea! And thanks!
We dilute our gray tank with rock salt when temps reach around zero or below for extended periods of time which prevents them from freezing.
Josh B wouldn’t that Erode some steel pipes
Salt only work to zero degrees
@@hapesethathi2742 The Pipes/tanks/valves in an RV are all plastic. No metal, so salt should be no problem as long as you flush it out of the tanks when you dump. Its a short term solution only.
Dan B makes sense, thank you
Would antifreeze work? (For the tanks AFTER the water is used!)
We have used Reflectix to create window insulation. Just cut to size and place it against the window & lower the shade. You can pop it out when it’s sunny. We’ve also used it to line the back of storage bins & closets that are on exterior walls. This helps with hot & cold environments. You can make a skirting out of it & plug in a heating pad, place a piece of foam insulation underneath the pad to keep your tanks from freezing(you probably need to have shore power for this).
All rv,s should be made for cold, cold weather! Including the floors!
The problem with that is the ones that are truly made for cold weather are not affordable to most RV people.
$$$$$$$$ No problem.. money money money. All RV's?? Even in South Texas? AND one big problem.. have fun moving them on icy windy winter roads and in the mountains.
Huh there are some very good ones made in Canada.
The European RVs are better insulated than anything made in the US!
Even winterized rv's can freeze up lines etc, it's much cheaper to buy a regular rv and spend a few bucks to do it yourself.
Respectfully, as an Edmontonian (Canadian) that spends 6 months in winter with average temps of -25 Celsius (-13 F), our coldest day this winter was -59 Celsius (-74 F), I find it comical when folks in the south talk about dealing with the cold but this is great advice. You can also contact an RV dealer up here for great tips on how to winterize, they've had some practice. Even better just RV somewhere warm or house swap and come here for some winter fun.
That is true, we certainly don’t deal with the same temps that you guys do up north. That is downright frigid! Brrr!
If you can imagine, some days it's so cold here that it burns. You don't dare cry about it because the tears would freeze your eyes shut, lol. Preparation, protection, insulation, heat exchange, and multiple heat sources, so you are prepared if back up is required, that's how you survive the cold. Snow is falling here right now as I write this (-2 C/ 29 F), welcome to spring in Edmonton, haha.
For both heat and cold, I use the blue 3/4" foam panels from lowes, cut and fitted into my windows to help with that heat exchange. Keeps the heat out in the summer, and the cold out in the winter.
Great tip
Great video ALL...I lived in a 31 ' Terry trailer in the Rocky MTs for 3 years from Yuma to Rexburg.You did a great Job on your video! Most of my time was Boondocking.350 watts of solar.,,Ive seen some folks add a fish tank heater to there fresh water tank when they had hook ups..Clearing the roof of snow I think is a good idear due to the wait but does add lots of insulation...I had 2 dogs and a partner...I bought a used Scandia wood stove.Loaded the base with sand and made a grate and the Coal burned awesome.I took out a roof vent,Added 2?3? wall insulated stove pipe and a nice cap.If you got a nice ,small coal stove with glass man that be the bomb!Good clean anthracite coal you wouldn't believe the burn time...Keep the flat mounted solar panels cleared of snow..Great job.Hope my tips was a help and God bless you and your family exploring this country in a RV,UNPLUG the cable TV and the world will shine on you all.73s
Wrap foil tape any place there is heat tape this helps spread the heat some more. If snow on the ground,use 5 gallon buckets and snow fort/skirt around camper. I was in mine -28 at night. It's like a sinking ship,lol. But bucketing in the bottom added like a 1' insulation made a huge differance. Also a rag to wipe moisture off door/window frames help👍
It seems so odd that RVs all come with residential fridge/freezer, huge armchairs, kitchen islands etc but not essentials like double glazing and proper insulation. Even a dehumidifier would be something to install to make them more all-season.
