Winter weather prep

[Robert89]

Hi everyone,

I know this topic has probably been covered before, but I’m hoping you all can help me pool some resources and advice. I’m living full-time in my travel trailer for work in North Dakota, and with winter fast approaching, I want to make sure I’m fully prepared for the harsh weather ahead. This will be my first time winter camping in such cold conditions, so any tips or guidance would be greatly appreciated!

Specifically, I’m looking for advice on:

• Insulating the trailer to keep it warm
• Protecting the plumbing system from freezing
• Recommended heating options (portable heaters, furnace maintenance, etc.)
• Any other must-have items or precautions I should consider

I’ve included a link to my intro post below if you’d like to know a bit more about me and my situation.

Thanks in advance for sharing your knowledge and experience. I’m excited to tackle this challenge and make the most of RV living in North Dakota’s winter!

Best,
Robert

https://www.rvforum.net/threads/hello-campers.150364/

 

[JudyJB]

How north in North Dakota are you, and how high in elevation? DO you know how cold it will get there during the night in winter?

About the only thing I can suggest without knowing much about your situation is to get a package of window film, and use it on your windows when it starts to get really cold.

You probably also need one or two small electric heaters for really cold nights. Get ones that shut off if they tip over and have a high and low setting.

 

[IBTripping]

Travel trailers have much less insulation than a typical house. There is a large amount of window space which allows a large amount of cold transfer. And they are not as air tight as a house.

As JudyJB wisely noted the windows need to be covered. However, rather than clear plastic, I suggest you cover the windows inside and the metal frames around them with Reflectix. Then put skirting around the trailer. An easy solution is cut to size 1 or 2 inch foam boards with the shiny material on one side. Then put an electric heater under the trailer with the thermostat set around 50 degrees. You'll need to wrap the water hose with heat tape and cover with foam insulation. And make sure you do the same with the water spigots. If your trailer has a slide out, you'll need to cover the bottom, sides and top with the foam board.

JudyJB made a wise suggestion to use an electric space heater to help heat the inside. Amazon and some local RV sales sell foam pads to put up inside the roof vents. If you depend on propane only for heat, you'll use an outrageous amount of propane. Finally, you may consider using an electric blanket to keep warm at night. Make sure you don't leave any liquid in the drain hose when you dump your gray and black water tanks.

I know how cold it gets in North Dakota where it can be so windy that the snow falls sideways. Really brutal.

FYI - YouTube has some very good videos on how to winterize an RV.

Best wishes.

 

[Kirk]

Just where you are in ND can play an important part in what you need to do, so let us know. Anywhere that has winter weather there are several things that are important to do. Skirting the trailer to keep wind out is probably #1 on that list. You would be wise to a material that is insulating as well as workable, such as a 1 inch or more of foamboard. You will need to be able to get under the trailer on occasion so keep that in mind when constructing it. You will also need to protect the sewer hose and dump valves from freezing so you may need to supply some type of heat. Your trailer probably has little or no insulation in the floor and probably also has waste tanks that are exposed to the weather. It would be smart to install heating pads on the waste tanks if they are not protected as well as the skirting of the trailer. You will need both water and sewer connections that are protected from freezing and then you will need to protect both hoses and probably supply some sort of heat source.

The trailer is also a major factor since not all of them are the same. If it does not have dual pane windows, you will need to somehow insulate them. You should seal all of the places that air can enter from the outside while it is warm, even with skirting. Your furnace will be suing a lot of propane so get in touch with a supplier who can rent you a larger tank to connect to and it would be wise to get a "keep full" service.

Those are just a few things to consider, but if you will share more about the trailer that you have and the location you plan to winter in, we can supply much more help.

 

[Robert89]

How north in North Dakota are you, and how high in elevation? DO you know how cold it will get there during the night in winter?

About the only thing I can suggest without knowing much about your situation is to get a package of window film, and use it on your windows when it starts to get really cold.

