Four-Season RV Living

Can you live in an RV through our winter?

People do, but it’s hard on the RV, hard on the budget and hard work. Most RVs are built for camping season. Thin walls, cold windows and exposed plumbing make a Lethbridge winter a big ask.

Before you plan a winter in the RV, think honestly about these questions:

• Where will you park? Many campgrounds close for the winter, and those that stay open may not have water on the sites. You need power, a way to get water, a way to empty tanks, propane access, and snow clearing.
• Is the RV up to it? “Four-season” in a brochure isn’t a standard rating. See a rig for living.
• Can you afford the heat? Propane and electricity use climbs steeply in a cold snap. See Costs and budgeting.
• What’s your backup? If the furnace quits at −30°C, or a pipe freezes and bursts, where do you go?

What our winters do to an RV

Averages hide the extremes. Arctic air can push temperatures far below the January average for days at a time. Then a chinook can arrive and send the temperature soaring in a few hours, with strong, gusty west winds. The Canadian Encyclopedia notes that chinook winds typically blow at 16 to 60 km/h with gusts around 100 km/h, and that a rise of 27°C in two minutes has been observed. That record jump was measured at Spearfish, South Dakota, in January 1943, not here, but chinooks in southern Alberta can still swing the temperature a long way in a few hours.

For an RV, that means:

• Freezing water lines, tanks, valves and sewer hoses.
• Freeze-thaw cycles that turn melting snow into ice on steps, slide toppers, the roof and the ground around the RV.
• Wind that rocks the RV and drives snow into gaps.
• Condensation on every cold surface inside, and the mould that follows.

Skirting

Skirting closes in the space between the bottom of the RV and the ground. In winter it’s one of the most important things you can do. It cuts the wind under the RV, keeps the underbelly, tanks and plumbing warmer, and keeps snow from drifting underneath.

Types

• Rigid insulation board, cut to fit. Effective, but needs careful fastening in wind.
• Vinyl or fabric skirting, sometimes insulated, made to fit the RV. Quicker to put up and take down.

Doing it right

• Seal it at the ground, and anchor it well. Prairie wind will find any loose edge, and a skirting panel blown loose in a storm can damage your RV or a neighbour’s.
• Never cover vents. Furnace, water heater and fridge vents and exhausts must stay clear, and so must anything your manual says needs airflow.
• Leave access to tank valves, water connections and the sewer outlet, with a panel you can open in the cold.
• Check regularly for mice and other animals, which like the warm space.
• Be very careful with heat under the RV. If you add a heat source inside the skirting, use only an electric device made for that purpose, follow its instructions exactly, and keep it clear of anything that can burn. Never put a fuel-burning heater under or inside an RV; see heat and propane.

Keeping the water flowing

Water is where winter RV living most often goes wrong. A frozen line is an inconvenience; a frozen and split line, tank or valve can mean an expensive repair.

Fresh water

• Option 1: a heated drinking-water hose from a frost-protected tap, plugged into a suitable outdoor outlet. Use one that’s made for drinking water, and protect both connections, which freeze first.
• Option 2: fill and disconnect. Fill the fresh tank, then disconnect and drain the hose and store it inside. Live off the tank, refill as needed. This is simpler and avoids a frozen hose, as long as the tank itself is in a heated space.
• Keep inside cupboards open where plumbing runs along outside walls, so warm air reaches the pipes.

Heat tape

Heat tape (electric pipe-heating cable) wrapped on exposed lines can keep them from freezing. It also causes fires when it’s damaged or installed wrongly. The US Consumer Product Safety Commission’s long-standing advice:

• Follow the manufacturer’s installation directions exactly, and use tape rated for the pipe’s size and length.
• Don’t overlap the tape on itself around the pipe unless the instructions specifically allow it.
• Don’t wrap heat tape over thermal insulation. If the maker recommends insulation over the tape, it must be non-flammable.
• Inspect it every fall, unplugged, along its full length. Replace it right away if you see cracked or charred insulation or bare wires.

Choose heat tape that’s certified for use in Canada, plug it into a properly grounded outlet, and never run it from a damaged or undersized extension cord. Or have a qualified electrician or RV technician install it.

