Winter Camping in a View or Navion

[hhornig]

We will be traveling in December and January to and from San Diego and know we will hit some cold days. How is your experience with these MH's. Is the heater adequate? How fast do you go through propane? Are there any problems with the water systems. For the most part we will stay at full service campgrounds. Your input would be appreciated.

[hhornig]

Thanks for the input. Is the pump for the grey water protected from freezing?

[mlts22]

Full hookups make life a lot easier.

The heat pump is (JMHO) is OK, but a space heater like the mica one mentioned above or a Vornado heater would be a more efficient choice, especially in the lower to mid 30s. It will will supplement quite well and minimize use of propane.

As for the black and gray tanks, I'd recommend buying a bottle of RV antifreeze and dumping some in the black and gray tanks. This will cause the stuff in it to wind up as a slush. It isn't as good as 100% antifreeze, but it is a layer of protection.

[Dakzuki]

Plenty adequate. If we are plugged in we used a Delonghi mica space heater which is dead quiet. To conserve energy we made insulated window covers and a cover assembly that blocks the poorly insulated truck cab but still allows the used of the cab seats. If dry camping we use the furnace. Batteries need to be charged pretty much daily in that event. Gas doesn't seem to be a limiting factor.

[hhornig]

DownTheAvenue wrote:

hhornig wrote:
For the most part we will stay at full service campgrounds.

Good luck with that in January in Nebraska!

When we come back to Nebraska we will park it in a shed and leave the heat on until we can winterize it.

[Old_Crows]

The OP is coming out of the shakey side. I'd expect he'd be taking a tank of butane... And, guessing he would take the southern (I-10) route out of San Diego.

But, you are right about propane.

If it gets to - 44F anywhere near the Red River....I'm leaving! ??

EV2 wrote:

Old Crows wrote:

The LP consumers in order of highest use: generator, furnace, water heater, fridge, range. Minimal use of the genny and furnace extends your fuel supply.

Also, you should know the these are LP vapor devices. LP does not vaporize well below 30ish F. And, if you are going to be in freezing temps you should have your LP man shoot some alcohol into the tank to remove any water from the fuel.

It appears you are referencing butane, possibly sold in your climate, as it vaporizes at temps of about 30 degrees F. Up north, propane is sold which vaporizes at about 44 degrees below zero Fahrenheit. Therefore even with cooling caused by vaporization when being used a full propane lpg bottle will function well at temps well below zero.

[Gonzo42]

We camped in Yosemite and got snowed in. It all worked until the last night when a defective house battery failed. Its twin was OK, but running the generator and heater just didn't work so well. Just couldn't keep the house batteries fully charged due to the defective one.

Overall it was a good trip and we only left one day earlier. Left by way of Merced because all the other roads were closed.

[EV2]

Old Crows wrote:

The LP consumers in order of highest use: generator, furnace, water heater, fridge, range. Minimal use of the genny and furnace extends your fuel supply.

Also, you should know the these are LP vapor devices. LP does not vaporize well below 30ish F. And, if you are going to be in freezing temps you should have your LP man shoot some alcohol into the tank to remove any water from the fuel.

It appears you are referencing butane, possibly sold in your climate, as it vaporizes at temps of about 30 degrees F. Up north, propane is sold which vaporizes at about 44 degrees below zero Fahrenheit. Therefore even with cooling caused by vaporization when being used a full propane lpg bottle will function well at temps well below zero.

[DownTheAvenue]

hhornig wrote:
For the most part we will stay at full service campgrounds.

Good luck with that in January in Nebraska!

[Old_Crows]

We camped in temps just above or at freezing at night. Since you are planning on "full hookups," the HOT tip is to get an electric "cube" heater. The propane heater is very adequate and, for us, too hot and stuffy. It's fuel efficient but noisy. Put the cube up front and it will keep things just right.

http://www.damouth.org/RVStuff/PortHeat.shtml

If you need to quickly warm up in the AM, kick on the LP furnace for a few minutes.

The heat pump will also heat. Good to about 40F. Know that the heat pump & LP furnace are tied together. If the HP can't meet the the thermostat set point the LP will cut in to supplement...or take over heating until the HP can carry the load. Move the thermostat setting only a couple degrees at a time. It is also noisy. You can "hack" the HP/LP connection by leaving the LP gas "OFF"... If you have 110V shore power for the fridge and water heater.

Except for the water heater, the water closet and the system drains, the water lines are inside the coach so they should be OK as long as the coach interior is above a hard freeze. Water heater will be OK as long as you keep it hot. The waste and water tank should be OK if they are not full to the top (allows for any ice forming to expand and not break the tank.) If you are running in the 20s .. I'd get the waste tanks as empty as possible.


If you are going to leave it unattended for several day in sub freezing weather...I'd suggest learning how to drain and blow the lines... Or, open all the faucets and WH drain and pull the system drains in the water closet. Put RV anti-freeze in the drains.

The LP consumers in order of highest use: generator, furnace, water heater, fridge, range. Minimal use of the genny and furnace extends your fuel supply.

Also, you should know the these are LP vapor devices. LP does not vaporize well below 30ish F. And, if you are going to be in freezing temps you should have your LP man shoot some alcohol into the tank to remove any water from the fuel.

[DCS7]

We have found our 2014 Navion to be easy to warm up and keep warm. We also have the heat pump which draws on the electrical system when there is some warmth during the day. We went more than a 3 weeks on the propane in La and Tx in March.
We were winterized on our way down from Wi so the temps didn't get below freezing once we were in La. Our 2009 was a different story so a few model years may make a big difference.