Temporary living in motor home in winter

[TNYHWZ]

I live up north on Long Island and am doing some construction on my home during the winter. We will have to move out for a week or two and am considering living in my Sunseeker 2400W MBS that is parked on the side of my house. Is it possible to live in the RV and not have the plumbing freeze. Any suggestions would greatly be appreciated.

[kenandterry]

That’s a loaded question. Can anyone tell how cold it’s going to get while you’re in the Sunseeker? You’ll probably need a lot of electric heaters and a lot of propane for the furnace for keeping it cozy if it’s constantly below freezing. Would you be able to use the plumbing in the house during the construction phase? Continued temperatures below freezing could freeze your Sunseeker pipes and that could be big $$$$$$.

[TNYHWZ]

Originally Posted by kenandterry

That’s a loaded question. Can anyone tell how cold it’s going to get while you’re in the Sunseeker? You’ll probably need a lot of electric heaters and a lot of propane for the furnace for keeping it cozy if it’s constantly below freezing. Would you be able to use the plumbing in the house during the construction phase? Continued temperatures below freezing could freeze your Sunseeker pipes and that could be big $$$$$$.

No, that is the reason I need to move out---no utilities. I will assume it will be at or below freezing. If I have the heat on all the time will the pipes stay warm enough not to freeze. I have the artic package for my tanks as well.

[kenandterry]

You MIGHT be able to heat the RV enough to live in it, but I can’t guarantee your water pipes won’t freeze even with the Arctic Package. Electric heaters might help keeping things warm inside, but they won’t help your exterior compartments.

Some people use their rigs for camping at/near ski hills, but use bottled water and plastic basins so NO water gets into the waste tanks. Toilets......definitely out of the question.

Good luck.

[merrykalia]

It CAN be done, but it might not be FUN.

You will need to have some place to empty tanks, get fresh water and plug into electric that will be enough to operate several electric heaters at the same time. Propane will be used a lot, so you might want to get the gas company to set at least a 60 lb tank, maybe more.

I would plan to put "something" around the bottom of the RV to keep out cold wind. You can use some rigid foam board insulation to underpin your RV. That way, a small electric heater or even a 100 watt work light (regular old timey bulb that gives off heat) will keep the underneath of your RV above freezing temps. It may not be warm, but it will not be below freezing.

You will need to have a heated water hose and some way to insulate it until it gets into the RV. Check out foam insulation that looks like a pool noodle and that are used on mobile homes.

You will also need to do something with the windows of the RV even if you have double insulated windows. You can purchase reflectix at Lowe's or Home Depot and cut to fit the windows. These can be velcroed into place and removed when you want to see out.

A couple of nice heavy-duty quartz infrared heaters will help to warm the RV inside when you are home, but you will also need to run the furnace when it's really cold so some of that heat goes into the underside bays.

Keep the cabinets of the kitchen sink and bathroom sink open as much as you can stand, but especially at night to help to resist freezing.

We have spent several weeks in ours when the weather has been down into the teens, but it has warmed up during the day into the 50s. It was livable and the kids even enjoyed it.

[Reverse_snowbird]

If it were me.... I'd winterize the plumbing and use bottled water ( or melted snow) to flush the toilets since you have heated tanks. Find somewhere else to shower. The tanks might not freeze, but those small pex plumbing pipes freeze quickly.

Then stock up on propane because it's going to be hard to heat the rig. It can be done but it won't be pleasant without electricity.

Or pray for above freezing temperatures.

[TNYHWZ]

Thanks for everyone's input in the forum. A lot of great information.

