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Old 01-30-2008, 01:56 AM   #21
Waynem
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Oh! It is so cold here. But Wayne, Carolyne, and the Icehouse crew - Y'all are crazy!!!

Keep the stories coming. It let's me know that below 70 degrees is not really freezing.
 
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Old 01-30-2008, 03:46 PM   #22
Icehouse
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Wayne, we are happy to know that we are entertaining!!! We are only supposed to hit -10 tonight! You'll also be happy to know we are a balmy 68 inside!!!!
Tammy
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Old 01-30-2008, 04:33 PM   #23
Wayne and Carolyn Mathews
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We've had enough snow to make a snow army, not just a snowman. Good thing we like this weather, and it is a good test of future fulltime living in an RV under all conditions. Unlike a lot of people who head south when winter arrives, we'll still spend a lot of time right here. Why? It's beautiful 12 months a year, and we are within walking distance of excellent trout fishing, kayaking, hiking, etc. We'll also spend a lot of time back in Texas, our real home--but not during those 115-degree summers. We don't miss them one bit.

I have to say that fulltime living in our 3585 has been extremely comfortable, even during the short periods when we lost our hot and/or cold water. Heck--even back in Austin, the water lines in our stick house would occasionally freeze. This Montana has been much warmer under more extreme conditions than our old Cardinal 5th-wheeler ever was. The first month we owned our Monty, I was so worried about all the "what if" situations that I didn't take the time to appreciate just how nice the trailer is. After we survived the first four days of -20 to -40 temperatures (with constant wind), I relaxed. It's been a trial-and-error experience, dealing with the temperature and wind, but we feel much more confident about winter RV living than we did 6 months ago. If we were fulltiming now, we'd definitely take the time to line the cabinets with some insulation, put up better skirting, and do all the other things the great people on this site have suggested for prolonged extreme-weather camping. But even "making do" for the moment is enough to keep us comfortable. Winter camping? It's not impossible, and most of the time it's outright fun!
Carolyn

Photos: The first photo below shows a small part of our neighbor's elk herd. The next two photos were taken about 2 miles down the road from us (horses, jackfence & mountains). The bottom row are obviously winter photos. The first photo shows where we're camped and building a house (blue arrow). The second photo shows my typical winter drive to work on I-15 (45 miles one way).


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Old 01-30-2008, 04:41 PM   #24
Wayne and Carolyn Mathews
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Tammy & Bernie--I think we should take your name "ICEHOUSE"! However, Alaska probably trumps Montana, so you may keep it. Great minds think alike because we're a balmy 68 degrees in our Monty, too. But boy, we need to get on the stick and order one of those baseboard heaters like you guys have for the recliner slideout. You can freeze your feet in about 15 minutes in that area! Glad to hear you have heat.

Carolyn & Wayne
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Old 01-31-2008, 02:39 AM   #25
Leaseit
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Carolyn Great pictures. Did i see John Wayne and the Cowboys in that coral picture. Just curious, do you post your pictures on PhotoBucket or Tinypic.
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Old 01-31-2008, 02:08 PM   #26
Wayne and Carolyn Mathews
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I used TinyPic for the first time last week and found it extremely easy to use. I haven't tried another photo hosting site, but I'm sure there are many more easy-to-use ones out there.

I didn't see John Wayne in the photo, but if I had, I'd walk off into the sunset with him. He's my hero!

Carolyn
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Old 04-15-2008, 11:58 AM   #27
Wayne and Carolyn Mathews
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Here it is, April 15th, and we're still skirted and looking out at the snow. Yes, I know it's mid-April, but we've had a pretty good blizzard all day, and even heavier snowfall is predicted for tonight. Both the track meet and tennis tournament at Beaverhead County High School (where I teach) were canceled, again, because of the weather. On the bright side, daytime temperatures are holding at 32 - 35, which is nice.

Wayne is flying out of Idaho Falls to Austin tomorrow, and because of deteriorating conditions on Monida Pass (on I-15 between Clark Canyon Reservoir and Idaho), he went on this afternoon just to be sure he could get to the airport for his flight. Monida Pass is famous--infamous is probably more accurate--for blowing snow and high winds, which close it regularly. It was still open at noon, so he took off then because steady winds between 45 - 55 mph were predicted for the pass by mid-afternoon. Add lots of fresh snow to those winds, and what you get is the PASS CLOSED signs.

Are we still loving winter camping in our new rig? You bet we are!!!! But, we can't wait to pull off the skirting and actually go camping in it rather than having it ice-bound on our land.

Maybe next week . . .

