Bundled up for the winter

Winter has arrived to the Pacific Northwest. For me that means we wait out the winter weather and keep the RV thawed out. It also means that it's time to prepare for the holidays. Time to put up those Christmas decorations and try to find those perfect gift ideas for those hard-to-shop-for loved ones. Some might say that I'm on that list.

As temperatures drop below freezing, it's time to button up the RV and maintain an above-freezing temperature inside. Anything exposed to the outside should be well insulated from the cold. Luckily for me, the majority of my water lines are inside the rig. My exception is my water tank drain line which I've insulated with standard foam pipe insulators. We plan to get back out there on the road in a few weeks, so I don't bother to winterize the motor home. Unlike other parts of the country, we typically don't experience extended periods of sub-freezing temperatures. Nevertheless, I make sure that I keep the inside of the RV above freezing.

After our last weekend outing, I cleaned the RV really good and put a cover on it. I apparently timed it well, because shortly after the rain and wind storms came followed by freezing weather and snow. I'll probably keep the cover on for just about 6 weeks or until the weather breaks. For now it looks like it will be below or around freezing through the rest of 2008. It will make for a nice cozy Christmas and kids just love the snow.

Inside the rig, I've been able to keep the temperature above freezing at around 41 degrees using a small space heater that has a thermostat set on a low setting. This does the trick. I also have a 40 watt light bulb mounted near the hot water heater that I keep on when the temperature goes sub-freezing.

Even though the RV is all buttoned up for the cold weather, I can't help but go out and visit it each day to check things out (or maybe have a beer). Then I get on-line to see what presents I'll buy for it next year. On the top of the list is a nice bike rack and a WiFi antenna and repeater. But more about those on another post.

Season's greetings!