Forum Discussion
Rick_Jay
Jul 25, 2019Explorer II
Debbiepowers wrote:
I am going to live in my 2005 gulfstream (gutted and rebuilt with non-VCO materials) and I need to be able to run my ac/heat, appliances year round and use whatever electronic devices I want.
Your profile says you're in Rhode Island. Is it your intention to spend the winter in Rhode Island (or the Northeast) with this rig? If you're staying at campgrounds, you'll have a hard time finding many open year-round here in New England. If you are planning on staying up north, you will have problems IF and WHEN the temps drop down through the teens and into the single digits and possibly below. You can't have too much insulation on your rig. If you have the opportunity to better insulate it at this stage, do so. Seal up all of the holes and add extra insulation wherever possible. You will need it. If you'll be in one spot for a long period of time, consider hay bales around the outside to minimize drafts under the rig.
If you're going to use the propane heater, you will use A LOT of propane on those cold nights (plan on a 20 lb. cylinder per day). If you're going to try to heat solely with electric heaters, again, you are going to need A LOT of electricity. You can only put one 1500W heater per 15A or 20A breaker branch circuit or else you'll trip the breaker. Since you talk about "one end" of the rig, I'm assuming this thing is about 30' long or so? In the coldest weather, you'll need atleast 3 or 4 1500 watt heaters running to keep the entire rig livable, let alone warm. Get quality heaters that have several settings (i.e. 600W/900W/1500W) so you can tailor the heat output to the outside temps. PLUS you'll need several 200 Watt smaller "personal" heaters down in the water bay, holding tank area, plumbing areas to keep them from freezing up. Will you have a source of water throughout this period?
In other words, when you're done running those heaters, you may have some additional juice left on a 50A service. BUT, you have to preplan and run the proper wires for the outlets where the heaters will be located. Normal RV outlets are generally not the best for sustained high-current load appliances as they use relatively cheap components. If you're down to the walls, then replace it all with quality stuff.
Does your rig have dual-pane windows? If single pane, expect even more problems with condensation and heatloss.
On the other hand, if you're driving the rig down to Florida in the winter....forget everything I said above! :-)
Oh, one other thing, you mentioned turning it into a mobile sound studio? Are you going to be recording acoustical sounds (guitar & voice) as well as electronic sounds? If so, be advised that the acoustical insulation of most RVs isn't all that good either, so IF you're located near others, outside noises will perpetually be trying to find their way into your mix.
Good Luck,
~Rick
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