Its because rvs are usually built for camping not living, same reason a lot of the fixtures tend to be crap, the manufacturers dont count on heavy use
I use a electric mattress pad which keeps the bed toasty and then turn down the gas furnace at night. Makes for a great sleep without the noise of the fan turning on in the middle of the night
During the year I lived in a rented travel trailer in its owner's front yard on the outskirts of Springfield, TN, I recall that in the winter the landlady and her husband tried the hose heater and insulation around it but I still had to get up in the morning and make a tent with my bed blanket around the water supply hose in which to run an electric ceramic heater of the type shown in this video for 15 minutes to thaw the hose before I could have water to make coffee and breakfast. The sun of the day kept it thawed enough to shower in the evening.
+bobpeters61 that is some cold weather
I hope you got really cheap rent for that inconvenience...
One thing to be careful with is if your going to use electric space heaters is be careful not to overload your circuits and don't forget the your not getting as much power as you do in a house since most heaters pull 1,500 watts when run on high. Also if you use that heat tape outside on your waterline, keep in mind the water usually comes up in or near the power tree. And don't forget the most of those trees have a 120 volt outlet already in them. So when you wrap your hose with the electric heat tape, wrap it so the plug end is at the end near the tree so you can plug directly into that plug instead of putting that extra load on the power system of your rig. One more thing. Don't run the heaters on extension cords. Especially those lamp style extension cords because they will overheat. If you must use an extension cord, make sure it's heavy enough to carry the current. Usually an extension cord with at least 14-3 wire. Or you could make one using outdoor rated house wire, a weatherproof plug and an outlet installed in a weatherproof enclosure.
Yes, very true
I saw a tip somewhere about wrapping your hose in aluminum foil before putting it and the heat cord into the insulated sleeve. It helps to conduct the heat more around the hose.
+Dreaming of RVing that's a great tip
Dreaming of RVing our
I just read that as "wrapping your HOUSE in tinfoil"...
:)
We just run two 1500 watt space heaters. One is hooked into the RV plugs, and the other off a separate from the RV, dedicated extension cord. Those, and a really warm quilt. Of course traveling with a 14 hp generator supplies any and all power we need.
Thanks for the tips! We are planning to go full time Rv in a few months. I'm trying to learn all I can before taking the plunge lol
We use a Generator for the heaters (9750 starts and 76500 running) it lasts 11 hrs. We only use the propane for hot water. We have induction plates that run on electric for cooking
We use a electric double burner to cook with instead of propane stove. We bought a electric small toaster oven to bake with. We also use a small plug in electric heater in our 50 amp class A motor-coach until tonight when we’re dropping to 28 F and heater stopped working with no back up!
Been there....done that...15 below zero in Montana...2 furnaces / 2 electric heaters running full time...ice formed on inside window frames (even with dual pane windows) had to refill 20 gallon propane tank every 3 - 4 days....miserable couple weeks....it's AZ for us!
Yes on vents ...but also use the foam board insulation in your sink cabinet on the outside wall because less heat gets to these areas .
We found ourselves in 4 deg F for a few nights. Besides the tips you covered we had very cold drafts from the windows. Found aluminum foil bubble insulating wrap did the trick from Lowes. Easy to cut and put up over the windows.
+Norman Ridgley wow, that is some cold temps! Windows are where we feel the coldest drafts too.
Norman, I am considering an RV for year round living, so excuse my question if it is a bit "green", but do you apply the bubbin insulating wrap on the inside our outside of the windows?
Inside the window. Depending on your RV they can be cut using sissors to fiction fit in the window. If you don't have an RV yet, some manufactures have the option of double window glass. In the south where I am they are not very common, but the RV can be ordered with the double glass option.
Thanks so much!
Stoker wood stoves have a built in hot water option where you can run a hot water line to keep areas warm .A wood stove will save on propan and add aviance. Modles you can look at are Dickerson, Tiny Tot and Cubic Mini.
The skirt around your unit does work really well and we have a couple of 12v green house sealed tube heaters which keep the air underneath toasty remember to peg that skirt down . It works wonders
+Keith Newton the skirt definitely helps with the cold weather!
On our cottage in Canada in the prairies ( where it does get to -20 to-30 F regularly ) we have the closed in skirting all round the perimeter as the cottage sits up off the ground. We use 2 or 3 100 watt incandescent bulbs under there all winter in strategic places and have never had a freezing problem. Especially once the snow builds up all around the cottage and acts as an insulator also. I'm sure it would work for a trailer also
+John S wow that is some cold weather! Great info, thank you!
