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Old 03-24-2018, 11:37 PM   #21
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Righ.. it is snowy now in Peoria. I'm inside my Salem Cruise lite 195BH with just using space heater. It seems to be fine and comfy without running propane.

Of course this is just 30 degree, so I maybe OK. Not sure when the temperature drop to single digit, if the space heater is enough or not.

I drop anti freeze to my black tank, and just open up the grey tank valve.

I am using heated water hose,


You will need to run the furnace at the lower temperatures to keep the internal water lines warm. A space heater works great to a certain level but doesn't warm the sub-floor area where the water lines run. Typically a furnace setup will have one duct (or more) than runs to the pipe and water pump area to keep them from freezing. That also only works down to a certain temperature - the specific limit of which I haven't discovered yet, and hope never to find out...
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Old 03-25-2018, 06:48 AM   #22
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I did not read all of the responses so this may have been said. Illinois in general has fairly mild winters in the Peoria area. My family and I lived in Illinois from 1995 - 2012. Both my girls are still there. Winterizing where everything remains operational will cost you less than $250. I winterized for active use 1/2 dozen or more this past season.

If you have free electric on site then your propane use will be minimum. I use 2 space heaters and can maintain 80 degrees inside when the temp is 15F or above. The month we remained everyday -1-23 during the evening the temp would drop to 70F I used 2 1/2 20 # tanks between last Oct and now in NW Wisconsin and I full time.
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Old 03-25-2018, 07:07 AM   #23
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Propane will be expensive. Recommend electric space heaters cause electric is usually included with RV space.
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Old 03-25-2018, 07:35 AM   #24
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I grew up in Illinois, part just up the road in Galesburg, went to college in Normal, and in Joliet having lived there until I was 25. I would not spend the winter in a camper. You might luck out and have a mild winter or .................

I remember years of snow on the ground deep all winter and ......one year 30 consecutive days below zero in the 1970s and 80s. and then there's the wind............. and wind chills..........

Near Galesburg the only time that I had the gas fuel line freeze up while driving down I74 on my truck.


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Old 03-25-2018, 07:40 AM   #25
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We live near Peoria and have a 394 FKDS in a CG near us. Our CG shuts off water on November 1 and turns on April 1. I grew up in Peoria and yes, it gets cold there ... just had about 9 inches of snow yesterday.

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Old 03-25-2018, 09:25 AM   #26
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Rv and prepare for the winter. You can choose your neighbors easier. A short term apartment rental may not have thr best neighbors.
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Old 03-25-2018, 10:45 AM   #27
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Lived 10 miles from Peoria for 67 years. We have mild and sometimes extreme winters. Just got 9 inches yesterday and it was 22 this morning. I do have to say housing and rental market is very reasonable and most CGs are shut down in the winter. Commuting in Peoria is very easy so living on one side or another doesn't make much different. I would think an apartment in one of the adjoining towns Washington, Morton, Dunlap, East Peoria etc. would be the way to go just because of the lack of year round camping available.
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Old 03-25-2018, 10:47 AM   #28
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If you do stay in an RV 1st you will need to find a campground that stays open all winter and prepare for possible below zero temps for possible extended periods.

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Old 03-25-2018, 10:50 AM   #29
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Lived 10 miles from Peoria for 67 years. We have mild and sometimes extreme winters. Just got 9 inches yesterday and it was 22 this morning. I do have to say housing and rental market is very reasonable and most CGs are shut down in the winter. Commuting in Peoria is very easy so living on one side or another doesn't make much different. I would think an apartment in one of the adjoining towns Washington, Morton, Dunlap, East Peoria etc. would be the way to go just because of the lack of year round camping available.
My cousin commutes from as far away as Knoxville, to Peoria daily with I74 right there it helps. She has been doing it for years.
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Old 03-25-2018, 03:18 PM   #30
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I live near peoria myself and had a friend who lived in a travel trailer year round for 5yrs. He parked his traiker at Mr Hawley Mobile Home and RV Park....and I dont think he paid but $350/mo.
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Old 03-31-2018, 10:15 AM   #31
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I almost think , that if I'm going to be burning propane anyway , would going small cabin space be better than the larger size cabin ?

That way at least I have only small living space to heat.



That leaves the problem to frozen tanks.


Here are my plans:



1) For grey tank, just leave the valve open throughout winter

2) For black tank, dump a bottle of anti freeze after every flush.

3) For black tank valve, so that I can dump black tank, wrap the valve with electric heated tape.

4) Black tank will be used only for solid. I will dump urine into bath tub, yucky I know, but I will make sure to flush it clean always.

5) The electric space heater/ maybe oil based heater will reduce the propane usage.



With the above plan, what other problems are left to be attacked ? Pipes are inside the cabin so they should not be frozen , because the cabin will always be heated.

I'm just going to be living alone for work in Peoria Illinois for the next 3 years.

