Need some insight on full timing at RV parks

Thanks very much for all the advice. Some interesting information! Sounds like many of the park owners are open minded when it comes to being "creative" during the winter to make things work.

So far we have been fortunate enough to have a freeze proof spigot near the camper. Even when it gets in the minus, I have no problem getting the hose out and filling up the tank. Our basement is carpeted and has a furnace duct hose that runs through it to keep it from freezing. So it helps keep any leftover water in the hose from freezing as well. Our water doesn't usually freeze up until it gets down to the teens or lower. We had a freeze up once. But I figured out a simple way to stop that. Just turn on the shower. But turn off the showerhead to get a small drip. Since then we have never seen a freeze up, even in the single digits.

I am glad to know its possible to set up at one of the parks and keep things working.

We've been in all kinds of different Winter CGs. Many have a few heat-treated spaces for us full-timers.

Up in Winchester, VA, they put a insulated Plywood box over the tall spigot. Then they suggested putting a trouble light in the box to keep it warm. So the next Winter when we got caught in the worst Winter in 40 years, DH built a small plywood box and we never had problems with water and insulated our own water hose.

Dodge City, KS, they ran heat tape up the 2' spigot, wrapped with insulation and a standard WM grocery bag. Then we insulated a 33g garbage can and placed it over. Decided to buy a Pirit heated water hose - never had a problem with minus teens.

Indiana - this Winter, they shut off all the water to RV Sites, but had us move over to an empty Mobile Home site. They have a heater that has to be plugged in during the cold. Using the same Pirit heated hose, we've been doing fine.

We also hard-pipe the sewer with 4" PVC pipe. Learned that the first Winter, that it works better than a plastic flex sewer hose that tends to crack in the cold weather.

When I spent the winter in a RV park in Portland OR, their water fill box was underground by a few inches, with a green cover, and some fiberglass insulation in there.

I filled on the warmer days, and dump once a week or so. My fresh water tank is 100 gallons, so once every 2 weeks was plenty for me, even with daily showers.

I did need to leave my water heater on if it was above 32F. I would not leave it on constantly if I was at home, just enough to keep the water above about 50F, then shut it off again to save propane. It will loose heat faster when kept at 140F, as there is a huge air vent in the bottom, and out the top, so 20F air will enter quickly - warm to 130F, and leave the top rapidly when it is on and hot. When the water is 50F, the heat loss is much less per hour.

Electric heat is probably going to be cheaper than running propane. At $0.10 per KW, it takes about 22 KW to make 80,000 Btu's of heat, or $2.20. Running your furnace, it will take about 1 gallon of propane to make that same amount of heat. However at $2.65 per gallon - propane is more expensive right now. And a lot more difficult to refill the tank too!

I ran my refrigerator on electric, and for the most part used 3 electric heaters to warm the RV. One was near my water tank and pump, to keep it warm. If that area is kept around 60F, the fresh water tank will provide much warmer water to the water heater, and your shower will last longer.

When living in Southern California, my supply water was only 50F in the winter, so I would need to take very short showers or I started filling the fresh water tank with warm water. So if you can fill the fresh water tank with hot water from your heater, it will help a LOT to make it more comfortable.

Good luck,

Fred.

Hi,

There is a forum for full time RVing and a sticky about winter camping.

It covers a host of items that should be addressed for truly cold weather:

winter camping thread starting with fridge protection

If you are thinking KY, then you will be right in the "border line" area of where some parks stay open and some don't during the winter. As others have already stated, you are going to have to contact some parks directly to see how they work it in the winter.

I know of a park in central Illinois that keeps about 20 - 25 sites open will full hook-ups all winter long. You have to have a heated water hose but that is it, they take care of placing a upside down barrel over their frost free water outlet (with a heat lamp inside). They charge around $425 a month in the winter.

Each park is different. You'll have to contact the parks you're interested in and ask them directly.

If you are not going to move (that is RV) get a single or double wide. . . . :S

Try a warmer climate for the winter months.
Many of my RV friends spend 6mo here and 6mo there.

If you plan on doing this on a regular basis, buy a heated water line. If the campground doesn't already have it, use another short heat tape for the spigot. Light bulbs (in safe holders) inside your storage bays.

If the park is open year round, they usually have either freeze proof spigots or heat taped spigots. They will typically advise you to to fill the fresh tank and unhook the hose when the temps are below freezing though. If you have a particular park in mind, call and ask them how they handle it. We've stayed at parks in PA and VA in January at well below freezing temps, and that was their procedure. I'm sure Don (Pianotuna) sees much colder temps in his area though, so the procedures would likely be different than in KY.