2012 keystone energy for winter use?

[bjd68]

So I have a 2012 Keystone energy LFS and I want to use it this year for a few trips when I go snowmobiling!
So Far I was thinking of putting the ultra heat pads on fresh water tank and then for the grey and black I was going to just dump some rv antifreeze every so often!
Now is it neccesary to enclosed the underbelly with some insulation or will the heat pads keep the fresh water warm enough? Coldest temps Ill be seeing is probably -15 C

Also is there anything else I have to worry about?

If anybody else has done this before please let me know what u did to make it all winter proof! Thanks!

[Steve S]

If you have the Polar Package you're good to go!

[bjd68]

no polar package on this unit!

[bjd68]

Thanks for the welcome too!

[Festus2]

I assume that you will be taking a generator along with you to supply electricity to the heating pads which will be fastened to the FW tank. When you are away from your unit snowmobiling, what plans do you have to keep the interior warm and all of the interior water lines from freezing? Be very careful with portable space heaters! Give careful thought to having them running for extended periods of time while you are off in the bush.

Another option is to pack water in potable containers and just winterize your RV as you would normally do. This way, you do not have to worry about your FW tank, heating it, and frozen water lines.

When the furnace is running you will get a very small amount of heat into the underbelly via the 2" duct but with those temperatures, your holding tanks will soon freeze. Pouring RV antifreeze into them is a good idea and just might keep them from freezing. Adding more insulation would also help.

Your HW tank is another issue. I would drain it before leaving and use the stove to heat your water.

Remember, these units are for 3 season use here in BC. They are not designed or built to keep you "warm and cozy" in the winter - especially if you are going snowmobiling into the Interior.

[Steve S]

You can buy 12 volt heating pads that are tested down to -20 that can be switched to 120 when you're plugged in, $225.00 in Abby.
They also sell a 12 volt heated recirculating pump to stop freezing but it still leaves you with no hot water unless you just leave your tank on propane which doesn't use much LP anyways.
WIND is going to be your killer as these trailers have thin walls with very little insulation in them!

[bjd68]

Thanks for the replies, I do have a on board generator already, And yes I plan on buying the heated pads that have 12 vdc and 120 vac so the tank pads will always be on!

Also I plan on just leaving the hot water tank on as it burns little gas and also plan to leave the furnace on as well, The longest trips I do when snowmobiling is just 2 nights so if I burn through two tanks of propane so be it!

As of right now the underbelly is wide open so Im trying to figure out what is the best way to insulate and seal it any thoughts?

[Festus2]

If you do a search and look for a thread by geo, one of our members who posted an excellent article here a while back on insulating the underbelly. I'd suggest you look for that thread - lots of good stuff there about insulating the underbelly. You might try using that as a search title or look up "Find all threads/posts by geo.

[JRTJH]

Pay particular attention to insulating all your "interior plumbing" that sits near the floor and near any sidewalls. Many of us have had issues with "cold creep" behind the hot water heater, in unheated cupboards and with plumbing runs to outdoor showers, low point drains and especially with city water hookups/fill ports.

Keep in mind that single pane windows are "cold soak" areas where there's virtually no insulation. They have the potential to either make or break a really frigid camping trip.

As stated, look for Geo's posts about his experiences with insulating/winter-proofing his RV. He probably has more experience in the "underbelly" than anyone else on the forum.

[bjd68]

Thanks guys I will try and find his posts!

[bjd68]

Have been reading lots of good posts from geo, awesome detail and gave a good step by step way of doing it all!

[bjd68]

Can anybody tell me the best way to wire up the 12 vdc ultraheat pads! I dont have a clue how I would hook into the distribution panel, besides it looks like its right full anyway.

I was just going to run two new wires from battery to the switch then to the heat pads and just have a in line fuse! Unless theres a better way of doing it?