Along with my 14yr golden retriever, Nugget, we are starting our 2nd year full-time living in a fancy tin can. I sold my 3BR house in the Tampa area last year, got rid of a TON of junk & bought myself an RV to live in. I am out here in the Denver area to be nearer my 2yr Great-grand daughter. This will also be my 1st complete Colorado winter camping. Because my 2014 Keystone Laredo 30' TT came with a "Glacier" package instead of a Arctic package I've just spent the past month;
running 100' of BriskHeat heat tape & insulation on the pipes
3 - Ultra Heat tank heating pads
plugging every hole I could find (and boy where there a lot of them)
installed Pirit heated water hoses
and building custom, insulated, color matched skirting
I think I'm ready for whatever Colorado will throw at us. This is actually going to be a telling winter as to whether I decide to snow-bird it next year. For the amount of work I put in listed above, I HAVE TO make it through this winter. Well this is probably more intro than I should've done, but I just finished all this work and wanted to highlight my commitment (rather than my lack of properly purchasing a winter ready RV)
Anyway hello everyone, glad to be here!
-- Edited by tincanman on Sunday 25th of October 2015 02:34:15 PM
-- Edited by tincanman on Sunday 25th of October 2015 02:35:49 PM
Selah said
06:28 PM Oct 25, 2015
So sorry your spending the winter in.... Well....uh.. Anywhere. However it sounds like you have done your homework and have apparently prepared well.
What type of heat do you have. If it is propane I would suggest getting an "Extend a stay" installed and a large propane tank from a local supplier.
Lucky Mike said
07:48 PM Oct 25, 2015
dont forget ....BACK UP HEAT......rv heaters are not built for the abuse that low temps hand out.......it is a 12volt blower and most heating systems in the RV industry were made under the assumption that it wasnt going to be used for extreme long term living conditions..................I have boondocked for years in New england and learned first hand its gonna happen and the RV Repairman is normally on vacation in the warmer weather that day.........so keep it in mind....its also alot cheaper to sub the heat out with electric......propane is the most inefficient fuel for heat when measuring BTU output........this means your gonna burn alot of propane
Trikester said
08:19 PM Oct 25, 2015
Listen to Selah and Lucky Mike! We wound up returning north to Des Moines in March (birth of a grandbaby). The furnace held up, but Boy did we go through a heap of propane.
Terry and Jo said
08:06 AM Oct 26, 2015
Welcome, John.
As for the winter, I can't speak to conditions at Fort Collins or Denver. Jo and I are at the foot of the front range about 15+ miles south of Colorado Springs. I does sound like you've made the right preparations, and I agree with the ideas of supplementing heat with electric heaters and with having an LPG supplier lease at least a 120 gallon tank instead of depending on the LPG cylinders with the RV. We've been living in our Mobile Suites full-time for 4 years now and have been pretty much stationary both in Oklahoma City (3 years) and then where we are now (1 year). With out 38-foot fifth wheel, we have two electric heaters; a small one on the dresser in the bedroom and a larger one in the living area.
Unless LPG costs are super cheap compared to electric, we still use the electric as much as possible. We'll heat the living room with the Lasko electric heater and the electric fireplace until I go to bed at night. Fortunately, our Mobile Suites is a true 4 season rig with thicker walls and more insulation, so we don't have to do too much in preparation for the winter.
Terry
tincanman said
08:32 AM Oct 26, 2015
Thanks to all for your advise. To Selah and Lucky Mike - I have a 100lbs tank supplied by the RV park on an extension hose to LP connector. I do have a good electric heater & Mr. Heater Buddy propane heater as fall backs. I wasn't aware of the efficiency issue w/ propane, so the idea to electric heat during waking hours is a great idea Terry & Jo.
Thanks again all!
-- Edited by tincanman on Monday 26th of October 2015 08:33:22 AM
-- Edited by tincanman on Monday 26th of October 2015 08:34:01 AM
Diana and Jim said
11:46 AM Oct 26, 2015
We did several posts on our preparations for wintering in Michigan last year on exploRVistas.com. Look back at our posts, starting in October of last year. We ran a small oil-filled electric heater under our fifth wheel also, and that really kept our slide out floors warm. I kept that plugged in separately into the campground post on a totally different circuit. We never had to use our tank heaters, even when the outside temperature dipped to 25 below zero.
