Prepping Camper for Winter Camping

[dtimms]

I am working on prepping my 2001 Phoenix pop-up for winter camping. I am sure there is some suggestions that I have missed while searching and reading through the threads on this forum and I apologize if I am asking stupid questions. Anyway, last winter we went to Taos skiing and the first night we had great heat and it kept us super warm. The next day we thought we shut off the heater when we went skiing for the day but when we returned the fan was running but the camper was cold. I was unable to get the pilot light to work and the battery was basically drained. Could the fan running all day drain the battery so the propane get's shut off to the Pilot? Do these systems work like that, low power stop the propane? Or were we having issues with the propane freezing? The tank was frosted pretty heavy on the side of the tank. Should I wrap the tank in reflectex and the lines with foam insulation? Also, do you all insulate your battery to help it stay warm? We plan on taking a lot more ski trips with the camper this season and we would really like the heat to work the whole time. Our second night in Taos was a little chilly without heat. We crawled in our sleeping bags, had a down comforter on top of the that and had our dog under the covers with us. We made it fine and it was a fun adventure but my wife would love more heat. All I did last year to insulate the camper was put reflectex on the canvas and windows. This winter I plan on insulating the bottom of the camper with pink foam board for more insulation. What other suggestions do you all have? I am thinking of buying a small generator for a backup and a Mr Buddy heater in case this happens again. Any suggestions on small generators? I know this is a lot of questions and I appreciate any help getting ready for winter!!!


It was DUMPING when we got to Taos!!!

And this is what it looked like the next morning when I was out shoveling off the roof!!!

 

[Regcabguy]

I can't speak for other applications but Reflectix 24" x 50' sure insulates the canvas well.

http://www.lowes.com/pd_13357-56291...kieCreated=true&CAWELAID=&CAWELAID=1023915459

 

[dtimms]

I did the Reflectix last fall and it does help out a ton and super easy to install. I am just not sure what happened to my heat, was it the battery getting run down that wouldn't let me light the pilot or the tank/lines freezing? And what are some tips to help stop this from happening in the future? I need to replace the thermostat also and don't know what to get.

 

[Camelfilter]

I don't know anything about the installed heaters. A Mr Buddy bug buddy heater should be plenty warm for you given how you allready insulated, & further plan to insulate. The little buddy might even be enough. I'd recommend just not sleeping with any portable heater on, & leave it off when your not there.

The big buddy im thinking on has the 2 ceramic plate type heating elements & uses 1 or 2 1lb propane bottles, or an optional line to your tank. It also uses standard "D" sized batteries for the fan. The fan really isn't high power, just enough to help circulate the heat coming off the top & it's not required to use the fan, just helps heat an area a bit faster. You'd have no need for a genset with one. It is large though, bagged about as big as my Kippur 2KW generator (a honda clone). For the bag, I use a bag for a coleman hot water on demand. The bag fits almost perfect, it's padded & keeps the elements from getting contaminated with dust & such. Also, think I can fit 6-8 1 lb cannisters in the bags pockets.

If you decide to get a generator, keep your eye on the Craigslist if it's active in your area. I'd say look for a 2KW honda sinewave type or clone (Kippur, Ryobi, Generac etc). A decent size output wise & most have a direct 12V output to recharge your start or house battery. Decent run time, usually 4-6 hours+ load dependent. Bigger than 2KW begins to get pretty large & heavy, plus consume a lot of gas. Course you could modify most to run off propane if your handy, I'm not.

 

[Camelfilter]

Pic of my bagged big buddy next to the generator & a 5 gal fuel can (for size comparison).

 

[seanpistol]

My buddy with a Palomino Bronco pop-up put a woodstove in his :victory:

 

[DiploStrat]

More Power!

The Webasto heater in our Tiger pulls between five and ten amps when running. The diesel consumption is negligible, but call it five amps per hour x 24 hours and you are looking at over 100Ah per day. The good news is that the Tiger is not a pop top and has two inches of insulation on all sides, but, based on my power consumption, I would guess that you should plan on having 100Ah available for heat. If you are using lead acid batteries, that means a battery bank of a minimum of 200Ah; I would plan for 300Ah.

I doubt that your Phoenix has anywhere near that.

N.B. Once you get your battery bank up to that size, you will probably have to redo the wiring to the alternator to have any prayer of recharging it. Solar is really helpful for assuring a complete charge.

Can it be done? Emphatically, yes; we go camping at around 10F all the time. And we take a hot shower every morning.

Some have had good results with catalytic heaters, which use no electricity. You do have to be careful about carbon monoxide and water condensation, however. Discussion: http://roadslesstraveled.us/rv-heater/

 

[dtimms]

I like the Big Buddy as a back up/main heat source. Plumb it to the propane tank and see how that works. Does anyone know if the Mr Heater Big Buddy has any limits on elevation? I will be camping at ski area parking lots and they can get up to 9500'.

For the Generator, I was looking at the Ryobi generator today and I think that will work for what I need. I would love to get a Honda but I don't want to pay for it. Hopefully I don't regret that decision.

seanpistol - I would love a wood stove but my camper is only a 6' popup so there is no where to put a wood stove. Maybe if I upgrade to a bigger camper I will have room but right now I have no room.

