Winter Camping in Cold

I owned a Nash 29V and heated it exclusively with electric space heaters. At 18 degrees, I had no frozen water problems. The heat loss through the floor seemed to keep the insulated belly warm enough to prevent freezing. The Nash units are very well insulated.

Hmmm. That is interesting. Did you have your water tank full, or were you connected to water line?
Did you put anything in your grey / black tanks to prevent freezing?

Hi,

Replace the return air grill with dual window fans. On my RV that move some air through the heating ducts.

Be sure to set up the fridge for cold weather. See the full time thread on winter camping.

Pianotuna is this a type of "hack" or will i be able to find equipment designed for this?

The dealer has said that by keeping the trailer warm with space heater, the ambient heat will be enough to keep tanks warm in underbelly. Being a newbie i just get nervous about damage.

You can use a computer power supply fan for this. Just mount it on a piece of thin plywood and put it behind your return air grill so that all the air has to go out the fan blades.

Things to really watch out for is the outside shower and depending on where your water pump and dump valves are. You can also get an electric pipe wrap and wrap it around sensitive areas. Better than a light bulb.

If you are really up for spending some cash, I have a buddy that installed a Wabasto air heater in his under belly.

He drove a truck for a long time and had an extra. There not cheap. But they can put out some heat. Just an Idea.

http://www.webasto.com

I've done my share of winter camping. BUT ... I'm always without running water. Water comes in several 6 gallon containers, cat-bath with water heated in a pan on the stove, and NOTHING down any drain or toilet. We have a port-a-potty. Dump it daily in the pit toilet (no chemicals), or use the pit toilet.

Although my current camper is suppose to have that "Artic Package", I believe that as much as cockroaches make good bed pets! I for one, don't want to risk frozen pipes or tanks.

About heat inside your camper. You may find the electric heater will not heat enough, especially with slides out. It's just too much space, and campers are sometimes just too exposed, with single pane windows and thin walls. If you find the space heater will not keep up, you'll need to use your propane heater.

We heat with propane, and supplement with the electric. We have 2 electric space heaters.

Another thing, take extra extension cord so you can plug in the space heaters at the campground power outlet box and not through your camper. Your camper may be able to handle 1 heater, but if you take a second, it might pop your camper breaker. (too much amp draw)... Just something to think about in the event you start popping breakers (either in the camper or at the power pole).... take some extra extension cord. It won't hurt to have it along as a precaution. I always carry a couple hundred feet of extension cord. Never know when it may come in handy.

One more thing, you need to leave a couple windows or ceiling vents cracked to allow air flow in and out of the camper. The cold air coming in needs to be heated, causing a higher demand on your gas or electric. WHY? you say??? If you don't keep your camper vented, you'll have condensation all over the camper in the morning. Windows will be wet and frozen, walls may be wet, blankets damp. It's just something that happens inside campers. By leaving a window or 2 cracked or a vent open, this allows ventilation to suck out the humidity that would otherwise condense on every surface you have.

Good luck and enjoy!

If you want to be able to monitor the underbelly just get one of those cheap indoor/outdoor thermometers and put the "outdoor" probe in the underbelly. That way you can see what's going on and turn on the furnace if needed.

These work well too. You can search for them on Amazon and eBay and find a deal on them.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/12-VDC-Self-Adhesive-Tank-Heating-Pad-with-Thermostat-NEW-/191534290394?hash=item2c985555da:g:rm4AAOSwZjJVAJB5

Hi,

I've used my RV at -37 c (-34 f). At those temperatures active heating of the tanks needs to be done.

Norcold does make a fridge kit for cold weather.

The fan works for me for the water systems.

rbadger28 wrote:
Pianotuna is this a type of "hack" or will i be able to find equipment designed for this?

The dealer has said that by keeping the trailer warm with space heater, the ambient heat will be enough to keep tanks warm in underbelly. Being a newbie i just get nervous about damage.