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osolow · 10-25-2008, 09:40 AM

I am curious if anyone out there leaves there furnace on in the winter mouths, or if you turn them on if it's going to get extremely cold?

also how many people are lucky enough to store there A/S in a garage or building?

ScottW · 10-25-2008, 10:30 AM

I keep an electric oil filled space heater on during the winter just to keep the temperature swings to a minimum. When freezing temps are forecast, I turn on the propane heater and run it until the temp get higher. The holding tanks are vented and this keeps them from freezing. I do not winterize the trailer, so it is ready at a moments notice. It really doesn't get that cold for very long in north MS, so the cost of the propane is not that bad.

Your mileage may vary. Some settling may occur.

cooperhawk · 10-25-2008, 10:50 AM

Actually have overnighted in Hernando several times in the campground north of town. Used to have friends that lived there. Usually went out to the Casino to eat.

Here in Minnesoooota it gets pretty cold. I pump all the pipes full of Vodka, drain all the tanks, and bring all the flat screen electronics in, along with anything that will freeze and break. Then I put the MH in our barn, close the door and don't look at it again til either we want to go south, or Spring! Whichever comes first.

The cold doesn't seem to hurt it. I do ventilate the barn well in the Spring when all the moisture collects.

Mike Leary · 10-25-2008, 11:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ScottW

I keep an electric oil filled space heater on during the winter just to keep the temperature swings to a minimum.

They are great, we have one in the bow & one in the stern.

kfrere · 11-21-2008, 06:45 AM

We will be storing ours in a concrete floor garage that previously housed a MH. There is no heat in the garage, but there is electricity. We want to be able to use our trailer during the winter months. In between trips we were wondering if we should purchase an electric heater to turn on during the coldest nights (tonight in the teens) or if we should run the trailer furnace.

flitzwhopper · 11-21-2008, 06:58 AM

i know... i know... it doesn't get cold in Tempe. Actually, on occasion it does get into the 20's. When that happens, i use the furnace in the Twink. I leave it on its lowest setting and it keeps it in the 40's. Why? because the furnace has tubes that go into the area where the plumbing collects in the belly and keeps it from freezing. Seems to work.

**markdoane** · 11-21-2008, 07:00 AM

Let her freeze solid!

My Tradewind has spent the last 49 years outside in the Minnesota winters. It's good for her complexion.

CanoeStream · 11-21-2008, 07:13 AM

You (not Don ... just everybody else!) could be risking a complete plumbing re-do if you have copper pipes. Heat from space heaters rises. That may work in the southern tier states. The most effective way to run heat along the floor and pipe areas is to have the furnace running. Be cautious if your shower mixer valve is on an outside wall -- those are very prone to damage and a pain to replace.

I do my own winterizing with RV antifreeze and it's quite easy -- an hour if you can get occasional help. I store in an enclosed garage and that honestly doesn't give much extra protection from the cold. Unless a person is on a southern coast or in Phoenix, what would concern me is that the coldest-in-five-years blue norther is going to mess up your camping and be very expensive to repair.

There are some reasonable ways for folks to deal with snowbirding and heading south in the winter. Drain the hot water heater. You can eventually blow the pipes dry with a real serious session with an air compressor (not my dinky little 3 gallon job). Be sure to put RV antifreeze in the traps. Head south and don't use any interior water until you're clear of winter storms. Summerize it when you get there!

HowieE · 11-21-2008, 08:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by osolow

I am curious if anyone out there leaves there furnace on in the winter mouths, or if you turn them on if it's going to get extremely cold?

It is not worth the risk or the cost. The risk being if you run out of gas or have a heater problem you will freeze things solid in less than 2 days st your winter temperatures. Running the heater in KS. for the winter will send you to the poor house.

While the plastic piping used today might survive a freeze, it can take a much greater expansion cycle during thawing than copper, your hot water heater can not. It will be the first to go.

CanoeStream · 11-21-2008, 08:19 AM

Your heirs won't be happy if the furnace is run in an enclosed space ...and we warned you not to do it.

AZ-JH · 11-21-2008, 09:46 AM

It doesn't get that cold here, but we're very lucky to store in a separate garage on our property. The sun is brutal. If we ever had to buy another house, if it didn't have an Airstream barn, we wouldn't want to consider the house. The saved storage rental fees help compensate for a property with room to store.