[Duckogram]

Lots of folks live full time in RV’s where temps get real cold. Long Island is not one of those places. Expect below freezing low temps during Dec - Mar. During that time, the temps rarely get below 20*.
As a former full timer I can share some thoughts on things you will need.
Fresh water source, sewer and electric. This is assuming that you have no other facilities available. A heated hose and outdoor spigot. They make hoses for this purpose. Rube Goldberging one is risky. Underpinning is very helpful. It will look bad but functionality is key. Your arctic pkg will help with the holding tanks but not with the plumbing. For that you MUST run the furnace. That means that you absolutely do not use space heaters when temps drop below freezing. Doing so causes the furnace to run less and your pipes will freeze. Use a good quality safe space heater to reduce your propane use when temps are well above freezing. There is more but I think you get the idea. YMMV

[Kevinwak]

I would think that skirting the base in to the ground with rigid foam insulation and then adding a small safe electric heater underneath would make a world of difference in cold weather livability. It would keep the floors warmer and all the plumbing and tanks below. Dumping sewer and filling water is an issue in the cold.
Spent the night in our camper this weekend at -5 Celsius. The floor sure does get cold.

[FollowTheSun]

Originally Posted by TNYHWZ

I live up north on Long Island and am doing some construction on my home during the winter. We will have to move out for a week or two and am considering living in my Sunseeker 2400W MBS that is parked on the side of my house. Is it possible to live in the RV and not have the plumbing freeze. Any suggestions would greatly be appreciated.

The quick answer: Yes – you can do it. Wife and I did 2016/17 Idaho winter in our 25-ft MBS Prism while waiting for our new home to finish.
However, you really do need to prepare:

1. Since you're only doing a week or three, I strongly suggest you winterize your plumbing first and then don't use it. Use bottled water, shower elsewhere, and use leak-proof garbage bags in the toilet (tie and dispose as needed). The alternative, which we did is to heat your plumbing, add heating pads to your black-water & gray-water tanks, heat-tape & insulate your water inlet line, and heat-tape & insulate your sewer line (assuming you have a dump that won't freeze) & dump when needed. We also had to electric heat one basement to keep area under shower from freezing.
2. Have a local propane company deliver and connect a large propane tank (rental - not expensive & they refill as needed). Also buy a Mr. Heater and a 20lb tank, and a 1kw electric heater for back-up. Hopefully, you are also plugged into shore power. Keep your home warm all of the time ... even when you are away.
3. Skirt your entire motorhome with Styrofoam insulation (cheap at Lowes) to reduce air movement under the home. This is very important.
4. Stuff insulation pillows into the interior of your roof vents.
5. Put a soft, thick, throw rug to cover as much floor as reasonable.
6. Make window insulation covers using aluminum coated bubble insulation (cheap at Lowes) for all of your windows. Cover these every night.
7. Keep your batteries fulling charged so they don't freeze.
8. Check you CO and propane detectors often and crack a window of vent each night to be safe (humans need fresh air).

Yes ... you can do it. We did it comfortably for entire cold winter with temps at -5 during a few occasions. But, you do need to prepare! Good luck and enjoy.

[McCormickJim]

Sunseeker 2400W MBS

Looking at specs, you have heated, enclosed tanks and valves.

In my Georgetown 31L5 I have heated, enclosed tanks and valves.

The lowest temperature I've encountered is 5 degrees. I DID develop a little ice in the top of the water filter when I got home and took 3 days to unload (no water running), but no lines froze. I was connected to shore power.

I have now added a heater pad to the water filter cannister and believe that even when parked and not in use, I'm good to at least zero degrees for an extended period of time.

I WILL need to be sure to have shore power when parked as running the heater overnight did run the batteries down. If I had the generator running so my batteries wouldn't run down overnight, or if I had shore power, I would be good.

[formerFR]

anything's 'possible', but it really depends on whether you have the 'worst' winter you've ever seen, or the mildest... insulation is the same everywhere, whether a home or an RV, you just have to keep an eye on the critical things. Exposed water lines, if you have any, would be the first. The fresh water tank and sewer/gray tanks would be next, as they are 'in' the RV, or at least in the basement. If you can stick a little electric heater in there, you'd probably solve 99% of any issues.
Without knowing whether you'll have any external electricity, or just running on batteries and propane, with an external generator, might skew the numbers... the onboard generator is great, IF you keep enough fuel in the tank.
Insulation, Insulation, Insulation... and keeping the inside of the RV about 40degrees is probably going to best your best overall bet.

