Winter living in the Grand Canyon

[Jay Hawk]

What an excellent thread. I really like reading the actual problems and solutions that work for cold weather on a AS. I do not hve one and have not lived full time as of yet. So dont beat me up too bad but I was wondering something.

If you are hooked to shore power and have the ability to leave a dehumidifier running while your not at home then why don't you do that to help solve the humidity issues? Is there something running that wouldn't allow that?

Also does your AS have tank heaters and the worklight is to supplement?

I intend to workamp and the eventual dream is to live in or around Yellowstone for a winter and maybe many winters. So your experience is very educational for me.

[deauxrite]

Originally Posted by Jay Hawk

What an excellent thread. I really like reading the actual problems and solutions that work for cold weather on a AS. I do not hve one and have not lived full time as of yet. So dont beat me up too bad but I was wondering something.

If you are hooked to shore power and have the ability to leave a dehumidifier running while your not at home then why don't you do that to help solve the humidity issues? Is there something running that wouldn't allow that?

Also does your AS have tank heaters and the worklight is to supplement?

I intend to workamp and the eventual dream is to live in or around Yellowstone for a winter and maybe many winters. So your experience is very educational for me.

Well..finally as bit of snow..about 13 inches of it over a two day period and the Airstream looks very festive in a winter sort of way..I shall try to take a photo or two and post them later.

Travel in the park is challenging with the amount of snow that we have on the ground, but the park is open year round so that means drive to work and open the stores. Yesterday we had very few customers as it snowed pretty hard all day and the wind made it pretty uncomfortable outside..besides with all of the snow, the canyon was pretty much invisible.

As for the dehumidifier..yes that is an option. We did that for a couple of years while we were in Southeast Alaska and it works OK...not great, but OK. I have found that just being careful about how we manage moisture is the best alternative for us. Putting wet towels outside, boiling water sparingly, keeping a couple of vents open, using the shower vent and things like that seems to work best for us. Remember that we are in a very dry place and I am thinking that the climate makes a big difference. In Alaska, we always fought the moisture issues..but then again Southeast is in a temperate rain forest too.

The Airstream does have warm air to the belly pan. The light is insurance..especially for the valves. I really intend to put a thermometer under the trailer to see how much difference there is between the outside air temperature and the temperature under the trailer. I just need to get a good day to do it now..since the forecast is for cold and snow this next week.

I did get some success with the panorama windows and the moisture there. The one in the bedroom I filled inside with bubble wrap and fiberglass insulation. On the outside I used thin foam board. It does double duty..keeps the bedroom dark and the moisture there is much reduced. It still might require some attention on a weekly or biweekly basis to be sure that the moisture does not build up in that area.

[Jay Hawk]

Excellent so a dehumidifier and being careful combined may work out really nice...

I would be interested to know the temperature delta as well.

I wonder on your windows if you had trapped some desiccant pouches behind the bubble wrap if that would hold for the season? The only reason i am thinking of this is because I just assembled 170 office chairs sent from china for my office building and each cushion had a desiccant pack.

That fresh snow fall is what i wanna look out and see after I get out of the trap we call modern living... man that sounds wonderful.

[deauxrite]

Originally Posted by Jay Hawk

Excellent so a dehumidifier and being careful combined may work out really nice...

I would be interested to know the temperature delta as well.

I wonder on your windows if you had trapped some desiccant pouches behind the bubble wrap if that would hold for the season? The only reason i am thinking of this is because I just assembled 170 office chairs sent from china for my office building and each cushion had a desiccant pack.

That fresh snow fall is what i wanna look out and see after I get out of the trap we call modern living... man that sounds wonderful.

That is an interesting idea. I will look around and see if we have some of those that come packed in the book cases that we receive every week..thanks for another good idea.

Temperatures are in the low 30s for highs this week. As you can see from the photos that I have posted, we got a significant snowfall over the last couple of days. It looks like around 12 inches on this pass and they are forecasting another 4-6 for tomorrow night. It makes driving a bit of a challenge, but not intolerable. It does add to the moisture issues inside the trailer and we are having to be very careful to be sure that our wet shoes and stuff get dried and put away. Even the dog gets dried when she comes in from doing her business. Lows in the next day or two are supposed to be in the mid single digits. It just gets more interesting every day!

[Diesel1]

Thanks for the updates.....interesting!

[Jay Hawk]

Awesome Pics.

I was thinking that those rounded awnings or a tent to create an airlock type entry way would be a good investment. You know an area to dust off yourself and your pooch. However I am drawing a blank on how to make it fit up to a AS without gaps. Plus I can only find hu-gantuous ones for inexpensive cost (relatively).... maybe I should invent something smaller with one side zippered and the other designed to meet up with the AS... I know I am over thinking it... lol.

Have you read the SilverStream thread about her experience in Alaska? She is Boondocking all winter but has installed a wood/coal burning stove and says it completely dried out the camper.

I just wonder how easy that stove would travel. or rather if I could make it so it could travel. I wanna winter in a single place but don't wanna stay there forever ya know.

[deauxrite]

Originally Posted by Jay Hawk

Awesome Pics.

I was thinking that those rounded awnings or a tent to create an airlock type entry way would be a good investment. You know an area to dust off yourself and your pooch. However I am drawing a blank on how to make it fit up to a AS without gaps. Plus I can only find hu-gantuous ones for inexpensive cost (relatively).... maybe I should invent something smaller with one side zippered and the other designed to meet up with the AS... I know I am over thinking it... lol.

