RVing year round

Regarding equipment to blow out water lines, this site explains it well

winterizing with compressed air

Fred

Cecilt wrote:
2 options I would do with #1 being the most practical, easiest, quickest and won't leave you wondering if you did a good winterization after each trip:

1) Winterize in October as you normally do. Bring water with you to wash dishes, brush teeth, drink, flush toilet. You can boil water on the stove if you want hot water to wash dishes. Don't need the HWH at all nor fresh water tank. Shower in the bathhouse if needed. All you need to do in this scenario after every trip is dump the tanks, add some RV antifreeze to the traps and toilet and park it.

2) Winterize in October. Future trips in winter use the camper as if it were summer. Re-winterize after each trip(blow out the lines would be the best, add Rv antifreeze to traps, etc). To me, this would be too much work for a weekend winter trip and I would not bother

What equipment is needed to blow out the lines?

2 options I would do with #1 being the most practical, easiest, quickest and won't leave you wondering if you did a good winterization after each trip:

1) Winterize in October as you normally do. Bring water with you to wash dishes, brush teeth, drink, flush toilet. You can boil water on the stove if you want hot water to wash dishes. Don't need the HWH at all nor fresh water tank. Shower in the bathhouse if needed. All you need to do in this scenario after every trip is dump the tanks, add some RV antifreeze to the traps and toilet and park it.

2) Winterize in October. Future trips in winter use the camper as if it were summer. Re-winterize after each trip(blow out the lines would be the best, add Rv antifreeze to traps, etc). To me, this would be too much work for a weekend winter trip and I would not bother

Whether or now to winterize will be dependent on just how low and how often you see storage temps below freezing. I've never winterized either our TT's or our MH's but our winter temps are mild with lows only going down to the mid-teens.

Typically a MH is much better insulated than a TT so the storage becomes simpler and the tanks are generally in an enclosed bay rather than out in the open as on a TT. The type of heat you have also makes a difference. For example, our MH's both have had hydronic heating so all I had to do was set the thermostat for 45, plug it into power and than just check it periodically. The water bay will have it's own heater and thermostat so that concern goes away. If you have the luxury of having the RV at the house it's even better. All you have to do is turn on the heat as necessary.

We use our MH periodically during the winter. On cold days I turn on the Hydro Hot engine preheat a couple of hours before departure just to make engine starting easier. Also the engine waste heat can be used to heat the coach while driving.....a big plus.

Good luck with your decision.

We travel mostly in the Winter to get away from the crowds here in Florida and to experience the National Parks without the crowds. The Grand Canyon in January is beautiful and you have the park mostly to yourself. We were one of six RV's in the entire RV park inside the Grand Canyon. The same goes for Yellowstone in November. We very seldom use our propane furnace alto it does do great to take the chill off in the morning. We keep our fresh water tank topped off and never hook up to RV services unless it is to dump our waste tanks and top off the fresh water again. If the weather is going to be below freezing, we place a 100 watt incandescent light in the wet bay which has kept things from freezing down to a little below zero. Our wet bay is covered with spray foam insulation and when closed, the light bulb does well to keep the temp above freezing.
We use our roof top heat pump and a portable heat pump to warm the coach, as well as an electric ceramic heater. In addition, we use a low voltage electric blanket at night. Neither my wife nor I have to have the coach at 80 degrees so keeping it at 65 is very comfortable for us and our mountain dog. My roof top heat pump usually quits working at around 30 degrees but our portable heat pump will work no matter what the outside temps are.
During the Winter, in snow country, most roads are kept clear altho after a heavy snowfall, it may take a day or two to clear off some of the secondary roads. We have never had trouble finding roads to drive on but I do carry snow chains that I have used to get in to and out of some RV parks that do not have snow removal equipment. There are some places in the mountain highways that require you to have snow chains for RV's and you can rent them at a lot of locations. For me it was easier to purchase them which gave me time to practice installing them in Florida before we got in to the snow. Now it takes me about 20 minutes to fit the chains.
I use pads under my leveling jacks to prevent them from sticking to the ground when temps get below freezing. I have no problem retracting the jacks but sometimes it can be a challenge to pull the pads out.
I have driven across I-80 in Wyoming during a blizzard and the only problem I had was that my windshield defrosters had a difficult time keeping the ice melted at the top of the glass. It would eventually melt and slide down the windshield but the roads stayed clear enough so that we had no problem.
Obviously the world does not come to a halt during the Winter. There are plenty of other motorists on the roads and about the same amount of trucks no matter what the weather is like. Not all RV parks are open in the Winter so it is a good idea to check to make sure that you will have a place to stay. If you do not mind Walmart, or a truck stop, there are always places to park. We have always been able to find an RV park somewhere that is open.
Winter travel is not for everyone. It takes a little extra effort on your part and it takes a willingness to want to explore some beautiful ares of the country during conditions that keeps most people inside. For us it is worth all of the hassles and thanks to satellite TV and the internet, we have never been caught in a storm where we would be stuck for more than a day.
We also have a curtain behind the front seats which we close to keep the front of the coach comfortable when driving in zero temps. This allows our dash heat to keep us comfortable.
To answer your last question, we always tow a Chevrolet HHR with our gas coach and have had no problems in the Winter in the Western mountains.

Dutch_12078 wrote:

gatorcq wrote:
I don't understand your question or you asking the question.
Year round is called Full Timing. Check out the forum section called Full Timing or perform a web search on "Full Timers Full Timers"

There's a big difference between fulltiming and the intermittent year round RV use the OP is asking about.

Not full timing (although I would like to be), just want to take trips during clod weather with a rig that is set up to handle it.

I do 'intermittent year round RV use'. In October I winterize, then I take water with me (in the form of either a case of bottled water or a half dozen Nalgenes in a cooler) to where I will be going (mostly campgrounds with electric hookups) and use the bath houses. I use the standard propane heat as well as a ceramic heater that I hook up to a separate 20A circuit at the power post. I also bring zero degree sleeping bags and a pee bottle in case they are needed.

gatorcq wrote:
I don't understand your question or you asking the question.
Year round is called Full Timing. Check out the forum section called Full Timing or perform a web search on "Full Timers Full Timers"

There's a big difference between fulltiming and the intermittent year round RV use the OP is asking about.

I don't understand your question or you asking the question.
Year round is called Full Timing. Check out the forum section called Full Timing or perform a web search on "Full Timers Full Timers"

Even with a motorized rig if you don't winterize between outings you will still need to prevent the potable water system from freezing and bursting of pipes. The coach doesn't need to be 72 degrees just warm enough to stay above 32.

When parked at a camp site keeping warm requires a bit of preplanning so you don't burn thru a tank of propane before it's time to head for home and there are tricks that help. Cover the windows with reflective foil backed insulation in particular the windshield. Using electric space heaters if on CG power will slow propane use but you may still need to run the propane it the tanks are heater with air. Keep the slides in to reduce the volume of air to heat and a closed slide might have a better seal to prevent drafts.

The key is the coach you choose. Double pane windows and electric heated tanks will go a long way to make an outing more enjoyable. Heat pumps are a good option but efficiency drops as the outside temps drop. Towing isn't any different summer or winter. It is the reverse of what you'll be used too concerning weight and effects. The coach is may times heavier than a tow car. If you have the budget a diesel rig with an AQUAL HOT system is the way to go.

One thing to keep in mind, a coach more or less has no undercoating to prevent rust from road salt exposure. You will to stay on top of any corrosion that pops up. Not difficult as long as you get it early.