Winter is when temperatures are cold, and there are very few people who will dare go out camping during such time. But if you are daring to go, then this is what you need to know to take a winter RV camping trip as detailed by our experts. At the end of the article, you will be able to enjoy your trip despite the cold weather.
How to Prepare your RV for The Winter Adventure
If you want to use your RV for winter adventures, then you need to have answers to the following questions: how do you ensure that the pipes are kept from freezing; what should you do to make sure that you don’t freeze from cold while inside the RV; how do you keep the walls from ice over; how do you keep your fuel from freezing.
Before getting the questions answered, ask yourself if in the first place it is possible to use the RV during winter. From experience, I can tell you that, it is very possible to use the RV during winter, but to enable you to avoid the bad experiences that I had, it will be best if you learn from my mistakes and heed my warnings to make your winter RV adventures quite memorable. For example, don’t underestimate the usefulness of snow ploughs when it comes to travelling in bad weather. You can prep the RV as well as you wish, but sometimes you need to just get out in the snow and start shifting!
What Normally Happens
During winter, most owners of RV head to the direction which seems to promise warmth while others store it away until the weather is favorable. But if you know the many adventures you can enjoy during the season, you can’t wait to go out with your RV to check on the snow filled mountains.
What Should be done in advance?
It is important to know what should be done before you venture out into the snow for your winter adventures with the following being what I learned from my mistakes:
1. Make sure that the doors, windows, and Stairwell are well covered
I realized that there is a lot of air which seeps in through the entry door, windows, and the stairwell. All you need to do is make sure that you add insulation to them so that you can keep the inside of the RV a bit warmer. You can get strong heavy materials to fix as curtains so that they can keep cold air from coming in. Installing Velcro or snaps around the doors and windows can add an extra layer of insulation. Use a cut board for the stairwell and adhere insulation to the bottom but during the night, you should cover the stairwell to keep the cold air away.
2. RV Skirting
If your RV lacks a trailer or insulated bays, you should make it your duty to fix them during winter RV camping. If during camping the temperature drops below 0 degrees, you will be required to run a space heater inside your skirting to keep warm. I prefer a commercial electrical heater to a propane heater.
3. Heat options that are affordable
For heating the RV without having to spend much, I used to have to avoid space heaters as it will end up costing you extra money on electricity bills. A friend used RV Instant hot water and 2000 watt inverter generator and it served him right. Before you decide which one you are going to use, it is important that you calculate the installation cost plus the buying cost. I will advise on a pellet stove and propane heater.
• Pellet stove: If you decide to go for the pellet stove, then rest assured that it will warm up your RV faster and more effective than most of the heaters around – tested and proven. The heat it produces doesn’t have moisture, the built in the fan uses very minimal electricity of the space heater, and the good news is that it is eco-friendly. Its cons is that, if the fan shuts down you will have a smoke-filled RV and also, it is bulky and thus will take up most space in your RV and only good for big RVs. You will be forced to store large wood pellets in your RV.
• Propane Heater. If you decide on this, then it means that you will have a propane free furnace as compared to what is initially installed in your RV and at the same time, keep your RV inside warm. It doesn’t use electricity yet it produces heat anyway, meaning, you won’t have electricity bills from heating. Its downside is that it is not good if you are having pets on board as it has no anti-tip shut-off. When installing, you will need to use a professional to do the work thus an extra cost. The propane produced is un-vented and thus produces carbon monoxide meaning, you will need to make sure that the vent is open all the time and check all the time for your carbon monoxide detector and ensure that it is working to avoid a silent death from smoking in the deadly gas.
4. Working Heat Water Hose
For a cheap one, you can make your own using pipe insulation and heat tape. But to be on the safe side, I would recommend that you buy a good, working heated water hose to use during you RV winter camping. I used the Print heated hose from Camco, and it worked pretty well for me due to its construction. Whichever heated water hose you settle on, ensure that its insulate and cover are not exposed to any water supply and spigot. If the exterior wall is what is hosting your RV water supply, you will need to insulate and cover the connection very well. In case of a wet bay use a space heater in the bay in case the temperatures drop to 0 degrees and less; this will prevent a burst of the pipes in case of freezing.
5. Check the sewer hose
PVC pipe is better than a standard RV drain hose as it holds up better when the temperatures are very low. If you have a constant water supply, then consider installing heat tape around your PVC pipe.
We are happy to present this collaborative post to offer valuable information to our readers.