You probably also need one or two small electric heaters for really cold nights. Get ones that shut off if they tip over and have a high and low setting.

Thank you

Travel trailers have much less insulation than a typical house. There is a large amount of window space which allows a large amount of cold transfer. And they are not as air tight as a house.

As JudyJB wisely noted the windows need to be covered. However, rather than clear plastic, I suggest you cover the windows inside and the metal frames around them with Reflectix. Then put skirting around the trailer. An easy solution is cut to size 1 or 2 inch foam boards with the shiny material on one side. Then put an electric heater under the trailer with the thermostat set around 50 degrees. You'll need to wrap the water hose with heat tape and cover with foam insulation. And make sure you do the same with the water spigots. If your trailer has a slide out, you'll need to cover the bottom, sides and top with the foam board.

JudyJB made a wise suggestion to use an electric space heater to help heat the inside. Amazon and some local RV sales sell foam pads to put up inside the roof vents. If you depend on propane only for heat, you'll use an outrageous amount of propane. Finally, you may consider using an electric blanket to keep warm at night. Make sure you don't leave any liquid in the drain hose when you dump your gray and black water tanks.

I know how cold it gets in North Dakota where it can be so windy that the snow falls sideways. Really brutal.

FYI - YouTube has some very good videos on how to winterize an RV.

Best wishes.

i have been arming myself with the YouTube education however the videos th

Just where you are in ND can play an important part in what you need to do, so let us know. Anywhere that has winter weather there are several things that are important to do. Skirting the trailer to keep wind out is probably #1 on that list. You would be wise to a material that is insulating as well as workable, such as a 1 inch or more of foamboard. You will need to be able to get under the trailer on occasion so keep that in mind when constructing it. You will also need to protect the sewer hose and dump valves from freezing so you may need to supply some type of heat. Your trailer probably has little or no insulation in the floor and probably also has waste tanks that are exposed to the weather. It would be smart to install heating pads on the waste tanks if they are not protected as well as the skirting of the trailer. You will need both water and sewer connections that are protected from freezing and then you will need to protect both hoses and probably supply some sort of heat source.

The trailer is also a major factor since not all of them are the same. If it does not have dual pane windows, you will need to somehow insulate them. You should seal all of the places that air can enter from the outside while it is warm, even with skirting. Your furnace will be suing a lot of propane so get in touch with a supplier who can rent you a larger tank to connect to and it would be wise to get a "keep full" service.

Those are just a few things to consider, but if you will share more about the trailer that you have and the location you plan to winter in, we can supply much more help.

there is some gold in here, I am familiar with “skirting” that is the most common thing people recommend but others are exactly why I made this thread so thank you. As far as my trailer goes it is a 2023 Jayfeather 24BH and I’m not sure but I think there is insulation across the bottom of the trailer.

 

[JudyJB]

Just got to thinking about slides. I know in my motorhome, my slides are not very airtight, even with rubber stuff all around them. You might somehow want to stuff something into the cracks around them to keep out the cold air.

Also, I bought a remote thermometer that I put in my compartment where my drain hoses are. You put the sensor in the place where you want to know the temp, and keep the display part inside. It saves worry about how cold things are getting, plus you don't have to keep going outside to look. Mine looks like this: https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/p...r7aSmOmg5wUHqSLYUhUVucwz8KgHJRaMxvSK0nbnJBMr4

 

[JudyJB]

Also, have you found a place to park your trailer yet? You will want good electric hookups and water and sewer that works during the winter. A lot of places turn these off, leaving just the electric functioning, so you will want to talk to RV park people and the people who spent last winter there to see what they did.

 

[Robert89]

Also, have you found a place to park your trailer yet? You will want good electric hookups and water and sewer that works during the winter. A lot of places turn these off, leaving just the electric functioning, so you will want to talk to RV park people and the people who spent last winter there to see what they did.