Have you read the SilverStream thread about her experience in Alaska? She is Boondocking all winter but has installed a wood/coal burning stove and says it completely dried out the camper.

I just wonder how easy that stove would travel. or rather if I could make it so it could travel. I wanna winter in a single place but don't wanna stay there forever ya know.

I don' know about fitting it up to the Airstream..but one of my neighbors has a tent very close to his trailer..and has a wood stove in the tent. He cooks and uses the tent for his mud room, TV room and general hangout when the weather is bad. I am thinking about such a thing..I will see what the wife has to say!

[deauxrite]

I am having a hard time catching a break with the water issues. We discovered a pinhole leak at the inlet weld on the hot water tank tonight. My plan is to affect a repair in the morning..then replacing the hot water tank if that does not work.
It figures that we are close to Christmas and far from a service area..but that is how it works if you want to live in paradise..I have lived without hot water for far longer in far worse places..now to see how the wife deals with it!

[Jay Hawk]

I know I have searched everywhere and cant find such a thing. I was thinking of a tent type structure with a flap at the end that could go over top and be staked on the other side of the trailer. Then I thought. If you had ground sheet to tack on the bottom that you could pull underneath..... Then all you would need would be a material that is supple enough to collapse and assume the shape of what it is pulled up against.... but that stuff well that will be if I ever get the chance to experiment.

The stove idea though is awesome. I looked on a site called Marine Stove based out of Washington and the Little Cod is a pretty awesome installation on a '55 Vintage 'Stream... I think i uploaded a pic...

[Jay Hawk]

Originally Posted by deauxrite

I am having a hard time catching a break with the water issues. We discovered a pinhole leak at the inlet weld on the hot water tank tonight. My plan is to affect a repair in the morning..then replacing the hot water tank if that does not work.
It figures that we are close to Christmas and far from a service area..but that is how it works if you want to live in paradise..I have lived without hot water for far longer in far worse places..now to see how the wife deals with it!

Bad Luck always has bad timing... are there any potential facilities at the place you are working?

[bonginator]

Very interesting thread. I know you are in the midst of repairs. When you have free time, can you tell us what hookups you have at your site? Sewer? Water? Electric?

Just curious what you are set up with. Love the snow photos!

[wxbuoy]

JB weld works great on those leaks. Did it on our boat in an emergency and it worked so well, we left it till the rest of the heater crapped out!

[deauxrite]

Originally Posted by wxbuoy

JB weld works great on those leaks. Did it on our boat in an emergency and it worked so well, we left it till the rest of the heater crapped out!

JB Weld! That is my first crack (pun intended) at repairing the tiny pin hole leak in the weld on the water inlet side of my hot water tank. I drained the tank, bypassed it so we have cold water, and cleaned the affected area. Then I used the wifes hair dryer to make sure the area was dry and mixed up the JB Weld and applied it. Now, we wait and test it in 24 hours.

We have full hookups here and we are actually located in the far south end of Grand Canyon Village. There is nothing south of our site but forest, which is perfect for hiking. Many people come to Grand Canyon and miss the miles and miles of pine and pinon forests and the great hiking that does not involve climbing out of the canyon.

[Antique Pedaler]

By Grand Canyon Village do you mean you are set up in Grand Canyon Village several miles south of the park complex, or in the rv facilities near the visitor's center. We've stayed there and cycled back and forth to Hermit's Rest.

[Aage]

Can't remember: is JB Weld usable on devices carrying potable water?

[SteveH]

Originally Posted by Aage

Can't remember: is JB Weld usable on devices carrying potable water?

After it's cured, and hardened, yes.

[deauxrite]

Originally Posted by Antique Pedaler

By Grand Canyon Village do you mean you are set up in Grand Canyon Village several miles south of the park complex, or in the rv facilities near the visitor's center. We've stayed there and cycled back and forth to Hermit's Rest.

We live inside the park..actually about a half mile from the rim. If you remember where the Albright Training Academy (Ranger training) is..well we are pretty close to that complex. The two camping areas in the park are a bit closer to the Market Plaza than we are. In all there are about 2500 full and part time employees and their families that live inside the park.

[Bauxter]

How is the internet reception in your locale? Any word on which carrier has the best reception?

You guys have a lot of Chutzpah...did I spell that right (and intended in a positive way)? When I read this thread, seemingly everyday, I flashback to the scene in The Shining, where Nicholson gets lost in the maze...all I gotta say is "Stay Safe".

The thread is a good read, and if you guys can winter it out in Yellowstone, I can get out in 40 degree weather to get my belly pan installed...maybe.

thanks for sharing!

[deauxrite]

Internet. Ah yes. We are using a Verizon Myfi Jetpack and it works pretty well in most areas of the park. In fact it works very well in the living areas and the hotel areas. It works, but very spotty in the campgrounds and in the Market area. AT&T phones work OK, but the service areas are spotty and the signals usually 2 bars.

We are getting hammered again tonight with snow. We have nearly a foot on the ground now and it looks like another 5-8 now in the forecast for tonight. It looks like more shoveling in the morning! I may have to take my alternate means of transportation to work in the morning!

[Jay Hawk]

Maybe we can twist your arm to get some freshie pics????