Wow, I feel cold just reading your comment! Brrrrrr.....
Year round campgrounds in Canada put you on metered power. With lot rental of $750-$1000, $300-$400 for propane, and another $300-$400 for power per month you might as well get an apartment or motel. Less headaches and much warmer. I've stayed in my 5th wheel all winter working, and never again. You are never warm when it's 25 below.
I love this guy talks clear. Thumbs up
This video really helped! Reiterated some correct things I was doing, as well as showed me solutions to problems I had not thought of yet. Thanks for sharing:)
Jared thanks for some more tips on keeping warm in an RV. Going South for the winter is also a great idea.
We put the 3M window film on the window we know we will not open. stops condensation and insulates while letting the light come in.
I live in a 32 ft long camper travails (one that was made to be used as temporary housing. And yes it’s aired out and safe lol no toxic fema stuff). I mainly just use heated blankets and a space heater that has a safety shut off that turns it off if it tips or is too close to something. I don’t have my water on during winter but instead use jugs of water and a dishpan for taking baths or washing my face etc etc in the sink to keep any water from getting in the pipes and freezing. I boil my water to take hot baths and have a bucket camping toilet with a normal toilet seat on it for peeing in instead of the normal toilet again so the pipes don’t freeze. I have my dog living with me and her crate has lots of blankets inside along with a dog bed as well as a blanket covering the entire outside of the crate so she stays plants warm because her body heat stays trapped inside. I also have my leopard gecko living with me but she has her own reptile heat mat heat source so she stays toasty. So far the space heater on low will keep inside temps at 70 degrees Fahrenheit when it’s 30 degrees outside. As for going number 2 and showering, I live behind my parents house since I’m only a 21 year old female community college student who chooses to do my work online, and so I put on a coat and warm boots to go into the house for the bathroom (if I’m using it for more than just peeing in my portable 5 gal camper toilet) and also shower inside and then come back out to my camper to brush my hair out etc etc. As for smell for the portable toilet, I use a variety of deodorizers from bleach tablets, scrubbing bubbles cleaning tablets and or Lysol deodorizers that hang on the side of the toilet as well as filling it halfway with water like a normal toilet to dilute it. I have all full sized amenities which make it easier, full sized fridge, normal (not camper) queen memory foam mattress, flat screen tv etc etc etc. I have been using the heating blankets lately on my bed like crazy. The super soft ones like Biddeford where you can’t feel the cords inside and are micro plush in texture are amazing! Really living in my camper doesn’t take much effort at all. I take hot soapy baths from my sink daily and only wash my hair weekly so the majority of the work is keeping my jugs of clean water filled up and making sure to dump the toilet and dishpan obviously. It’s basically an apartment to me and I love it!!
Once an RV is "winterized" just about everything is still usable except for the shower and the water taps. You can still use the toilets as long as you add RV anti-freeze at roughly 50% of your usage. Separate water containers, placed inside the RV, can supply fresh water and a portable toilet or liquid waste container can be used for grey water.
Best investment we ever made was replacing the roof top AC with the new Dometic NXT Blizzard Heat Pump. It works amazing, cools in the summer, heats in the winter, all electric, we use almost no propane at all during the entire winter (a single 40lb tank lasts us 6 months using our Precision Temp tankless water heater and the roof top heat pump in the Sierra Nevada Mountains at 8,000 foot elevation). When temperatures drop below freezing I have the wall thermostat set to occasionally kick on the propane furnace heat just to keep the plumbing under the floor from freezing since the heat pump heats through the ceiling vents.
Skirting around a trailer will also create an inviting space in the fall for critters. Something to keep an eye on.
Very true!
My son used foam board around my trailer, no insulation! And it did well for him
All good comments and ideas. A lot of people asking why anyone would RV in the cold though. Although there are alternatives we like to snow ski and it gets expensive having to pay for the skiing and the lodging all the time. So when we can find a place with full hookups we go that route sometimes.
So true! There are many reasons why someone would want to be in the colder regions. Thank you for sharing your why!
