This is a teaser to see if there is any interest in telling your winter travel stories.  I don't think these stories should be for motorhome travel only, any vehicle will do.
So, lets hear it folks.  Got a story.  We want to curl up by the hydronic heat and listen.  Extra points (that dont count anyway) are allotted for those Halmark moment stories.
Keith

Ok folks.  Looks like I'll have to start this off.
Our last two rigs were gas and as you all know there is alot of difference.  
We flew to Houston to buy our much anticipated "new" diesel rig and the learning was all OJT from Houston to Seattle.  I had to learn what it would do and what it wouldnt but doing it in a tornado in north Oklahoma was not fun.  We survived that because we found a Walmart and hid behind several semi trucks.
We finaly made it to Salina Ks. and I had a great idea.  We stopped in at the Flying J and got fueled up etc. and talked to the truckers.  We couldnt help but notice that the ones pulling in from western areas were white faced and talking to themselves (the conversations were not going well either).
A guy rolled in off I 90 and stated that he was being chased by a big storm all the way from the mountains.  He had hear that the passes up there closed shortly after he went through.
Well we had intended on talking I 84 so no big deal untin a fella rolled in that had been snow bound for three days at "Little America".
It should be noted at this point that I had been reading the manuals furiously trying to do the right things but the part that said dont drive this MH in snow or on slick surfaces kept jumping out at me.
So, I90 and I 84 are both out but thats ok as we were in no hurry and could roll through Colorado, right?  About that time a middle aged woman now aproaching 95 years old (mostly in the last few hours) rolled in from Colorado and said "Dont go THAT way, oh my God dont go that way"  as she walked away still rubbing some blood into her white knuckles I believe she said "Are you OUT of your mind?"
Ok so get out your maps.  We are in Salina Kansas and at this point I am thinking Albuquerque!
We ended up as guests of the Flying J for several more days as three storms rolled through the mountain passes.  When we finaly headed west again, we got to Cheyenne and stopped at (you guessed it) the Flying J.  A Trucker rolled in just ahead of us so we stopped to have lunch and get a road report.  Good thing because there was a foot of snow and more falling just ten miles to the west.  
We pushed on none the less and the snow turned to rain.  Plenty of water on the road but we were thankful for that.

If there is a moral to this narrative it's this.  God watches out for us dummies, I think we may be a source of some lighter moments to Him.

Keith and Carol  (safe at home)

OK here is a funny story that happen last year as we headed home (Seattle) from Indio.  Our travels took us on I-5, over the Siskiyou.   We had developed a problem in Fresno with the Alternator (broken), and called the folks at Bend for help.  We ended up running the Gen Set all the way to Bend.  We spent the night at the Gate Way RV park, at the south entrance to the Siskiyou, and had pulled in late after a long days drive.

The night was blustery, but after the long drive we slept soundly.  The next morning we got up early, planning to head for Bend and the service work.  When I pulled onto the freeway we did notice some trucks parked onto the shoulder, and then we passed about 200 cars and trucks parked on the shoulder.  I made a comment to my wife that something was very strange about the situation.  After driving about 3 miles we noticed some flashing lights ahead.  It turned out to be the CA DOT removing the closed barriers!!!!!!!  

So we just kept on rolling right behind the plows and sanding truck!  Ignorance is bliss.  I just thought everyone was waving to wish us a nice trip.  Come to think of it, most of the drivers just used one finger

As luck would have it, the DOT had blocked the highway at the previous exit to the Gate Way RV park.

We were returning to the Northwest four years ago expecting nice spring weather.  We dodged a couple of Kansas tornadoes on our way to Emery, SD for a visit our mail service.  From there we headed west on I-90. Nearing western SD we started to think maybe the weather was going to be worse than forecast!  Near Sturgis we pulled into an RV park where it was lightly snowing.  By the next day they closed I-90, the winds blew around 50 kts and the temperature dropped to about 15° F.   We were trapped in a blizzard in a motorhome.  

