Sub-Zero Weather

Happy New Year to all! Getting ready to load up the RV and head South for the winter. We should have left two weeks ago. Is there anything I need to do before I open up the slides so I can load up all our stuff? It has been well below zero this past week and forecast to be -11 degrees this week. I have some concerns regarding slide seals and toppers being frozen and possibly doing some damage when I open them up. Any and all suggestions are appreciated. Thanks.

Check to see that none of your heat vents are covered by the slides and run your furnace.

Unless you have ice or snow built up on them, you should be ok. Make sure your battery is fully charged.

Was in this same situation about 7 years ago, with sub zero temps.
No ice or snow on Rig but slides were frozen shut.
I have same problem as Jim this year, and will not even attempt to open slides for fear of damaging something or not getting the slides back in.
The weather here has been brutal, it hasn't even gotten above 12 degrees here for a high in a week, nights are below zero.
Thursday and Friday this week the highs will be 6 both days, and way below zero for lows.
7 years ago, we loaded fridge the morning we left, and went from Port Huron, Michigan to Racoon Valley, TN for first nights stop and everything in the fridge was frozen.
It didn't get above 10 until we were in Southern Kentucky.
We can get into our bedroom through the bathroom, so we will put some things on the bed, the rest on floor by the door.
We will buy anything that might freeze when we get to our destination.
We were watching the 10 day extended forecast for weeks and when the sub zero popped up on the weather we loaded all our clothes and non freeze able things into trailer before it got real cold.
I also loaded the box of my truck with the things I was taking South.
I have about 20 cities programmed into my weather app, so I monitor my entire route South for weather.
We only have minimal things to put in when we leave.
This will be our first year of ever staying in a motel when we have the trailer on.
We are stopping in Bowling Green, Kentucky the first night.
We usually stay in Cave Country RV Park, but this year only going to be 7 degrees that night, and figured the furnace will run constantly, so we decided to travel about 35 miles farther and stay in Bowling Green.
My suggestion is, if you don't need to open your slides don't, or run your furnace as Gaffer said, but remember, it may run constantly and suck up all your Propane.
We are experiencing some very brutal weather.
Hope this may have helped you some, or have given you some ideas.
One more thought, check your tires, because of the extreme cold, your pressure will be low.
Good luck my friend, safe travels, stay warm, & hope to see you in Ludington.

Hockster

Thanks for all the replies. I was thinking of doing exactly what Hockster suggested regarding staying in a motel instead of an RV park. Trouble is finding a motel that is dog friendly and has a lot large enough to park overnight. Plus I really don't like staying in a motel. When I worked full time my job required that I spend around 125 nights a year in motels so in 42 years I figure that works out to roughly 5250 nights. That was one of the reasons I bought my first RV 20 years ago so I could work on the road and sleep in my own bed. You would not believe some of the things I have found in some of the motel rooms I have stayed in. I have my battery on a trickle charger so I will wait and see what the weather does the next few days. Thanks again and I am open to any other suggestions.

Safe travels, Jim.

Buckeye said:

Thanks for all the replies. I was thinking of doing exactly what Hockster suggested regarding staying in a motel instead of an RV park. Trouble is finding a motel that is dog friendly and has a lot large enough to park overnight.

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La Quinta motels are pet friendly. Find one and do a Google Earth View to check out the parking lot. It's not uncommon to find several semis staying overnight, so they might be room if you arrive reasonably early.

danemayer said:

La Quinta motels are pet friendly. Find one and do a Google Earth View to check out the parking lot. It's not uncommon to find several semis staying overnight, so they might be room if you arrive reasonably early.

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I second LaQuinta, they are pet friendly, welcoming our two cats with usually no pet fees. They have also renovated most of their hotels, providing a very modern and fresh look, as well as a nice complimentary breakfast that in some cases includes eggs, sausage, bacon and waffles.

I have a rewards card with them and have enjoyed a few free nights because of it -- we don't stay in hotels often but since going fulltime, sometimes it's easier to do a one or two night hotel stay rather than pack up the "home" for a quick visit somewhere.


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That's what we did at Christmas. We went to a small motel to stay for three nights and it worked out very well.

La Quinta is the one I'm looking into in Bowling Green, Kentucky.
The parking lot looks like I should have no problem, and they had the highest reviews, and free pets.
Looks like many of you like La Quinta and have experience with them.
That's great to know.

Hockster

Thanks again for all the suggestions. It is -4 here right now with a chill factor of -16. I think we may delay our departure a day or two. I checked motels enroute and we don't have a lot of options for motels. I did find a Quality Inn that would take our small dog for an extra $25 but their reviews are not that good. I still contend that most dogs are cleaner than most humans.