Yes ma’am I am parked but I don’t know if I’ll be in this spot all winter (I hope I am) also the spot I’m on they do not turn water off over the winter. I was going to use some double bubble reflector stuff for the skirting and also around the entire slide sides and top. I think I am going to cut into my plumbing to install a isolation valve to my exterior water features as well.

How big of a heater do you think I should plan of getting for the under belly

 

[JudyJB]

That depends on how well you insulate it, but do be careful about fire with all these modifications. Too big a heater could cause something to catch fire. Maybe heat tape instead? Also, make sure you have an emergency egress, just in case. In other words, don't cover up your exits.

Also, Camping World and a lot of other dealers sell vent covers that look like pillows. They are square and about 4" think and covered with white, fuzzy cloth. Just push them up in each vent. I like them better than the other types of coverings for vents because they are so thick. Here is a page of them on Amazon. Don't know why the CAMCO one is so cheap, but it looks fine. https://www.amazon.com/s?k=vent+pil...aps,224&ref=nb_sb_ss_pltr-data-refreshed_1_12

 

[Kirk]

in North Dakota,

Your location is the thing that makes things a challenge. The coldest month, with average daytims temperatures ranging from 4°F in the northeast to 18°F in the southwest. On the average, there are 50 days when low temperatures fall below 0°F. RVs are not built for that sort of cold and so you need to take extra precautions before winter hits. You can expect winter weather from November through March. As I am looking at the specs for your RV, you do have some insulation in the floor, which is good. It also says that the underbelly is enclosed, which will also help. You still need to skirt it as the floors will be cold, much of the winter. It says that the windows are safety glass, so I'm sure that they are single pane as it would state dual pane windows if they were so that means that you have heat loss there as well as condensation problems. It also says that the electric service is 30A with optional 50A. If you have 50A service you could use electric heaters to supplement the furnace, but if 30A that will be minimal. Another option is 120V heat pads for the waste tanks so if you have those it will help a great deal. You should still plan to skirt the trailer but if you have the pads with skirting to prevent wind from hitting them you should have no serious problem with waste tanks freezing. If you have the 12V, compressor type of refrigerator you will be fine there but if you have a propane/electric you will need to do some prep on it as absorption refrigerators stop working in severe cold. It says that you have either two 20# or two 30# propane bottles and I suggest that you find a propane supplier to rent you a larger tank as those will deplete very quickly in cold weather when the furnace is operating a lot. You would be wise to get a 100# rental tank with keep full service. RVs are not well insulated and so take a lot of heat. In case you do not have a copy, here is the owner's manual to download.

 

[Kirk]

A bit more to consider is the water and sewer issues. For water, I would guess that the water hydrant is insulated and/or heated to prevent freezing since the park is open all winter. That will help but you still need to prevent the freezing of your water supply hose. You can either buy one that is insulated and heated, or you can do it yourself using heat tape and pipe insulation Another option is just fill the trailer potable water tank and use from it, disconnecting your hose after each use and storing it where it will not freeze. You will also need to concern yourself with dumping the waste tanks as needed. If the sewer fitting is a distance from the trailer, as is true in most RV parks, you will either need to protect that hose from freezing or remove it and store it where it will be warm. Most RV sewer hoses tend to crack if moved when very cold.

Another issue with RV living in cold weather is the buildup of moisture in the air due to normal living activities. If you are not careful you will have problems from condensation on windows and walls in places with limited ventilation. One place that we learned about the hard way was behind our couch. We had a mold problem there and also in our clothes closet the first winter that we were where it got down to freezing. You will need to open the top vent a little when showering and also when cooking. It also helps a lot to use a dehumidifier.