**markdoane** · 11-21-2008, 09:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CanoeStream

You (not Don ... just everybody else!) could be risking a complete plumbing re-do if you have copper pipes. . . .

Yeah, I should have noted in my post that I:

1. Carefully pitched all my Pex plumbing to low point drains,
2. Blow it all dry with compressed air, including three sprayer hoses,
3. Repeat the blowdown just to be sure,
4 fill the pump with antifreeze,
5. add antifreeze to the traps,
6. drain all tanks,
7. remove the flatscreen,
8. check all cupboards for canned goods.

Then I think you can let it freeze solid.

RangerJay · 11-21-2008, 11:56 AM

Nope - no heater - no garage.

Our winter temperatures will drop to -40 on occasion and -30 to -35 for several weeks at a time.

Any long-lasting snowload with heat in the trailer creates large ice sheets on the sides and top of the trailer - and a heated enclosure in this area is an attractive housing option for field mice.

Would be great to have a garage - but can't say that not having one has caused us any grief - this trailer has spent 5 winters as you see it here and does not show any signs of hurting because of it (I did have the vent covers crack from the snowload in the first year - they are now covered with their own plywood enclosure). This is about the maximum snow depth that I allow to accumulate before removing it with a broom.

Jay

**markdoane** · 11-21-2008, 12:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RangerJay

Nope - no heater - no garage.

Our winter temperatures will drop to -40 on occasion and -30 to -35 for several weeks at a time.

Wow! Is that -40 Celsius or -40 Fahrenheit?

(yeah, it's a trick question)

mustang · 11-21-2008, 02:34 PM

It gets down to -40F here in NE Ohio also. Sometimes colder.

We filled my buddys trailer fresh water tank with Pepermint Schnopps. His wife swore she could still tast it all summer, when she was taking a shower I was told she could smell it.

That was there Honey Moon trip.

I think electric or any heater would get expensive to run.

RangerJay · 11-21-2008, 03:06 PM

Science may tell us that -40C is the same as -40F ... but of course that's before you factor in the Canadian/American exchange rate ... we generally haven't done so well there ... and then of course you have to factor in the wind chill (not sure about American meteorologists but our Canadian counter parts are quite fond of reporting "wind chill") ... and I have to admit - it always seems that the windchill from a Colorado Low seems colder than the windchill from an Alberta Clipper ... but no matter how you cut it .... -40 feels like it would freeze the brass @#$% on the same monkey anywhere .....

Jay

HowieE · 11-21-2008, 04:45 PM

Years ago I worked with 2 guys from Winnipeg. Their explanation of cold was when a 6ft. relieved himself outdoors and it crackled upon hitting the ground that was 60 below.

You Canadians are sure brave people to attempt such an experiment, looking at the thermometer is how we tell the temp.

ROBERT CROSS · 11-21-2008, 06:23 PM

It's also a good idea to take the wheels and tires off.

I know we're a little anal here in WNY.

94Tri · 11-21-2008, 06:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by markdoane

Yeah, I should have noted in my post that I:

1. Carefully pitched all my Pex plumbing to low point drains,
2. Blow it all dry with compressed air, including three sprayer hoses,
3. Repeat the blowdown just to be sure,
4 fill the pump with antifreeze,
5. add antifreeze to the traps,
6. drain all tanks,
7. remove the flatscreen,
8. check all cupboards for canned goods.

Then I think you can let it freeze solid.

This basic winterizing has served me well with no heat added. It takes me about 45 minutes to complete and then no worries until spring.

TBRich · 11-21-2008, 08:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by flitzwhopper

i know... i know... it doesn't get cold in Tempe. Actually, on occasion it does get into the 20's. When that happens, i use the furnace in the Twink. I leave it on its lowest setting and it keeps it in the 40's. Why? because the furnace has tubes that go into the area where the plumbing collects in the belly and keeps it from freezing. Seems to work.

That's what we do with the furanace on the really cold nights, too, since we don't winterize...as we go camping in the winter months...(I know, we re wooses...that's why we live here!) It's just enough to keep it from really getting too cold... At those times we also crank up the water heater and run hot water through the system ...then we turn off the water pump and open the faucets so it's not a closed system...then if something does get too cold, there is room to expand with out damage.