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Cold Weather camping hints, please

Yahoo Message Number: 20224
We'll be in Bend, OR with our Intrigue this winter and hear folks on other forums talk about needing heaters in their storage spaces, etc.
I'd like some input from CC owners as to what they've found they need to do. Should we just unhook/turn off the icemaker? Need to add extra heater(s) in bays? Which ones? How about outside water pump area? ETC., ETC.

We have heat tape on our water hose, plan to fill the water tank and working off that when temps are too low to keep attached. Plan to store sewer hose and only get out whenever needed to dump. We have a dehumidifier that earns its living in cold weather, but we've never been this long (2months) in low temps.

Any other hints?
Jan McNeill

2001 Intrigue 11320

Re: Cold Weather camping hints, please

Reply #1 –
Yahoo Message Number: 20226
Quote from: janmcneill

> We'll be in Bend, OR with our Intrigue this winter and hear folks on > other forums talk about needing heaters in their storage spaces, etc.
I'd like some input from CC owners as to what they've found they need > to do.

Jan,

My wife and I spent a winter in our Allure while we rebuilt our home.
It got really cold that year. I'll share what we learned. The first thing you should do is clean your furnace if you have a Suburban heater. You need to remove the unit and make sure the sail switch is free of lint and dust. We woke up to a cold coach twice until I did this. You may want to contact a propane distributor to see if they will deliver propane to your coach. An alternative is to contract with them to deliver a 100 gallon bottle and connect it to your supply line. I did this after we started going through 40 gallons a week. We had a space heater in the coach to keep the bathroom nice and warm for showers, etc. You do not need heaters in the storage bays. You will be pleasantly surprised at how warm they are with just the furnace of the coach. Your holding tanks have heaters in them so they are not a problem. Your thoughts on the hoses is right on. That is what we had to do. It was so cold here that heat tape was not able to keep the water line from freezing. The dehumidifier will be a big help to remove moisture in the coach. Finally, after closing all window shades, my wife used additional blankets and towels on the windows to help reduce the cold from the windows. It was a pain in that you had to remove them if you wanted to look out, but it did reduce heat loss.

Really, it wasn't all that bad. Nothing froze and as long as the furnace worked, we were quite comfortable.

Have fun,

Dave G

2000 Allure #30491
Millheim, PA

Re: Cold Weather camping hints, please

Reply #2 –
Yahoo Message Number: 20227
iF you want to cut your propane usuage in half procure a sheet of window insulation (aluminum, plastic bulble, aluminum). and cover that front wind shield and pull in any of your slides that you can. The insulation really makes a difference if you have a window over the head of the bed to cover.
When we traveled in Colorado I took on water and dumped during mid day. 30's in the afternoon and below 0 at night. Just another chore to add to the list.

Don't forget to plug the diesel in over night if it s going below zero and you need to go somewhere the next day. TWI 98 Allure 30255, Intrigue 11731

Re: Plug the diesel in?

Reply #3 –
Yahoo Message Number: 20228
Just curious, what do you mean by "plug the diesel in"? Is this an engine block warmer? Lived in warm CA for way too many years!!

Thanks,

Russ and Jean
05 Intrigue
11883

Quote from: TWI
iF you want to cut your propane usuage in half procure a sheet of

window

Quote
insulation (aluminum, plastic bulble, aluminum). and cover that

front wind

Quote
shield and pull in any of your slides that you can. The insulation

really

Quote
makes a difference if you have a window over the head of the bed to

cover.

Quote
When we traveled in Colorado I took on water and dumped during mid

day. 30's

Quote
in the afternoon and below 0 at night. Just another chore to add to

the

Quote
list.