 

[uriedog]

I doubt you would be able to have enough battery on board to run your furnace for more then a day. There is a guy I see at Lake Louise all the time that has a pop up, he carries a small generator. Runs it every night from end of day until bed. And in the morning

Before I took the furnace out of my big foot (I heat with a wood stove now) I bought a used Honda 1000 that worked pretty good to keep the heat running, and top up batteries. Those Attwood furnaces will not operate if the voltage gets too low. Low voltage means slow fan, not enough airflow to activate the sail switch, and that means no propane comes in.

Since turfing the furnace, I can now go 5-7 days without charging batteries. Depends on how many times we charge the tablet. Last winter I had 2 6V golf cart batteries. I will be switching to 2-12 volts for this winter. That way if one battery dies I still have 12v supply for lights and fans.

 

[MINO]

We winter camp with a Wave 3 Catalytic heater, 12v bunk warmer and Reflectix lined canvas.

The Wave 3 takes the edge off but is directional in it's heat and adds to the condensation.
The bunk warmer is by far the best item we've added. Makes a huge difference even set on low.
We can go about 3 nights of use on our 215AH battery when the solar is snow-covered.
I usually turn it on low while traveling - using the alternator to power it. It'll not only warm the bunk but the ceiling as well - creating a warmer space when we "pop-up".

 

[dtimms]

Do any of you all use some sort of moisture absorber when you winter camp? We just took a towel and wiped everything down before bed and in the morning. We still had to dry the camper out later.

 

[MINO]

Do any of you all use some sort of moisture absorber when you winter camp? We just took a towel and wiped everything down before bed and in the morning. We still had to dry the camper out later.

I use an Eva-Dry EDV-1100 with a 12v adapter. It helps grab moisture but not nearly enough when we're sleeping.
We still need to wipe the canvas dry with a spritz of diluted bleach before we lower the roof.

I'm picking up a little 12v fan to help circulate the air this coming winter. I hope that'll reduce the formation of condensation.

 

[dtimms]

Putting together my to do list for Winter

Generator - Ordered the Ryobi generator, should be here in a week. http://www.homedepot.com/p/Ryobi-2-...Digital-Inverter-Generator-RYI2200G/205227796 Crazy thing is the grey one was $100 cheaper than green and I don't see any difference.

Finishing insulating - Going to put foam board underneath between the floor joists. Go around the inside and put Reflectex where it is just plywood wall. Cut Reflectex and use Velcro to fasten around windows. I have already cut the pieces for the Canvas. Build a small Reflectex insulator for the Propane tank to hold down the frosting and insulate the lines so they don't freeze.

Mr Heater Buddy Heater - 4000-9000 BTU. We have a 6 foot popup so I think that will be plenty big and I am going to plumb it to my propane tank. Use as a backup if all else fails. Want to use main heater but don't really want to blow threw my battery so a combination of the 2 heaters should be awesome. I do have the generator as a backup for my battery.

New thermostat - Just want one that goes to a lower temp. Picked up a garage one at Ace and hopefully hook up soon.

Some sort of moisture absorber - will look into them and see what to get. Between us cooking, breathing and drying ski gear it is going to get 'Moist' in there.

Put another coat of roof paint on the top so I am fresh for the winter. The snow and ice from last winter was not kind to my roof. Doesn't leak but pulled the coating off in some spots.

Rocky Mountain Super Pass + - I live outside Winter Park so this is going to be great, Camp at Copper and ski, Long weekend at Crested Butte, Eldora maybe, A couple weekends at Steamboat all from one pass. Probably chase a storm or 2 to southern Colorado northern NM since it is an El Nino year!!

Truck - 2001 Ford F-250 reg cab V10 with 162k. It has new snow tires, ball joints, sway bar bushings and ends, hubs, tie rods, wheel bearings, drag link, shocks all the way around, rear pinion seal. I hope she holds up but I also have AAA with the RV addition in case something happens on the road.

Can you more experienced winter campers think of anything I am missing? Pretty stoked to get out and ski and hang out at some cool mountains. I will post some pics once I get it all winterized and then some from the winter adventures.

 

[Camelfilter]

I've no winter tips. Just a tip on the buddy heater. I think you may want to (if you haven't planned on it already) include an inline filter / regulator. I seem to recall that one was recommended for the big buddy if connecting it to a 20lb tank, so I'd assume the same if plumbing to any large tank. Supposedly keeps the element from getting fouled from the rubber in the line? Not sure on that though.

Also given that you'll be using it as a backup heater at altitude, may want to try it out at altitude before you go. I've read mixed reports of the O2 sensor working for some & not for others. If I recall correctly, the O2 sensor is what allows it to start or not start...again not sure on that.

 

[UK4X4]

Big Buddy has any limits on elevation?- yes its limited

We used a wave 6 in our trailer as its not altitude limited, but is certainly costlier

we'd never run our heating when out of the trailer,

propane heaters of all types give off condensation, unless its a heat exchanger type, think furnace with its own intake and exhaust.

Long term we were going to add a wood burner to ours for extra heat and for those -oops nights when technology decided to turn off.

Even a tent heater type we looked at, which was small and movable, and we were going to exhaust it via a window
ie remove window for winter use and install a aluminum panel for winter use with stove and stove thimble

Propane freezing wise we had no issues at even -30oC but they were covered in ice ...neatly showing the level !