Newbe

[Cef]

I am sure this question has been asked about the Blue Birds, how well
are they for weekend winter sking trips? We are contemplating
purchasing a used Blue Bird. It would sit during the summer on a lot
we have in Canada from May until October. We then would use it over
Thanksgiving going to North Carolina which we have done before in our
previous Motorhome with no freezing problems. We would then
winterize it and store it for the winter. I want to have a Motorhome
that we can drive to the ski slopes and park it in the parking lot
(back out of the way) and spend a couple of nights. This would be in
temps that could go down to sub-zero overnight and during the day.

I have been trying to understand the Primus and Webesco systems.
They seem to work off both the engine heat and the webesco which
seems to be a small furnace that runs off of diesel to heat a boiler?
Will they keep the unit warm enough that the water lines, water tanks
and waste tanks won't freeze?

Next question is how difficult is it to drain the water tank and blow
the lines once I get home until the next trip. Also, where does one
go to drain the waste tank during the winter in places like Michigan
where all of the campgrounds are closed?

Thanks in advance for any answers,

Cef
Michigan

[davidkerryedwards]

In my opinion, Wanderlodge's are poorly designed for winter dry camping. All
the heating
components are electricity dependent. The heaters on the waste tanks, the heat
tape on
the pipes, and the forced air furnaces all require electricity. The assumption
seems to
have been that a person is either plugged in or running the generator 24/7.
I have acquired an electic independent gas heater so I can dry camp in winter
without
electricity but this doesn't help much with freezing water pipes and waste
tanks. If I had
my druthers, my coach would be gas dependent including gas lights to make dry
camping
easier in cold temperatures.

Kerry
82 FC 35
Denver


--- In WanderlodgeForum@yahoogroups.com, "Cef" wrote:
>
> I am sure this question has been asked about the Blue Birds, how well
> are they for weekend winter sking trips? We are contemplating
> purchasing a used Blue Bird. It would sit during the summer on a lot
> we have in Canada from May until October. We then would use it over
> Thanksgiving going to North Carolina which we have done before in our
> previous Motorhome with no freezing problems. We would then
> winterize it and store it for the winter. I want to have a Motorhome
> that we can drive to the ski slopes and park it in the parking lot
> (back out of the way) and spend a couple of nights. This would be in
> temps that could go down to sub-zero overnight and during the day.
>
> I have been trying to understand the Primus and Webesco systems.
> They seem to work off both the engine heat and the webesco which
> seems to be a small furnace that runs off of diesel to heat a boiler?
> Will they keep the unit warm enough that the water lines, water tanks
> and waste tanks won't freeze?
>
> Next question is how difficult is it to drain the water tank and blow
> the lines once I get home until the next trip. Also, where does one
> go to drain the waste tank during the winter in places like Michigan
> where all of the campgrounds are closed?
>
> Thanks in advance for any answers,
>
> Cef
> Michigan
>

[Bruce Morris]

David, I've been RVing for a long time and have owned quite a few different
makes of RVs. Of all that I have owned I think the Wanderlodge is probably
better suited for winter use than any of the motor coaches I have owned.

Granted the Birds are not designed for boon docking but rather for luxury with
hook-ups. However, I know that there are users who do use them in the winter in
extremely severe weather. There are things that you can do to make it more
comfortable. Bob Loomas camps in the Dakota's during the winter a lot. I know
Tom Meservy closed in the underside of his Bird when he was camping in sub-zero
weather and found that it helped quite a bit. All the Birds have multiple LP
gas heaters which do not require 120v to operate. My Bird has a Webasto heater
that will keep it toasty without requiring 120v either. It was set up to handle
winters in New Hampshire by a previous owner.

Of course you have to keep your batteries up. I generally run my generator for
a few hours every day to make sure they keep charged and it seems to work
although I don't boon dock if I can help it.

You have to put a salt solution in the waste tanks to keep them from freezing.
The pipes shouldn't freeze because they are all inside the bus and if you are in
there and keep it heated you shouldn't need heat tape. I removed all my heat
tape when I re-plumbed my bird.

