Well, just as an FYI update to all who may be interested in my cold weather RV'ing adventure: I went with STRAW bales packed in black contractor bags around and under the perimeter of the RV. It is important to use STRAW, now hay or alfalfa because the straw does not burn well nor does it break down quickly. My black contractor bags do several things:
1) Keep the rain off the straw to slow mold/mildew
2) Black absorbs the daytime sunlight warming the straw. The warmth contained in the straw can last all night from a previous sunny day.
3) The bags have a few holes, to allow the straw to breath and release some of the moisture that came in the straw originally.
Now although I know the above 3 points to be fact, I still have never used straw in the damp north east so the bags are a new thing for me. Out in the desert southwest, the straw would last years, without breakdown or mold. But it had an R rating of 45+ AND its ability to retain the daytime sun's heat throughout -20 degree nights, was unbelievable.
I did also buy a Pirit 12' heated hose. The good is, the heat works well and so does the thermostat. The bad is, even though 12' was plenty, I almost needed to order more length because the darn thing is extremely stiff and does not want to uncoil. The instructions read not to pull too much on the hose or risk causing damage, but it is almost all you can do to uncoil it even when it is heated up. It is stressing the intake on the RV, and I had to wedge it between straw bales so it would not pull my intake to the side and spew water. I am going to get angled intakes, etc., in hopes of mitigating some of the stress.
Going to put some bubble wrap on a few of the interior windows to insulate and allow light in.
More to come.
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2003 Chevy Tahoe Z71
2002 Sunline Lite 1950
2005 Mercury Montego
Previous full timer 10/2015 - 8/2016
Previous full timer 1992-1996
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