I should have looked at my Dometic Duo-Therm Thermostat before I started this project. I picked up a Hunter digital thermostat and installed a switch for hi/lo fan speed control. today i went to the storage lot and pulled my TT home so I could install the new thermostat. When I removed the cover I found that my Dometic thermostat has 6 wires going to it, not 4 or 5 as described in the instructions. I'm not sure what to do with the wire marked +7.5. Could that be the fan low wire? Since the Hunter has its own power supply I don't use the 12v ground wire. I've attached a picture of the Hunter thermostat for reference.
Cold Weather Camping
- Thread starter Lowell
- Start date
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I made an error in the post above. That picture is the Dometic thermostat. The picture attached below is the Hunter Thermostat. The instructions with the Hunter identified the labels as:
G is the Fan Relay
W is the Heat Relay or Valve
Y is the Cool contactor
Rh is the Heat 24V supply
Rc is the cool 24V supply
On the other side of the cover is a heat/cool switch and a auto/on fan switch
G is the Fan Relay
W is the Heat Relay or Valve
Y is the Cool contactor
Rh is the Heat 24V supply
Rc is the cool 24V supply
On the other side of the cover is a heat/cool switch and a auto/on fan switch
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The wife and I live in our trailer full time right now. We are staying in Southwest Missouri and it gets cold here too, so maybe I can give you guys some advise. Never ever leave your water trickle. If there is any dips or droops in your drain hose it will freeze solid and you might wake up the next morning with a river coming out of the shower! Take off your hose and use your tank water. Drain your hose well so that if it stays cold long you can refill the tank.I fill a couple gallon jugs for coffee and drinking because I can still taste that plastic tank. Turn off your gray water drain (the black should be off already and empty) and drain the drain hose so there is no standing water in it. The flex hoses rupture from ice super easy.
If it going to get below say 20, you need to do some work to your drain pipes or they may split open from freezing between the tank and gate valves. Invest in a heat tape and wrap the line with it and insulation. If it's going to stay cold weeks at a time, you are going to need a heated and/or insulated black and gray tanks, or quit using the toilet and water period.
Next problem is condensation. My windows were bad about filling up and running water down the walls. I drilled a 1/64 hole in the corners of them so they can drain. Works fine other than icicles outside LOL. Leave your closet doors open to keep them dry also. Leave the cabinet doors open so the pipes don't freeze unless the furnace has ducts in there, which will keep it plenty warm. Check the door seal and adjust the plate so the door is tight. Make sure your batteries are good in your smoke detector and CO detector. Be sure you have one, them gas furnaces are well know to fail and kill campers with CO.
As to the thermostat, anything sold for the home will be for a 24 AC power supply. Lots of trailers use 12 volt ones. You can get the correct one from a RV store. I wouldn't try and use anything else for my own safety.
If it going to get below say 20, you need to do some work to your drain pipes or they may split open from freezing between the tank and gate valves. Invest in a heat tape and wrap the line with it and insulation. If it's going to stay cold weeks at a time, you are going to need a heated and/or insulated black and gray tanks, or quit using the toilet and water period.
Next problem is condensation. My windows were bad about filling up and running water down the walls. I drilled a 1/64 hole in the corners of them so they can drain. Works fine other than icicles outside LOL. Leave your closet doors open to keep them dry also. Leave the cabinet doors open so the pipes don't freeze unless the furnace has ducts in there, which will keep it plenty warm. Check the door seal and adjust the plate so the door is tight. Make sure your batteries are good in your smoke detector and CO detector. Be sure you have one, them gas furnaces are well know to fail and kill campers with CO.
As to the thermostat, anything sold for the home will be for a 24 AC power supply. Lots of trailers use 12 volt ones. You can get the correct one from a RV store. I wouldn't try and use anything else for my own safety.
carson
Well-known member
Lowell, continued.
URL is : http://www.klenger.net/arctic-fox/hunter-tstat/hunter-digital-tstat-instructions.pdf
My previous post posted itself prematurily. Heavy fingers here.
Let us know what you think.
carson
URL is : http://www.klenger.net/arctic-fox/hunter-tstat/hunter-digital-tstat-instructions.pdf
My previous post posted itself prematurily. Heavy fingers here.
