Coldest full timing contest

[NCFischers]

Chuck,
Did you actually think you could win this contest with Icehouse?

[Sheepdog]

quote:Originally posted by NCFischers

Chuck,
Did you actually think you could win this contest with Icehouse?

I really didn't want to win this one, especially with Icehouse in the running! Looking outside it's frozen white with severe low wind chills. The Monty is holding up well. I can't say the same about Judi!

[Icehouse]

Let me tell you fellas, this is nasty. I just took Mr. Wilson out for a walk. Our temps have skyrocketed and we've been getting freezing rain for the past 2 days. The steps are ice free with the ice melt. But I stepped onto the ground and nearly went airborne. Thankfully, I grabbed the handrail and caught myself. It is just below freezing and still raining. I want my subzero temps back and no rain! Tammy

[Irlpguy]

quote:Originally posted by Icehouse

Let me tell you fellas, this is nasty. I just took Mr. Wilson out for a walk. Our temps have skyrocketed and we've been getting freezing rain for the past 2 days. The steps are ice free with the ice melt. But I stepped onto the ground and nearly went airborne. Thankfully, I grabbed the handrail and caught myself. It is just below freezing and still raining. I want my subzero temps back and no rain! Tammy

Nothing worse than freezing rain, we are at 22 degrees with a 40mph NE wind blowing making the wind chill factor quite nippy. Over the years we have experienced freezing rain many times. Ham radio antenna's don't like it, I know from experience.

Doing some research I noticed that Palmer registered it's coldest ever recorded temperature in 2007 @ -39 degrees, strangely it also recorded it's highest ever recorded temperature that same year according to NOAA.

I have lived in a Mobile Home in temperatures in -30 to -40 degree temps and cannot imagine living in the Monty in those temps. Think I will stay here till January then head to Arizona. I like the seasons and don't mind some snow, gives me a chance to play in it with my quad with the plow on it.

[Icehouse]

I sure wish that our temps would drop. I didn't realize it was raining. It's a fine mist and you can't see it. We threw out the ice melt this morning and I was expecting the path to be in better shape. So, I didn't put my cleats on to take our dog out. Things are supposed to improve this afternoon. I say the sooner the better!

And I'm with you about the quad and a plow. Fun!

[Wayne and Carolyn Mathews]

When we were fulltiming on our land on the west bank of the Clark Canyon Reservoir (in Montana) as we built a home in 2007, the temperature reached -50 several times. We had no well, so all winter we had to haul water in from Dillon, 26 miles away. We also had no septic system in place at the time, so we had to bring in two Porta-Potties to use all winter. We had heat because we did have 50-amp service installed.

This year, for the last five days the temperature hasn't gotten above zero; as I write this at 2:45 PM, the temperature is -12. Over the same time period, night temperatures have been between -30 and -22. The current ultra-cold snap is supposed to last through next weekend, when we should be back to our usual -15 to 25 above range. Today, even some of my wooden cabinet doors in the kitchen have a frost build-up on them. These cold temperatures are quite a change from where we spent our last winter, on the Texas Gulf Coast.

Icehouse up in Alaska still probably beats us for cold temperatures.

Carolyn

[Icehouse]

Nope! You win! We have not hit -50 in the RV. Yes, we have hit -70 while living in our house, but not in the RV. Right now, we're a balmy 31. Wanna trade?

[Wayne and Carolyn Mathews]

Tammy, I would trade if it meant that my fridge would start working again. It's so cold here that the back wall of the fridge and freezer, the INTERIOR wall, has thick frost on it. And the fridge is unplugged because it's not working! We still have most of our food in the darn thing (not the milk or mayo, obviously) because it's just about as cold as if it were plugged in and working.

Carolyn

[Icehouse]

Ours is staying just about 34 - 36 degrees too. And ours is also dead. Right now we're using a small dorm size frig till we get a new part or frig -- we haven't decided yet. There's a benefit to the cold weather!!

[Sheepdog]

We have Icehouse beat today, it was 8 degrees this morning and forcasted to be colder tonight

[davidaf]

Can you tell we were born and raised in Southern California, it's 51 outside and we are hiding from the "cold" plus there's this weird wet stuff falling out of the sky. Hat's off to you folks that can still get out and enjoy when it's truly cold outside.

