Hi,
Yes a travel trailer would be a lot less expensive, but you would also then require a truck to move it, or hire a tow truck when it needs to be moved, or rent u-haul, ect.
Most motorhomes have the same sort of heating system. Basically a single 35,000 - 40,000 Btu furnace, or some 38' range gas motorhomes might have a pair of 20,000 Btu furnaces. They are fairly easy to heat in normal camping conditions. Heating at -5 outside is another story altogether.
You will want something with a basement, so that your tanks will not freeze, so look for 1990 and later. There will be one furnace vent into the basement area, and be aware that if you are using 2-3 electric heaters, it is the furnace running for 10 minutes per hour that keeps the basement tanks from freezing. If you have electric hookups, then 2-3 each 1,500 watt heaters will get the job done.
I lived in Portland OR for one winter, where typical temps never go much below about 26F and are warmer in the day, so not much worry about freezing. I filled my 100 gallon fresh tank, then put the hoses away, until another warm day when I could dump both tanks and put away while it was above 35F outside.
I have a 30 amp service, and would run 2 heaters on low heat inside, and then plugged in a #12 extension cord through a basement opening (factory installed vent) to the power post. Then plugged in a very quiet 1500 watt heater that was my primary heat in the bedroom or bathroom at night. The rest I did not heat at night.
So I rarely used my furnace, I did not want to make a trip to fill the onboard tank. I have a Extend-a-stay, so I can connect my 5 gallon portable tank if desired, but mainly I used the $0.10 electric, it is less expensive than the $3 propane.
You can compare propane and electric prices, 22 KW of electric will produce the same amount of heat as burning about 1 gallon of propane in the furnace. Just easier to refill on electric than propane.
Yes you should be starting the RV every month or so. Either disconnect the engine battery at the terminal, or run a charger on it. The coach battery needs to be connected, it will stay charged by the converter. No coach battery can lead to problems with voltage regulation, burnt out bulbs and problems with the refrigerator circuit boards.
You might want some sort of wrap around the base of the RV, so that cold air will not sweep under it. Once you have a foot of snow, you can just pile some up around the basement doors, and no air will blow under the RV, taking away a lot of heat. I also had 75' X 4' Reflex insulation (two sides of aluminum bubble wrap) to put covers over all my windows, mainly to keep out the light, but also hold in the heat and keep out air drafts.
I have dual pane windows in the Bounder. Pace Arrow and Southwind also have them. Single pane windows can build up ice on the inside, and lose a LOT of heat. Keep the windshield dry, or you can see a lot of water collect there, possible damage.
I also have a Olympic Catalytic Heater for use while dry camping. Because you need to let in fresh air, and leave the roof vent open, it is not practical to use for heating while in a RV park, you would be letting in a lot of outside air. But it can make for back up heating.
Fred.