You can also check with Ernie. He does a little bit of winter camping.
--
Regards, Bruce Morris in Raleigh,
NC (919)872-7635
1983 WL FC35RB
FMCA# F7142s; ARS: KI4ME; Vietnam
Vet



-------------- Original message from "davidkerryedwards"
: --------------

In my opinion, Wanderlodge's are poorly designed for winter dry camping. All the
heating
components are electricity dependent. The heaters on the waste tanks, the heat
tape on
the pipes, and the forced air furnaces all require electricity. The assumption
seems to
have been that a person is either plugged in or running the generator 24/7.
I have acquired an electic independent gas heater so I can dry camp in winter
without
electricity but this doesn't help much with freezing water pipes and waste
tanks. If I had
my druthers, my coach would be gas dependent including gas lights to make dry
camping
easier in cold temperatures.

Kerry
82 FC 35
Denver

--- In WanderlodgeForum@yahoogroups.com, "Cef" wrote:
>
> I am sure this question has been asked about the Blue Birds, how well
> are they for weekend winter sking trips? We are contemplating
> purchasing a used Blue Bird. It would sit during the summer on a lot
> we have in Canada from May until October. We then would use it over
> Thanksgiving going to North Carolina which we have done before in our
> previous Motorhome with no freezing problems. We would then
> winterize it and store it for the winter. I want to have a Motorhome
> that we can drive to the ski slopes and park it in the parking lot
> (back out of the way) and spend a couple of nights. This would be in
> temps that could go down to sub-zero overnight and during the day.
>
> I have been trying to understand the Primus and Webesco systems.
> They seem to work off both the engine heat and the webesco which
> seems to be a small furnace that runs off of diesel to heat a boiler?
> Will they keep the unit warm enough that the water lines, water tanks
> and waste tanks won't freeze?
>
> Next question is how difficult is it to drain the water tank and blow
> the lines once I get home until the next trip. Also, where does one
> go to drain the waste tank during the winter in places like Michigan
> where all of the campgrounds are closed?
>
> Thanks in advance for any answers,
>
> Cef
> Michigan
>




[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

[davidkerryedwards]

I agree they are designed better than many other motorhomes I have owned for
winter use
while plugged in. But I owned a motorhome in Europe that didn't require either
12 or 120
volts to keep it warm in winter. I liked that design.
I forgot to say that my Bird is very easy to winterize. A minute or two to open
the valves to
drain the fresh water tank and hot water heater. Once they are drained, another
couple of
minutes (if the coach is aired up) to use the air system to blow out all the
lines.

Kerry
82 FC 35
Denver

--- In WanderlodgeForum@yahoogroups.com, "Bruce Morris" <bamnc@...> wrote:
>
> David, I've been RVing for a long time and have owned quite a few different
makes of
RVs. Of all that I have owned I think the Wanderlodge is probably better suited
for winter
use than any of the motor coaches I have owned.
>
> Granted the Birds are not designed for boon docking but rather for luxury with
hook-
ups. However, I know that there are users who do use them in the winter in
extremely
severe weather. There are things that you can do to make it more comfortable.
Bob
Loomas camps in the Dakota's during the winter a lot. I know Tom Meservy
closed in the
underside of his Bird when he was camping in sub-zero weather and found that it
helped
quite a bit. All the Birds have multiple LP gas heaters which do not require
120v to
operate. My Bird has a Webasto heater that will keep it toasty without
requiring 120v
either. It was set up to handle winters in New Hampshire by a previous owner.
>
> Of course you have to keep your batteries up. I generally run my generator
for a few
hours every day to make sure they keep charged and it seems to work although I
don't
boon dock if I can help it.
>
> You have to put a salt solution in the waste tanks to keep them from freezing.
The
pipes shouldn't freeze because they are all inside the bus and if you are in
there and keep
it heated you shouldn't need heat tape. I removed all my heat tape when I
re-plumbed my
bird.
>
> You can also check with Ernie. He does a little bit of winter camping.
> --
> Regards, Bruce Morris in Raleigh,
> NC (919)872-7635
> 1983 WL FC35RB
> FMCA# F7142s; ARS: KI4ME; Vietnam
> Vet
>
>