FWC Winter camping

PaulT said:
Happyjax has the right idea in moving the cold surface, where condensation can form from moist air, to the outside of the pop-up wall. Either warm the interior surface enough to keep it above the dew point, or add insulation to the outside, or remove the moist air through ventilation.

I remember a winter spent in 100 mile House BC in a cabin with 2x4 walls insulated with sawdust and covered by wood paneling inside. The nail heads holding the paneling to the 2x4's would get very cold in -40 degrees. Each morning there would be a quarter inch frost ball on each nail head even though the cabin was well heated. Our breath was enough to provide sufficient moisture.

Paul
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Forget all our inane prattle about making a 'silk purse out of a sow's ear' [expecting a FWC to be an igloo] ...

But..Paul, I love and completely agree with your: "I thought getting old would take longer"! Outstanding !!

Phil
 
Wallowa said:
Odd you would mention double pane window....we live in a very dry climate and our double paned windows accumulate ice on the inside on cold nights behind thermal shades...as to what you described, air will still be between the outside vinyl of the camper wall and the outside of the soft wall fabric...hence ice/condensation will form...
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"ice/condensation on water glass" had been mentioned, "windows" were my continuation. The crux of it rests in a belief that double pane windows are more thermally efficient - that the room side surface in winter will be "warmer" - than a single pane in the same conditions and that this would aid in reduced condensation and heat loss from the structure. My comment on an insulated softwall as a desirable replacement to the current, single layer type involves this same principle, and belief.

Similarly for my comment re air circulation, a belief that moving air could reduce condensation build up. I freely admit that when the car windscreen gets fogged up, I'll turn on the defrost fan. And, if I want to clear condensate on a window, in the camper or at home, I'll open the drapes or blinds to promote exposure to air movement.


we live in a very dry climate
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Good point. We don't. My area has been wet of late, with a forecast for 2-3" of rain tomorrow, hardly newsworthy here.

No doubt long term exposure to copious annual rainfall has influenced my thought process. Likewise, my perspective of camper ownership no doubt formed by my unique travel experiences and observations wandering an admittedly foreign West.

I try to be mindful of all this when posting. But a reminder never hurts.
 
Way back when.... in the earliest days of motoring ( the sixties ) we were taught to open the little triangular Vent windows to help defrost a windshield....not sure but it seemed to work....with cold air from outside the vehicle.

David Graves
 
DavidGraves said:
Way back when.... in the earliest days of motoring ( the sixties ) we were taught to open the little triangular Vent windows to help defrost a windshield....not sure but it seemed to work....with cold air from outside the vehicle.

David Graves
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Ah, the 50s and 60s....you forgot the cowl vent in front of the windshield...push the lever arm under the dash to open...for one I miss wind wings...you could roll down the side windows and not get blasted if the wind wings were open...way back the bottom of the windshield could be tilted out...but alas there were the vacuum windshield wipers...going up hill, forget about it!

Some, not all, of the "good old days" were indeed good!
 
The water tank drain that runs somewhere under the camper (2011 Hawk) to the rear where the valve is...I'd think it would be prone to freezing. I can't think of a way to prevent it from freezing but I've not seen a comment here that it's been a problem for others. Lots of good ideas on protecting the other water lines, like leaving the cabinet door open and keeping the interior temp above freezing, but that drain seems vulnerable and might be hard to access for repair later. Heading for Utah in a few days and will just use bottled water but I've been wondering about that drain line. It would be nice to use the water system if I could be confident that I wouldn't split open a pipe.
 
^ cjudson, can you access the water tank easily and add a simple inline shutoff valve inside the camper ? then for freezing temps, close the inside valve and open the outside drain to clear any water between the valves.

There have been a few threads about water winterizing and replacing that drain spigot. Might be some other ideas buried in them that could work for you.
 
klahanie said:
^ cjudson, can you access the water tank easily and add a simple inline shutoff valve inside the camper ? then for freezing temps, close the inside valve and open the outside drain to clear any water between the valves.

