Year Round Living

[Catmandude]

Am wondering if anyone lives in a motor home year round? I may have no choice but concerned about the winter, where it gets well below freezing for months. My major concern is how well insulated say a newer or older Class A coach is to prevent water/plumbing lines from freezing. Or is there fixes/hacks for that too?

[Jebby14]

with enough time and money anything is possible (albeit not practical). I wish you the best but I am of the opinion that an apartment would be the way to go given the posted information.

[Catmandude]

That's some really good intel bud, thanks. If I knew the plumbing layout of where anything that can freeze will, and it's location which would be nice to know if it is different on motorhomes vs. pulled ones...then it would be easier to decide what to purchase and modify. I know it can be done because people are successfully living off the grid in "camper"s in Alaskan temps.

[bikendan]

I guess I don't get why the OP wants a MH, if he wants to just park it in one spot, for an extended time. Especially for the winter.

[Searching_Ut]

My son in law has been working the oil fields of Wyoming and North Dakota for about 6 years now living out of a fifth wheel supposedly designed for 4 seasons. If there were any other good options he'd take that as RV's really don't do well in temperature extremes. When we set him up in North Dakota, the rig was fully skirted, with the very short dump hose inside the skirting and the sewer opening underneath the trailer in the enclosed area. Tanks were heated and the heat from dumping warmish fluids kept things from freezing up there most of the time.

Heated hose for fresh water, which was only turned on occasionally to fill the tanks.

500 gallon rented propane tank, that had to be filled a couple times during the winter. Furnace kept rig livable, but to someone working outside all day in frigid weather anything above freezing seems warm.

Refrigerator required a heater behind it to work when it got really cold, along with some wintertime mods to the vent system.

Trailer froze up completely a couple times when the furnace failed for various reasons. Takes forever to get thawed back out, and you have to repair plumbing issues along the line when things thaw out enough you figure out what broke.

The guys up there in motorhomes seemed to have a lot more issues than the folks living in towable rigs, so I would recommend a trailer or fifth wheel if possible. Unless you're someplace like the oil fields where there just aren't apartments or houses to rent, I really recommend finding one of those as they tend to be cheaper, and more comfortable overall to live in due to the extremely high costs of heating an RV in really cold climates.

[2012Coleman]

Grit dog wrote:
^ So this guy just gave you the real scoop. (Without berating you like some have).
The other question is your health. You spoke of not being able to travel. Keeping a RV from freezing up in 0 deg weather is a solid part time job That requires physical ability.

He didn't mention condensation issues - but gee that sounded like a nightmare, not to mention a fire hazard - Christmas lights and hay bales? Not trying to berate the OP by any means.

Good luck - post back what you decide to do!

[2oldman]

valhalla360 wrote:
If driving south for the winter is too much for your health, 6 months in freezing temps is likely going to be far worse for you health.

x2.

[Grit_dog]

^ So this guy just gave you the real scoop. (Without berating you like some have).
The other question is your health. You spoke of not being able to travel. Keeping a RV from freezing up in 0 deg weather is a solid part time job That requires physical ability.

[abom2]

Catman,

I do the whole "WorkAmping" thing. (Work/Camping). Have been doing this for ten years now. Did a stint in Tioga, ND and Chicago, IL during the winters.

I have learned a few tricks that help. I too served 15 yrs active. (I was "Right-sized")

Water supply- Pex tubing with pipe heaters wrapped around it, then 1" thick insulation around that. Keep water in the line! Ensure heat elements have a functional thermostat.

Bury the water line as much as possible- If this is allowed where you are at.

PVC piped the waste piping to the Septic.

I hung C33 christmas light strings under the trailer- then I slid bails of straw/hay under the 5th wheel around the whole perimeter. I used 6" PVC pipe through the bales to get access to my dump valves. Wrapped coat hangers around waste gate valve handles to use as extensions. 3' long 2" dowel rod to push handle back to closed position.

3/4" rigid foam skirted the trailer on the outside. The bales, rigid foam insulation, and the lights kept the ground from freezing under the RV. Lowest temperature seen in ND was -35. Had several days in a row of -20. All Fahrenheit readings.

2" rigid foam insulation around all of the slide outs.