Holding tanks and the sewer

• Keep the grey and black valves closed and empty the tanks when they’re nearly full, so a full rush of water flushes the hose. An open valve lets a little water trickle out and freeze in the hose.
• Slope the sewer hose steadily downhill, with no low spots, and support it so water can’t sit and freeze.
• Use tank heaters if your RV has them, as the manual describes.

Heat and propane

Furnace

Most RVs heat with a propane furnace. In many RVs, the furnace ducts also warm the underbelly and tanks, so the furnace protects the plumbing as well as the people. Check your manual. In a cold snap it uses a lot of propane, and its fan uses a lot of battery power.

• Have it serviced before winter by a qualified technician.
• Keep the outside vent clear of snow, ice, skirting and anything else.
• Know your propane supply. Check levels every day in a cold snap. Some campgrounds allow larger tanks with delivery; ask, and follow the campground’s and supplier’s rules.

Electric heaters

Electric space heaters can reduce propane use when you have shore power. Use only heaters certified for use in Canada, with tip-over and overheat shut-offs. Keep them at least 1 m (3 feet) from bedding, curtains, clothing and anything else that can burn, turn them off when you go to bed or leave the RV, plug them straight into an outlet rather than an extension cord, and remember they draw a lot of power. See shore power.

Propane safety

• Propane is heavier than air. Health Canada notes that leaked propane can collect in low areas. That’s why RV propane detectors are usually mounted low, near the floor.
• Check for leaks with a soapy-water solution on fittings. Bubbles mean a leak.
• If you smell gas, shut off the cylinder valve, get everyone out, don’t touch switches or use phones near the leak, and call for help once you’re well away.
• Check cylinder dates. The Canada Safety Council says cylinders in Canada must be requalified or replaced every 10 years, and an outdated cylinder can’t legally be filled.
• Have the system inspected once a year, as the Canada Safety Council recommends.

Condensation and mould

An RV in winter is a small space with cold walls and windows, and people inside who breathe, cook, shower and dry towels. All of that puts water into the air. When warm, moist air touches a cold window, wall or metal frame, the water condenses. Left alone, it soaks into wood and fabric, and mould follows.

Keep the humidity down

• Measure it. Health Canada recommends keeping indoor relative humidity between 30% and 50%, and suggests an inexpensive hygrometer to check.
• Use the fans. Health Canada advises using kitchen and bathroom exhaust fans when cooking or showering, and letting them run a few minutes after.
• Crack a vent or window a little, even in the cold, to let moist air out. It costs a bit of heat and saves a lot of mould.
• Wipe windows and sills every morning, and use a dehumidifier if you have the power.

Watch the hidden places

• Under the mattress, especially against an outside wall.
• Inside closets and cupboards on outside walls.
• Around windows and in corners near the floor.

Leave gaps between furniture and walls, use a ventilated mat under the mattress, and open closets now and then.

If mould appears

Health Canada says mould can cause eye, nose and throat irritation, coughing, wheezing and worse asthma symptoms, and that children, seniors and people with medical conditions may be more affected. It describes a small mould area as one to three patches, each smaller than 1 m². For small areas, it advises wearing eye protection, a disposable N95 mask and gloves, and cleaning with water and dish detergent. Bleach isn’t needed. Larger or returning mould usually means a moisture problem, such as a roof or window leak, that needs fixing first.

Wind: chinooks, gusts and slide-outs

Chinooks are warm, dry, gusty winds that come down the eastern slopes of the Rockies. The Canadian Encyclopedia says they’re most frequent in southwestern Alberta, where about one winter day in three is a chinook day. They bring welcome mild spells, and strong west and southwest winds that test every RV.

Slide-outs

• Follow your manual on wind. Some RV manuals give guidance on retracting slide-outs in high winds. Know what yours says before the wind arrives.
• Slide toppers (the awnings over slide-outs) flap and can tear in strong gusts, and collect snow and ice. Clear snow and ice off slide roofs and toppers before you bring the slides in, or you can damage the seals and mechanism. Work from a sturdy ladder or the ground with a long-handled brush, with someone nearby, and don’t climb onto an icy roof.
• Check slide seals regularly in winter. Wind drives snow and cold air through worn seals.
• Don’t run a slide in extreme cold unless your manual says it’s safe. Ice can jam it.