What do you do?  The park’s 50 amp service and wi-fi remained functional for the duration.  At the time, I was actively learning how to operate a DP motorhome with the help from many on RV.net.  I posted a message titled, “What do you do in a motorhome in a blizzard?”  That post hit over a hundred replies while we waited for I-90 to open, watched the wind blow and the snow pile in drifts.  In the hundred posts there was great creative humor, substantial advice and more than a little moral support.  

It was a bad storm.  We watched heavy plank picnic tables and trash containers roll or fly by.   There were two other RVs in the park with us.  One had to leave for propane and the other had his properly stowed awning unroll and depart.  

We kept the slides in and set the hydrohot to 70° F.  We stayed warm, dry and comfortable.  We used onboard water and sewer.   I monitored the temperature on the Aladdin readout for the basement and it stayed warm.   Our Beaver is well insulated!

About half way through the storm, the hydrohot started making a weird noise that later was solved with an expensive bearing replacement.   It made me start thinking about a backup plan to a furnace failure in cold weather.  

It takes little imagination to figure out you are in deep trouble without heat at 15° F with 50 kt winds.  There are several single points of potential failure in the hydrohot system that can’t be fixed without parts.  If Beaver had put in air conditioners with heat strips instead of heat pumps, there would be a backup.  As they were built, our Beavers are in trouble if you are in sub freezing weather when the furnace quits.

Out of fear induced by a screeching hydrohot bearing I “engineered” a backup plan that I later installed.  Of course, the backup plan has never been needed.  

In hindsight, we had a good time, enjoyed a unique experience and learned a few motorhome lessons.  The most important one might be to be sure to wire your TV so you can watch the weather channel when you’re on a long cross country!

(I have a picture of a very cold looking motorhome next to an upsidedown picnic table but don't know how to post it here!)

Thanks Bill for this story.  While interesting and entertaining, it also has some lessons.  A back up is sure important, we are leaning toward the comfort hot though I doubt it could deal with the situation as you describe it.  Running out of fuel in that RV park would have been darn scary be it diesel or propane.
There is a you tube showing huge hail in Sturgis that I heard killed one guy and caused alot of damage.  I see that your blizard could have been worse and its great that you could get a positive view from it.
Sure would like to see that picture.

Keith

Bill-

     To post a photo, go down to the "Quick Reply" box as if writing a new response, and click the "More Post Options" button at the box bottom.  That will bring up a section entitled "Attach Files".  
Click the "Browse..." button to peruse the personal photos on your computer, and select the one you want to post on the forum.  

The photo's URL should then appear in the "Attach File(s):" field, whereupon you just click on the button to it's right, "Attach (and add more)".  

At that point you can write more in your post, or you can add more photos.  However, there is I think a 1 MB limit on the total size of attached photos, so be careful or they won't load to the forum.  

     More easily, you can simply click on the "New Reply" button at the bottom right of the last guy's post, and the Attach Files button is already available to you without the "More Post Options" extra step necessary with the "Quick Reply" route.  

     Are we confused yet?  Sorry.  I get too wordy sometimes, but want to make sure the bases are covered for you, step by step.

     Your photo will have to be formatted preferrably as .jpg, the standard photo format readable by nearly all devices and software;  but the forum can read .bmp (bitmap) and .gif (graphic interface) files also.  What I usually do, and there may be better ways, is make a copy of my photo and paste it in the album next to the original, right click on the copy, and then rename it "...Copy of" to distinquish it from the original.  Next I right click on the copy once more and choose "Edit", which should open the copy in your Paint program.  Simply click on File and Save As, and in that window you can choose from a drop-down list of file formats, including the .jpg (aka JPEG or jpeg) one you want.  The copy in your album will now be in jpg format, if the original wasn't to begin with.

