Things that I have learned in the past two week.

This was the first time that I was going to use water in my RV in winter conditions. The time prior to this I had finalized my purchases that was preventing me from winterizing my camper easily and by myself (AKA Blow out hose). So this time I went all in and hooked up the water and used the black water tank.

The set up went fairly smooth. I arrived a day early and the spot that I had reserved was occupied. Therefor, I was forced to do a temporary setup and move the following day. This is a really big deal as I don’t have all day to get this task complete. I had to work that day, tear down my setup and setup again in another spot in the same day. I digress.

What happened on the first night was unexpected. The temperature was in the mid twenties most of the night. Upon starting my routine I attempted to wash my dishes and there was no water. What I found was that the white water hose from the hose bib to the camper froze. Therefor, I broke down and bought a heated hose. This was a costly addition at a cost over $100. I will keep you up to date as to my progress and cost benefit analysis. I have spoke to some other full timers and they use the water tanks and water pump. I don’t use that set up currently and have a fear of easy winterization using the tank and water pump.

I also found that the air vents in the roof were allowing for a drastic temperature variance throughout the camper. I purchased two pillows that push into the opening as added insulation. They work great. It has been more comfortable than ever. They cost approximately $10 dollars a piece and have been in my mind the best purchase regarding the surviving the winter.

Thing to note if you are going to use these pillows. In an RV during the winter particularly you are fighting humidity. Without these vents you will need to come up with a different solution. I am attempting to use minimal propane as this cost me money and where I stay electricity is include. I have a oil radiator heater and a generic space heater. I started with the radiator heater and later purchased the space heater. The purchase of the space heater was two fold. It provided heat to the other side of the camper and dried the air as well. I have not had any issues with humidity since the installation of the pillows with the space heater.