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Thread: Cold Weather Dry Camping Results
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05-03-2016, 05:19 PM #1
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Cold Weather Dry Camping Results
I just returned from a brief fishing trip to the eastern Sierras and I just wanted to make a couple comments on a few issues.
This was my first time in these conditions which were day time temps in the high 40's (maybe a few hours of mid-day temps of low 50's). Overnight would get to 31 or 32 but I don't believe it would stay that cold for very many hours. We had rain and snow on and off every day and night. We never had any issues with water lines freezing, which is why I suspect we never had too many hours of sustained freezing temps.
- I was disappointed that the furnace couldn't be set for a low temperature for overnight. The lowest it can be set is 60 degrees and that just keeps the trailer too warm for my taste for sleeping and it would basically be coming on and going off all night. I'm certain that would have drained my batteries each night although I'm not sure since I didn't try it.
- I learned that running the furnace does drain a lot of power from the batteries and had to run my generator for 3 or 4 hours a night. I forgot to use my new battery monitor to try and see how many amps the furnace actually used, DUH
- In the morning on the coldest day when I turned the furnace on around 6:30 (and jumped back into bed) it cycled on and off for 20 minutes or so before the burner would stay lit. At first I thought maybe I had run out of propane so I jumped out of bed in my skivvies and checked the fridge (BRRR!) for codes and tried a burner on the stove and all was good. I have read of others having troubles with their furnace cycling on and off and going through all kinds of troubles getting it fixed but mine has never had that problem until now so I decided to just leave it alone and let it find it's way and it did! I wonder if it was more related to the propane being too cold to flow properly at first?
- I never had any trouble with the refrigerator, stove top or water heater in regards to propane keeping them working perfectly.
- We obvious ran the furnace quite a bit when we were in the trailer in the mornings before heading off to fish for an hour or so and 3 afternoons for dang near 8 hours until we went to bed!
- I need to fill my propane tanks to get exact numbers but I appear to have used 1 full tank and part of the second tank (I brought 2 backup 5 gallon tanks just in case but never needed them). The curb side tank feels pretty heavy to me getting it out but I can't guess how much is left in it. Again remember, my fridge was on propane for 4 days, I ran the furnace probably 6 - 8 hours each day, my water heater was on (I did shut it off overnight because I could hear it cycling on when I went to bed trying to keep the water in it hot which was unnecessary) AND my generator runs on propane. So, I was expecting to run through a lot more propane. My Onan alone seems to go through 1 to 1 1/2 gallons of propane an hour.
Let's see, what else? Oh, one morning I got up around 4:30 and my indoor/outdoor thermostat read 31 degrees outside and 44 inside. Not bad for no furnace I guess!?
Just a couple of pictures from our trip to Convict Lake for opening weekend of trout season:
Paul "Poppy" and Deb Cervone
2022 Imagine XLS 22MLE
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05-03-2016, 05:20 PM #2
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05-03-2016, 05:24 PM #3
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Beautiful pictures Paul! Thanks for sharing.
Cheers,
Kevin2015 Ram Laramie 3500 4x4 LB Dually Crew Cab
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05-03-2016, 06:07 PM #4
Those are beautiful photos. Can you elaborate on your Onan Generator setup?
Thanks.
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05-03-2016, 06:22 PM #5
But Paul! Did you catch any fish?
Jim
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05-03-2016, 06:32 PM #6
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My teeth start chattering when it gets near 60
2018 Freedom Elite 24FE, 2 Yorkies, and my wife MARILYN, HAM call K0LCB. Traveling around this great country, making friends and seeing lot of beautiful and interesting places
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05-03-2016, 06:52 PM #7
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05-03-2016, 08:01 PM #8
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A dark beer and trout. Now that sounds GOOD.
In cold weather; if the tank is mostly empty the pressure could be less then desired for the furnace. Switching over manually to the full tank could help to get the pressure needed. (i camped a few times up at Crater Lake in the winter and it got down to -12 a couple nights in my pick-up camper)Backpacker and tent camper all my life, including BSA as a kid and adult.
Motorcycle trips across the USA with a tent - 1978 to Present.
02-10-2005 - 2002 F350 SWD PSD and 2003 Citation 10'8S mostly for Crater Lake Ski Patrol.
10-29-2015 - 2016 Grand Design 380TH. It's HUGE compared to a camper.
10-19-2018 - traded truck for a 2016 Ram 3500 DRW Laramie CC 4 X 4 Long Box.
03-16-2019 - Traded Momentum for a New 2018 374TH-R Solitude
FULL TIME RV'er Nov 2021
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05-03-2016, 08:49 PM #9
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Paul-- wonderful pictures and story......I am so envious.....the table setting spectacular !!!!
DanDan & Carol
2014 303RLS Reflection #185 (10/2013 build)
2012 Silverado LTZ Crew Duramax 2500HD
2700/16K Pullrite Superglide
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05-03-2016, 08:51 PM #10
Great post look like you had a wonderful time. That's fireplace country bet you wish you could have found an outlet
ToddTodd & Wendy
Blossom Valley Ca,
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Firesian & Quarter Horses
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1932 Ford Cabriolet
2013 BMW R1200GS
2013 Dodge Yellow Jacket
Still Working :cool:
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