Let us know what you think.
carson
Thanks Carson, I had printed out the instructions earlier and have a copy. I think my Dometic thermostat may be different from yours. I may try to get in touch with Dometic and see if they can enlighten me. I've got an idea of what I can do but I want to get some confirmation first before I mess anything up. The furnace part is pretty straight forward, the ac connections is where I am concerned. If I figure it out, I'll post a response here. Thanks for your followup.
Lowell
Lowell
Frank B
Well-known member
Lowell:
We were cross-country skiing in Kananaskis park in the Canadian Rockies last weekend. Took our 23 foot 5th wheel trailer up on Wednesday and stayed 4 days. Went though 1.5 20lb bottles of propane on the furnace during those 4 days. It was -4 to -22 F during the evenings, but we were warm inside.
I had a programmable thermostat bought from Home Depot in the trailer. Shuts down to about 45 F at night, then brings it back up in the morning before we get up. Nice.
We took the trailer full of water, but I ducted some heat across the external fresh water tank last year and then spray-foamed the area. The duct then vents up into the storage cavity. This keeps all the lines in the trailer warm, as well as our ski boots, which we store in that cavity.
As others have mentioned, a couple of bottles of windshield washer antifreeze put in the holding tanks first keeps the neck of the drain from freezing so you can empty them even when it is below freezing. At the temperatures we were at, we had no outside supply line. However, wrapping a supply line in fibreglass bats will also help to keep it from freezing.
In units that are not designed for winter camping, leaving the lower cupboard doors open will also help prevent water lines inside the trailer from freezing.
If you have shore power (we did last week, though sometimes we winter camp with just battery power), you can also take a small electric space heater to fill-in some of the cold areas.
Winter camping is SO nice. It is as peaceful as you can get. One can hear the ravens coming, not by their raucous calls, but by the swoosh of their wings! A couple of 35,000 to 45,000 btu propane radiant heaters make it possible to sit outside and enjoy the bright sun even in low temperatures (about 0 F).
Frank.
We were cross-country skiing in Kananaskis park in the Canadian Rockies last weekend. Took our 23 foot 5th wheel trailer up on Wednesday and stayed 4 days. Went though 1.5 20lb bottles of propane on the furnace during those 4 days. It was -4 to -22 F during the evenings, but we were warm inside.
I had a programmable thermostat bought from Home Depot in the trailer. Shuts down to about 45 F at night, then brings it back up in the morning before we get up. Nice.
We took the trailer full of water, but I ducted some heat across the external fresh water tank last year and then spray-foamed the area. The duct then vents up into the storage cavity. This keeps all the lines in the trailer warm, as well as our ski boots, which we store in that cavity.
As others have mentioned, a couple of bottles of windshield washer antifreeze put in the holding tanks first keeps the neck of the drain from freezing so you can empty them even when it is below freezing. At the temperatures we were at, we had no outside supply line. However, wrapping a supply line in fibreglass bats will also help to keep it from freezing.
In units that are not designed for winter camping, leaving the lower cupboard doors open will also help prevent water lines inside the trailer from freezing.
If you have shore power (we did last week, though sometimes we winter camp with just battery power), you can also take a small electric space heater to fill-in some of the cold areas.
Winter camping is SO nice. It is as peaceful as you can get. One can hear the ravens coming, not by their raucous calls, but by the swoosh of their wings! A couple of 35,000 to 45,000 btu propane radiant heaters make it possible to sit outside and enjoy the bright sun even in low temperatures (about 0 F).
Frank.
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John From Detroit
Well-known member
Many of us are getting cold weather camping lessons this year... I understand it was in the mid teens here in Quartzsite today.
Now that's cold (out side reads 39 now, which is still a bit chilly)
Now that's cold (out side reads 39 now, which is still a bit chilly)
blueblood
Well-known member
- Joined
- Mar 16, 2005
- Posts
- 1,082
John In Detroit said:
It's been minus 34 last two days at Mountain Views RV Park in Creede,CO and "warmed" to minus 23 today, Dam this global warming is tough to handle.
Karl
Moderator Emeritus
60's today, lots of sunshine, not much wind at QZ. Great!