The rest of the RV

• Park nose or narrow end into the prevailing wind where you can. Here that’s usually west or southwest.
• Keep stabilizers snug to reduce rocking. They aren’t built to lift the RV or to hold it against the wind.
• Awnings stay in all winter, and any time strong gusts are forecast.
• Hold doors firmly and secure everything outside.
• Know when to leave. If Environment and Climate Change Canada issues a wind warning with very strong gusts, consider staying with family or friends in a building until it passes.

The alarms: CO, smoke and propane

When you live in an RV with the windows closed and the furnace running, working alarms are not optional. Test them, check their dates, and never disable one because it goes off while you’re cooking.

• If the CO alarm sounds, or anyone feels headachy, dizzy, unusually tired or sick, Health Canada’s advice is to get out right away, call 911, and don’t go back in.
• Keep a fire extinguisher mounted by the door, in date, and know how to use it.
• Keep two ways out. In winter, check that the emergency exit window isn’t frozen shut or blocked by snow, and that steps are clear of ice.
• Keep generators well away. Health Canada says to operate a generator at least 6 m (20 feet) from buildings, with the exhaust pointed away from windows and doors. In winter, snowbanks and still air can trap exhaust around an RV.

Winterizing versus staying in

Every RV in Alberta needs one of two plans each fall: winterize it, or commit to keeping it heated and protected all winter. There’s no safe middle ground of leaving water in an unheated RV and hoping.

When to winterize

In Lethbridge, the first fall frost can come in September; the 1981–2010 normals give about a 1-in-3 chance of the first fall frost arriving before September 11. If the RV won’t be heated, winterize before the first hard freeze, not after. A single cold night can split a water line or a pump.

The usual steps

Your RV’s manual is the final word, because systems differ. In general:

1. Drain the fresh, grey and black tanks, and rinse the black tank.
2. Drain the water heater, after it has cooled and with the power and propane off, and set its bypass.
3. Open the low-point drains and all taps to drain the lines.
4. Blow out the lines with low-pressure air, or pump RV antifreeze for drinking-water systems through every tap, the shower and the toilet until it runs pink, or both.
5. Don’t forget the extras: outdoor shower, ice maker, washer, filters and drain traps.
6. Close everything up, remove food, block mouse entry points, and take batteries home or keep them charged.

In spring, flush the antifreeze out, sanitize the fresh water system following your manual, and check for mice before you move back in. See opening up in spring.

The shoulder seasons

April, May, September and October can be beautiful months on a seasonal site, and tricky ones. Days can be warm and nights can drop well below freezing. In Lethbridge the 1981–2010 normals give about a 1-in-3 chance of frost after May 25.

• Disconnect, drain and bring in the hose on any night forecast near freezing, and live off the fresh tank.
• Run the furnace overnight on cold nights, even if you’d rather not, to keep the underbelly above freezing.
• Dress for the swings (see What to wear) and keep the forecast close.

Sources

• Health Canada, Carbon monoxide: Preventing exposure: canada.ca
• Health Canada, Infographic: Carbon monoxide: canada.ca
• Health Canada, Mould: canada.ca
• Health Canada, Barbecue and portable butane stove safety: canada.ca
• Canada Safety Council, Fuel for summer activities: canadasafetycouncil.org
• Halifax Regional Municipality, Tent and trailer camping fire safety: halifax.ca
• US Consumer Product Safety Commission, Inspect heat tapes and cables as you winterize your home: cpsc.gov
• Manitoba Hydro, Space heaters: only for temporary use (1 m clearance, turn off when you go to bed or leave the room, no extension cords): hydro.mb.ca
• The Canadian Encyclopedia, Chinook: thecanadianencyclopedia.ca
• US National Weather Service, January 22, 1943 at Spearfish, South Dakota (a rise of about 27°C in two minutes): weather.gov
• Environment and Climate Change Canada, Canadian Climate Normals, Lethbridge (1991–2020 January average low and days with gusts of 40 km/h or more; 1981–2010 frost probabilities).
• Your RV’s, furnace’s, alarms’ and heat tape’s manuals are the final word on installation, operation and replacement.