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Originally Posted by JaniceG
Hi Guys & Girls,
Is it possible to actually live in a Sunline Travel Trailer duing the Winter? I have a T-2052 and am seriously thinking about it. It would be in Maine. If it is possible, how would I have to set it up?
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There are a number of issues you would have to deal with to do this:
1. Sunlines are built as 3 season trailers, and winter is not one of them. They have single pane glass, minimal wall and ceiling insulation, no insulation in floors, and the door(s) can be pretty leaky due to gasketing issues.
2. Condensate in cold weather is a BIG problem in TT's. There is lots of exposed metal (door and window frames) that are magnets for this plus the window glass, too. Below freezing, the walls themselves will attract condensate when the TT is occupied. In the sleeping area, you can awake to every surface on the exterior walls and ceiling dripping with moisture from your breathing.
3. The propane heater is great in cool weather, but when the temps drop below freezing, it has to run almost continously to keep up with the heat loss.
4. The roof vents are natural paths for heat loss - a thin layer of plastic is all that stands between the inside and outside of the trailer.
5. Piping needs to be protected from freezing. Heat tape can protect your water line to the to TT, but with the thin exterior walls, any interior piping that is right on an exterior surface may freeze. Exterior tanks need to be heated and insulated.
6. The trailer needs to be skirted to block the elements from getting to any part of the underbelly. This area then needs to be heated, or your floor will way too cold for comfortable living.
7. GalaxieDriver's issue with the electric heater is a valid one. If you are going to use an electric heater, run a separate heavy duty power cord from the heater out of the trailer to your power source. Do not put the trailer and the heater on the same electric circuit where you are parked. They need to be on separate circuit breakers to prevent overload. The cord from the heater to the power source should be way over-rated for the heater so that there is minimal voltage drop or current loss in the cord itself. If the wire in the cord is not an adequate size, you immediately have the potential for overheating. The longer the cord, the greater the problem.
Now, has it been done? Yes, but it takes a bunch of thought and preparation.
If you can park the TT in an unheated, well-ventilated building, you eliminate all the problems associated with wind pentration of the trailer. Why unheated and well-ventilated? Your propane heaters (water and furnace) both give off carbon monoxide which can build up to deadly levels. Using electric heating exclusively eliminates that problem, but now you are using electricity to heat the TT, heat your water, heat your external tanks, heat all of the external plumbing, and heat the enclosed underbelly of the trailer. Unless you have a cheap source of reliable electricity, you may be bumping into significant cost.
I would suggest you poke about the Internet with Google and see if you can find info from folks who have already done this in cold climates. They will have a long list of mods, etc. necessary to cope with your Maine winters.
Dan 
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