What We Learned RVing in Below Freezing Temperatures

Let’s go skiing in the mountains, we said. Let’s take our RV, we said. We are going to have so much fun, we said. Let me tell you, we did all the research and bought all the things other RVers before us had purchased, but we were not prepared in the slightest. Here is what we learned so you don’t make the same mistakes we did. Or at the very least, you can go into the frigid temperatures knowing what to expect.

The Supplies

Here are the things we purchased BEFORE going to the Rocky Mountains:

• RV Skirting (by far the most expensive purchase of the trip)
• Heated water hose
• Space heater
• Roof vent cover
• Tire chains (2 types – these and these)
• Pipe wrap insulation
• Window insulator film
• Insulator pillow
• RV antifreeze

The RV skirting was definitely a pain to put on, but once you get it set-up, it definitely helps keep the RV warm and keeps the cold temperatures out. We need to find a better solution to weigh down the bottom of the skirting, because a couple of days in, we experienced 35+ mph winds and nothing could hold down the skirting. If anyone has any solutions for that, we are all ears!

The heated water hose is very useful if you are connected to water 24/7. Unfortunately, the RV park in Angel Fire only had a couple of spots that were winterized and ours was not one of them.

The space heater, tire chains, roof vent cover and insulator pillow were life savers! Almost every day, we had a tank freeze (it didn’t help that it got down to -15 F our second night). The black, gray, and fresh water tanks and our hoses all froze at some point and we would use the space heater under the RV to de-thaw that tank or hose so we could empty or use water. The RV park roads were full of ice, so when we were backing in the rig, we were sliding all over the place. We used these to gain some traction. They are definitely for one time use, but very helpful and we were able to back into our spot safely. The roof vent cover allowed us to open the bathroom vent when there was snow or ice that built up on the roof. Trust us, you need this! And the insulator pillow helps keep your bathroom warm, since the vent is so flimsy and has zero insulation.

What we did when things got COLD

We had no idea Angel Fire would get below ZERO, much less NEGATIVE 15 while we were there!!! We learned quickly when everything stopped working that we needed to make some changes.

• Leave cabinets open under the sinks and bathroom doors open. Trust me, you do not want to sit on that cold toilet in the middle of the night!
• Use the electric furnace and space heater as much as possible and conserve gas, because you run through gas like crazy when temperatures are below freezing. The space heater uses A LOT of electricity, so we had our GFCI breaker flip a few times, until we got smart and disconnected everything connected to the GFCI, so the space heater could run without tripping. This meant we had to toast our bread in the back room. We also used a surge protector to trip the surge protector and not the breaker,
• Drain the faucet after each use to keep the lines clear and keep the water heater lit at all times.
• One of our beds in the back of the RV is over some of the water pipes and instant water heater, so we removed the wood platforms covering those in the interior of the RV, so it would stay warm at night.
• Put antifreeze down the drains and in the toilet to prevent poop-sicles. Don’t forget your outdoor sink!

What we would buy for the next time (if there is one)

We had a very nice family from El Paso, Texas who brought a Propane Forced Air Heater called Duraheat. They let us use it on more than one occasion to de-thaw our underbelly and boy did it work! If we plan on doing another trip to cold weather, we will definitely be bringing one of these things along!

What we did not expect to happen

Our fridge and freezer stopped working 😦 When temperatures were -15 F, our fridge stopped working all together. Thankfully, we had an outdoor fridge and a brand new YETI cooler from Christmas (thank you mom and dad). We cleared out the fridge and let it air out for a few days before we tried to turn it back on. Still no luck. We then waited until we left New Mexico and turned it on while we were traveling on the road, hoping that the bouncing movements and warmer weather would get things working again. No luck! Send help or advice, because I can’t live out of our outdoor fridge and cooler forever!

We hope all of this information is helpful. I pray you will not experience the same difficulties we did, but if you do, I hope this guide is helpful to you! Good luck on your travels and stay warm out there!

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XO,

The Fabulous Life of an RV Wife

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