How to Cold Weather Camp in Your RV

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

Automatic (thermostatically-controlled) heat tape
Foam pipe insulation
Electrical tape
Holding tank heating pads
Holding tank elbow/dump valve heater
Heated fresh water hose
Heated sewer hose
Window insulator kit
Foam ceiling vent plugs
Insulating windshield privacy curtain (for motorhomes)
Foam tape or weather stripping
Dehumidifier
Catalytic heater

Step 1

Installing heat tape and foam pipe insulation

Examine your RV's plumbing to determine what measures may be needed to prevent damage from freezing temperatures. Some RV's have plumbing exposed to the outside elements. In this case, you should wrap the exposed plumbing with heat tape and foam pipe insulation. See the Resources section for links to where you can buy these items.
Step 2

Installing holding tank heating pads

Part of the plumbing system includes the holding tanks. Some RV's have enclosed holding tanks that are heated by the RV's furnace through heater ducting to the holding tank areas. As long as the furnace runs occasionally, the tanks won't freeze unless it's very cold (below 20F).

For those tanks that are not heated and/or enclosed, tank heating pads can be affixed to the bottoms of the tanks. These are very easy to install, thermostatically-controlled, and come in both 12-volt DC and 110-volt AC. See the Resources section for links to where you can buy these items.
Step 3

Installing holding tank drain pipe elbow heating tape

Yet another part of the RV plumbing system is the holding tank piping and dump valves. Some higher end RVs have these pipes and valves enclosed and heated from the factory. For most RVs though, they are exposed to the elements. As with the plumbing pipes, these pipes and valves can be protected by wrapping them with heat tape too. See the Resources section for links to where you can buy these items.
Step 4

Sewer hose support

You should keep your gray and black water valves closed until you are ready to dump your holding tanks. If gray water constantly allowed to drain, it will eventually form an ice dam in your sewer hose. As an alternative, you could also try insulating and wrapping heat tape around your sewer hose if you want to leave the gray water valve open. In any case, be absolutely certain that your sewer hose is at a steep angle where liquids drain rapidly and are not allowed to stand. Using a sewer hose support will help with this. See the Resources section for links to where you can buy these items.
Step 5

Heated fresh water hose

Another area subject to freezing is the fresh water supply hose. You can use a heated water hose to prevent freezing. This is a good option if you are in a campground with full hookups. They run on either 12 volts DC or 110 volts AC. See the Resources section for links to where you can buy these items.
Step 6

Clear vinyl for drafty windows

To reduce drafts and heating requirements, you can insulate the your RV's windows against the cold with heavy drapes or curtains. You can create an insulating dead air space inside of the windows by covering them with clear, heavy vinyl. You can even cover the interior of the windows with sheets of Styrofoam or poster board but these are a little hard to see through.
Step 7

Foam plug for ceiling vents

The roof vents are an area where heat can escape. There are foam type pillows specifically made to be placed in the vent openings. These fit snugly and greatly reduce heat loss in these areas. See the Resources section for links to where you can buy these items.
Step 8

Winshield style privacy curtain

If you have a motorhome, hang a heavy blanket or privacy curtain between the driver's compartment and the rest of the motorhome which will block the cold radiated by a motorhome’s windshield. This works very well whether you have a Class A, B, or C type motorhome as they all have large windshields.
Step 9

Foam type weather stripping

Any compartments that open into the inside of the RV need to have good weather seals. Adding some inexpensive foam tape or weather stripping to the compartment opening and doors will really help seal those air leaks.
Step 10

Dehumidifier for removing moisture in your RV

Now that the RV is sealed tight from air leaks, we have the problem of condensation to deal with. Moisture from cooking, washing and just our breathing raises the humidity inside the RV. As it gets colder, this moisture condenses out on cooler inside surfaces like window frames and doors. This can lead to mold and mildew, water stains or even worse. The best way to prevent condensation is to avoid introducing excessive moisture into the air. A good practice is to always use the range hood vent when cooking and the bathroom vent when showering. This will draw most of that moisture out of the rig. It may be necessary to keep a roof vent open slightly to provide some ventilation and keep condensation in check. Insulating exposed surfaces that tend to collect moisture will also help. A small dehumidifier or some of those little tubs of desiccant crystals may be necessary, depending on the RV and how many are staying in it.
Step 11

A built in catalytic heater

Finally, we need to consider how the RV is going to be heated. Portable electric heaters are a great supplement to the propane furnace. This method of heating doesn't add condensation to the air and allows the propane furnace to run considerably less, saving a lot of propane. Catalytic heaters are another popular way to provide assistance to the propane furnace but require fresh air ventilation to avoid oxygen depletion in the RV (see warning).