Don't forget to plug the diesel in over night if it s going below

zero and

Quote
you need to go somewhere the next day. TWI 98 Allure 30255, Intrigue > 11731

Re: Cold Weather camping hints, please

Reply #4 –
Yahoo Message Number: 20229
Jan,

I spent 3 winters in the Northeast in my Allure and had no problems once I kept in mind what was important. I'm assuming you have a full hookup with access to at least 50 amp service and will be stationary for an extended period of time. I don't know how cold it gets in lace w:st="on">Bend lace> , but I spent the coldest winters in the last 40 years in NY and NJ. What cause's problems with equipment freezing are days and nights where the temperatures stay below freezing.
 >

In addition to what others have responded with here are my two cents worth:
If you are not paying extra for electricity or even if you are (for peace of mind) here is what I suggest.
 >

For the pluming bay:

  • Get AC power into the bay and put one 75 Watt bulb near the sewer outlet and keep it on all the time. I mounted mine on the sidewall where it just cleared the sewer hose.
  • Put another 75 Watt bulb behind the access panel to the water pump and keep that on all the time.
  • I have a Hurricane furnace so I don't know it this will apply to you. If you have a thermostat in the pluming bay, change the setting so that it keeps things warmer. Mine is behind the access panel to the water pump.
> >

These three things will keep your water pump and sewer connections from freezing down to about 0% F and maybe lower. You will have to be careful not to get the light bulbs too close to the white plastic parts in the bay or they will turn yellow from the heat. It is ok to have the light bulb as close to the water pump as possible without touching it or the plastic pipes in that area.
 >

Water supply:

If you are using garden type hose I suggest you change to Pex pipe. Pex pipe is very forgiving if it freezes and will not be affected by the heat tape and beak down like a garden type hose might. I've had neighbors who have lost their water connection due to overheating of the hose by heat tape during extremes of low temperatures. If you know that the temps will be below 5- 10 degrees keep the water flowing in one of the sinks. All you need is a very steady low volume flow. It should be a moderate drip. This trick has worked for me every time. If you are thinking of living off your fresh water tank and refilling as needed the water in the might freeze in the ground. Believe it or not it happened at a place in NJ when they turned the water off to make a repair. We were without access to their water supply for 5 weeks and they had to have water brought in.
 >
Heating:

  • If you want to further reduce your costs and electric is included get two ceramic heaters; one for the front and one for the bedroom/bathroom. Put them on separate circuits. I found out from CC that my washer/drier was a separate circuit from my normal outlets, so I used that circuit for one of my heaters. Be aware of this if you have a coffee pot or hair drier that will be on while the heaters are functioning. I can tell you from experience it there is no joy in going out into the cold to reset a breaker on the inverter.
  • Keep your doors slightly open under the sink.
  • Pull in the slides if its going to be below 0. This will help to keep things warm.
> >

Since I did not use a Dehumidifier I did the following:
  • Keep overhead compartment doors slightly open to prevent moisture buildup
  • Kept the kitchen vent partially open. I have vent covers over mine and this one thing almost eliminated moisture problems.
  • While taking showers run the fan in the bathroom.
> >

Icemaker:

  • Drain it and keep it off.
Fuel:

Make sure that you fill up with winter grade Diesel and try to keep the tank as full as possible to prevent condensation in the fuel tank. I used three 5 gallon cans once a week since I was unable to drive the coach to a fuel station.
 >

Don't forget to exercise the generator and run the engine once a month.
 >

Best of luck. The good news is that the CC builds a great motor home that can withstand temperature extremes.
 >
 >

Re: Plug the diesel in?

Reply #5 –
Yahoo Message Number: 20230
On my former 98 Allure there was an electrical heating element in the block that warmed the engine on cold days or nights. But you had to plug a #12 awg power cord into the receptacle in the filter compartment where the electrical cut off switches are. The Intrigue has a Hydro- hot system that uses a diesel burner to heat water that flows throughout the coach using blower heat exchangers to heat the coach. All you do when you want to warm the engine is throw a switch and water is circulated from the engine block through another heat exchanger. Like your Allure when the engine is hot going down the road the process is reversed and the engine heat will provide energy to heat your hot water in the coach. I do believe the LP heater system, with a separate water heater is more efficient at making hot water for showering and washing. On a cold day you can run thru two to four gallans of diesel a day, and you can't get your fuel delivered on site.
That's why Magna and Affinity have separate water heaters for washing clothes. I haven't a clue what they do on all electric coaches.
TWI 2004 Intrigue 11731.