     If my photo is bigger than 1 MB (1000 kb), I open the copy in a photo processing application such as Photo Shop, Photo Studio, Roxio, or whatever's available to me, and usually the File > Save As box in those programs will let me opt to save the copy in a size small enough to easily email or include in this or other forums, say 80 to 300 kb.  You can do the change to jpeg in the same Save As box if needed.  Now you have the original photo in your computer's album, unchanged;  plus you have next to it a reformatted, low file sized copy that may prove handy in certain circumstances in the future.

If you weren't confused when I started, you probably are now.  

-Joel

During a break in the blizzard the snow stopped long enough for me to go out to take this picture.  Notice the upside down picnic table on the right.  

This is I-90 looking through the windshield.  The little building is on the other side of the freeway.  To get a picture I had to wait for the snow to stop.  The sign for the RV park is almost visable next to the phone pole.

Exciting photos are difficult in a blizzard.  You can't see much to take a picture of!

Joel started this thread saying he was posting a teaser to hear some winter stories.

I put a teaser in my story about a winter camping backup plan in case of Hydro/Aqua Hot failure.  

Nobody asked what it was and the counter says there have been 428 views.  Apparantly nobody worries about furnace failure! (I'm grinning)

Ok Bill, Did you use space heaters or what?? Now you have my attention..

Naw, Bill.  Keith started this thread.  He's still waiting for me to retell my story.  

Congratulations on apparently navigating your way through my clumsy explanation of how to post a photo!  But I wish I had taken pix when we were stranded in Rawlins, WY.  Our coaches are the same color.  And my snowstorm woulda beat your snowstorm!  HA!     

A photo or video of the line of cars and semis in front of us and behind us and beside us on I-80, with cattle from a wrecked truck wandering aimlessly between cars, the blizzard picking up power by the hour, and drifts building against the vehicles and the roadside fences - now that would help tell my story.  Actually, I may have taken some video and need to check - maybe I could grab a still or two out of it.  5 hours later in the blizzard dark in Rawlins, the snow was 1-2 feet, and Monty Rae and Pearl (our Explorer) became campground snowplows (several feet high drifts) just to get parked for the night.

Ah, the good times.

-Joel

Quoted from Larry Fisk

Ok Bill, Did you use space heaters or what?? Now you have my attention..

Yes Larry, the answer is space heaters.  But, there is a problem with how our Beaver is wired.  Specifically, almost all of the outlets are on Leg 2 and run through the 20 amp inverter circuit breaker.  So, if you loose the furnace in freezing weather you can't get enough heat out of the electrical system to keep the waste tank bay, the basement freshwater tank bay and the living area warm.  If it is above freezing, a couple of space heaters in the living area will probably be fine.  

It would be the same if you have 50 amp power or use your genset.  It would be worse if you have 30 amp power.  

So, to solve the problem I studied the wiring diagram.  The AC units on my rig have easy access to a 120v junction box behind the ceiling grills.  A couple of standard receptacles and cover plate turn those into outlets for two space heaters.  The advantage to the AC circuits are that they are independent of the outlet circuit. The primary factory provided outlet circuit can provide enough amps to keep the basement bays from freezing.  

So with 5 small space heaters, all on low, I can get about 40 amps of power for heat out of the genset or 50 amp service.  I can monitor and balance the load on the Aladdin so that neither of the genset 30 amp breakers are overloaded.  In other words, I can get all the 60 amps the genset has to offer if I were to need it.  

So far, I have had nine Hydro Hot failures.  But not one has been when it was freezing so I have not had to test my backup in real conditions.

Way to go Bill! I don't think I would have figured that one out. I hope I never get in that situation, but I know none of us ever plan too, it just happens. We have the factory optional electric space heaters in our living area and bathroom but I doubt that they alone would keep you warm in a blizzard. Great stories and information. Really makes you realize what the next bend in the road can bring. Thanks for sharing and Happy New Year to you all! Wishing you safe travels in 2011!

