HOW TO: RV in the Winter

We've been RV snowbirds for 8 winters in a row, mostly in the Desert Southwest. This year, for the very first time, we'll be spending the winter in the RV in a northern location.

Granted, the Lower Mainland of British Columbia isn't exactly Manitoba when it comes to winter, but we're far enough up in the mountains to get some freezing temperatures and snow here.

We show you all the steps we're taking to winter in our motorhome. We'll demonstrate how to keep the water hose from freezing and how to keep ourselves warm too. We'll cover water hose insulation, heat tape, the differences between all five sources of heat we have available, moisture & humidity control, and even pest control.

We'll also be using our Extend-a-Stay (also known as a Stay-a-While or an Extend-a-Flow) to connect to a large external propane tank.

SInce this is our first time dealing with winter in the rig, we've done a lot of reading and learned a lot from our friends and neighbors up here in beautiful, friendly BC. The site we're on has 30-amp electric, so we have to be particularly aware of our power usage.

Luckily, Birgit & Greg, whose site we're using, were nice enough to let us tap into their super-size external propane tank (we'll be paying for the propane we use, of course). So propane shouldn't be a problem, but we'll still want to keep our usage to a minimum, since it's expensive, and propane use can cause excess moisture to build up in the rig.

There are lots of RVers who know way more than we do about RVing in REAL winter deep freeze conditions, but we wanted to give other cold weather newbies a feel for some of the steps we've taken to prepare for it. We've seen a lot more online about winterizing an RV for storage, and we wanted to add some information about living on board too.

Be sure to confirm that all methods and materials used are compatible with your particular RV. Every type of motorhome, motorcoach, fifth wheel, travel trailer, bus conversion, camper and toy hauler is different, so your preparation for winter RV camping may not be the same as ours.

RV Geeks offers basic DIY (do it yourself) RV service, repair and maintenance tips from full-time RVers who have been handling most of their own maintenance since hitting the road in 2003.

RVgeeks is proud to be affiliated with RVtravel.com.
http://www.rvtravel.com

While we're not RV technicians, we're very mechanically inclined and have learned a lot about RV systems over the years. We handle most of our own minor service, maintenance and repair work on our 2005 43' Newmar Mountain Aire diesel pusher. We also maintained our 2002 39' Fleetwood Bounder Diesel during our first two years on the road.

We meet lots of newer RVers who are eager to learn some basics about maintaining and caring for their rigs. After more than 8 years on the road, we want to share what we've learned (some of it the hard way).

We hope our experiences can help other RVers go DIY, saving some time, money and effort, while experiencing the satisfaction of a job well done.

We do not pretend to be experts on any particular RV topic, and mostly know about maintaining our own rig. But lots of things are the same on RVs in general, and diesel pushers in particular.

Video Intro Music: Scott Joplin's Maple Leaf Rag from 1899, performed by Peter on a Knabe baby grand piano.

Comments welcome! Thanks for watching!

Category:

Autos & Vehicles

Tags:

• camping
• freeze
• protection
• winterize
• insulate
• motor
• home
• bus
• coach
• rig
• trailer
• camper
• 5th
• fifth
• wheel
• recreational
• vehicle

[outlawracer2229]

Another trick for keeping rodents out is dryer sheets. You can get a box of inexpensive ones and just toss them in cabinets, storage areas and other places that you don't use very often. Even under sinks and behind built-ins is a good idea. Just change them out when the scent fades alot. Make sure you get a scent you like!!

[RVgeeks]

@outlawracer2229 Great tip!  We've heard about that one too.

[midasallen]

Thanks for the info! I had to laugh, though. We live near Albuquerque, and we head to Kelowna for vacation!!!!  The grass is always greener.....

[RVgeeks]

@midasallen Sure hope you're talking about a *summer* trip.... it's 8 degrees (F) there right now! It was 5 degrees here night before last, with wind chill of 18 below, and it was snowing sideways. lol We just posted a video of us digging out of 2 feet of snow if you want to check it out.

[NewBeRVer]

Great vid! Excellent explanations, very informative and well done!

[RVgeeks]

@NewBeRVer Thanks! We just got 2 feet of snow here! I'm going to get outside and do a follow-up video about how well out winter preparations are working.

[PigeonTech]

Those split foam tubes are great for mailing packages too. Cheaper than the packing peanuts, you just have to break off as many pieces as you need.

[midasallen]

@RVgeeks I have a friend in Lumby that is pretty surprised right now! I really like your channel.

[CampColombo]

@RVgeeks - That it quite a change from a Florida snowbird to where you are now! We are guilty of being in Florida winters for a couple of years too! You are in luck that it is a milder winter so far this year. I find about 18 degrees and colder is when it gets drafty to be in a camper. At that point you just gotta bundle up! Keep warm....we will be watching! Thanks for the sub too!

[RVgeeks]

@CampColombo We just got back to the RV after being in south Florida for a couple of weeks, and it's 28 degrees here. Glad we were prepared for cold weather, but it could be lots worse. Thanks for the comment. Love you channel too, and just subscribed.