I had the propane company bring out and hook up a 220 gallon tank to my RV. I used an average of 124 gallons every two and half weeks from Nov. to March. (ND)

Inside of RV never above 65 degrees except when cooking- Thermostat set for 80 degrees.

Open all cabinet doors to prevent ice from forming in cabinets. Dehumidifier is needed also.

If possible get a Mud Room Added in front of entry door. This helps alot also.

My tanks were heated. But I still needed to cut 2" rigid foam insulation to fit in the areas just inside my storage doors to help keep basement area a little warmer. I had remote temp gauges near my tanks to help monitor the temp and keep black and grey tanks from freezing.

I did not do all of this because I wanted to, it was out of necessity. It was pretty costly also, but then again, everything was and there was NO housing to be had in ND at that time.

When I went to the Chicago job I left off the C33 lights, the hay bales, and skirted with 1/2" foam insulation. I was there for 3 years. Propane use during the -10 degree week was about 55 gallons. I usually used just under 120 every 3 weeks. This was with the provider filling the 200 gal tank every two to three weeks during the cold months. Warm weather I used less than 7 gallons a month.

Electric in ND and Chicago averaged just over $200.00 USD a month averaged over the year.

None of this was cheap. I received per diem at these jobs. The per diem covered these additional expenses easily.

5th wheel is 10 yrs old now. Living yr round in these harsher conditions has taken a toll on it.

The Chicago winters were much easier than the ND winter that is for sure.

I am sure I have left out some of the tricks I used. I did all of this out of need and not out of desire.

The bonus was not living in crowded Apt. buildings and the potential for questionable neighbors sharing adjoining walls.

It can be done, it is just a matter of "is this what you want?"

If I was able to just be a "Snow Bird" then that would be fine with me.

[valhalla360]

Catmandude wrote:

Yes sir, I currently am deciding on what purchase I make but seriously leaning towards a used Class A coach,looking for an education by folks here who know the ropes to help me seal my decision. Will spend winter in NE Pennsylvania

If driving south for the winter is too much for your health, 6 months in freezing temps is likely going to be far worse for you health.

Yes, you can survive in cold weather but it's not fun. We've done it for a week or two in pretty cold weather (-5 to 15 F). No way I'd want to do it for months.

A basic apartment in a cheap area will likely be cheaper and a lot more comfortable in the long run.

[ncrowley]

I also would recommend a park model and not a motorized RV. Anything with a motor needs to be exercised and you will not be moving it. You can get a park model with better insulation or add insulation. Or you can get a well insulated trailer or fifth wheel. You will need to enclose the bottom to keep the pipes from freezing. You will need a lot of propane. Make sure you can get propane service to the property. Get a large external tank. You will need to put heat tape on the water supply and on the septic lines. You should consider a way to provide a small heat source under the park model or trailer.

You can live year round in a cold climate but it takes something that is well insulated and some prep work. You will be paying a lot of money in propane costs.

[eb145]

Double Pane windows make a very big difference. Get them if you can. More comfortable, lower heating and cooling bills with double pane windows.

Keep asking questions. Lots of experience in this forum.

[Ivylog]

The cheapest way to stay warm is to head south...it has wheels for a reason. Even with double pain windows and and enclosing the bottom you are going to use lots of power trying to stay warm and keep things from freezing. Other than the cost of getting to TX where parks are cheaper...$400/month will be close to what it's going to cost to stay warm assuming you do not freeze something and need repair.

[Grit_dog]

Well catmandude, thank you for your service and wish you the best possible outcome finding a RV.
If it's not going to be moved, I might suggest finding a travel trailer, something that's "4 season rated". Doesn't mean it's bulletproof from the cold but in general should be a better starting point and a trailer would be much easier to skirt around and insulate underneath than a Ckass A. And much cheaper for the space you get apples to apples compared to a CL A. Trailer with no slides would be in general warmer than with slides especially with slides out.

Power/propane usage aside, aside from the coldest month or 2 I don't believe it would be that hard to keep it thawed and have water. Either way you'll have to do some work and stay on top of the issues as they arrise.

[Catmandude]

Nutinelse2do wrote:
Have you considered a park model? I would think they would have better insulation and cost considerably less to maintain. Motorhomes are meant to be driven. Sitting too long creates problems... Something to consider??

Good luck

Good info, thanks!