 

[IBTripping]

I found some window insulation that I like. It has a bunch of very tiny holes which allows damp air to flow out which provides enough ventilation to prevent moisture build up between the foil and the window pane.
Check here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0831QM1TW?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title&th=1

 

[Robert89]

So specifically I am staying in the Killdeer ND area(beautiful if you ever get the chance) but I have some make shift skirting, heated water hose, vent insulators, and 3 1500w space heaters coming as a start. Do you think the space heater in the underskirt area near valves would suffice? The furnace is plumbed through the floor and was looking into to “cheap heat” furnace add on to help keep floor warm but haven’t made it far enough into the requirements for electrical which in response it is a 30 with the 12v fridge

 

[Kirk]

We spent a summer as volunteers at the Lewis & Clark center at Hanover, just 90 miles east of you and on the Missouri River. But we were there June-August. In December and January you can expect high temperatures in the mid 20's and lows near or below 0. What will suffice to keep things from freezing is going to depend to a large degree on what you use for skirting and how well you fit it and make it wind tight. With only 30A of electricity you will not be able to use a lot of electric heating as a 1500 watt, typical electric heater will use about 12A of the 30A that you have. Most circuit breakers will only carry their rated current for short periods and limit to about 80% (24A) for continuous duty. The smallest of the Cheap Heat furnaces is 1800 watts or 15A. With only 30A available, you need to plan to use propane as your primary source of heat. Your 3 electric heaters if operated on low might be usable by running an extension cord to the 15A outlet on your power pedestal if you have one. There is no possible way that you can operate all 3 on high settings at the same time. In addition, the heated water hose is going to require electricity as well.

 

[Trivet]

I'm a fulltimer and have spent way more time in very cold weather than anyone who lives on a set of wheels should. But it was generally in Colorado, where even if it goes below zero, it's only for a day or two, and the daytime highs will be above 32 degrees again in a few days. And it's real sunny in the winter. But even those relatively favorable conditions were very challenging.

I'll just say that not for nothing was there an indoor RV park in North Dakota. It got shut down a few years ago, via the Health Department and the Fire Marshal.

FWIW, you mentioned the bubble reflecting stuff for skirting. That that stuff has almost no insulating value, even though you'd think it does from looking at it.

 

[gwinger]

So specifically I am staying in the Killdeer ND area(beautiful if you ever get the chance) but I have some make shift skirting, heated water hose, vent insulators, and 3 1500w space heaters coming as a start. Do you think the space heater in the underskirt area near valves would suffice? The furnace is plumbed through the floor and was looking into to “cheap heat” furnace add on to help keep floor warm but haven’t made it far enough into the requirements for electrical which in response it is a 30 with the 12v fridge

Three 1500 watt heaters? Does the trailer have 30 amp or 50 amp service?
With 30 amp, you would be pushing it by running two heaters.

 

[Trivet]

Three 1500 watt heaters? Does the trailer have 30 amp or 50 amp service?

That was already asked, and he said it's 30.

 

[UTTransplant]

You will use a lot of propane since a couple of 1500 watt heaters won’t keep you warm even if the power you have allows them to run. Rent a large propane tank from a local supplier and arrange for them to fill it for you. Let me repeat, you will use a LOT of propane! We have camped in the single digits in a quality four season travel trailer (OutdoorsRV brand), and we would use a 30 pound tank in a day and a half. We were there for only a few weeks, and we didn’t skirt. Then again, Iowa is warmer than North Dakota! The lows went to 5-7 F and the highs were in the 20s.

 

[Robert89]

Sorry for the delay all, I have been busy with work. In response I would definitely love to be in an indoor RV park ha! What a shame to hear about the bubble wrap I thought the primary goal was to be a wind break, maybe I should supplement it with some foam boards? The power pole has a place for 50 and 30 so the heaters could be separated from the camper as far as draw from circuit I think…. There are several full timers in the park just need to talk to them but this has to be an achievable goal or no one would do it.

Keep the input coming!

 

[gwinger]

That was already asked, and he said it's 30.

Then 2-1500 watt heaters will draw about 25 amps. That along with the converter, lights, fridge, propane detector, etc will max out the power.