Winter camping, 16BHB -6deg F out, +52deg F in

[joanne]

This morning: -6deg F outside, +52deg F inside.

I hate listening to the furnace and I don't like blowing air when it's cold, so I normally use fanless (convection) electric baseboard heaters. With my 16BHB, each 1500 watt electric heater can reliably raise the inside temperature about 30 deg F warmer than the outside air. So two 1500 watt electric heaters are adequate for about a 60F rise.

[leslie]

Camping in -6 weather. Wow. I never would have considered that. I have one 1500-rated space heater. I can imagine using that with the propane furnace. The cold floor is something that we just have to live with.

Congratulations and happy camping!

[spot1]

Never camped when it was that cold, either.

Thanks for the report!

[daplumbr]

I like winter (all 4 seasons), but camping in -6F. Wowie! Which brand/model of heater do you use and where are they in the camper?

[joanne]

I like winter (all 4 seasons), but camping in -6F. Wowie! Which brand/model of heater do you use and where are they in the camper?

Not sure of the exact make/model - but one of them is something like [a href="http://www.amazon.com/Honeywell-HZ-519-Baseboard-Heater/dp/B000BC2GGS/ref=pd_sim_hg_1?ie=UTF8&refRID=0JJWESYWM7SPHY3HQCZR"]this[/a] and the other is something like [a href="http://www.amazon.com/King-KP1210-1000-Watt-120-Volt-Baseboard/dp/B000PSAIX6/ref=sr_1_4/191-8370882-3473568?ie=UTF8&qid=1424648810&sr=8-4&"]this[/a]. I keep them in the aisle at night and under the dinette during the day, hopefully minimizing the number of times that I trip on them. They make great footrests though.  

I'd rather have wall panel heaters like [a href="http://www.homedepot.com/p/Econo-Heat-400-Watt-Wall-Panel-Convection-Heater-603/202882716"]this[/a], but the ones I see take up quite a bit of wall space for their wattage - I don't have that much wall space. So I just keep tripping over the ones that have.

In winter, the camper is a total mess anyway - snow and Sorel boots in the aisle, heavy clothes piled on the bunks; and if it gets above freezing, mud everywhere. Spring cleaning will be a challenge.

But getting up at sunrise on a cold, clear, crisp morning and hitting the woods without a soul in sight? - priceless, really.

--Mike

[shonsu]

You might want to think about putting some interlocking foam mats on the floor.  I put the 5/8" thick ones that have the wood print on them in mine and it looks and feels great.  No more cold floors and they are extremely easy to clean.  Here's a link to the ones I purchased: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00DGCDYR0/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1.  One pack of 12 was enough to cover the floor of my 16DB.

[kelkat]

Michael

hi found this old post and have a question for you.  What kind of steps do/did you take to protect the pipes and holding tanks from freezing?  i'm thinking about buying a camplite trailer to live in here in Colorado.  

Thanks,
Kellye

[joanne]

[quote timestamp="1472079535" source="/post/24119/thread" author="@kelkat"]Michael

hi found this old post and have a question for you.  What kind of steps do/did you take to protect the pipes and holding tanks from freezing?  i'm thinking about buying a camplite trailer to live in here in Colorado.  

Thanks,
Kellye[/quote]
On mine, I moved the plumbing up from under the trailer into the living space so it's all within the heated envelope. But at those temps, I'm dry camping with no water in the plumbing. It's water jugs for drinking and pit toilets for bathroom.
 
I'm not sure if I'd be able to keep tanks from freezing unless I had tank heaters and an insulated skirt around the bottom. I know that during the North Dakota oil boom, guys were living in trailers that were skirted and had electric heaters under the camper.

There is a thread on this forum (somewhere) where one of the forum members devised a way of circulating hot water back into the fresh tank using the trailer's 12v pump, instead of running tank heaters on the fresh tank.

Aluminum floors are cold in winter. At -0f, spilled espresso freezes instantly.

--Mike

[charliem]

[quote source="/post/24122/thread" timestamp="1472081470" author="@michael"][quote timestamp="1472079535" author="@kelkat" source="/post/24119/thread"]Michael

hi found this old post and have a question for you.  What kind of steps do/did you take to protect the pipes and holding tanks from freezing?  i'm thinking about buying a camplite trailer to live in here in Colorado.  

Thanks,
Kellye[/quote]There is a thread on this forum (somewhere) where one of the forum members devised a way of circulating hot water back into the fresh tank using the trailer's 12v pump, instead of running tank heaters on the fresh tank.


--Mike
[/quote][font size="3"]Guilty as charged. Follow this thread to the end for an alternative solution.

[a href="http://livinlite-owners.com/thread/1477/fresh-water-anti-freezeup-system"]http://livinlite-owners.com/thread/1477/fresh-water-anti-freezeup-system[/a]
[/font]