what to choose


almostafossel

New Member
Hi! I am new to RVing. I am considering a 5th wheel (Titanium From Glendale)I am hoping to spend the winters in Ontario and travel during the summer. Any info on cold climate Rving or 5th wheel selection would be helpfull. I have also heard of arctic packages. What are they. Thanks in advance for any help givin
 

C Nash

Senior Member
what to choose

hello almostafossil
Double pane windows, heat pads in the holding tanks, small electric heater in the water hook up bay, upgrade insulation are some of the things included in an artic package. I would not buy one without this for winter camping. The extra insulation comes in handy in summer time air condition also. Double pane windows help on condensation and heating/cooling. You will need to wrap you water hose if you leave it connected to city water supply. If you are staying in one location some type underpining will help. A small electric heater inside also comes in handy. Some have installed cataliic type heaters but, I am a little afraid of the unvented heaters in rvs. Heating the inside of your rv should keep any pipes from frezzing.
 

Kirk

Senior Member
what to choose

To my knowledge, Teton trailers are still the only ones that have a guarantee that the water pipes will not freeze as long as the owner keeps the heat at a reasonable temperature for occupation. You will at least need an RV that has an "artic" package in it. And you would be very wise to have it skirted to prevent air from passing under it. All water and sewer lines will need to be wrapped with heat tape and insulation to keep them working. And I strongly advise you to get a quick disconnect installed into the propane line to allow the connection of a large propane tank and then rent one from your local supplier that is at least 100#. You don't say how big the trailer is, but you will probably use at least 100# per week in really cold weather.

All that C. Nash has posted are important items as well. We are assuming that you mean the Ontario in Canada and not California?
 

almostafossel

New Member
what to choose

Thank you for your input . There are a couple of items that I had not considered Will Check them out for sure. Thank for the quick response, it is apriceiated. the Trailer I am Looking At is a 39 ft. titaimium. Yes It is Ontario Canada, 6 Below Cel. Thanks Again
 

John Harrelson

New Member
what to choose

Hello Almostafossel,

I live in my 5th wheel all year 'round and have absolutely no problems with cold weather. It is a Fleetwood 30.5 ft Prowler with one slide and DOES NOT have the so called arctic package. It's just a regular normal 5th wheel..

Here in Nevada, the winters are about average for the middle USA. Temperatures range from 10 below to 30 degrees above at night and range from 20 to 40 degrees in the day. Moisture is fairly high because of the snow we get. We almost always have a wind blowing off the Sierra Nevadas that sometimes creates a severe chill factor.

I have never had any problem with moisture or frozen pipes. I do use a heat tape on the water line and I have the trailer under-penned with a canvas skirt to keep the cold winds from blowing under the trailer. But I only installed that in January 03 and to be honest, it does not seem to help any at all. The heating cost is still the same.

I use only the trailer's furnace to heat with, except the little space heater in the bathroom when I take my shower.. but I turn it off as soon as I'm out of the shower.

Electricity is too high to try and heat the whole trailer with space heaters. Last winter the propane was high ($2 per gal) and cost about $60/80 per month for Furnace, water heater and cooking. The electric cost about $30/40 per month.

Plus ... remember that on many RVs, the furnace heating ducts run along the same path as the water pipes. Plus many of the RVs have the heating ducts routed into or through the basement storage areas where the holding tanks are located. This means that the pipes and tanks are not likely to freeze.

For this reason, you should NEVER use a space heater as the only source of heat in an RV. It may not push enough heat into those places behind the wall where the water pipes are or down into the basement where the tanks are. Remember the RV furnace is like a house's furnace, they are properly called a “FORCED AIR FURNACE” or "FORCED AIR HEATING SYSTEM"

I keep the inside temperature at about 67 degrees when I'm up and about, like watching TV or working on the computer. I turn it down to about 50 degrees when going to bed.

As for using a heat tape on the water line that feeds the RV,, here is the reply I made to someone else's question about using heat tapes on garden hoses.

Maybe it will answer any question you have on that subject....

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A "Heat Tape" is a long plastic ribbon that is spiraled around the water hose that feeds your trailer when you are hooked up to city water. It works just like an electric blanket does on your bed. It cycles on and off to maintain a temperature of about 40 degrees on your water hose so the water won't freeze during the winter.

So remember,,you do not have to plug and un-plug the heat tape each time the temperature changes from warm to freezing. It is thermostat controlled just like your furnace and will turn itself off when the outside temps rise above freezing..

It must be used in combination with some type of insulation. By itself it's no good. Most people who live full time in their RV use this system.

There are several types of heat tapes on the market, but the only one that I can recommend is the one made by "Snow King" (?) Think that's the name on package..

And make sure that you get the model with "clear plastic bubble" on the end where the plug is. When the tape is plugged in, a little red light will glow inside the clear plastic bubble and you will know that it's working properly.

The other models are not designed for water hose use and can melt the hose.

They come in different lengths, simply measure the length of your water hose first and then buy the length of heat tape recommended on the back of the heat tape package for that length water hose.

They run about $15 to $25 depending on length. But they will last for 20 years if taken care of properly. Most hardware stores and places like Wal-Mart carry them as well as the insulation..

The best insulation to use are the "Foam Tubes" (about 99 cent each) with the split down the entire length and are designed to simply slip over the water hose.
Most people then wrap some type of tape around the insulated hose about every foot, so the wind won't blow the insulation tubes off.

I have used this system to protect my pipes since the 1950's and never had a frozen pipe...

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I would not worry too much about the cold hurting the trailer, just use good old common sense and you will be alright..

My 5th wheel is as warm as any "house" I have ever had and a heck of a lot cheaper living..

If you have any specific questions about what did I do or how I did it,, drop me an email or contact me on any of seven different RV forums on the internet.

I'll be glad to help in any way I can

Best of luck,
John
 
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