Has anyone done living in small travel trailer throughout winter with single digit temprature ? Please share your monthly propane heating cost experience
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Old 03-31-2018, 11:29 AM   #32
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Don't worry about the propane usage! Get the larger unit, I did the small unit for the first winter and it gets very small in cold weather because you are in there by yourself and no place to really relax and move around. Be sure to get the heated underbelly and you should not have freeze up problems. I would leave all the valves closed and just open them to empty - if the underbelly is heated they should be okay. I also got PVC instead of the stinky slinky since I was there for a while. You can get the larger pipe and get two sizes so that one fits inside the other for adjustment purposes. I used Okem to pack the space in the pipe once I got it adjusted so there would be no smell. For the storage underneath, you can even put a lowboy oil heater in there to keep it warm if needed or the light bulb. I really liked having more room even though it was more to cover with plywood.
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Old 03-31-2018, 01:28 PM   #33
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One big problem that I see it the possible freezing of the water line from the outlet to the trailer or the outlet/ faucet itself. Will insulation and heat tape keep it from freezing???



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Old 03-31-2018, 01:32 PM   #34
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One big problem that I see it the possible freezing of the water line from the outlet to the trailer or the outlet/ faucet itself. Will insulation and heat tape keep it from freezing???



the campgournd i am at has electric heated water spigot.
and the owner said I can stay year round with full campground water service
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Old 03-31-2018, 01:46 PM   #35
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the campgournd i am at has electric heated water spigot.
and the owner said I can stay year round with full campground water service
and your hose?

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Old 03-31-2018, 02:05 PM   #36
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I almost think , that if I'm going to be burning propane anyway , would going small cabin space be better than the larger size cabin ?

That way at least I have only small living space to heat.



That leaves the problem to frozen tanks.


Here are my plans:



1) For grey tank, just leave the valve open throughout winter

2) For black tank, dump a bottle of anti freeze after every flush.

3) For black tank valve, so that I can dump black tank, wrap the valve with electric heated tape.

4) Black tank will be used only for solid. I will dump urine into bath tub, yucky I know, but I will make sure to flush it clean always.

5) The electric space heater/ maybe oil based heater will reduce the propane usage.



With the above plan, what other problems are left to be attacked ? Pipes are inside the cabin so they should not be frozen , because the cabin will always be heated.

I'm just going to be living alone for work in Peoria Illinois for the next 3 years.

Has anyone done living in small travel trailer throughout winter with single digit temprature ? Please share your monthly propane heating cost experience
I think you would be better leaving the liquid in black tank if using antifreeze. Just dump every few days during nice weather. If not nice then for a while have a heat gun or hair dryer ready, but with heat tape and a space heater you should be ok. Leaving only solids and antifreeze will likely lead to frozen solids. Of you are really worried but the stuff you mix with water. I would defer to a full timer though.

Even draining the tanks 2x a week should not lead to freezing slinky lines unless you are sub zero the whole time.
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Old 03-31-2018, 02:22 PM   #37
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I been Full Time RVer for 22 years now, started out in 14’ TT in Ohio in October. Heat taped supply water line, and dump valves. Installed skirting and let water drip. Had 2 100 lb propane bottles and never froze up water or suffered anymore than the inconvenience of being cooped up in a small space all winter. After the 1st winter I upgraded to a 30’ fifthwheel and never looked back. It’s really cheap living if your RV is paid for and lot rent is all you have to pay, but most parks do require you to pay for electricity used. Good luck on your decision.
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Old 03-31-2018, 02:25 PM   #38
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the campgournd i am at has electric heated water spigot.
and the owner said I can stay year round with full campground water service

Yes the park I lived at in Ohio also had a elec hot rod that was installed at spigot to keep it from freezing , but I had to heat tape supply hose and dump valves and dump hose. Skirting is a must do !
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Old 03-31-2018, 03:11 PM   #39
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The year before last (or maybe the one before that, I can't remember) we had 3 straight weeks where it never got above -10 deg F here in Rockford (about 100 mi north of Peoria). Of course, that was in the daytime. Night temps went down into the minus teens and minus twenties.

So, BE PREPARED.
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Old 03-31-2018, 03:53 PM   #40
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The year before last (or maybe the one before that, I can't remember) we had 3 straight weeks where it never got above -10 deg F here in Rockford (about 100 mi north of Peoria). Of course, that was in the daytime. Night temps went down into the minus teens and minus twenties.

So, BE PREPARED.
Yet that is historically rare in Illinois. And the winter season is short generally Mid Jan to March 10th it might snow or get cold. I consider it cold below zero.

I have tracked and logged Weather in IL since 1995 in the Sterling Area (50 miles East of the QCA) My garden all but one year was planted by March 18th.

2 electric space heaters will keep a 40 ft RV at 65+ degrees nearly all winter.
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