4 Season Living -- here's the question

[oxcamper]

So, we up and purchased a new 2015 Hemi 282RK and have been living in it since April 1 of this year. We now plan (recent decision) to live most of the year (including the winter months here in SW Ohio near my work (when we aren't back home in NE Ohio)) where temps do get into the single digits. Hemisphere's are not 4 season units but there are some out there that do advertise that capability. None of them Salem though.
There is a lot of advice on cold weather living, insulation, wrapping water and drainage lines, valves, skirting, etc.

Sooooo--here's the question: Do we take the beating and trade up into another unit which is designed for what we plan, or try to make a go at it and winterize the Hemi (meaning make it livable in the cold)?

[youroo]

If the winter will be like this past one,Dont try it! 99.7% of TT are NOT made for Full time below Freezeing Temp! It will be hard to find a C/G that is even Open in the Winter! Go Way South or Place you unit inside a insulated building. Youroo!!

[bikendan]

FR does NOT make any true 4-season rigs. the only things they offer for colder weather is some with heated holding tanks and some with heated basements. also dual pane window options.

none have the R-values as true 4-season RVs.

you're trying to turn a "stick and tin" trailer into a 4-season trailer, for single digit winters.
all i can say is "Good Luck"! there are lots of info out there to try and do it.

[davel1971]

even the ones that are advertised as 4 seasons, from what I've seen, are only slightly more capable of cold weather. Just slightly more insulation. May have tank heaters, and usually 1 small duct blowing heat into enclosed underbelly. This will help when temps dip slightly below freezing, but not for sustained single digits.

[GOTTOYS]

Rent an apartment or buy a mobile home...There is nothing you can do at a reasonable price to make a RV livable in extreme cold. Key words here are reasonable price.

[garbonz]

Lets not be SOOO negative.. A lot of things can be done to make SW Ohio doable with resonable comfort. Just look up in the CO mountains during the winter, where it can get to -25. Not ideal, but doable

Heater tape on water and insulated sewer line.
Inserts for windows to reduce loss and condensation.
External propane tanks
Warm slippers.
Electric space heaters
Enclose underside with styrofoam.
Bed electric Mattress pad

Go for it. Point is that the 4 season units are not that much better.. If I was to want one, I'd go Arctic Fox or Excel.

[davel1971]

were not being negative, we are being truthful. Unless someone wants to be making plumbing repairs in below zero wind chills, they are taking a big chance.

[GOTTOYS]

Sure you can do it...but I said at a reasonable cost. What you will be paying out in electric and propane bills will probably cover renting an apartment. I live in a house in MN. My Jan gas and electric was over $300.00 and I heat with natural gas. I bet propane and elec. for a poorly insulated RV would be more than that...If you can find an RV park that will be open in the Winter...

[garbonz]

And staying in a mobile home? tha'll be much better LOL. Apartments suck, have bugs and roaches, floods, mold and all kinds of icky stuff. Ewwwww. Give me my own slime in my own RV anyday. I spent 3 months in an apartment 6 years ago after a divorce and I would rather stay in my own RV anyday in any weather.

With prudent precautions and a little effort it can be fun and you can brag about it later.

IMO, of course, others experience may and probably will vary.

[BigJohnD]

I think it's doable, to an extent. If you're like me, tell me I can't do it, and I'll prove you wrong. I've seen some mighty cool enginuity over the years, and regular old campers surviving in extreme conditions. Granted, these were modified a bit. But like mentioned above, finding a park that has the water on up north in the winter can be difficult. We dealt with that in Indiana last year. Thank goodness we only were actually staying in the motorhome for a couple of nights. The rest of the time it was at the factory service and we were in the hotel. Gets hold filling tank with jugs, which we did, or driving motorhome to a place that had water to fill the tank.

[OL Creeker]

Look at the R factor stats for a Cedar Creek. We went through a tank of LP in ONE day in temps around the mid-upper 30's. The four season capability is true - it just depends upon where the unit is during the winter!

[BigJohnD]

The only time we run the furnace is when it's going to freeze. Anything above 32, and it's heat strips, small space heaters front and back, and of course the dehumidifier I've mentioned in other threads puts off a bit of heat while keeping the windows and walls from sweating. We stay quite warm. Never went through a tank in a day, although we're prepared to. I'm sure we would if we used that as primary heat. We have an aux tank that sits under the front with it's own line for easy hook up.

[oxcamper]

Our park is near Ceaser Creek State Park (Ohio) just outside of Waynesville, about 30 or so miles north of Cincinnati right off I-71. They do offer year round sites with full hook up. I went there in February with about 8 inches of snow on the ground, the drives were plowed, and there are about 8 - 10 full timers living there all winter. Now I'm asking them how bad it was and none really had any horror stories. This was a cold and long winter in SE Ohio, but it looks like it's able to be done with some precautions.
But again the question remains do we bite the bullet and get something which, granted is not a mobile home in a trailer park, but has more insulative construction than our Hemishpere.

[keep camping]

Look at the Ice Castle RV Edition fish house, you still have to figure out how to keep the water from freezing, but rvalue is better than a TT

[EdHarvey]

What R values do people think is needed for 4 Season living?

I'll be trying this in northern AL starting this summer but wish I was further north.

[BigJohnD]

Mark, if I were in your shoes, I'd probably attempt a season with what you have. Biggest reason, you just might buy something that is consider better insulated, and find yourself in the same boat. Just my 2 cents. With precaution, I think you'll be fine. Keeping inside warm is easy, it's the all the other stuff that tends to be a problem every now and then.