TM use in winter

Since the holiday season is upon us, we're faced with a couple of road trips to visit family soon and are thinking of taking the TM with us (we took it on a visit a couple of months ago and it worked GREAT to have our own space).

So I'm looking for some tips and any feedback on the TM's performance during the WINTER ... anything that we should know about to prevent any major problems? Somewhere we should look to throw a little more insulation from the cold? Should we drain the water completely from the TM (using that low drain point at the end corner of the TM)? Can anyone comment on snow's effect on the TM? Should we put a little more air pressure in the TM tires?

We sure could use the extra personal space by taking the TM out on the trip with us, but not if it's going to be a lot of extra trouble in the winter.

Thanks in advance!

- Mark

[Bill]

Mark -

There were several threads concerning winter use in the early days of the board - maybe 2001 or 2002. You might search for "winter" and see what you come up with.

I think the consensus was that it works pretty well, with some annoyances.

• As I recall, condensation builds up inside, particularly on the windows, because they are cold.
• You probably won't have any running water because the outside watrer hose will freeze.
• The gray water tank is subject to freezing, although the black tank, the fresh water tank, and the pump are all OK.
• You shouldn't let snow or ice build up on the roof, or you will have trouble when it comes time to close up.
• The air seals around the door are pretty leaky, so you will want some way to stop those up. In both of my 2720SL's, a lot of cold air comes in along the floor of the slideout, so you will want an extra seal there, too.

Anyone else remember anything specific?

Bill

[RockyMtnRay]

Originally Posted by radiojon

Since the holiday season is upon us, we're faced with a couple of road trips to visit family soon and are thinking of taking the TM with us (we took it on a visit a couple of months ago and it worked GREAT to have our own space).

So I'm looking for some tips and any feedback on the TM's performance during the WINTER ... anything that we should know about to prevent any major problems? Somewhere we should look to throw a little more insulation from the cold? Should we drain the water completely from the TM (using that low drain point at the end corner of the TM)? Can anyone comment on snow's effect on the TM? Should we put a little more air pressure in the TM tires?

We sure could use the extra personal space by taking the TM out on the trip with us, but not if it's going to be a lot of extra trouble in the winter.

Thanks in advance!

- Mark

Where I regularly camp (Colorado's very high altitudes...like over 10,000 feet above sea level), the night time temps even in mid summer are often in the mid to upper 30s and I've had below freezing temps (upper 20s) on many late spring & early fall nights. Thankfully the daytime temps have usually gotten into at least the 40s. I've also gotten 3~4 inches of snow on the trailer from an overnight snowstorm...in late August! IOW, I've probably got as much or more cold weather experience with a TM as just about anyone. My observations:

• TMs have a lot of windows with very thin single pane glass. The windows, more than anything else, are where the heat escapes (unless there's a brisk breeze). Closing the curtains does help insulate the windows but makes the interior like a dark cave.
• The furnace will have to run nearly full time to keep the trailer warm (over about 65 degrees) if the temps are near or below freezing. If you are located where you can get 30 amp service, you can run about one 1500 watt electric heater off the interior wiring (all interior plugs run on one 20 amp breaker). You may be able to snake a wire out to the power pedastal to power up an additional 1500 watt heater off the available 15 amp breaker. OTOH, if you parked at someone's house and have only an extension cord to a 15 amp breaker, then one 1500 watt electric heater is all you will be able to use. A 1500 watt heater will supplant but not fully replace the furnace when the temps are near freezing. Running nearly full time, the furnace will go through 2 to 3 gallons of propane per day...you'll need to have full tanks on arrival and be ready to refill one of them every day or two.
• You can expect there will be a multitude of drafts around just about every seal and gap....including but not limited to the gaps under the front slides (on the front slide models) and under and around the beds (both front and rear). Plus there are inevitably small gaps in the various seals between the shells. So if the weather gets blustery, you can expect lots of chilly drafts.
• The others have addressed the water situation fairly well...but if you are staying where the temps go below freezing all night and don't get much above during the day, the grey water tank will freeze solid and won't be dumpable. If the temps are forecast to stay around freezing or below, even during the day, then just plan on doing totally "dry" camping...no water use in the trailer period.
• Snow...particularly the wet heavy kind...will add literally hundreds of pounds to the roof. Although the trailer's roof is strong enough to handle the weight of foot or less of snow in the open configuration, you would be very well advised to somehow push/shove/brush most of it off the roof before trying to close up for travel since the shells will come down with a crash if you don't. Even with only 2 inches of wet snow on about half the roof (the rest had melted or been brushed off), the front shell on my trailer came down frighteningly fast.
• Towing over snow covered roads is just plain treacherous. Don't do it unless you absolutely have to. You don't need...nor should you put "extra" pressure in the TM's tires but you will want to do a daily check of the tire pressure to insure the tires are kept at the max allowed. The reasons is the pressure will drop when the temps drop and rise when the temp rises.

The bottom line is if you're talking a southern states "winter"...chilly, near freezing nights but daytime temps in the 40s and 50s and very little if any snow, then yeah it's do-able. You'll use a lot of propane or electricity to keep warm. OTOH, if you're talking a northern...or mountain...winter where the temps are well below freezing at night and not much above freezing during the day...and snow is a good possibility, then no, it would not be a very prudent thing to so.

When temps are just modestly below freezing, we leave a trickle of water running in one of the sinks to keep the FW hose from freezing. I also leave the GW valve open and the trickle helps to keep the sewer hose from freezing. I'm wondering if anyone has tried a tank heater to keep the GW tank from freezing?