[bob5560g]

Since I too have a 2400W MBS, I'll add my two cents worth.

Two years ago we had just returned from a trip and were hit with an unexpected snowstorm at home which stranded the RV in place for a month until the snow melted. (I live in tall evergreens with scant sun and needed 4 x 4 for my steep driveway).

Since all the tanks and plumbing were full, I turned on the arctic pack and ran two space heaters on low setting to keep the interior from freezing. One was pointed under each sink with the cabinet open. I doubt if it got below the teens at night, but I had no problems other than a high electric bill.

Since then I've found that the pump and most hoses are under the shower. You might want to remove that thin panel to allow warm air, in addition to leaving the under sink cabinet doors open. Also, my fresh water tank is under the bed, and below the rig it's accessed behind a big plastic panel, maybe 3' x 3'. So I like the idea of blocking air flow under there and putting a heater or light. I've had my hands on all three tanks and only the black and grey have heating pads on them (arctic pack).

[Delco Bobby]

I use my RV all year in PA.

Winterize everything.

Dump RV antifreeze in black and grey tanks. Start with half gallon in each. Stock up on RV antifreeze now while supplies are available. I get mine at Walmart. Some will say it is no good but it works for me. I have a plastic tub in my shower where I keep gallons of water and gallons of RV antifreeze. If something leaks it will go down the drain.

If you must use the bathroom sink add more RV antifreeze and use minimal water. I use toilet for #1 and flush with RV antifreeze but about third of time I use water. My tanks are heated if plugged into shore power.

Using trash bag in toilet for poop is good idea if you can get behind it. Don’t get thin cheap bags. You can find poop bags at Cabellas and on Amazon.

You can find wipes at Caballas and Amazon for cleaning your body. Warm shower somewhere is nicer, maybe cheap motel or truck stop.

Put all human waste bags in a sealed can that has a large liner in it. Leave that bag at the governors house.

[Garrette]

All suggestions are great. I would add to purchase this temperature sensors from Amazon to monitor your wet bays as well as fridge and freezer. I Velcro'ed the sensors in the compartments I wanted to monitor. The unit alarms can be set for a temperature threshold.
Takes a lot of worry out of cold temps.

If you do decide to use your water, I Would fill the fresh water tank as needed and use the onboard water pump and not connect the hose. Oh, do not forget your outside shower. Stuff the box with insulation or just disconnect and plug off the lines inside, assuming it is accessible.

[katkt]

As mentioned have extra propane, and skirt the trailer with something to keep the cold and wind out from under it.
You can run a couple of extra cords to the trailer from the construction power pole, to run space heaters to free up outlets inside and prevent popping breakers when running the Micro or a hair dryer.

[Wolverine 1945]

It would sure be easier to check into the local Motel 6 !!!
Shower whenever you want & no tanks to empty !!!

Are you having an RV Dump added to your plumbing ???

[McCormickJim]

Based on the specs for your RV, you should have no problem using it in the winter. If you have electricity from your house and use it as your shore power you should be fine. Space heaters will help conserve your propane. If you don't use space heaters, you'll need to fill your popane tank about every three days. At night, lower the thermostat as low as you can stand it. I personally LIKE a good heavy blanket with the temperature around 50 degrees at night. With a good comforter, I've slept comfortably at temperatures as low as 35 degrees.

For your black and gray tank disposal, locate the sewer cleanout for your house and use that for your disposal. Just be sure to keep your sewer hose stored when not in use to prevent freezing.

For your fresh water, fill your tank as needed from your house. Be sure to store your hose when not actually filling, to prevent freezing.

[MCTroy]

Sorry, the obvious answer is take your Suunseeker where it is warm! Let someone do the home renovations while you enjoy some sunshine. Problem solved. Good luck.

[Garrette]

Originally Posted by Wolverine 1945

It would sure be easier to check into the local Motel 6 !!!

Shower whenever you want & no tanks to empty !!!



Are you having an RV Dump added to your plumbing ???

An RV Dump at home was the best thing i had installed.