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Storage with Use During the Winter

We are avid cross-country skiers and one of the reasons we bought a motor home versus a trailer or fifth wheel was that the motor home would be warm when we got up to the x/c trails instead of a frozen cube. But I'm curious as to what the best method is to keep the coach from damage during the week when it's waiting. In our little 21-foot trailer I just put a small forced-air heater inside and opened up all the cupboards after winterizing the water system. We did not use the trailer in the winter because we did not think that the water systems would survive.

Should we winterize our GV after every weekend and then re-winterize when we come back? Or is there a better way?

We live in the desert of central Washington state where temperatures in the winter can reach zero but mostly hover in the 20s.
1993 U225 36' Unihome GV with PACBRAKE exhaust retarder, Banks Stinger and Solar Panels.
Toad: 1999 Jeep Wrangler 2-door soft-top.

"No one has ever had to evacuate a city because the solar panels broke."

Re: Storage with Use During the Winter

Reply #1 –
Winterizing it after every use would get quite pricy and time consuming.  Better to put nothing into the gray tank.  Nothing in the fresh water tank.  Leave winterized and use RV anti freeze for flushing.  But you are going to have problems flushing the sewer hose when you dump, as you will have no water to flush it out with.
1994 U225
build #4514

Re: Storage with Use During the Winter

Reply #2 –
Forrest requires 4 gallons of antifreeze and I've set him up with a by-pass valve at the W/H, a divert valve at the water pump and a PVC tubing set up to the water pump to suck in the antifreeze.  It takes me $16 of antifreeze and 10 minutes to winterize (after dumping all the tanks & lines).
 
I would definitelly winterize after each use and bring bottled water to cook, brew & drink.  Use the tank water for utilities only.
 
Too much money to repair frozen plumbing in the coach.
 
But, there's nothing like winter & fall camping...there's nobody there... ;D
Peter & Beth Martin
No Forrest? What have you done?
MC# 15890 until Dec 2016; FMCA #F329677
Cincinnati, OH

Re: Storage with Use During the Winter

Reply #3 –
We have similar temperatures in the winter here in Oklahoma. We are using our current coach full time in the warmer climates but when we first purchased the U225, I adjusted the furnace thermostats so that the lowest setting was 37 degrees and left both furnaces on constantly. It reached zero several times and did not ever freeze anything even though the coach was not winterized. It used less than 1/2 tank of propane in two months.
The selected media item is not currently available.Kent Speers
Locust Grove, OK
1993 U300 SSE 40' (Restored at FOT 2009) Build 4323
720 watts Solar
6V92TA DDEC Silver Engine
2014 Subaru Outback

Re: Storage with Use During the Winter

Reply #4 –
We are far south, but sometimes temperatures stay below 32F for a few days. We set the thermostat for the rear furnace at about 40F. That has protected our coach so far. The same practice protected our SOB coach through the previous winter. During both winters, we had frozen pipes in our well house and some other places. The coaches did fine.

On our 1997 U295, it appears that only the rear furnace has ducts to the basement. I replaced all of the registers for the rear furnace with adjustable registers. I direct much of the hot air to the basement. Forcing all air to the basement doesn't allow enough air flow for the furnace to operate within specifications. The basement ducts comprise only two 2" ducts.

Since we are forcing air from the living quarters to the basement, I plan to open the small window at the passenger seat to allow "make up air" for the volume of heated air that I am forcing to the basement. I expect that may allow better flow of heat to the basement.
J D Stevens
1997 U295 CAI 36' Build #5085
2002 Subaru Outback
Motorcade 16869
Bellville, TX

Re: Storage with Use During the Winter

Reply #5 –
Quote from: Kent Speers –
We have similar temperatures in the winter here in Oklahoma. We are using our current coach full time in the warmer climates but when we first purchased the U225, I adjusted the furnace thermostats so that the lowest setting was 37 degrees and left both furnaces on constantly. It reached zero several times and did not ever freeze anything even though the coach was not winterized. It used less than 1/2 tank of propane in two months.

Ours is (or will be when we finalize everything next weekend) also a U225 and I like your method. We have a shop with inside storage for the coach but still a fair bit of air circulation and I suspect that 1/2 tank of propane is an affordable alternative to constantly winterizing and de-winterizing. We'll have heat on while at the ski areas, anyway. It's all primitive camping; just parking in a huge lot that occasionally gets plowed. Shared with snow machine drivers and dog sled folks.