Easy way to deal with moisture is fill a nylon with cat litter and hang it in areas where moisture is the biggest problem. Very simple and cheap.
Reminds me of the early 2010 winter, we'd just bought a house in Scotland and were renovating it. We had a 17ft long Jayco, it had 3 inch thick icicles going from the window drains to the floor. My only power cable was powering it, so I had to use a portable generator with (all I had spare) a halogen heater to thaw out the holding tank valve to dump my load. Annoyingly a few years later I discovered the original septic tank for the house (about quarter the size of the current one) a sewer hose length away from where I had parked it then. During the coldest days the mains water supply to the house froze, we were glad the fresh water tank was filled the night before.
Now I have an A class and all of that is inside a heated basement compartment. I like those electric oil filled radiators, can even leave them on while driving down the road (on board generators are great). Electric blanket is good too. Heavy thick curtains, especially from floor to ceiling separating the cab from the habitation area. A dehumidifier works great too, also a large perspex sheet over the rear window cuts condensation down, although it's still there.
A solid fuel stove is supposed to be unbeatable when it comes to getting warm and dry, although probably better suited to full timers. I bet a generator exhaust heat exchanger would be a good idea, our generator will dry wet ground below the RV quite quickly.
Wow that was a cold winter. I can’t imagine having icicles that large on the trailer.
Esbit's Material Safety Data Sheet or SOLID FUEL states combustion can create formaldehyde, ammonia, nitrogen oxide, hydrogen cyanide and ingestion may cause nausea, vomiting, gastrointestinal disturbances, and kidney damage. When burned, the chemical oxidation of the fuel yields noxious fumes, requiring foods being cooked to be contained in a receptacle such as a pot or pan with a tight fitting lid. Burned tablets leave a sticky dark residue on the bottom of pots. If tablets are stored or used under damp conditions then they can break up while burning and shed burning fragments, although this claim is hard to verify or reproduce.
This Florida family is saving this video for when we get our R.V. into the cold North. Thanks for sharing!
Skirting is also very good and will reduce heat consumption by 80 percent or better
How to stay warm in an RV=
One word- Florida
True!
Sounds right!!!!
I bet that advice works winter and summer.
If you weren't lucky enough to have a faux fireplace come with your unit, try one of the mini FP/heaters that look like a Ben Franklin stove. The newer ones are amazing, electric and low energy usage. I also love that the top stays cool the entire time. Mine is made by Dura-Flame and has 3 blower/heat settings. It's only 23"x10"x25"high. I got mine at QVC for $140 2 years ago and they come in grey, white and colors to match your decor.
+Shelley Tsuji nice! Thanks for sharing!
Shelley do u know the exact name of urs?
We have learned to use extra pillows to stuff into the step-well of the doorway at night to help with the cold air around the door.
Great tips. Looks like you didn't mean to, but cracked me up with the condescension breathing comment
I have a class c with all enclosed and heated bays where the plumbing is. My rig burns through propane at a furious rate. I would say the number one area for heat loss is our windows. They are single pain. Great video.
RV Habit h
+RV Habit same for us also. The windows are by far the coldest areas in our fifth wheel.
Reflectex the silver bubble foil insulation is awesome! I use it on my screen door, vents, as a skirt and on some of the windows
We put a small marine diesel oil heater in our travel trailer. Used a outboard tank to hold the diesel and stuck it into the ladder . It gravity fed into the stove and we put cement board with diamond patterned stainless on the walls beside and behind it. Kept the trailer at 72 F even when caping at -20f for days on end….lovely even warm cozy heat.
Forgot to add this was done in two different travel trailers and neither of them were four season.
I love it when my hose is warm and frost free... lol.😝
I live in Québec in eastern Canada is pretty cold 🥶 RV’ing in winter is not possible to boondock full time without completely modifying the insulation! So it’s possible with splitting your energy to eat (gaz, electric) using floor heater and low power bulbs 💡 (40w) just to prevent freezing inside de cabinets where the water tank, pump and plumbing are. I insulate all as possible specially the outside wall under the cabinets! And using an electric eating wire! Take a special attention to insulate all outside lockers and door panels! Otherwise it’s needed to strip all inside to add a R19 rated styrofoam to have thicker outside wall! You will not do this with brand new trailer or buying a Canadian artic edition! Insulation also works for insulated from heat in hot temperatures! Good luck!
