Life in the RV World, Part 2: Procrastination Screws Up Our Winterizing in a Good Way

We're in the middle of our third cold snap since winter began. We've had above-seasonal temperatures for most of the winter, but clearly the cold wants to sneak in there somewhere, climate change or not. This means winterizing, even with a four-season trailer that includes the Arctic package.

If you know me, then you know I procrastinate. Constantly. It can save me a lot of work, to be frank, because doing things early often means hearing, "I've changed my mind and no longer need this." At least, that's how it works in the corporate world. I always hit my deadlines when I worked those jobs, but usually waited until the last minute. I don't think I consciously knew that would happen, or that I procrastinated for that specific reason, but it did sink in somewhere in my hardheaded brain.

Of course, I've always procrastinated. Even as a child with school assignments. It gave me plenty of time to think about a project. I could figure out the best way to do something, and (potentially) it added a lot of value to my work. I constantly came up with new ideas, because the project was sitting in the back of my granite-like skull, awaiting execution.

Winterizing our trailer has been one example of this, even though it's also led to some issues for us. Those problems have shown me what I really need to focus on, however. Let me elucidate my strange reasoning.

The one thing I did right from the start was to winterize our exterior, potable water line. I added a strip of aluminum tape, and then used more aluminum tape to attach a heat trace (also called heat tape) down the length of it. The aluminum tape supposedly disperses the heat from the heat trace over a wider strip of the hose, which may or may not be helpful. I'm not entirely sure, but I wasn't taking chances with our water line. Then I added foil-covered bubble-wrap insulation. I covered the entire hose with it, and secured it with reusable zip-ties. Not only is it insulated, but it also has a thermostatically-controlled heat source. When the temperatures drop below 3C (37.4F), which is just above the freezing point (depending on your elevation), the heat trace turns on to keep the line warm(ish).

I still did this at the last minute, because we moved into the trailer right before it got cold and it took us a while to gather the necessary items. It was the night before we were going to hit a cold spell, though, when I finally got it done and installed it.

I did not insulate the post coming from the ground. It froze before I got to it, but I was planning to get it done. I eventually did that and even made a hood for it, which has since blown away in the wind because the rope wasn't fastened (I forgot to tell my husband the rope was there, and he just stuck the hood over the post without securing it). Now I have to make a new one, but I've run out of the bubble-wrap insulation. We bought a giant roll, but used most of it to make skirting - more on that in a minute.

As a make-do project, my husband used aluminum tape to press the heat trace against the brass y-connector that kept freezing, and then he wrapped scrap bubble-wrap insulation around that. Thus far it's been working, and we haven't had our water line freeze since he did it.

I chose to wrap our giant (120-pound rental) propane tank with the bubble-wrap insulation, just in case we had a really cold winter. Propane can turn into gelatin if it's exposed to extreme cold, and it won't fire once it does. The last thing we need is our heat source not working. According to one of the gentlemen who fills our tank, that's what he has to do in the Yukon Territories when he goes winter camping there. We don't get quite that cold in southern Ontario (not even close, actually), but it's possible we'll get an ice storm or some other freak-of-nature occurrence. We weren't sure what this winter was going to look like, and it was an easy thing to do.

The tank was delivered with a cap already on it. The valve is covered, as is the wireless sensor that tells them when it's time to come fill the tank. Of course, that failed and told them our tank had plenty in it. We ran out and they had to deliver more, but we told them it could wait until the next day, because we have three spare tanks. Two came with the rig, but they're only 20-pound tanks. We bought a 30-pound tank we were also refilling until we were able to get the big tank delivered. Now we keep them full just in case. It's a good thing we do.

I considered wrapping the pigtail hose for our propane, as well, but propane doesn't tend to remain in place in the hose when it's cold, so it doesn't have very much exposure before it's pushed through for use. So far it's been working. If it stops, we'll know the reason and we can fix the problem.

To make sure we're never without water, even if there's a freeze-up, we keep quite a few 4-litre jugs of tap water on hand for washing up, or to flush the toilet for solid waste. We also buy spring water in large jugs for drinking, coffee, and for the ferrets (we have three, and we hate giving them tap water).

We bought almost all the stuff we need to skirt the entire trailer, but I ran out of the snaps I intend to use to attach it. I misinterpreted the quantity information and didn't realized they were talking about pieces, not sets (there are four pieces to a single snap), and now we have to order more.

I used the 4-foot-wide bubble-wrap and cut it to lengths corresponding with each section of the trailer. Otherwise it would have been a hundred feet long and a pain in the butt to handle (our trailer is 33 feet long and about 8.5 feet wide, with a hitch/tongue extension). Some of the segments are already long enough to be annoying. Then I used a cheap landscaping fabric and spray glue to cover one side of each piece - I wanted it to match our trailer a little better and not be so reflective.

