Tips for Comfortable Winter Living in Your RV
Most RVs aren't rated for extreme temperatures and most full-time RVs head to warmer climates during the coldest months. But what do you do when moving south isn't an option? There are a few improvements you can made to your RV to make it warm and comfortable and get you through the winter safely. Carolina Coach & Marine, serving Charlotte, Winston-Salem, and Greensboro, SC, wants to see you safely through the cold and ice, read below then visit our dealership for more help preparing your RV.
Insulating
Unless you're staying in an RV that's purpose built for extreme cold, your RV is probably lacking in insulation. Because of the way travel trailers and motorhomes are constructed, there are some perennial weak spots that RVers have to shore up to best insulate their homes. First, your windows are going to be more liability than asset in the winter. Glass lets heat escape easily, so you'll want to insulate your windows. Many RVers use styrofoam cut out into window sized blocks to shore up these weak spots, others go with plywood, as it's sturdier, but even a set of thermal curtains will help bolster your RVs insulation. Another problem spot for many full timers is the underside of the RV. Because of your ground clearance, the cold wind can whip right under your RV and steal precious heat, and cool the underside storage compartments to make it harder to heat your RV. Since you'll be in the same spot all season, it's a smart idea to build a skirt around the bottom of your RV to keep the wind out. Finally, RVs can get drafty after a few years when the seals start to break down, so find the problem spots where the cold is sneaking in and plug the holes!
Staying Warm
Many RVers go into a winter counting on their propane furnace to see them through the season, but it will only take you a few weeks to burn through your propane when it gets really cold, so you might want to consider an alternative form of heat. One of the most popular methods to keep warm without burning up all of your fuel is to use portable electric heaters. These gadgets are compact, and affordable, and many newer models come with RV friendly feature like automatic shutoff if they get knocked over. If you're in a larger RV, you can even pick up a couple of them and heat the RV with relative ease. There is a catch: make sure that when you're plugging in your heater, that you're not overloading your electrical system.
Plumbing and Water
If water freezes in your lines, you're in for a bad winter. Full time RVing requires you to prioritize your plumbing in a way that you might not otherwise consider. Your city water hookup may need to be insulated and wrapped in electrical heat tape. Fresh water tank will need to be filled and emptied every day so it doesn't have a chance to freeze overnight, you don't have to top it off though. If you want to reduce your work on your plumbing, you can find RV tank heaters which can keep everything from freezing up under your RV. For your black tank, you might want to consider swapping your traditional sewage hose out for a semi-permanent PVC fixture, as long as it's at an appropriate slope your waste will drain right down without a chance to collect and freeze up the works.
Remember, look for areas most likely to lose heat, windows, doors, seals, and reinforce them with additional insulation. Consider investing in some portable electric heaters to keep warm without burning through all of your fuel, and make sure you wrap any and all water pipes in insulation and then electrical heat tape. If you don't have any other option than to ride out the winter, you can keep warm and safe, and Carolina Coach & Marine, serving Asheville, NC, and Spartanburg, SC, is ready to help you do it. Visit our dealership, or set an appointment with our service department, and let our staff help you prepare for the coldest months.