Very comfortable laid-back informative presentation! You would be fun to have as a camper neighbor! No drama, just good ideas!
I want to go to winter camping in a camper so badly in a nice cozy place where I could cross country ski and enjoy some beautiful snowy mountains, Or if there was no snow I could pull out the mountain bike and do that instead!
That sounds amazing!
I full time rv !! Thanks for sharing !! I also switched my rv to except 100 lbs propane tanks they don’t loose pressure and don’t have to change them often
I fought with various ideas for awhile until I finally came up with a system that works well for me. if its going to freeze I fill up 5 gallon water jugs, get a waterless shampo, waterless cat bath or baby wipes, turn off empty all my tanks, disconnect from water supply, pee in a cat litter bucket. Its just to complicated and bothersome to deal with 'running' water when you really dont need it. If its going to freeze for more than a day I make sure I have a bathroom someplace handy. boondocking in freezing for more than a week is a different challenge entirely though to be fair
biggest mistake I have seen people do is 1. not use the furnace that comes with the RV. The furnace is designed to also keep pipes inside the RV warm 2. the 'let the water drip' advice. that just ends up freezing in your sewage line. if you dont need the water just turn it off.
I've read that just using your propane heater adds moisture to the inside of the rig, although what the mechanism would be is a mystery since the flame exhausts to the outside. The electric space heaters would be the best. Good video!
Good observation, you are correct. I too don't see the heater as the issue, but the propane stove and oven would be a contributor to the moisture.
I have a 30 foot Newmar with 2 slide out rooms and I use just a Dyson AM09 Heat and cool fan to heat my motorhome here in Pennsylvania
Which gets super cold here and it’s awesome for my main heating source.. I too am a full time Rver you should check the Dyson AM09 heat and cool fan, sure their a bit pricey but well worth it..
+Jimmy Smith thanks for the suggestion, we will check it out!
How much power do they pull?
I have seen people use 4 inch pvc instead of using the flex hose for their black & gray sewer hose encased with a foam insulation. I thought it was an ingenious idea.
+David Smith that is a great idea! Thanks for sharing!
Just use schedule 80 instead of 20 it’s thicker
Lol I thought that was my idea???? I put my water hose in a pvc pipe insulated it with spray foam, and it works great with not allowing my supply water to freeze, However I still let my water drip in the kitchen sink at night so it Wil not freeze over,
I believe the best heat source and keeping moisture content to a minimum is to use dry heat source that comes from a wood stove. There are small wood stoves that fit into an RV. The Cubic wood stove or the Cube, Canadian made, is small but fits in any room. There are two sizes. There's also an expensive larger one made in U.S. called the Kimberly old stove. Both works well however, the only downside is if you are willing to do the work in drilling a hole into your RV to put a chimney stack; and for the Kimberly, drill a hole in the floor as well for air intake.
+Diana Ng dry heat is definitely better for keeping condensation down. Thanks for the info!
Kimberly Stove's are made of stainless steel 12" round great for small spaces
Diana Ng no biggy def getting one.
Curious what sources of heat produce wet or moist heat? I was of the belief that aside from open catalytic style gas heaters, most other forms are sealed combustion (RV furnaces, furnaces, electric heaters). Just curious where the dry heat associated with wood fueled sources comes from?
The cost of wood (or pellets) is close to LP gas now and esp if you buy smaller quantities, since you need to keep it DRY also! Your storage space in an RV is limited.
lol haha 9:32 "I'm not suggesting you stop breathing." now *that* was funny. I cant wait to see your curing condensation video in case you have one.
Hay bales around the perimeter of the camper wrapped in plastic work real well for me. I also fluffed up a few Bales underneath the camper to take up the dead air space.
Why not just put out a big flashing neon sign?
"Welcome rodents of all types! Crawl up into my rig and chew on my wires!"
I did a similar thing with roof heat wire and covered it in insulated aluminum tape around the hose. Unfortunately, it only lasted about three days The hose end adhesive melted trashing the project. seemed like a good idea at the time. Thanks for sharing...