Bill,
  Good work. It appears our 2000 Beaver Marquis has all the 120v outlets on leg 1 !!!   I have been using 3 small ceramic space heaters on the low setting to keep warm here in Las Cruces.NM.  
In the basement there are 2 more 120v outlets.  Would it be possible to reconnect  the outlets so they are evenly spread between leg 1 and leg 2 ??  I have a beer cooler running in the basement, which seems to keep everything warm enough.  We have not had a freezing problem yet, with temps down to 20 deg F at night, but it would be better to run a heater down there.    Jeremy

Jeremy,
The problem with electric heaters is not which leg they are on, but which breaker they are on. All of the base plugs that are feed by the inverter go through the same 30A breaker and then separate through the breaker box in the basement using 20A breakers.

Each leg has a 50A supply for a total of 100A of current when your are on 50A shore power. So the leg is not being overloaded, the breakers are. Since the wiring in the coach is sized for the breakers you would probably have to pull more wire to increase your amp load, or tie into a high amp circuit that is not in use as Bill did. However since your coach has basement air, it would be a lot easier to tie in at the transfer switch and install another breaker box in the basement.

As for installing a space heater in the basement, that can be dangerous. Just turn on the Hurricane and set the living room thermostat to 50 degrees so the Hurricane will not run unless the basement gets to cold and then the heater in the basement will turn on the diesel burner to keep the basement plumbing from freezing.

Gerald      

Quoted from Gerald Farris

....As for installing a space heater in the basement, that can be dangerous. Just turn on the Hurricane and set the living room thermostat to 50 degrees so the Hurricane will not run unless the basement gets to cold and then the heater in the basement will turn on the diesel burner to keep the basement plumbing from freezing.

Gerald,

Just to be clear, I'm not encouraging use of space heaters for routine heating.  I think most of them are inherently dangerous.  My concern in this discussion is having a short term backup to a furnace failure in freezing temperatures.  

On separate occasions I've had a failures from a bearing, loose wires, coolant level indicator, a stir pump, the heating element, and the Webasto control box.  All failures have occurred in above freezing temperatures so it has only been inconvenient.

Odds are I will have another failure and I'm ready if it is cold enough to cause damage to me, my DW, her dog or the coach.

Bill

Quoted from Jeremy Parrett

Bill,
  Good work. It appears our 2000 Beaver Marquis has all the 120v outlets on leg 1 !!!   I have been using 3 small ceramic space heaters on the low setting to keep warm here in Las Cruces.NM.  
In the basement there are 2 more 120v outlets.  Would it be possible to reconnect  the outlets so they are evenly spread between leg 1 and leg 2 ??  I have a beer cooler running in the basement, which seems to keep everything warm enough.  We have not had a freezing problem yet, with temps down to 20 deg F at night, but it would be better to run a heater down there.    Jeremy

This will probably be kind of “long winded”.  But, it is cold outside and I have nothing to do besides type while I watch the sunrise on Fidalgo Bay near the San Juan Islands.  It is 30 degrees outside.  Mt Baker is clearly visible and there are a few pink clouds in the sky.

There are too many RVs that burn up.  One of the many causes is circuits overloaded with too many space heaters.  

I am a fan of using electricity when it is cheaper than diesel to heat with.  Sometimes it is even free with your site hookups.  I almost always have a baseboard style heater plugged in and always on low in the front.  But, I am not a fan of multiple space heaters.   This is especially true in a Beaver.  It seems the sometimes evil engineers at Beaver thought it was a good idea to put a dozen or more outlets on single circuit like Gerald describes above.  It is perfect for extra light fixtures, laptops, cell phone chargers, an alarm clock and the occasional use of a hair dryer.  It is tempting, not well suited for heating our motorhomes.

As you probably know, most space heaters draw about 900 watts or 8 amps on low and 1500 watts or 13 amps on high.  When all three of yours cycle on at the same time you’ll draw about 24 amps on your 20 amp circuit breaker!  With your beer cooler factored in it could be worse.  If the breaker doesn’t trip you can still be causing hot spots at any slightly loose connection or wire nut on that long Beaver outlet circuit.  I don’t know about everyone else, but I’ve found several connections that were either tightened by limp wristed Beaver workers Bend or shaken loose by California pot holes!