At some point I installed snaps on each piece and also smashed the back pieces together to ready them for attaching to the trailer itself. Those will be epoxied on, rather than screwed in where they would create holes that might be problematic (RVers hate putting holes in their hulls - it's a thing). The problem I've been trying to figure out has been how to keep the snaps in place while the epoxy putty cures, while still making sure they're placed in exactly the right spots. Measuring might work for some, but for me I don't trust how accurate I am there. It takes five minutes for the JB Weld putty to set, and another 24 hours for it to cure. I'm not sure what other brands are like.

The solution, which we will likely implement one day soon, is to use hook-and-loop strips. We buy it by the roll already, because it's awesome for putting up paintings and other things, rather than sticking holes into something. I haven't had good experiences with 3M adhesives, but my husband bought Command hooks the other day that seem to be staying up in our shower now. I might give their products more of a look for interior stuff, but it's unlikely I'll trust them for the exterior where windy weather is more of a factor.

We also bought a vent cover for our bathroom vent, but haven't put that on either. We don't get a lot of snow in the Hamilton, Ontario area, so we've always been able to open it if we needed to. I still want to put it on to keep out rain when it's warmer and we're opening windows and such again. Neither of us are keen on being on the roof, eleven feet off the ground, so we've put it off. We have two other vents, but we had a lot of other expenses at the time and only bought the one cover. We'll likely get the other two later, and maybe they'll all get installed at the same time.

The benefit to having procrastinated with the vent covers, however, is that I realized quite recently that I want to put insulation in them. We don't want light coming through them, for one thing, so we're going to have bubble-wrap insulation inside them to keep the sun from glaring in and heating us up during summer months, as well as keeping our own heat in during the winter. I'm not sure why they aren't sold as insulated units already. The insulation won't cover the air slits on the side, just the bubble on top. Hopefully they won't increase our roof height beyond the air conditioner already sitting up there.

Many RVers insulate their shower skylight, too, which we will likely do in the summer to limit heat exposure. Our bathroom is already too warm because we keep the door closed (ferret-proofing), and there's a heating vent blowing into a very small room. It's really nice when one of us is cold for whatever reason, because we can heat up almost instantly. It's also nice to have the extra heat when you're wet from a shower.

The benefit to procrastinating with the skirt is that it's allowed me to figure out how to do it properly, in addition to showing us what parts of the trailer really need it. We know the rear of the trailer is quite exposed in our current space, which means the lines to and from the water heater are exposed (we've lost our hot water when these lines have frozen, but it was extremely temporary). That's also the end with our kitchen's grey tank, and the gate valve froze for a couple of days so we couldn't empty the tank. In other words, we have to cover our ass in this trailer...as in life.

The non-door side of the trailer (where all the utility stuff is dealt with) doesn't need to be covered at all, since we're back-to-back almost with another trailer, and we aren't getting heavy winds from that side at all. The other two gate valves are located near the furnace exhaust (carbon monoxide, so you have to be careful) and we haven't had any problems with them so far.

I was originally trying to figure out how I could get the skirting to cover the utility area, because we would still need access to the valve handles to empty our tanks, but it looks like we won't have to cover that section at all. This means I have a nice, long piece of insulation I can use for other purposes. If we park in a different location, with different exposure, next winter, we can always buy another roll of it to make another piece. As it stands, I prefer to use it on interior windows.

Speaking of windows, that was something else I did to keep things a little warmer in the trailer. Our bedroom windows and vent are all covered inside with bubble-wrap insulation, using hook-and-loop fasteners so they can be quickly removed. One of the windows is our emergency escape, so we can't block it off in a way that's problematic to remove. Interestingly enough, since I stuck the fasteners to the screen on the emergency escape window, it actually pulls off the whole screen if I just grab the insulation to take it off. That makes it easier to remove the screen, now, than it was by pulling the tab they installed on it.

Only the stuff covering the roof vent is visible, since our windows all have blackout blinds on them. Strangely, the bedroom windows did not have the side pieces of the valences to prevent people from seeing in around the blinds. Yet the living room windows do have them. How that makes sense, I'll never know. The bedroom is where you want the most privacy, one would think. But, I'll get into the foibles of this trailer in another post.

I also covered our door window. It was the first window I covered, actually, because we were getting too much heat through it when the sun was beating on it, and I didn't appreciate the sun blasting through it to pierce my eyeballs with its strange pain while I was trying to sleep.

At the cold end of the trailer is also where my desk is situated. It's built-in (and the only model that had this feature, it seems), so I can't move it somewhere else, and with my arthritis the cold drafts I was getting were pretty hard on me for pain. I insulated the window over my desk, and also the wall in the knee well. It's done a fantastic job of keeping me warm while I work.

