Many Rv Owners Take To The Roads In Winter

Right before Labor Day, this column covered the topic of winterizing your RV. But I was quickly reminded by a couple of local enthusiasts that not everyone puts up their rig when the shadows lengthen.

For proof, you need only travel to Pullman on a Washington State University home football weekend. Diehard Cougar fans jam the parking lots with RVs.

Actually, nearly half of all RVs will be used 20 or more days between Labor Day and the first day of spring, according to the Recreational Vehicle Industry Association. About 25 percent will see more than 44 days of use during the same period. An astounding 92 percent of all RV owners will use their RV at least once this fall or winter.

The difference between summer use and fall and winter use in modern RVs often is little more than some planning. Because of this, industry surveys show that each year 40 percent of RV owners will use their vehicles more than they did the previous fall and winter. Thermostats, high-output furnaces, microwave ovens and water heaters all add up to cozy camping.

The first thing to do before setting out in freezing weather is to make sure you didn’t forget that you previously winterized your RV. If you did, it’s no problem; just work backward and de-winterize it.

If a shop did it, it might be best to have them ready it for you.

You might also consider not using the fresh water system for an occasional winter trek. Some RVs are built to use the water system in winter. These depend on good insulation and constant heat. But lose the heat in cold weather and even the best systems will freeze and burst.

In most cases though, especially for only a few trips or for hunters away from their RVs for the day with the heat off, a portable water supply in plastic containers can avoid lots of hassles. Just be sure to leave the containers in the RV so they don’t freeze, too.

Avoid filling your waste water tanks once they’re charged with antifreeze for the winter. If you do use the system, remember that you’ll have to add antifreeze continually as the waste water collects in the tanks.

Upon your return, don’t forget about the water in either system. Keep the heat on until you can drain it.

A rule of thumb for furnace capacity for travel trailers says 700 to 900 BTUs per foot of length is sufficient for most. Motor homes need about 1,000 BTUs per foot because of increased heat loss at windows.

A 20-pound cylinder of propane will produce between 345,000 and 390,000 BTUs. Quick calculations show that a 25-foot motorhome outfitted with a 25,000 BTU furnace will burn a 20-pound tank in about 14 hours if run continuously. Consider a larger tank for winter use.

Ice fishing in Canada a few years ago saw the temperature drop to about 50 below zero. On the ice, our propane stove wouldn’t work until we actually warmed the fuel up above the vaporization point. That just happens to be -44 degrees. Butane similarly loses its oomph at the freezing point of water. For RVs, stick with propane.

Besides all the cautions of winter driving, also think about the furnace blower fan. It is an electric motor and motors draw a lot of current from batteries. Operated continuously, a typical furnace fan will drain a 12-volt battery in less than half a day. A good thermostat or careful planning of blower use and battery charging will eliminate the problem.

And finally, never use open flames for heat or supplemental heaters in an RV. Owner’s manuals make clear the hazards of carbon monoxide poisoning, and should never be overlooked.