Does anyone run a furnace while underway? Is there a problem with that? Also, on a U225 is it only the rear furnace that heats the basement (such as it is).

We're pretty sure we'll be happy with the 1993 U225 as we share your (Kent's) philosophy that less complexity is better. We also like the narrower coach size, no slides, and lower height. One of our other hobbies is mountain biking and we can find ourselves on some interesting roads from time-to-time. And those sliding cabinet doors are little works of art.
1993 U225 36' Unihome GV with PACBRAKE exhaust retarder, Banks Stinger and Solar Panels.
Toad: 1999 Jeep Wrangler 2-door soft-top.

"No one has ever had to evacuate a city because the solar panels broke."

Re: Storage with Use During the Winter

Reply #6 –
Quote from: wa_desert_rat –
Quote from: Kent Speers –
We have similar temperatures in the winter here in Oklahoma. We are using our current coach full time in the warmer climates but when we first purchased the U225, I adjusted the furnace thermostats so that the lowest setting was 37 degrees and left both furnaces on constantly. It reached zero several times and did not ever freeze anything even though the coach was not winterized. It used less than 1/2 tank of propane in two months.

Ours is (or will be when we finalize everything next weekend) also a U225 and I like your method. We have a shop with inside storage for the coach but still a fair bit of air circulation and I suspect that 1/2 tank of propane is an affordable alternative to constantly winterizing and de-winterizing. We'll have heat on while at the ski areas, anyway. It's all primitive camping; just parking in a huge lot that occasionally gets plowed. Shared with snow machine drivers and dog sled folks.

Does anyone run a furnace while underway? Is there a problem with that? Also, on a U225 is it only the rear furnace that heats the basement (such as it is).

We're pretty sure we'll be happy with the 1993 U225 as we share your (Kent's) philosophy that less complexity is better. We also like the narrower coach size, no slides, and lower height. One of our other hobbies is mountain biking and we can find ourselves on some interesting roads from time-to-time. And those sliding cabinet doors are little works of art.
Yes.  I like to winterize the plumbing as I do not have electic at the coach storage facility.  I also disconnect all the batteries from ground.  Using this method, if I am unable to go to the coach for a review of conditions, there's nothing to go wrong as all systems are protected from themselves.
Peter & Beth Martin
No Forrest? What have you done?
MC# 15890 until Dec 2016; FMCA #F329677
Cincinnati, OH

Re: Storage with Use During the Winter

Reply #7 –
Quote
wa_desert_rat wrote: "Does anyone run a furnace while underway? Is there a problem with that?"
In cold weather, there is no way the dash heater will keep up with the cold outside temps by itself. We routinely run the front furnace while driving in the winter. Shut off front half of coach from unheated back. If its way below freezing you may want to run the rear furnace also to heat the tanks and water heater storage bay. I checked with FOT re: safety of running furnaces while driving. Just remember to turn them off while refueling.
Don Hay
'92 Grandvilla, U-280
The Hayfever Express
Build #4055
'97 GEO Tracker
Life is like licking honey off a thorn.

Re: Storage with Use During the Winter

Reply #8 –
Quote from: wa_desert_rat –

Ours is (or will be when we finalize everything next weekend) also a U225 and I like your method. We have a shop with inside storage for the coach but still a fair bit of air circulation and I suspect that 1/2 tank of propane is an affordable alternative to constantly winterizing and de-winterizing. We'll have heat on while at the ski areas, anyway. It's all primitive camping; just parking in a huge lot that occasionally gets plowed. Shared with snow machine drivers and dog sled folks.

Does anyone run a furnace while underway? Is there a problem with that? Also, on a U225 is it only the rear furnace that heats the basement (such as it is).

We're pretty sure we'll be happy with the 1993 U225 as we share your (Kent's) philosophy that less complexity is better. We also like the narrower coach size, no slides, and lower height. One of our other hobbies is mountain biking and we can find ourselves on some interesting roads from time-to-time. And those sliding cabinet doors are little works of art.

