Mid twenties furnace settings ?

[Robbie R.]

I have a 2000 excella and am just beginning to camp some this winter and wondered if mid twenties was a big deal as long as I keep the gas furnace set on about 70 ?

Also, my camper is sealed under belly well as others are so what is a good setting for my furnace on some of these 20s nights that could fall in lower 20s ?

I am not sure if mine has heated water tanks (I don't think so) but I just wanted the opinions of others that have done this many times.

I also plan on leaving my cabinets open when it does get down this cold.

Thanks for any input.

Robbie R.

[Kevin245]

Hey Robbie,

We've camped down in to the mid teens with no problems. We just disconnect our city water intake.

Regards,

Kevin

[Foiled Again]

I use an electric heating wire on my white water hose, and wrap it in pipe insulation. Instructions on the heating wire says it's a no-no... but every one here does it. I just tie the sensor to the water pipe as it comes out of the ground and wrap some of the wire around the pipe. Works flawlessly. Every spring I toss the insulation and cut the cable ties I use to secure the tape to the hose.

Paula

[obxgal]

We just replaced the furnace in our Excella 500. lt is now being used everyday up in WV. Last weekend the temps went down to the low 30's and it nearly blasted us out...so I had to turn it down to ~60 and left it there. So those things are a lot more efficient than i originally thought...or the Airstreams are a lot tighter than I thought...I slept in the living room on the sofa bed and the cold air around the windows did not bother me at all. Granted the 20's are more harsh, but I suspect 70 will keep it toasty.
Susan

[2airishuman]

20s no problem.

YES your trailer's got ducting to the fresh tank.

and ALMOST all of the plumbing is inside along the lower wall/floors.

fill/use the fresh tank during the warmer times and stow the hose.

keep the waste tanks CLOSED and drain as needed.

don't force a FROZEN drain valve OPEN or CLOSED.

the furnace WILL CYCLE a lot and you will get MOISTURE/condesation on the inside...

so vent during the day, add a space heater if you've got one and keep the thermostat in YOUR comfort range (55-68)...

and keep an EYE on the lpgas, MANY folks run out at 4 am when its FREEZING out.

which is NO fun.

but cold weather camping is COOL!

cheers
2air'

[c177tx]

Just came back from a trip out to AZ, while camping in New Mexico it got down to 11 degrees, the inside temp was 75 degrees, and the furnace was not working all night to keep the temp in the mid 70's that night. The small rear window in the bedroom did acumulate a little ice on the inside from condensation, we ran the bathroom vent to help with that. You could feel the cold if you touched the walls or windows but it was nice and cozy while camping in the extream cold. But as stated before, make sure you have plenty of LP.

[Maryw164]

Originally Posted by Kevin245

Hey Robbie,

We've camped down in to the mid teens with no problems. We just disconnect our city water intake.

Regards,

Kevin

What happens if you don't disconnect the water intake? Does the hose freeze up or burst? Would camping in overnight lows of low 30's be a concern for the same reasons as original posting?

Thanks, Mary

[garry]

Your water line (hose) will freeze if you do not protect it with heat tape or foam leaving you with out water. Some people use their fresh water tank during cold weather.

You can leave the water on at one faucet to prevent freezing but be sure and leave the gray dump valve open if you use the faucet method.

I was at a CG last year and temps were in the teens for a few nights the CG manager came around asking everyone to leave a trickle of water running to protect their pipe.

You will be surprised by the amount of propane the furnace will use so it is best to have a small electric heater, we leave one on low all the time to conserve propane.

[Kevin245]

Originally Posted by Maryw164

What happens if you don't disconnect the water intake? Does the hose freeze up or burst? Would camping in overnight lows of low 30's be a concern for the same reasons as original posting?

Thanks, Mary

Hey Mary,

If the hose isn't insulated or heat taped it will freeze which is a pain. We've used a foam insulation and/or heat tape (like Paula) when staying put for more than a couple of days in low temp climates.

Regards,

Kecin

[Robbie R.]

Thanks for all the answers Kevin and everyone else.

I think I can do this as long as everything operates well.

Now to get all my Andy Griffith DVDs ready for camping.........


Robbie R.

[Airstream01]

What about when you are towing in the mid 20's? what is a good thermostat setting to prevent the tanks from freezing, but not burn up a whole load of propane? Any ideas? I was thinking somewhere around 55F?

[2airishuman]

Originally Posted by Airstream01

What about when you are towing in the mid 20's? what is a good thermostat setting to prevent the tanks from freezing, but not burn up a whole load of propane? Any ideas? I was thinking somewhere around 55F?

this comes up seasonally with many old posts on the topic.

here's a recent one.

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f459...ing-49725.html

while there are many threads debating the safety of running the furnace while towing,

there's little debate that doing so will SUCK THE LP big time.

and while the furnace may keep the INSIDE air a bit warmer,

ALL of the peripheral stuff is still exposed to cold (think fingers, toes and nose)

ever ridden a bike in COLD air? same concept with a trayla in motion.

the tanks sloshing will generally limit freezing (mid 20s) except around the valves/inlets
___________

my approach

-for temps in the UPPER 20s with sunlight...no furnace while driving
-lower 20s or night time sub freezing....set the furnace to 44 while driving.

start each day with the water heater ON so the tank is full of HOT water, then turn OFF for travel.

-for temps in the teens or BELOW, expect the dump valves to freeze, so don't use them.

-for towing in the single digits, drain the tanks and run antifreeze via the bypass valve into the lines.

carry a couple of jugs of water in the shower to use for toilet flushing.
____________

REALLY cold weather driving=driver fatigue and typically SHORTened daylite.

so i STOP every 2 hours and make a hot beverage, run the furnace and consider a nap...

then look at the map for a more southernly route...

cheers
2air'

[Catman6]

Using the furnace in below freezing temps burns a LOT of propane. I've been averaging 5 gallons a day (daytime temps 40'sF / night time temps mid-20'sF). Get an extended stay kit, and a 100 lb. propane tank ($164 @ my local hardware store - holds 23.5 gallons of propane). That will eliminate a lot of stress over having to refill your trailer tanks so often. I've wrapped my water line with a heat tape & foam, like others have, with no issues If you have condensstion issues, run the heat & A/C together (you may have to have a second thermostat installed if one thermostat runs both, but that's a really easy thing to do!). If the cold air coming off the windows when you sleep bothers you, put plastic on the windows where the bed(s) is/are. When I'm not in mine, I set the thermostat @ 50'F, and haven't had any issues yet That's all I can think of right now, hope it helps. Tony