Short term, I would suggest you consider getting at least one of your heaters plugged in to the washer/dryer outlet (if you can reach it).  It has its own circuit breaker.  Another choice is the microwave outlet.  The microwave outlet is still on the inverter circuit but is not on the Big Beaver dozen outlet circuit.

There is one more independent circuit that may be convenient, depending on your coach.    Most of us have block heaters that rarely get used.  Somewhere back in the engine compartment is an outlet where the block heater plugs in.  You might find a relatively easy way to re-route that circuit into the bedroom.  I think I could do it in about an hour on our rig, but in reality it might take two days.  

Another unusual solution is to go straight to the shore power pole with an extension cord.  I like 12 gauge cords, but I think the typical 14 gauge is OK if you leave the heater on low.  You can run the cord through a window.  

I have a “trailer trash” fulltiming friend that cut a hole in the wall of his 30 amp trailer.  On the inside he put a nice looking standard household outlet.  On the outside, behind a typical RV plastic access door is a “pigtail” with male plug.  He runs an extension cord from the pigtail to the shore power post.  He has a permanently plugged in oil filled radiator style space heater on the inside.  He likes to say he has “45 amp hookups”.

Happy new year!

Happy New Year to you and yours Bill! I have a question for you. Our Beaver came from the factory with the space heaters option, one in the Kitchen area and one in the bathroom. Are these on a separate circuit? We rarely use the one in the kichen but regularly use the bathroom one. These are built in electric baseboard heaters. Never had a problem with them tripping out but just was not sure how they are wired.

January 1, 2011

From the “Doghaus” dictionary:

help•less  adj  \ˈhel-pləs; Southern often ˈhep-ləs also ˈheəp-\
1)     The feeling you get while driving your 40’ motorhome with toad attached – in the fog – and find black ice …

ter•ror  noun \ˈter-ər, ˈte-rər\
1)     The feeling you get when seeing the freeway centerline through the window on your door – and hearing the voice of GPS Jill say “Recalculating …”

Stun verb \ˈstən\ stunned stun•ning
1)     The feeling you have when you realize that you are still alive and neither the coach or the toad touched either guardrail on that overpass and nothing is damaged

1clean adj \ˈklēn\
1)     The feeling you have when you find a rest area, take a quick shower and change the pants you were wearing – {see helpless and terror above}

Wish I could say I was laughing at the time. Raylene had to pry my hands loose from the wheel. We decided to quit for the day and several drinks later i'm calming down.

Wadayaknow.  I figured out how to capture a still off my video.  Unfortunately, I didn't take video of the RV Park in Rawlins, but here's a couple just after the blizzard caught up with us, stuck on I-80.  We were stopped on this spot for about 5 hours.

-Joel

Note the pronghorns running west on the north side of the freeway, apparently escaping the commotion at the wreck site ahead of us.  Hard to see through the blizzard.

Quoted from Larry Fisk

....Our Beaver came from the factory with the space heaters option, one in the Kitchen area and one in the bathroom. Are these on a separate circuit? .....

I wish I had those!

I would assume they are on a separate circuit.  If not, they would bring your batteries to dead very quickly when dry camping.  Take a look at the breaker box.  

Ok, We head out of Seattle to enjoy the warmth of AZ, a great idea!

Then we get a white dusting in PDX then squeak through the Siskiyou with no chains , Yeah!.

Luck holds we miss the flood in Bakersfield.

Its 28 in Las Vegas for New years the fountains freeze and we bundle up for the celebration. Pulling out of Vegas we head to Happy Trails today
thinking its gotta get better, OK here is a photo 40 miles East of Kingman. I am thinking we have a weather magnet on the tail of our rig.

I know it's winter but I am not sure how far south we need to go??
Good news the rig is nice and warm

Happy New Years