Carolyn
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Old 04-25-2008, 04:01 AM   #28
duaneb
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Quote:
quote:Originally posted by Wayne and Carolyn Mathews

Oh my word, have we ever been putting our Montana through the "winterizing" test. We were hit with an Arctic blast 2 days ago and the temperature hasn't been above freezing since then. In fact, out where we live, we haven't had a temp in the above-zero range for days. When you see the temperature for Dillon in the Weather Gizmo below, subtract 10 to 15 degrees and you'll have our temperature. We're 35 miles south of town, on the west side of Clark Canyon Reservoir. Since my last post, we moved in a 250-gallon propane tank, ending our tanks-to-town every other day trips. We also moved in two Porta-Potties (HIS/HERS) because we're skirted and it's a full-day's job to unskirt, pull the rig to town, dump the tanks, get back, and reskirt before dark--too much trouble and I'm still teaching, so we were losing a day every weekend to dump tanks. (Moving in those Porta-Potties surely did cut down on our drop-in company!) We can get water from our well, but we fill and then disconnect because of the distance from the well and the freezing temperatures; heat tape to cover the 200 feet of hose from the well to the rig is cost-prohibative, and a foam wrap is useless here. We've lost the hot water occasionally, but ice-cold water showers and shampoos can be tolerated if absolutely necessary. The photos below were taken at 7:45 AM this morning, January 22, before I left for work. (If you're wondering, no, the Porta-Potties have no heat in them, and yes, sprinting out to them during the night, with the coyotes howling and the ever-present threat of wolves, is an adventure. Wolves? Yes. Apparently they forgot they were supposed to stay in Yellowstone National Park. We're currently having a bit of a livestock crisis because several aggressive packs have moved into our area.)

Back to grading AP Literature essays . . . .Carolyn
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Old 04-25-2008, 04:11 AM   #29
duaneb
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Just duane again, sorry for the lack of information.I just purchased a new 3485sa and I cant believe how cold it is and how much the furnace runs.At 0c it runs for 4 min and shuts off for 4 min endlessly. I just really thought that a unit of that size and supposed quality would be alot warmer or am I wrong. Sorry to sound like such a winer. THANKS for now
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Old 04-25-2008, 02:49 PM   #30
Wayne and Carolyn Mathews
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Duane, we feel your pain regarding that running, running, running furnace. Ours runs and runs, cuts off for maybe 2 minutes max, and then starts the cycle again. Even with a space heater and the fireplace heat, the furnace runs and runs and runs . . .

I think it's a combination of the truly severe conditions in which we're living (more on that at the end), and the fact that we are living in a glorified tin can--a well-made and beautifully glorified one--but still, it's basically a shell. From past experience in living in another brand of 5th-wheeler and suffering through a week or so of 10 - 20 degree weather, I appreciate how much warmer I am in my Montana than in my other rig.

Now, about those severe conditions: Today is April 25th, and we are still getting snow, high winds, and temperatures at night between 0 and 22 degrees. We had one day of milder weather last weekend, and then the blizzards and bitter temps returned. This week we've had rain, snow, more snow, and snow/wind this evening. Tomorrow is supposed to be sunny and in the mid-50's, but then the cold weather and snow return for most of next week.

I've read lots of suggestions on the MOC forums about how to deal with that everlasting running furnace problem, but most of them are way too technical for us to attempt (heat pump installation, rerouting the ductwork, keeping the fan running constantly, etc.). We'll just keep the propane tank filled. At first, that continuous off/on cycling kept me awake at night. Now, however, I don't even notice it.

Carolyn

I hope my misery has provided you some company in yours!
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Old 04-25-2008, 02:56 PM   #31
Icehouse
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Carolyn, we, of course, are on the same bandwagon as y'all! Our furnace runs more than it doesn't. Even with the fireplace and maybe a tower heater. But, this rig is warmer than my other one. There's a reason it's still in Georgia. It would not even come close to keeping us warm up here.

Duane, something that really helped us was to purchase a plug in 110V baseboard heater. We put it in the slide behind our recliners and it makes a noticeable difference. The chill isn't as noticeable. For the past few weeks, we haven't even used the baseboard heater.

We do have a large rented external LP tank that we have filled every month or so. The nonsense of having to fill those little tiny LP tanks every other day got old fast. Using this rig or even living in it fulltime, like us, in the cold is doable. It's like puttin a puzzle together. Find where you lose heat and stop the heat loss. We have added insulation on top of insulation. We have added the baseboard heater. And we let the furnace run. Because right now, LP is cheaper than gasoline!!!!

Tammy
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Old 04-25-2008, 03:32 PM   #32
Wayne and Carolyn Mathews
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Duane, like Tammy and Bernie, we also have a rented external 250-gallon propane tank. It's worth every penny of that rental, too, because we were having to drive to town a couple of times a week just to keep our
little tanks full. Now, with that big one sitting outside my window, I don't mind running my furnace all the time.

Carolyn
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