The only other window I've insulated so far is the one behind our theatre seating. We're there every night to watch news and educational (research for my novels) programming together, and my husband sits there with his laptop while he's working on stock reports, so I wanted to make sure we were warm there.

The roof vent in the kitchen was insulated, too. I've left the bathroom vent in case we need it, but in the kitchen we already have the range hood, which vents out the side of the trailer. We don't need a second vent for that kind of thing. It's mostly good for air flow in the spring and fall.

As someone who grew up in northern Ontario, I know what a cold winter looks like, and this doesn't feel anything like I remember. Today's conditions are nothing like what we dealt with in Muskoka back then. In fact, even in Muskoka they no longer deal with anything close to what we had when I was a kid and young adult. In my mid-twenties I remember we had a cold snap in Huntsville that was particularly nasty. The temperature itself was already -50C/-58F. We had wind chills down to -70C/-94F, according to weather reports on the radio at the time. (Much to my surprise, however, my car started that blustery winter day, and the block heater wasn't even plugged in.)

All-in-all, I think we're probably set for the rest of the winter, even if we never put the skirt on. The fact my husband generally walks around in his boxers is a good sign, and I'm often barefoot (neither pregnant, nor in the kitchen, thanks). A day or two of freezing isn't going to be a problem for us, and it's good to know that. In fact, having the challenges I talked about in Part 1 has not only brought us closer together as a couple, but they've also increased our mutual confidence in our ability to look after ourselves in adverse conditions. The next step is going to be off-grid upgrades - something I'll tell you all about in a future post - and I cannot wait. Incinerator toilet and solar power here we come! Now, if only we could find a decent mobile internet provider. Yet another future post...

Life in the RV World, Part 1: Poop Pyramids, Poopsies, and Poopsicles

Our New Home

It's been four months since we started *camping in our travel trailer. We've had a couple of cold snaps, and a few things have frozen, but it hasn't been a bad experience for us. In fact, we've rather enjoyed the challenges from those problem.

One of our first problems was a clogged black tank, which is the tank holding the waste from a toilet. This is not a fun prospect, but it's far easier to fix than one might imagine. You see, we accidentally left our valve open. We knew we weren't supposed to, but one of us forgot to close it. It was probably me, since I was doing the majority of the tank maintenance at the time. It's usually my husband who forgets this kind of thing, but I've got ADHD, too, so he's not the only one who has trouble with distractions.

We ended up with a 'poop pyramid'. In other words, all the fluid drained from the tank, leaving only solids behind. They form a pyramid shape right below the toilet (you can see it when you flush the toilet) which can then clog the main line. This is not a good thing, but we do have a flush inlet for an outside hose to be used. This helped. However, I don't think it did a good enough job getting rid of the clog, because we ended up with it clogging at the internal valve. We bought a flushing elbow that allowed us to use backflow pressure to break it up, which worked really well to remove the clog. (You MUST keep the toilet flush valve closed when doing this, or risk sewage spraying into your face when it suddenly clears.)

We also got an auger and sprayer wand for cleaning the inside of the tank - something we'll do in spring and fall when it's warmer, because we have to run an outside hose into the bathroom through an open door or window. Keeping the inside clean means the sensors, which tell you how full your tank is, will work a lot better. Toilet paper and other solids can cover the sensors, preventing you from getting an accurate reading. Many RVers complain their sensors don't work. This is why. You can buy external sensors that might work better, but I personally think it's better to keep the tanks clean. That prevents other problems from occurring.

As we were working on the clog, however, the sewer line popped off and spilled sewage onto the ground. This is affectionately known as a 'poopsie' in the RV world. I immediately closed the gate valve, so the damage was minimal. (I always watch when I first open the valves to make sure we don't have a problem, because that first rush of materials has a bit of force behind it, and this time the force must have been pretty high with the extra water rushing through it to remove the clog.) After some research, and also checking with the RV park where we're staying, we sprinkled garden lime over it to deal with the problem. It neutralizes it, apparently. Cold temperatures help avoid any smells, too.

Funnily enough, our 'neighbour' tried to tell us immediately after that we should leave our valves open all the time. Um, no. Don't. Very bad. Especially in winter. If your sewer line freezes you won't be able to drain your other tanks, either. All three of our lines come out in one line. A sewer freeze-up means we can't shower or wash dishes once our grey tanks fill. Our owner's manual tells us to only have one open at a time. If they made a mistake with that, they pay for the damages. If we go a different way and it's a mistake, we have to pay those damages. However, we already have experience that tells us the manual is correct. Expert advice says the same. 'Some yahoo next door' isn't an expert.

