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Winter Dry Camping
Well after 5 days of ownership I need to head North in my New to me Prevost. After 12 years of living in 1 coach i feel like a new born .
I think I know how to work the heat and after 5 days in Fla I need to hed North .Weather should be no lower than the teens but we will be dry camping as usual so knowing how things work is critical . so as you would a Newbie please do send us any ideas on how to dry camp for 2 weeks . We have a 1998 Vantare . Thank you in advance 🙂
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11 Replies
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Al,
Here is some generic advice. I hope the Vantare folks can provide some specifics.
Try to keep the water tank full. It is a huge heat sink and when temps get very low the heat in that mass of water keeps the water bay relatively warm when power or heat is interrupted.
Learn how the water bay is heated and make sure the heat source is working. Usually there are multiple heat sources, such as a heat exchanger from engne coolant or an Aquahot or Webasto. There also might be an electric heater. Often house heat is also directed into the bay.
C’mon Vantare guys, give Al a better explaination.
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Hi Al and welcome…
We don’t do alot of boondockingboondocking and have a Country Coach conversion, but some things are pretty universal.
As Jon has said, keep the fresh water tanks full as much as you can. And don’t be in a hurry to dump your gray and black tanks. You should usually let them fill to at least 1/2 – 3/4 anyway before dumping, but lean towards the 3/4 to full mark for the same reason you want to keep your fresh tank full – the huge heat sink that Jon mentioned. Make sure your Webasto /Aquahot quahot is in good condition, as well as your genset, and you know the proper settings for your thermostat and circulation pumps. If you were fortunate enough to receive an owners manual with your new to you coach, read the section regarding cold weather operation, then read it again. Plan to run your genset the entire time you are not connected to shore power or driving. Your Webasto/Aquahot and the associated pumps will pull a significant load, and even if you have new batteries, in extreme cold they won’t last long. Leave your water heater on. Obviously, do not leave any water hoses connected for any length of time, don’t leave a sewer connection deployed, and try to minimize the number of times you access basement storage items. Lastly, head to warmer temps as soon as possible!!
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Thank you guys for the advice. I will be sure to head all the ideas shared especially driving south ASAP . I will be sure to turn on heat as soon as possible to be sure it works . As to keeping the fresh water filled that will not be possible as we will be using it . I just hope I’m not there for another Polar Vortex . Thank Again and Happy to be a member of the community .
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Good advice, I’m still trying to figure out how Mike came upon his knowledge of cold weather. I asked him once how he determined when to head south he looked at me and said” Dan, if I can’t wear shorts 3 days in a row, I’m too far north!”
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Al,
We have a 1999 chasssis/2000 Vantare XLV so I assume similar to yours.
Our coach has electric heaters in the water bay and just above the impossible to reach Aquahot. There is also a heat exchanger in the water bay that is fed from the aquahot same as the hot water exchangers up above. Make sure all the thermostats on these heaters is set properly (45 degrees seems to work for me). Keep the generator running and keep the water heater and aquahot running. The point is to keep everything warm. Catching up is tough if you let the cold creep in. If it gets real cold then opening the under sink cabinet doors will help keep water lines from freezing. Every once in a while you could fire up that huge heater in the back. If allowed to warm up that S60 is a great source of hot water for the exchangers.
Best of luck!
Doug
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Thank you Doug . No doubt all the stuff we did with our BB over the years . The big difference is knowing where stuff is located 🙂
On a side note Doug did your coach come with drawings for the accesory tank ? I have some air leaks , lol and I want to isolate some areas if possible . Thank you in advance .
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The aquahot heat exchanger in the water bay of my 95/96 Vantare is on its own thermostat. Mine is a round knob tucked up out of sight in the water bay. I looked a bunch of times before I found it. Mine also has an electric heater on the ceiling of that bay with a thermostat in plain sight down below. As long as my generator is running, my full water tank will never freeze. They are on opposite sides of the same bay.
Davy
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thank you found those , now I need to figure out why I’m not getting heat from the coach side . Like dash and Prevost heat. Is there a winter summer valve somewhere maybe ?
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Our Country Coach has 2 of/off valves for the engine / Wabasto heat. They are located in the engine compartment but access is behind a flap in the front part of the inside of the side radiator door. Squeeze your hands through the flap and feel around for 2 valves, one above the other. YMMV!
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Al,
I completely changed out the Thomas aux compressor with one from Cal Air and replaced the water trap on that side, installed two manifolds (one key off and one key on). The manifolds have multiple mini ball valves so every airline out can be isolated. Has helped me locate some leaks and allowed me to isolate others. I do not have a separate diagram for Aux air.
Doug
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thank you Doug , By chance can you post any pic ? I would love to see what you did as the air leaks are driving me nuts , lol
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