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09-09-2001, 07:31 AM
We are about to be new owners of a trailmanor.  We have some land up in central vermont and we would like to do some winter camping with the unit.   We talked to the dealer about this and he said as long as we stay above freezing we'll be ok.  He also said we could insulate the grey/black water tanks and put heating elements on them for this.  Has anyone done this?  If so how hard is it, and does it work.  Are there any major draw backs to winter camping with a trailmanor?  

Chris
09-09-2001, 01:57 PM
Susan,
 Although we have never officially winter camped, we have been in 26 deg F weather.  It was cold, and without ducted heating, it was tough to get the heat to the rear bedroom.  What I wouldn't have given for a good 12VDC fan at that time.  We hit a couple of 37-38 DF nights with better success.
Ct..

09-09-2001, 04:16 PM
I have done a lot of winter camping without hookups. I use an unventer propane  radiant heater like an Empire or Comfort Glow. They are not approved for RV's but many people use them. The manufacturer's web sites explain how they work. They are low presure LP and need a regulated supply.

Also, Portable Buddy  Heater is a new low cost heater said to be safe to use and can be hooked to an unregulated LP bulk bottle. Camping World and many others sell them for about $100. Be sure to read all about them. There are catalytic heaters approved for RV's made by Olympian. These are probably the best but are more expensive.

If you run the fan on the regular heater your battery will be dead before very long so the other heaters keep you warm without killing the battery.

As far as the waste water goes, I believe the black water will be ok as long as the interior of the trailer is warm. The book recommends adding rv antifreeze when you charge the toilet and I certainly would do that. The grey water can be drained to a sump if allowed in your area or captured in buckets outside of the trailer to keep the exposed grey water tank from freezing. Or you could add some rv antifreeze to the grey water to keep it from freezing.

Enjoy your winter camping it is great fun.