Then we had a problem with the elbow, because we got rain that froze the gate valve shut (it has an extra valve). We ended up with a bit of a 'poopsicle' (frozen poop inside the drainage line) by the time my husband decided the solution was to pour hot water over it to thaw the valve. This worked very well, and did not cause anything else to freeze later since he did it carefully. We removed that elbow to prevent future problems, and will only attach it when we need it.

We haven't skirted the trailer yet, which literally means putting a skirt around the entire base of the trailer to prevent cold drafts around our pipes, etc. I finally figured out the easiest way to do it, so we'll likely do that tonight or tomorrow, but I'll explain our winterizing steps in detail in another post.

Not skirting the trailer, however, caused us to have a frozen gate valve on our rear grey tank (called a 'gray tank' on our panel because it was built in the US - why am I so annoyed by that spelling irregularity?) for two or three days until the weather warmed up a little. Thankfully that's our kitchen tank, so it just meant my husband couldn't do dishes for a bit (he does them because my sensory issues make me gag if I stick my hands in dishwater, and then I later freak out from my hands getting dry...and I'm disabled, so standing for long periods is a problem). I suggested using the shower to do them, since a sink isn't really required. Plus it would allow him to sit down while doing them. A small bathroom means the toilet is right there.

Our furnace heats the internal plumbing in the underbelly of our trailer, but it wasn't quite enough to handle the cold snap we just had, so unless we skirt the trailer we're going to continue having this problem. And we're about to have another cold snap, so we need to get it done. Our floor will be a lot warmer to walk on, too.

Another issue we had during the two cold snaps was our hot water line freezing. That may sound like it doesn't make sense, so I should explain the reason. Our water heater is also at the rear of the trailer, which is the most exposed to the cold and wind right now. The line going into the water hater isn't heated, of course, and the water coming from it eventually gets cold if we're not using hot water. One of those lines froze, not the water heater itself.

The very first problem we had was a brief period where the water line itself froze. I had already winterized our hose, which I'll discuss in detail in the winterizing post, but I hadn't wrapped the park's line yet. The pipe from the ground was still exposed. I had intended to insulate it, but hadn't made it that far. Additionally, I hadn't flipped the breaker for the 110V power, so our heat trace wasn't working either. I'm not sure which was the bigger problem, but it melted pretty quick and I got everything running properly. Well, my husband noticed the breaker not being on, which made me feel pretty stupid, but then I'm usually the one fixing those sorts of problems so I probably shouldn't feel too bad. Thankfully, he's not the type to humiliate me for mistakes.

We've had the main line briefly freeze (from the park) since then, but that was because the hood on the post blew off and was lying on the ground...instead of insulating like it should do. There was supposed to be a rope holding it on, but my husband didn't know it was there (because I didn't explain it to him, since I wasn't expecting him to do the work outside).

An issue or two per month, I suppose, as we adjust to winter camping and all its quirks. Not bad for our first go-round. We're not only learning, but we're also somewhat slow at getting things done. I'm heavily medicated for my arthritis, so I have stretches where I can't concentrate or I simply feel incapable of doing anything. I also have bouts where my pain flares up beyond my medications' ability to handle it. Those days usually involve me lying in the fetal position, rather than getting anything done.

My husband, while somewhat handy, isn't as knowledgeable about RVs, mechanics, electrical, etc. I've been using power tools since I was a child, and went camping every summer for two months in an over-the-cab camper (a slide-in camper for truck beds that has a bed area over the cab of the truck). Winter is a new thing, but I've done a lot of research. I spent weeks before we moved into the trailer, learning everything I could about how things work and all the maintenance we have to do.

We're slacking, though. I still haven't gone up on the roof from sheer terror. Same with my husband. We both happily admit we're chickens. It's more than eleven feet off the ground, and it's a rounded roof. I want to install a fall-protection system. That kind of fall is a very bad day, and possibly deadly. I've already had a skydiving accident (from trying to face my fear of heights) and have no interest in falling from a height again. We have a vent cover we have to install over our bathroom vent, since we feel that one in particular needs to be something we can open. A lot of snow will prevent that unless we install the cover.

Another issue for me, of course, is my schedule. I sleep during the day, because I can't sleep at night. (It's childhood-onset delayed sleep phase disorder and can't be fixed by light therapy.) Meaning, it's usually dark in the winter by the time I'm ready to get anything done. I'll either have to stay awake for a day to do it, or I'll have to wait until spring. Decisions, decisions...

*I have to call it 'camping' because it's illegal to live in RVs in our province. We have to have a fixed address, and Ontario law does not allow anyone to live (even on their own property) in an RV. We have to go to designated campgrounds and also have a 'bricks & sticks' address in order to retain our residency. Residency is required if we want to keep our healthcare and driver's licenses. Not to mention the insurance on the trailer, which is required for our loan on it.