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Old 11-05-2015, 08:12 PM   #21
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It is that time of the year again for some locations. I thought it might be a good time to move this thread to the front page again. Some good advice/info here for the young and old alike.
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Old 11-06-2015, 04:48 AM   #22
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Down. Down everything. Down blankets, down comforters, down bed pads, down slippers, down coats, down towels. except maybe that last one.
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Old 11-30-2015, 05:44 AM   #23
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First time for me to post to this board. My wife and I are 98% sure that we want to go full time BUT are biggest concern is winter temps. Can we stay comfortable in an AS during the day? Nighttime is covered with down (magical properties), it's the waking hours I'm concerned about. I'd hate to sit in the truck with the heater running :-)
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Old 11-30-2015, 07:36 AM   #24
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ARA, might need a bit more information about where you'll be wintering.

Airstream is not a 4Season trailer but plenty have done it once, season, storm, trip.

Be prepared, are you boondocking or hookups, lots of propane use.

Tell us more.
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Old 12-05-2015, 06:52 AM   #25
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My wife and I are really consumed by this "full time " dream. I'm realizing that for 12-16 weeks out of the year we'll just have to hug the southern portion of the country. But realizing that's a huge area! We both are watching countless hours of YouTube, a plethora of knowledge. We tend to research things to death but I learned early on in my life, "prior proper planning prevents poor performance ".
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Old 12-05-2015, 07:59 AM   #26
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First time for me to post to this board. My wife and I are 98% sure that we want to go full time BUT are biggest concern is winter temps. Can we stay comfortable in an AS during the day? Nighttime is covered with down (magical properties), it's the waking hours I'm concerned about. I'd hate to sit in the truck with the heater running :-)
Micro fleece tops and leggings are warm, wonderful and inexpensive...big thing is to keep something warm on your feet.


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Old 12-05-2015, 08:13 AM   #27
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I like to drink whiskey and burn my furniture. Takes much less thought.
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Old 12-05-2015, 10:08 AM   #28
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If you have hook ups those little ceramic space heaters work wonders. Fleece lined slippers or mocs on the feet are a must. The floor is always cold. Norwegian heavy wool socks with leather soles are a good thing.
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Old 12-29-2015, 08:28 PM   #29
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Unhappy cold weather camping

Thanks for all the info. We have camped 40+ years, from tents to PU OH campers, to 34' box trlrs w/slides and now AS 28' Serenity. I never have seen info about R factor of insulation on AS TT. All the brochure says is ecobacked insulation.

In hot weather our 2 ACs do great! Cold weather not as good. It seems to go tin can camping and using bottled water is best with a good electric ceramic heater if you have electric available.
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Old 08-29-2016, 10:18 PM   #30
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My wife and I are really consumed by this "full time " dream. I'm realizing that for 12-16 weeks out of the year we'll just have to hug the southern portion of the country. But realizing that's a huge area! We both are watching countless hours of YouTube, a plethora of knowledge. We tend to research things to death but I learned early on in my life, "prior proper planning prevents poor performance ".
Just head to San Antonio, or South Texas no problem with Winter weather.
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Old 08-29-2016, 11:14 PM   #31
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I'll spare you why we did this, but we used 3 5 gallon containers, kept outside the trailer, as our water supply to last us 1 week. We used a catalytic heater with the window cracked open, always off for the night. Lastly, we'd do spit baths when needed, but went to town and had full showers at the local year-round swimming pool. This worked for 2 adults and 2 toddlers.
I always swore to be eternally grateful for water, any temperature, that came out of a tap and without limit.
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Old 02-07-2018, 12:13 PM   #32
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We have 2016FC23D, and the most vulnerable plumbing is in the rear storage compartment, which is under the bed. This is where cold water runs from the city water inlet/pump to the kitchen. (Hot water runs from WH to the bathroom.) Valves for low point drains are also in this compartment.

No matter how much you crank up the furnace, hot air isn't going to reach here, and I believe it is the first place the pipes freeze.

I'm thinking of putting a small space heater (200W) to keep this tiny space above freezing during winter camping in addition to running the furnace.

I think it'll work because we only winter camp for a couple of days, and if we ever have to leave the trailer unattended, we can put AF in the pipes.
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Old 02-07-2018, 03:34 PM   #33
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Have you had issues with that area under the bed freezing up in the past? I do a lot of winter camping and there's typically enough residual heat to keep areas like that warm enough. You could always try it as is and see how it goes. I bet that worst case scenario a line may freeze up, but I doubt to the point that something busts. An easy safeguard might be to install a passive vent or two in that area, which would allow room air to circulate through there.

For some extra reading on winter camping you might enjoy some threads here... http://www.aviontrailers.net/viewforum.php?f=39
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Old 02-08-2018, 06:50 AM   #34
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Have you had issues with that area under the bed freezing up in the past? I do a lot of winter camping and there's typically enough residual heat to keep areas like that warm enough. You could always try it as is and see how it goes. I bet that worst case scenario a line may freeze up, but I doubt to the point that something busts. An easy safeguard might be to install a passive vent or two in that area, which would allow room air to circulate through there.

For some extra reading on winter camping you might enjoy some threads here... http://www.aviontrailers.net/viewforum.php?f=39
On our way home back from the last trip, we encountered temperatures in teens. First, we opened the low drain point valves, but it was too late. They were already frozen. We attempted to put AF in the pipes, but we could only do so to the bathroom sink, toilet and shower. AF couldn't reach the kitchen faucet because (I imagine) ice was blocking the pipe somewhere, and I believe that it first happened in the pipes in the storage compartment. The reason why I suspect this is because it is isolated from the rest of the trailer. There are two tiny holes through which the pipe run in and out. If warm air from the furnace is to reach this compartment, it is through these holes. (I don't think that's sufficient especially if the cabinet doors are closed.) There is a small round hole from which we can access the low point drain valve, but there is usually the mattress there blocking air flow through this hole.

In retrospect, we should have winterized before leaving the camp site, but I realize that the pipes in this compartment could have freezen even when we are at a camp site with hook up, blasting furnace for the reason I mentioned above. So that's why I'm going to get a small space heater (found one with 250W) and put it there while we are camping.
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Old 10-25-2019, 10:12 PM   #35
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GREAT Post. I have a 2019 GT that has a heat pump. If the heat pump doesn’t have ducts to keep the tanks warm and the furnace does then what is the purpose of the heat pump over the furnace for cold weather camping?

Thank you in advance.
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Old 10-26-2019, 04:01 AM   #36
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Heat pump only works down to 40 or so, freezing pipes not a concern. Once you get much below 40 heat pump loose efficiency quickly, you’ll want the furnace.
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Old 10-27-2019, 07:23 PM   #37
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Thank you.
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Old 11-03-2020, 08:21 PM   #38
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Wondering if anyone has removed the belly pan on a new airstream in order to install tank heating pads? What’s the easiest way to remove the belly pan and reattach it ?
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Old 03-26-2021, 07:35 AM   #39
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Refrigerator and freezing temperatures

We’re leaving for FL in a week. We’re bringing the trailer out of storage the day before we leave. It will be in the 20s that night. I read someplace that you can’t run the Dometic refrigerator in those temps. Is that true? We have lots of food to put in it and feel it’s necessary. We’ll leave the next morning and be in above freezing temps the next night. Any suggestions for refrig use?
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Old 03-26-2021, 08:47 AM   #40
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Run the fridge . . . it should be fine, as long as the inside of the trailer is reasonably above freezing IMO.
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