[Larry-P]

I'm curious about staying warm in your Monty at near and/or below zero temperatures.
Does your furnace ever shut off ?
How often do you fill your propane tanks ??

[Icehouse]

We have no problems staying warm. We keep the RV at 69 during the day and we drop the temps at night to around 66. We have a 100 gallon LP tank that we have filled once a month. When it's really, really cold (January, February) it probably needs to be filled every 3 to 3 1/2 weeks. The furnace certainly does shut off. We get so warm that we have been known to pop open the Fantastic fan to help cool us down. Now, please realize that the furnace does run more than what some would consider normal, but yes, it really does stop running! The only supplemental heat we use in the rig is an electric baseboard heater that we run in the large living room slide behind our recliners. We do have a Lasko tower fan that we have "just in case". You will find drafts and you can either fill those or if it's in a slide you can adjust the slide. We are well skirted and have added additional insulation to the RV to help. And no, we don't dress overly warm. I'm currently wearing a t-shirt and capris. Tammy

[Tom S.]

How do you keep your incoming/outgoing water from freezing? Heat tape?

[JandC]

We got down to 8 degrees last night here with a little wind. Even with a heated water hose running to the Monte we left the faucet dripping.

[Wayne and Carolyn Mathews]

Like Icehouse, we also have a 120-gallon propane tank which, under normal winter conditions, has to be filled every 3 - 4 weeks. However, the last week we’ve had extremely abnormal temperatures ranging from 25 below zero to zero for the most part. In fact, we haven’t been above freezing since last Tuesday. The furnace has run nearly non-stop since that weather hit. I expect that once we get back to normal temperatures (0 to 25 or so), the furnace will start cycling again. We are also going through propane pretty fast right now and will have to fill the tank tomorrow, which is about a week earlier than we normally would fill it.

Condensation hasn't been a problem, and neither have freezing water lines. We do have the line from the faucet wrapped with heat tape, and we put a lot of insulation in the convenience center. We leave the bottom cabinet doors open at night, too, which is supposed to get some heat back to water lines running the length of the trailer.

We’d certainly add a space heater if we could, but the KOA* park in Dillon, the only park open year-round, has only 30-amp service, and it’s very old, unstable, badly-needs-fixing service at that. If we have the microware on, we can’t run the hair dryer. If I’m using the washer/dryer, we can’t use the microwave. Before any appliance gets turned on, something else have to be turned off. You get the picture. A space heater would never work under those conditions. We might be able to run it sporadically, but we wouldn’t be able to use anything else requiring power. *This KOA, in a beautiful location, is one of the very first, original KOA parks established. Nothing much has changed since it first opened its doors to the public. Updates to the power and septic systems are badly needed.

As I said in my first post, the refrigerator quit running after 30+ hours of this recent cold snap, and because of the extreme cold, no repairman is willing to come troubleshoot it. However, the exterior cold is keeping the refrigerator very cold (things are actually freezing in it), so we haven’t been in as much of a jam as I first thought we’d be in. The frozen food is outside of the door in an ice chest sitting in about 8” of snow.

A light does appear to be at the end of a tunnel; the temperatures here are supposed to be close to 30 degrees by next Thursday. I hope so. We’ve had enough of this dangerously cold weather. When we lived on our property in our rig as we built our home, the temperatures were occasionally much lower than those we’re experiencing now, but having 50-amp service on our power pole out there made a world of difference because we could run a space heater and still use the other appliances in our RV at the same time.

The photo below was taken when we lived in our RV on our land and the temperature frequently hit -30 to -50, At the bottom left of the photo you can just see part of one of the two Porta-Potties we had to move in and use for a year while the house was built (because we had no septic system).


Carolyn

[Alwims]

Folks around here in Prescott, AZ said why are you skirting, it doesn't get that cold or snow here? Well, 3" of snow last night and supposed to be 8 degrees tonight. Here's some pics.

[Icehouse]

Tom, yes, we have our water hose heat taped. And like Wayne and Carolyn, we have extra insulation in the convenience center. We also have a lightbulb hanging in there to help generate heat.

[Icehouse]

Al, that skirting makes a big difference; doesn't it?

[Alwims]

quote:Originally posted by Icehouse

Al, that skirting makes a big difference; doesn't it?

You better believe it.