Staying Warm In An RV Without Electricity

Above, at Red Rock Park Campground near Gallup, New Mexico. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Only one time I had a problem in keeping warm in my motorhome. That was during an overnight stay at Joshua Tree National Park. I was dry camping with no hookups.

The night got frigid cold and I ran my motorhome's propane heater. That was actually the first time I used it. 

I had plenty of propane, but little did I know, it drew a lot of electricity from the battery and ran it completely down by morning. 

RV Life has an article on how to stay warm in case the RV park's electrical system should suffer a power outage. 

They begin it with:

Spending the winter in your camper can be fun, but you should always be prepared to endure cold weather.

Sure, RV walls offer protection from wind and snow. But drafts and poor insulation can make your vehicle quite chilly. You can run the heater, but unexpected power outages can force you to shut it down. Winter can be dangerous if you’re not properly prepared.

Don’t be a victim of a winter campground power outage. This article explains:

To read more, go here. 

How To Heat An RV Without Propane

Above, The Beast at Red Rock Park Campground. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Unless one is headed to the desert with thousands of other snowbirds, heating an RV will be challenging. 

There are ways of heating an RV without propane. Using up the RV propane supply in order to heat it is costly. Obviously, if the the RV is at a campground with full hook-ups, running a space heater or two off the AC electric supply is easy.

According to RV Life, there's other ways of heating an RV.

They begin with:

Many RV heaters and appliances are powered by propane, but this isn’t always a convenient energy source. You have to refill propane tanks often and the cost can add up quickly. Luckily, if you want to know how to heat an RV without propane, there are many ways to do this.

For those who use their RVs during the colder months of the year, proper heating is especially important. You need to make sure that the interior stays at a comfortable temperature and that your water tanks don’t freeze. Although propane heating works pretty well, there are lots of other ways to solve the heating problem. 

To read more, go here. 

Thank Goodness For Space Heaters

Above, the propane truck arrived to fill the tank. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Today started out normally until I started feeling cold.

So, I went to turn the thermostat up. After a while, I noticed no change and my thermometer in the kitchen read 50°. I had the thermostat set at 75°. It was in the 20s outside.

At first, I thought the heating unit (a Coleman propane model) had dirty filters that could affect the heater, which it did. I cleaned them off (I'll get new ones Wednesday). That had no effect.

After trying different things to get the heater to work, I contacted a HVAC guy in Gallup and set up an appointment.

At least I was able to keep myself and Sierra warm with a space heater.

I don't remember why I did this, but I went into the kitchen to turn on a burner on the stove. Nothing happened. The igniters were working on all burners but no propane was coming out to ignite. 

A-ha! That was the problem! I was out of propane. I cancelled the HVAC service call.

My account with the propane supplier in Gallup was current (paid last in early November) and apparently I received no deliveries for some time. So I called them and gave them hell.

Within an hour, a propane truck showed up an filled the tank. And later, a technician showed up to re-light the pilot lights to the water heater, stove and heater and perform a Propane Safety Check.  The bill the driver gave me was a whopper: nearly $600. But, if I pay the bill by December 16, the price would be discounted down to $571. I mailed the check today.

What a day!

Will There Be A Propane Shortage This Winter?

Above, getting the propane tank filled. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Since I heat my home with propane (along with using it in my RV), I am keeping tabs on the propane supply and price situation.

So far, I've had no problem in getting propane, although it has been priced higher (over $3.00).

RV Life has an article on the whether or not there will be a propane shortage.

They begin with:

With an extra cold winter on the horizon and rumors of a propane shortage, many people have started to worry that the U.S. might run out of fuel during the 2021 winter season. Millions of people use natural gas to heat their homes and RVs, so a propane shortage could be disastrous for families who are trying to keep warm this winter.

Propane prices are currently higher than they have been since 2014, and national stockpiles are being stretched thin due to high demand inside and outside the country. According to the U.S. Energy Administration, it’s projected that about half of the Americans who use natural gas to heat their homes will spend 30% more than in previous years.

However, it seems unlikely that the country will completely run out of propane during the winter, as the U.S. is one of the top producers and is capable of increasing production to prevent a major crisis. Supplies may be somewhat limited, and it’s likely that the prices will be higher in the winter of 2021. Homeowners and RVers who rely on propane should prepare for this situation and possibly consider switching to alternative energy methods that will be more sustainable.

To read more, go here. 

Fired Up The Heater

Above, one of the heating floor ducts in the living room. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Now that the nighttime temperatures are dropping down into the 40s, the inside of the house is also getting colder. I was starting to shiver this morning.

For the first time since last spring, I fired up the heater (propane). There's heating outlets in every room on the floor.

Above, Sierra giving the floor duct an inspection. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

So far, the heating system is working just fine. I am just going to keep it on to get the chill out.

In no time, the heating system started warming up the house.