There have been a few threads about water winterizing and replacing that drain spigot. Might be some other ideas buried in them that could work for you.
Click to expand...
Good idea. It is a bit of a puzzle how to access that end of the tank. Looking down in there beside the tank I did see a nut driver and a pen I'd dropped some time ago and remembered why they are still there...access is really tight!

Thanks.
 
klahanie said:
^ cjudson, can you access the water tank easily and add a simple inline shutoff valve inside the camper ? then for freezing temps, close the inside valve and open the outside drain to clear any water between the valves.

There have been a few threads about water winterizing and replacing that drain spigot. Might be some other ideas buried in them that could work for you.
Click to expand...
Found it. The tube runs along the left side along the floor under a piece of wood I thought was just trim. Not sure how to reference the post by Stan that shows it, but search on: "The 20 gallon fresh water tank drain runs along the floor (in most floor plans)".
 
Have any of you found a way to protect your fridge backside from the elements? Maybe just a barrier between it and the vents? I have a dometic 2193 absorption. The flame goes out with even the slightest gust of wind or driving just a little ways. It also seems like the hardware is not built for below freezing temps.
 
The Dometic 3-way in our RV had a recall to add a light gauge sheet metal barrier that does exactly what you’re talking about. Might be worth reaching out to them or one of their dealers.
 
Mighty Dodge Ram said:
The Dometic 3-way in our RV had a recall to add a light gauge sheet metal barrier that does exactly what you’re talking about. Might be worth reaching out to them or one of their dealers.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the tip. I just spoke to Dometic support (very helpful and personable support, FWIW). They said there was no recall for my unit, they don't recommend using it un temperatures below "20-30F", and recommend running it on 12VDC while driving.

craig333 said:
Have you considered a relighter? https://www.amazon.com/Norcold-633326-Refrigerator-Relighter-Service/dp/B00P977QSI

http://www.wanderthewest.com/forum/topic/1111-tech-tip-auto-relighter-for-propane-refrigerators/
Click to expand...
A relighted sounds like a great idea no matter the case. Any idea where to find one for this Dometic unit? The backside of the unit in your photos looks the same as my 2193RB.
 
Looks like obtaining relighters is no easy, or cheap task. Seems no one is making them anymore? Or maybe just for this model?
 
Certainly seems to be a common problem.
http://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/f55/looking-for-pilot-relight-kit-for-dometic-propane-fridge-80275.html

Unfortunately I don't have a propane fridge but it looks like in the original relighter post they were using a somewhat universal relighter that was modified depending on your fridges configuration. Depends on your handyman skills.

Someone on Expo found a source but the site is down at the moment. I'll keep looking.

Ah, here it is. https://www.amazon.com/Robertshaw-785-001-Relighter-Auto-Pilot/dp/B00CD6PRIY
 
Wow that’s expensive! How well did it work? Were you able to lessen the original problem at all by protecting the flame with playing etc?
 
patrickkidd said:
Wow that’s expensive! How well did it work? Were you able to lessen the original problem at all by protecting the flame with playing etc?
Click to expand...
I think it was about $50 back then...

It worked great. But I didn't usually drive with the fridge on propane.

This one on ebay looks the same. As I recall it was actually for a water heater.

https://www.ebay.com/p/ATWOOD-RV-WATER-HEATER-PILOT-RELIGHTER-KIT-93212/1123228138?iid=273700495894&chn=ps

It took a 9 volt battery...
 
The RV fridge we use in the Class A is most probably larger than yours...good sized separate freezer compartment with a fridge section that is about 40” tall. Typical RV unit. We now run the fridge on propane only, regardless of whether there is 110v available. And forget about 12v...especially when we boondock, and we mostly camp like that. It’s our experience that electricity does not “boil” the refrigerant sufficiently to keep food properly chilled/frozen. There is a marked difference in performance.

Due to the smaller size of your unit YMMV, but based on our experience with 3-way units I’d keep looking for a solution to your propane issue. Smaller, established RV/trailer shops may be able to help you out. YouTube is my best friend.
 
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