[VAC] winter camping

[Jim Dunmyer <jdunmyer@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

We set off on our 2-month sojurn on December 1st, heading more or less
South. By December 11th, we were near Manassas, VA, where I expected it
to be somewhat warm. Nights were in the mid-20s, days were mostly
mid-30s, not exactly warm, but we were still heading South. The
following week saw us in Asheville, NC where the morning of the 20th
dawned at 10 degrees. Too damn cold in MY book!

To contract the story a bit, we ended up in McAllen, TX, where we saw
the first and nearly the only consistently warm weather, it was about
the ONLY time that it wasn't below freezing at night.

We've always used our on-board water system, so didn't feel burdened by
not being able to 'hook up'. Of course, the drain valves would freeze at
night. During the 2 days at Asheville, our grey water tank filled
completely and I didn't attempt to dump it in the morning, opting to
head out towards warmer climes. It thawed during the trip to Myrtle
Beach, where we could hear the ice going down the ol' Slinky. While
staying in Charleston, SC over Christmas, we'd fill the fresh water tank
and drain the grey tank every day, watching others fighting their
'crunchy' water hoses. <<snicker>>

Our last night out was in Kentucky, where it got below 20; I ran our
little electric heater on the drain valves while we ate breakfast so I
could dump the tanks on the way out.

That little electric heater was a life-saver, not to mention
propane-saver! We ran it almost all the time when we were camped, with
the exception of when we were in friend's front yards. Used it to thaw
the fresh water system in addition to the drain valves. The fresh water
tank lives below the floor in the Avion, but above the uninsulated
bellypan, and the outlet fitting froze up. Fortunately, it didn't break.

Lessons learned:
1. Carry a small electric heater (ours is a cube about 8" on a side with
2 heat settings, pretty typical). That heater could be a life-saver if
the furnace crapped out.
2. MONITOR that heater to be sure the cord, plug, trailer receptacle,
etc. doesn't get hot. A slight warmth is probably 'normal' when it's on
High, but it should NEVER be too hot to touch. Don't be surprised if the
campground receptacle causes your shore power plug to get hot, I saw
that on a couple of occassions.
3. Be prepared to buy plenty of propane, we refilled our tanks 6 or 7
times.
4. Have OPD valves installed on your tanks, not all C.G.s will fill
them, even if they're still within the certification period. (I got that
from a fellow camper who had had trouble)
5. Be sure your onboard water system is working, it's much easier than
fighting a frozen hose in the morning.

Question for the experienced Winter Campers:
Do you do anything to prevent freezing of your drain valves? We held our
breath when leaving Asheville until getting to Myrtle Beach, scared to
death that the drain plumbing would be cracked and broken. Were we
lucky, or does this stuff normally stand being frozen? Maybe ours wasn't
frozen solid because the water in the gray tank was warm and the black
tank was nowhere near full, but 10 degrees is COLD. Our valves live
behind a cover on the side of the trailer, but there's no heat there.
I'm considering heat tape before the next Winter trip. Comments?

                                                <<Jim>>