High-altitude, no-hookup, winter RV heating
We own some property in Utah at a high elevation (8,200 ft) with no hookups whatsoever. We have a 15 foot StarCraft (RB15) parked up there right now. It gets very cold, and very snowy up there. We ...
Forum Discussion
Thanks for all your replies guys, this has been very, very helpful so far.
RE water/waste: We won't be using any water or RV toilet facilities. Totally drained and anti-freezed. We will pack-in drinking water and use an outhouse for bathroom facilities. No showers.
RE enclosing/insulating the carport: Too expensive and too late in the season. We can only bring up things that can be packed in or carried on a snowmobile. Maybe next year.
RE snow: There is at least 6 feet of distance from each side of the RV to the perimeter of the carport. We are hoping this means no snow will accumulate near the sides of the RV.
RE 10x10 building: Yes, this would probably be the best option starting from scratch. However we use this property for RV storage and don't want to have to build another structure.
I really like the idea of an indoor propane heater that has an exhaust out the roof. We have a few vents we might be able to use for that. Westend----do you have any photos of that setup?
So far I have decided to attach 2x100 watt solar panels to our single battery, along with a charge controller. The panels will be placed under the carport pointed south so that snow will not accumulate on the panels. I'm hoping that these will keep the batteries 'topped-up' while we are away.
I will also leave our Durastar 4000watt generator that we bought from Amazon for $225 (generator) there to charge up the batteries if/when it dies and also as a backup. The generator has been converted with a kit from USCARB to run on propane. As a backup-backup, I will keep a few of those personal heaters that run off 1lb disposable propane tanks.
I think the best, and simplest option is westend's option. A close second would be to replace the blown-air furnace with a simple propane-only heater, but it is too late in the season to do that.
Any other suggestions guys?
RE water/waste: We won't be using any water or RV toilet facilities. Totally drained and anti-freezed. We will pack-in drinking water and use an outhouse for bathroom facilities. No showers.
RE enclosing/insulating the carport: Too expensive and too late in the season. We can only bring up things that can be packed in or carried on a snowmobile. Maybe next year.
RE snow: There is at least 6 feet of distance from each side of the RV to the perimeter of the carport. We are hoping this means no snow will accumulate near the sides of the RV.
RE 10x10 building: Yes, this would probably be the best option starting from scratch. However we use this property for RV storage and don't want to have to build another structure.
I really like the idea of an indoor propane heater that has an exhaust out the roof. We have a few vents we might be able to use for that. Westend----do you have any photos of that setup?
So far I have decided to attach 2x100 watt solar panels to our single battery, along with a charge controller. The panels will be placed under the carport pointed south so that snow will not accumulate on the panels. I'm hoping that these will keep the batteries 'topped-up' while we are away.
I will also leave our Durastar 4000watt generator that we bought from Amazon for $225 (generator) there to charge up the batteries if/when it dies and also as a backup. The generator has been converted with a kit from USCARB to run on propane. As a backup-backup, I will keep a few of those personal heaters that run off 1lb disposable propane tanks.
I think the best, and simplest option is westend's option. A close second would be to replace the blown-air furnace with a simple propane-only heater, but it is too late in the season to do that.
Any other suggestions guys?
