new to winter camping...please help

[onthewater66]

i have 2003 sprinter 377bhs in which i want to stay in during the cold new england winter ...i am pretty much a newby to this and any suggestions would be great??? i heard of hay bales and special electrical blankets for the waste tanks...but i an not sure of where to put what and what to do....any suggestion on how to keep the water intake hose from freezing...any suggestion on how to insulate anything that might need to be insulated?? anyone stay in there campers in the winter??? thanks guys...it will be getting cold soon and i need to get on this asap

[SteveC7010]

The walls and ceilings of these TT's are only about R-9 so the deck is partially stacked against you from the start.

But here goes:

1. 100% insulated skirting around the trailer to block all wind is a must. You will want to heat the entire underside. Tank heaters won't be enough. Heating the enclosed belly pan if you have the Polar package is not enough. You need to protect all the plumbing. It doesn't have to be room temperature, but certainly keep the underside above 40 or warmer. And you have to deal with heat loss through the floor.

1A. Hay bales are DANGEROUS!!!! They are an extreme fire hazard. Because they'd be outdoors, they can get damp. Damp hay bales can spontaneously combust. DON'T DO IT.

2. Your onboard furnace will not be enough. You will want additional heaters. Electric is probably safest. I really like the little oil-filled radiator style heaters for safety and output.

3. Your water line needs to be heated continuously with heat tape which is readily available at any Home Depot, etc.

4. Your electrical consumption is starting to add up beyond the trailer's rated capacity so you will need probably 75 to 100 amps available. Run separate lines on separate breakers to the trailer for the added heaters.

5. Your windows and vents are all single layers. You'll want to beef them up. Maybe the 3M plastic window film kits will do. Ceiling/roof vents can be filled with cut sheets of foam insulation.

6. Your entry door(s) are not particularly weather tight against old man winter. Some folks build an entry outside the trailer, kind of like a mud room. Doesn't need to be fastened to the trailer, but pressed up tight with something to act as a gasket.

7. Humidity buildup in cool weather, let alone cold weather, is always a problem in TT's. In the fall and spring, you can keep some vents and windows open and that will pretty well control humidity issues. But winter is different. It is a lot colder and you won't want to be wasting energy by blowing it out open windows. One or more room dehumidifiers would probably be necessary. (There's that pesky increased electrical consumption again.)

8. Your hot water heater may not be very effective in winter. If you run it on propane, be double certain that it is well vented. Same for the onboard furnace.

I've touched only some of the issues you are up against. Do some internet searching on the topic as well. There is a wealth of information out there about this.

[hankaye]

onthewater66, Howdy

Based on my experiences over the past 2 winters here in Central Utah (we get down to the -30's and -40's), temps go out the bottom of the thermometer in Dec. and don't creep back to above +10 sometime in late Feb.

Here's a few thing I did to help me and Rascal (my dog), keep from having iceicles from hangin' offin' our noses.

* Skirt with plywood, OSB or some of those foam boards (thicker ='s more R-value). I used 2"X2" lumber cut in 12" or shorter lengths to act as cleats to secure the boards to the bottom of the trailer. If you use ply or OSB then paint it to help resist the moisture from the ground. Just rip the 4'X8' sheets into 2'X8' pieces (at the box stores they'll cut it for you). DO NOT try to cut the bottoms to fit the contour of the soil. Dig a trench to rest the bottom in. Buy an extra sheet of ply/OSB to cut into small pieces 4"X8" to use to hold each of the pieces to the one next to it. I started at a back corner and worked to the front on each side. One piece each across the front and back. You may have to scratch your head here and there but you can do it.
Be sure to leave room for the sewer drain line an make an access for the valve "T" handles.

* Sewer line... I used a Hard Black PVC line for mine Valterra (google), has an assortment and if your local dealer dosen't have what ya need I sure they'll order what ya need. Also get a Fernco slip coupling. You'll need to cut the pipe into 2 pieces so you can attach it to the hol-in-the-ground. Dosen't work to well without the coupling.

* Waterline... ask where you are if they heat the water riser. If not get a heattape 5' longer then your hose length. run it around the riser,valve, and such. Here the park dosen't heat the riser BUT they supply a large 18" dia. length of PVC pipe and pack the interior with pink insulation batting. Keep it loose or the insulation dosen't "work" as well. You can either buy the foam tube insulation and cut a hole in the bottom of the 18" PVC for the water hose with insulation to fit thru.

*SteveC7010 was right about the hay bails they attract bugs an mice an rats and other such unwanted critters. The spontanious combustion thing happens when they are stacked tightly in fields or barns. Truly spectatular balzes !!!

*I never had to use extra additional heaters. My electric rat here is
0.16 k/hr. Had on bill for $165.00 WHY do I want to burn MORE???
The heater that came with my old (1995), TT did the job. I also talked to one of my local Propane dealers and had a 125 gal tank installed outside (helps prevent cold toeitus in the middle of the night), one of my 30 lbers' was also hooked into the system, sort of a back up if necessary. Never had to dip into the reserve. Had it filled each month. Cheaper when you buy greater amounts.

*Snow on the roof was a blessing (extra insulation), I would also heap it up around the skirting to help keep out any drafts and again ... better insulation.

*If you'are in a RV Park/Resort/Camp ...whatever, ask some of your neighbors for some hints as to how they go about it.
If not PM me or ask some more questions here...

Hope this helps some .....

hankaye