2011 Big country, cold

[jovol]

Hey all, I've transitioned to full-time living in my 2011 Big country 3250TS. The biggest issue I'm having is that it's pretty cold in the RV, especially in the living room. I live outside of Asheville NC, so it's cold, but not northerly cold. I've been going through about one 30lb propane tank a week, and that's with the heat at about 60-62F, so not very comfortable. I cook with propane, although not really that much. I use the electric for heating water.

It feels really cold around the main cabin slides. The bathroom and bedroom are comfortable, and I haven't found any especially cold areas (maybe the bedroom slide out walls are colder than elsewhere). In the living room, I feel cold areas around the slides. If I lift up the mating carpet on the slide, I find ladybugs, but I don't see any obvious gaps.
The slides don't appear to be off kilter, although the bottom of the slide is slightly closer to the wall than the top of the slide.

Are the slides insulated on these campers? Should I be wrapping the sides and bottoms of the slides with foam board or reflectix if I'm going to be living in it full time? I plan on making foam board insulation skirting next weekend.

 

[jbeletti]

The slide ceiling and end walls are insulated, but they are thin. The slide floor is not insulated.

I suggest you:
1. Add skirting around the RV exterior
2. Temporarily add foam board insulation to the roof and end walls of the slide rooms
3. If you add skirting around the RV exterior, if you can do it safely, consider adding a thermostatically controlled electric space heater on a brick on the ground, under the RV, near the sewer termination point area

 

[jovol]

Can anyone tell me what these holes are for in the bottom of all the windows, and would they be contributing to drafts? Many ppl told me to expect lots of condensation inside the camper during winter, but I have had no condensation at all, which probably means there are lots of drafts keeping the air dry and cold inside. Should I tape these up over winter?

 

[boatto5er]

Those are weep holes. They are there to let out any condensation/water that gets behind the glass or in the lower track. You need to occasionally check them and make sure they aren’t clogged.


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[MTPockets]

Can anyone tell me what these holes are for in the bottom of all the windows, and would they be contributing to drafts? Many ppl told me to expect lots of condensation inside the camper during winter, but I have had no condensation at all, which probably means there are lots of drafts keeping the air dry and cold inside. Should I tape these up over winter?

Those are weep holes that allows any condensate to drain out from the window channel.

 

[jovol]

Gotcha, so definitely dont cover them with tape?

 

[boatto5er]

Definitely not. If blocked, water can accumulate and run down behind interior walls.


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[donr827]

We used a small space heater to help keep the living room warm. They do draw electricity so do not overload that circuit.