Also, moisture will be a constant battle in your rig. We ran small EvaDry dehumidifiers and also left the bathroom roof vent open a little. Don't ask me why that last one works...it just does. We resisted when people told us to do it, and we were amazed at what a difference it made, once we did.
Do any of the rest of you have opinions on the Mr Heater Buddy propane heater? That one worries me. I wouldn't be too sure about running an unvented propane heater inside.
Jim
-- Edited by Diana and Jim on Monday 26th of October 2015 12:01:05 PM
tincanman said
04:15 PM Oct 26, 2015
I used the Buddy last year without issue but I think I'll stick w/ the electric & just use the Buddy for emergency heat.
Along with my 14yr golden retriever, Nugget, we are starting our 2nd year full-time living in a fancy tin can. I sold my 3BR house in the Tampa area last year, got rid of a TON of junk & bought myself an RV to live in. I am out here in the Denver area to be nearer my 2yr Great-grand daughter. This will also be my 1st complete Colorado winter camping. Because my 2014 Keystone Laredo 30' TT came with a "Glacier" package instead of a Arctic package I've just spent the past month;
I think I'm ready for whatever Colorado will throw at us. This is actually going to be a telling winter as to whether I decide to snow-bird it next year. For the amount of work I put in listed above, I HAVE TO make it through this winter. Well this is probably more intro than I should've done, but I just finished all this work and wanted to highlight my commitment (rather than my lack of properly purchasing a winter ready RV)
Anyway hello everyone, glad to be here!
-- Edited by tincanman on Sunday 25th of October 2015 02:34:15 PM
-- Edited by tincanman on Sunday 25th of October 2015 02:35:49 PM
What type of heat do you have. If it is propane I would suggest getting an "Extend a stay" installed and a large propane tank from a local supplier.
Welcome, John.
As for the winter, I can't speak to conditions at Fort Collins or Denver. Jo and I are at the foot of the front range about 15+ miles south of Colorado Springs. I does sound like you've made the right preparations, and I agree with the ideas of supplementing heat with electric heaters and with having an LPG supplier lease at least a 120 gallon tank instead of depending on the LPG cylinders with the RV. We've been living in our Mobile Suites full-time for 4 years now and have been pretty much stationary both in Oklahoma City (3 years) and then where we are now (1 year). With out 38-foot fifth wheel, we have two electric heaters; a small one on the dresser in the bedroom and a larger one in the living area.
Unless LPG costs are super cheap compared to electric, we still use the electric as much as possible. We'll heat the living room with the Lasko electric heater and the electric fireplace until I go to bed at night. Fortunately, our Mobile Suites is a true 4 season rig with thicker walls and more insulation, so we don't have to do too much in preparation for the winter.
Terry
Thanks to all for your advise. To Selah and Lucky Mike - I have a 100lbs tank supplied by the RV park on an extension hose to LP connector. I do have a good electric heater & Mr. Heater Buddy propane heater as fall backs. I wasn't aware of the efficiency issue w/ propane, so the idea to electric heat during waking hours is a great idea Terry & Jo.
Thanks again all!
-- Edited by tincanman on Monday 26th of October 2015 08:33:22 AM
-- Edited by tincanman on Monday 26th of October 2015 08:34:01 AM
We did several posts on our preparations for wintering in Michigan last year on exploRVistas.com. Look back at our posts, starting in October of last year. We ran a small oil-filled electric heater under our fifth wheel also, and that really kept our slide out floors warm. I kept that plugged in separately into the campground post on a totally different circuit. We never had to use our tank heaters, even when the outside temperature dipped to 25 below zero.
Also, moisture will be a constant battle in your rig. We ran small EvaDry dehumidifiers and also left the bathroom roof vent open a little. Don't ask me why that last one works...it just does. We resisted when people told us to do it, and we were amazed at what a difference it made, once we did.
Do any of the rest of you have opinions on the Mr Heater Buddy propane heater? That one worries me. I wouldn't be too sure about running an unvented propane heater inside.
Jim
-- Edited by Diana and Jim on Monday 26th of October 2015 12:01:05 PM
I used the Buddy last year without issue but I think I'll stick w/ the electric & just use the Buddy for emergency heat.