Even though I am not an RVer I found this very useful!
We live full-time in our 2003, 33’ ft Monte Vista, 5th Wheel RV with four slides-out. To my knowledge the previous owners took this unit on the road about four times. It has been stationary now, for a little over 10 years. We moved into and made purchase, October 2016. We plan to move it soon, and will travel approximately 13 miles on interstate Highway, to private property, natural gas, city water, and a dedicated connection for RV 50/30 amps, with its own breaker box, with added surge protector. My questions are regarding concerns for the plumbing during travel, and what we must do to protect the existing pipes before, during and after travel. What concerns must we have regarding the plumbing in the floor space and wall space, as well as the gas and water lines dispersing water and gas throughout the “house”? In what areas we may not have thought of? Our RV little house has the floor plan of a front bedroom, no generator. Toilet water closet, separate lavatory, and a stand up shower, no tub. The shower is a molded fiberglass unit. No washer/dryer. No dishwasher. I do love my little house.
Presently we heat and cook with propane & electricity. The oven does not function; three burners on top do function. We have a microwave/convection oven for baking. The Residential Refrigerator is electric only. We will be on septic tank, as we are now.
We replaced the power inverter 2017. We have replaced the hot water heater 2018. We replaced the Nordic Refrigerator with a 10 cu ft residential sized refrigerator (nothing fancy) April 2018. This summer one of the two 15,000 BTU A/C units was replaced. May 2017, we had the roof resealed, with replacement of three roof vents. We are in southeast Texas. We must remain with the optional ability and means to bug out from the unpredictable hurricanes that tend to pop up in the Gulf of Mexico, with as little as three days notice of uncertainty of possible evacuation notice, to 48 hours notice of voluntary evacuation, to 36 hours of mandatory evacuation notice. Thanking the LORD, we have not had to evacuate- RV and all - yet.
Thank you for sharing the winter tips. We experienced power and heat outage winter 2017: the inverter that came with the RV needed replacing, as well as the deep cycle marine battery. No power. No heat. No water, and the water froze in the water hose outside, in the kitchen faucet. The water in the hot water heater froze, which killed its function and hence, needed to be replaced.
We do appreciate the time you put into making the video and posting it here. This is our first time visiting your channel and we look forward to more videos.
At some point. I would like to have the carpet in the living dining area removed and replace it with vinyl wood like flooring. Are there good videos on the subject of how to go about this? Would it be best to have it done at an RV. Service Center?
Thank you again. Stay safe out there and God bless you and your family.
Using the shower in cold weather: instead of using the exhaust fan and drawing all of your RV heat out, crack the vent halfway open and run a electric space heater in the bathroom. The convection created will exhaust all the moisture without drawing too much of your RV heat with it. In addition, the convection created by the space heater will draw the shower curtain away from you and give you a little more room in the shower. I have a Class C RV and use reflectix in the windows where needed including the driver and passenger window. They are quick to install and store compactly
You could attempt to install a vent cover with no airflow to increase pressure in the bunkhouse, I think the make covers that are solid
I'm just going to wait till spring on the water...WE do use the heat. Good tips thanks.
Also ...you want a generator.
But when you use skirting vent your furnace exhaust so it goes underneath and behind the skirting adding advantage.
Yes, we have a generator on board our fifth wheel
Carbon monoxide (exhaust from furnace) under the trailer? Not worth the risk...
Don't forget 4 '' ,foam rubber plugs for the roof vents.And they sell a foil,bubble wrap for the windows.Works well.
If you have slide outs look under them up along wall. There is a big apace where wind and cold gets in. Its easy tp fill it with that pink insulation or basically anything. But remember to remove it when you pull slides in! These days they sell door fabric curtains that are like puffy coats. Zip down middle so you can go through and velcro stick to above door. I been going nuts cause im leaving Florida to move to wyoming here, end of october..only thing i dont have is a r.v. skirt. So pricy. Many camp sites dont let you "look tacky" while staying. That will be my other issue..where to stay maybe through winter
This was full of info for the wintertime living in a RV; VERY HELPFUL!! Thanks---😃🙃👣