Countertops, flooring, and cold temperatures

[Wayne and Carolyn Mathews]

Looks like we're in for a spell of temperatures hovering in the 0 to 10 degree range. I remember reading last year about cracking vinyl floors and cracking countertops, both attrituted to cold temperatures, but I haven't been able to locate those old posts to re-read today.

It's 5 degrees right now, and although we're're warming up to the low 40's for a few days next week, our winters include regular spells of below-zero temperatures for weeks at a time; for the last 2 years, we've had spells of -20 to -40 degree temperatures for a couple of weeks. Last winter, our rig was at the dealership during the winter, so I know no heat was used to prevent damage, but then again, Idaho Falls doesn't get as cold as we get here on the back side of the lake in Montana.

The rig is winterized. I have two small space heaters I could set up, one in the kitchen and one in the bathroom, but I am more worried about those things starting a fire than I am about suffering some damage from the cold. We could run the furnace in the rig, but that means going through propane at a pretty quick clip.

I need an opinion or two here: Do I need to worry about the cold damaging the floor or counters in my Montana? By the way, when you see the current temperature in my Weather Gizmo below, always subtract 10 degrees to get the actual temperature where we live, which is about 35 miles south of Dillon, in a canyon with constant winds, on the west shore of Clark Canyon Reservoir. Brrrrr . . .
Carolyn

[racerjoe]

I can't see where cold should be an issue. If you figure all the units that are built and delivered all over the states and they sit on dealer lots for long periods of time unused, normally without problems. You don't hear very much about cold related problems and when you do sometimes there was an underlying problem and not the cold.

[DarMar]

quote:Originally posted by racerjoe

I can't see where cold should be an issue. If you figure all the units that are built and delivered all over the states and they sit on dealer lots for long periods of time unused, normally without problems.

Many, many of these units sit on RV lots up here in Canada where we generally endure more severe weather and commonly see stretches of -30 for 5-7 days at a time. Our unit sits in a farm shed unheated for at least 5 months of winter and to date we've experience zero problems. That being said our dealer did send us an email last February telling us that they had seen an unusual number of the cracking floors and tub surrounds. They did attribute it to a very extremely cold January and ask us to check our rig for damage and make an appointment for repair asap so they could deal with any extra problems before the usual spring rush. Of course since then that always has us thinking a bit like Carolyn but hey the cost to keep even a minimal amount of heat for our winter term is just cost prohibitive!

[Wayne and Carolyn Mathews]

You guys are right--I never thought about the places these trailers have been stored without being heated (dealer lots and storage facilities that get temperatures as cold or colder than ours). We certainly didn't want the expense of propane and electricity to eat up our budget, so we wouldn't have heated the rig except in extremely cold temperatures. And, I don't trust those little electric heaters enough to leave them running all night unattended. However, there certainly are places colder than where we live where Montys do just fine left alone! Thanks for your input.

Carolyn

[jackel1959]

Carolyn,
It doesn't get as cold for as long here in Washington, but when we do have a cold snap we have always just turned the thermostat to the lowest setting and left it there until we got above freezing. This will be the first year with the new rig though, and don't know about the counters and flat screens. I wouldn't worry to much about the space heaters starting a fire as that is what we are planning to use this year when we get our cold spells......I'm more concerned about the amount of electricity they use. Just my honest opinion (JMHO).
Take care,
Jack
P.S. OBTW, will you guys be at Quartzsite??

[Dave Anderson]

Carolyn, Those little ceramic space heaters are inexpensive, SAFE. and do the job. We put one in our basement and use one upstairs instead of our furnace. saves a lot of propane and more efficiant than the furnace........Dave

[MIMF]

Carolyn, you need to trust me when I say that this issue is not exclusive to just the Montanas or Keystone in general. It happens to other manufacturers, also.

It is because, the majority of the RV manufacturers get their parts and materials from the same suppliers and vendors. I don't think that is a surprise to anyone who owns an RV.

I have come to the conclusion that, to eliminate this problem and to winterize a unit, the best thing to do is take it south in the winter months!

[The Weekenders]

Carolyn, Our 3585sa sat thru one of the most brutal North Dakota winters in recent memory last year. I had no issues with cracked vinyl etc. Many days and nites of below zero temps with no adverse effects. I do have an oil filled radiator going in it. When the temps get below zero, it doesnt make any difference having it on. But at 5 above it does keep the unit above 32 with the slides put in. I wish it was cost effective to keep the furnance going all winter but the only other alternative would be to hook up and head to the Rio Grande Valley. :B

[iowaone]

I am one of thoses that had a countertop problem. I that problem was caused by the cold (which many rigs experience) and the underlayment of the corian counter being slightly too large at one corner so that when the corian shrink slightly in the cold the edge caught on the playwood and broke the corian. So I think that was a unique problem that most should not have. They trimed the plywood when they repaired the corian so I do not expect a problem this year. We had -30 below last winter. We will see.

[KathyandDave]

Ditto on Gary & Carol (iowaone)'s comments, except I can see that our dealer did not trim the playwood back and the fit is tight (there is a small gap everywhere else), so we expect the corner to break again this winter.

[Wayne and Carolyn Mathews]

Gee, I wish I had Corian to worry about--at least I think I do! Our 3585SA is an '07 model, so we have the fake stuff, which cracked all by itself within weeks after we bought the rig. Keystone covered that, and we've had no problems since.

I guess it these things sit on lots in Fargo, Great Falls, and other places that get even colder temperatures than we get and don't get any damage from the elements. I may put a small ceramic heater in and run it when the below-0 weather hits.

Carolyn

[Okie Guy]

I have been pretty freaked out about my fiberglass counters and sinks so I leave my thermostat set on 45 degrees and an electric heater on the low setting. I just don't want to take a chance on something I spent this much money on. Others may not agree with this, but it give me piece of mind. This is what matters. What you are comfortable with.
JMHO
Phil

[mopar1]

Interesting. I would have thought it would have been more of a temperature swing than just getting to cold.

[BB_TX]

If you decide to try a heater, try one of these from Lasko. We got them at Sam's club.
We have 3 of them, one at home, one in my wife's office, and one in the Monty. Two heat settings plus a thermostat. Very stable. The blower keeps warm air moving around to distribute the heat. And the case never gets hot.
On cold nights in the camper, we set it in the living area pointed toward the bedroom. Keeps the air circulating thru the whole camper.