Kepping the trailer warm in winter

[glrider]

Hi everyone,

We have our 2004 Terry trailer in the town about 5 hours from where we live. It was here at our dad's but when he passed away we had to move it to local storage. We left it here because it's a small town and the price is about $350 less than what it would cost us if we took it home. However we have run into a problem. We drove up this past weekend to put the propane tank on and have the furnace going to keep it warm over the winter. The problem is not being smart and thinking, we overlooked the idea that not only do we need propane tank for the furnace but we also need some sort of electricity which are storage does not have. Running a generator is not an option because you can't keep enough fuel in it, and a furnace is too hard on a battery to keep it going. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to keep the chill off a trailer when no electricity is available?

 

[Kirk]

Is there some reason not to winterize it? There is a high probability that not all of the plumbing is in heated areas so if you experience long periods of below freezing temperatures, simply keeping some heat in it may not be sufficient. Vancouver doesn't experience extreme cold, but it could have periods of below freezing temperatures for many hours.

 

[glrider]

Hi Kirk,

The trailer has antifreeze in all the plumbing lines already. We just usually put a heater in as well just to keep a bit of warmth inside. As I mentioned, we live in the Vancouver area but the trailer is in a town about 5 hours away where normally it gets a lot colder. So far it has been staying mild (about 6-10 degrees above freezing overnight), but I don't expect that to continue for long.

 

[Kirk]

If properly winterized that should be sufficient. For most of my 18 years living in Wyoming where winter temperatures can fall well below 0F (-17C) and sometimes stay well below freezing for several days or longer, I just drained the water heater and then used antifreeze in all water lines. I stored our RVs outside and with no heat at all for several months each year. The one thing I do say that you should check is to drain the ice maker if the refrigerator has one and be sure that there is antifreeze in the line to it.

 

[glrider]

Thanks Kirk. Looks like that is what we will have to do. Take care.

 

[John From Detroit]

Are you working/residing in the trailer or just storing it
If it's winterized.. Remove battery to a warmer clime (Take photos and use bread ties zip ties or stringe to tie all connections that go to the Positive post together. Same for Negative (Two bundles) and I like to paint the Positive wires RED. Nail polish works.. wire not terminal)

and don't worry about it.

iF you plan to work in it. Portable generator while working

IF not .. well I see you already have winterized by the nasty wet method
(I like the dry method. Always figured if the air ever freezes I'm not going to worry about the RV)

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

Your furnace eats a lot of propane as well as 12v electric. Even is set at 55 degrees (as low as most thermostats go) A 20# or 30# LP tank isn't going to last very long anyway. Unless you plan on leaving canned goods or other liquids in the RV over the winter, I'd trust to the winterizing.

 

[gwinger]

Your furnace eats a lot of propane as well as 12v electric. Even is set at 55 degrees (as low as most thermostats go) A 20# or 30# LP tank isn't going to last very long anyway. Unless you plan on leaving canned goods or other liquids in the RV over the winter, I'd trust to the winterizing.

The propane will last longer than the battery.
One other problem with keeping it heated is it makes a nice warm nesting place for critters.