If I may add two cautions, the fresh water tank on my U225 was in the Dog House and under the floor between the driver and passenger seats. The holding tanks were in the bay behind the dump amidships under the shower and toilet. The back furnace heated the bays with the holding tanks but the front furnace heats the fresh water tank so both furnaces must be left on when it gets really cold. Also, when taking the coach off pavement, be careful. As much ground clearance as the U225 has it still gets high centered pretty easily. It also has very little traction on mud or wet grass particularly if you are trying to tale off going uphill. I never noticed any traction problem while driving on paved roads.

If the furnaces are in good working order, there is no problem traveling with them on.
The selected media item is not currently available.Kent Speers
Locust Grove, OK
1993 U300 SSE 40' (Restored at FOT 2009) Build 4323
720 watts Solar
6V92TA DDEC Silver Engine
2014 Subaru Outback

Re: Storage with Use During the Winter

Reply #9 –
In 6 yrs of owning a FT I have never winterized a coach. To save all that hassle we drive to Southern Mexico and sit on the beach.!!!!! ^.^d ^.^d
Coachless, now use aircraft. 2003 Ford Travelair TC280 class C. Super shape. Just for 1 yr .
1994 Ford E350 ClassC,total renovation inside and out. Now sold.
2000 U295  36' Cummins 350 c/w Banks Stinger, Resonator upgrade,Solar, LED lites.Residential fridge with slide out pantry. Build 5674. Sold
ex 92 GV 022C ored Cummins. Sold
ex 95 GV240 cat 3116. Sold
2017 Mini cooper s & 2016 land Rover LR2 HSE  LUX.
jhaygarth@aol.com    SKP #130098
treat everyone as you would like to be.

Re: Storage with Use During the Winter

Reply #10 –
Be careful of salt.  I've seen some very rusted coaches that were used either for winter camping or camping near the ocean.
Regards,
Brett

'99 42' Foretravel Xtreme
'14 Brown Motorsports Stacker
'05 Chevy SSR
'02 BMW R1150R

Re: Storage with Use During the Winter

Reply #11 –
Brett makes a very good point. Blue Beacon Truck washes have a special under carriage wash to remove salt from motorhomes and trucks. Check their web site www.bluebeacon.com for locations nation wide.
The selected media item is not currently available.Kent Speers
Locust Grove, OK
1993 U300 SSE 40' (Restored at FOT 2009) Build 4323
720 watts Solar
6V92TA DDEC Silver Engine
2014 Subaru Outback

Re: Storage with Use During the Winter

Reply #12 –
Also James Triana stated to set the heat clise to 70 to protect the coach.  Ths was asked a few years ago when they were going to run a motorcade for christmas and one for sking.  I have been out in single digits and you need to add a small heat source to the water ay as the drop down door lets in a lot of cold.
2025 Wanderbox Outpost 32 on F600 Expedition Motorhome
2015 Born Free Royal Splendor on Ford 550 nonslide version  for sale
Former Coaches  covering. 360,000 miles
1999 34 U270
2000 36 U320
2001 42' double slide U320
2018 Jeep Rubicon

Re: Storage with Use During the Winter

Reply #13 –
I usually have a 1/2" piece of Styrofoam board that is cut to fit snugly in the holding tank bay openings to help insulate the that critical area. 
The selected media item is not currently available.Kent Speers
Locust Grove, OK
1993 U300 SSE 40' (Restored at FOT 2009) Build 4323
720 watts Solar
6V92TA DDEC Silver Engine
2014 Subaru Outback

Re: Storage with Use During the Winter

Reply #14 –
Brett and Kent make an excellent point about washing the undercarriage to get rid of the salt. Salt ruins millions of vehicles. One good thing about California, we don't salt the roads.

In Germany, I went through the car wash every afternoon in winter to clean the bottom before heading home. Every car wash had special sprayers to get underneath. Over there, one visible rust hole at inspection time means you have to sell the car to an olive country or junk it.
Pierce and Gaylie Stewart
'93 U300/36 WTBI
Detroit 6V-92TA Jake
1140 watts on the roof
SBFD (ret)

Re: Storage with Use During the Winter

Reply #15 –
I debated on those few very cold days here in Tampa but as I keep the rig close to the bay and not inland, I think she only sees freezing temps for a few hours on half dozen or so days per year and I didn't take any precautions.  As we've just had two of the coldest winters on record I should be OK.  I think there is a bigger risk of bouncing around with old tanks and connections as far as leakage goes. 
Dwayne Keith
1992 U240
3116/MD3060