After losing Lucky last fall, I adopted Lucky's Charm from Pet Pals, Inc. of Goshen County where I volunteer. Charm had been tossed out to survive as best she could along a busy Colorado Highway. She has been a total joy. It was a miracle that she survived her ordeal. Now she is a loved member of my little RV family where she gets to RV everyday.
Winter RVing in Hawk Springs, Wyoming this year has been a great experience. The temperatures have been to -22 with lots of icy wind. Have stayed very toasty. In freezing tempatures which begin for real every October I fill my water tank and use water only from there. It is too cold in this country to leave a hose attached to a hydrant. We had a frozen water line that comes out of the RV water tank, that froze only when temperatures got below -11! I have an idea that a hair dryer hose shoved down the waterline opening into the basement will solve that problem next year. Will turn it on low only when the temperatures fall below zero. That should solve the problem with the frozen line. Otherwise it has been terrific and inconveniences have proved to be blessings in disguise.
A case in point was the furnace failing back in October. Larry York fixed it by replacing the motor and found that the old motor blades were rubbing against a divider in the compartment. The way they build some of these RV's is pretty shoddy! My RV is no exception there. Now that Larry corrected the placement of the motor fan, the furnace works quietly and much more effectively. Used the catalytic heater, the Wave 8000, all the time I was furnaceless and it kept us quite cozy. We used a cermic disc heater to supplement on colder evenings. I used one in the basement on low all winter and one in the living room to even out the heat whether using the furnace or the Wave 8000. Worked great and we were always comfortable even in 40 below wind chill weather.
The fridge ceased to work well after being at -20 for a few days. So, I learned to close off a couple of the exterior vents at the back of the fridge compartment (the fridge access door on the exterior of the RV). It has worked well ever since. Lesson learned. In winter close off some of the air exchange from the outside. Leave one of the vents open though. I covered two of the three openings with duct tape. The icecream is solid again.
My heat blankets on the holding tanks have kept everything pretty liquid so have had no problems dumping holding tanks.
As long as the temperatures are above 10 I like to use the Wave 8000 inside because it is efficient, and quiet. I don't worry about cracking a window in the RV because there is plenty of air exchange in here. They do not build these things tight. We have had no problems leaving everything shut up and the Wave 8000 running even on high. Of course the furnace is great in cold weather. I just set it on about 78 and the temperatures never fall below 71 in here before the thermostat kicks it back on. It has been very comfortable. Since fall we have used about 400 gallons of propane in approximately 5 months time.
The bracket holding the RV steps broke. And even though Larry replaced the bracket the bolt holding the bracket came loose from the frame and is stripped. It simply turns and you can't get to it to change anything. Oh the stories I could tell.... Even so nothing has been insurmountable and the lifestyle of living wherever I want whenever I want makes it all worthwhile. Now that I have lived successfully for a winter in Wyoming I am happy. I love living in Wyoming and hated the thought of not being able to reside here year round. It certainly is doable, even in an RV like mine that probably is not the best one out there. Last fall the Yorks and I piled hay bales around the bottom of the RV to skirt it and that has helped with heat retention. I wasn't sure I wanted to buy a skirt for it but I think one would be worth the expense in cold country. Skirting the RV with bales did not entirely block the wind out but it did slow it down. There are a few gaps here and there for Jack Frost to squeeze through. We have had no problems with mice from the hay bales. I'm sure having kitties inside has made a difference there. They make quick work of any foolish mouse that dare enter. Have only had a total of approximately 10 days when our water line was actually frozen. It did no harm and as soon as the weather warmed above zero the lines eventually thawed out with no problems. We used water out of our collapsible water containers on those waterless days.
Have really come to appreciate the macerator pump this winter. Can pump out my holding tanks with ease through a garden hose directly into the septic system 50' away. The macerator pump will pump upwards of 200 ft., and probably a lot further when necessary,through a garden hose. When I was parked further from the septic system last summer I successfully used my blue boy tank to cart my holding tank contents over to the septic system. I just pumped my tanks up into the blue boy which I sat at the tailgate end of the pickup bed. It was simple to just run it over to the septic and let it drain out quickly using the big sewer hose. Either way the macerator pump makes emptying holding tanks a breeze.
Have been volunteering at Pet Pals, Inc. of Goshen County, where I help take care of the fabulous Purr Palace. It is a wonderful cat colony where upwards of 30+ puddy tats range free indoors and out. The facility is fully heated except for the outdoor cat-safe enclosed yard.
