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Old 04-12-2012, 10:44 PM   #1
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Name: Darcy
Trailer: FG140
British Columbia
Posts: 13
Winter camping bigfoot

Hello:
I have a 2003 bigfoot 17.5 with a winter package. I have a couple of questions about winter camping.

Next winter I don't want to winterize it as I want to use it all winter for skiing.

1. Should I use a ceramic heater when it is sitting at home? Would that be enough to keep the pipes and tanks from freezing?

2.How cold can I have the trailer in before I risk freezing the tanks or pipes?

3. Would it be better not to use the plumbing and keep it drained and winterize the trailer anyways?

I live in BC Canada where I could be in minus 15 to minus 20 degrees celcius or
5 degrees Fahrenheit to minus 4 degrees Fahrenheit.
Darcy
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Old 04-12-2012, 11:25 PM   #2
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Name: Daniel A.
Trailer: Bigfoot 17.0 1991 dlx
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My thoughts would be winterize and don't use the plumbing for your winter trips. You might consider just the drive alone will cause the plumbing to freeze.
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Old 04-14-2012, 07:06 AM   #3
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Trailer: Bigfoot 21.5 ft (25B21RB)
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One of the critical features of the Bigfoot "winter package" is the ducted heating system that circulates warm air from the furnace to the enclosed tanks and water pipes. In the extreme cold you describe, a ceramic heater in the cabin would not circulate enough heat to your water system to prevent freezing. So if you want to keep your trailer unwinterized, you need to run the furnace. Since the 12 volt battery won't sustain the furnace fan more than a day or two, you also need to stay on electrical hook-up.

I do this with my own Bigfoot for short periods of time, but it would not be very cost effective for an entire winter unless you are using it constantly.
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Old 04-14-2012, 04:12 PM   #4
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Trailer: 2000 Scamp 16 ft Side Dinette
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A 1500 watt heater will keep you plenty warm in almost any weather.

I've been out winter camping with my Scamp, and I wanted to dump my black water tank. I could not because the valve was frozen solid. A day or so later with temperatures above freezing I was able to dump without incident. The freezing did not hurt any plumbing either.

-- Dan Meyer
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Old 04-15-2012, 11:32 AM   #5
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Trailer: Bigfoot 21 ft
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I've done a bunch of winter camping in my bigfoot. I have always winterized the plumbing. Using a ceramic heater IMO is best - I use my little Honda Generator (get at least 8 hours per tank of gas). Just set that and crack a window or two just for the moisture to escape.

Most ski hills are pretty decent about letting you plug into the patrol hut, grooming area, etc. Some resorts like Red have a really good hook up area and they don't charge! Whitewater is five bucks a night.

For water I just bring a smaller container of filtered water with a tap and keep that on the counter - works fine.

Its pretty fun going winter camping - you definitely get some funny looks from people!
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Old 04-21-2012, 08:43 AM   #6
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Name: Darcy
Trailer: FG140
British Columbia
Posts: 13
Winter camping

Thanks for all the replies. With this info, I think I will winterize the plumbing and use a heater instead of the furnace. I found out about catalytic heaters. So I will use a combination between the catalytic heater and a ceramic heater if I am near electricity.
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