Using my Axis as temporary living quarters in an extended power outage

[Beau388]

Originally Posted by DavidEM

Your house got down to 22 F? What were the outside air temps during that period? I would hope that really cold weather here (below 10F in NW Connecticut) would coincide with sunny skies and the sun would keep the inside of our house above freezing. David

The low during the February "Big Freeze" on Sunday night was 20 degrees with freezing rain (1/3 inch) and snow (3 inches), Monday night was 9 above and the low Tuesday was 12 above with a high of 24. I live just west of San Antonio, TX in what is considered South Texas. The Feb average temperature here are High of 68 and a low of 49. To have temperatures below freezing even for an hour is not common. 24% of Texas' power comes from solar and wind turbines. Not much solar during the 15 hour darkness of night and the wind velocity and direction sensors of the wind turbines in the Rio Grande Valley froze in the freezing rain so the 900 + wind turbines shut down. The natural gas power plants are not winterized in the south so when their cooling water supply froze the plants were forced to shut down. Because of the power shortage, ERCOT shut down all electricity to the West Texas gas fields. This cause the well heads to quit supplying gas to the gas pipe lines. That caused the pressure in the gas transmission network to drop below the minimum pressure for the few remaining natural has plants to operate so they shut down. So much for your natural gas powered Generac home generator. No gasoline because all the filling stations have below ground tanks so no gas if there is not electricity to power the pumps. The Texas electric power grid is separate from all the other 47 CONUS states so no outside help. To say the least the new ERCOT (the Energy Reliability Council of Texas) is still trying to explain how to keep it from happening again without tripling our electric bills.

[Lt Keefer]

Living in Texas I have no experience driving a dually in 12" of snow but it sounds like you have a handle on things. Most people seem to forget that if your power goes out you have to turn your homes water off at the service disconnect then open all the faucets to drain as best they can. That is the extent of my winter weather home owner knowledge. I have never had a broken pipe from freezing during the infrequent deep freezes we have here. That quick step of turning off the supply and opening all the faucets has saved me when neighbors have had extensive water damage.

[saddlesore]

Originally Posted by Beau388

The low during the February "Big Freeze" on Sunday night was 20 degrees with freezing rain (1/3 inch) and snow (3 inches), Monday night was 9 above and the low Tuesday was 12 above with a high of 24. I live just west of San Antonio, TX in what is considered South Texas. The Feb average temperature here are High of 68 and a low of 49. To have temperatures below freezing even for an hour is not common. 24% of Texas' power comes from solar and wind turbines. Not much solar during the 15 hour darkness of night and the wind velocity and direction sensors of the wind turbines in the Rio Grande Valley froze in the freezing rain so the 900 + wind turbines shut down. The natural gas power plants are not winterized in the south so when their cooling water supply froze the plants were forced to shut down. Because of the power shortage, ERCOT shut down all electricity to the West Texas gas fields. This cause the well heads to quit supplying gas to the gas pipe lines. That caused the pressure in the gas transmission network to drop below the minimum pressure for the few remaining natural has plants to operate so they shut down. So much for your natural gas powered Generac home generator. No gasoline because all the filling stations have below ground tanks so no gas if there is not electricity to power the pumps. The Texas electric power grid is separate from all the other 47 CONUS states so no outside help. To say the least the new ERCOT (the Energy Reliability Council of Texas) is still trying to explain how to keep it from happening again without tripling our electric bills.

Yup.. We were just south of You in a Mobile Home/RV park.. Fueled up the coach [and "doctored up the diesel" for cold weather] then topped off the water & propane just before the weather hit..[Diesel AquaHot for heat,
only things that are still propane is the cooktop and oven] .
Went into "dry camp" mode.. A week earlier.. Had a neighbor that insisted that we should ditch the generator and go full solar with more batteries... because he hated the muffled sounds of any generator..
We did not have any issues at all with the 19 year old Coach...
Others however did have frozen plumbing and ran out of propane with no way to refill...
Oh.. and the "Solar only" guy?? with his solar panels covered with ice then 4"snow... After 89 hours...His RV didn't fair none too well..

The lessons learned.. ALWAYS have more than just one method of heating/cooling/lighting your RV.. Poo Does happen.. BE PREPARED!

[Disclosure.. We have an '02 Foretravel 320]

[sedcom]

I think it would be easier and better to get an generator for your house that will run the essentials. They work great wired properly of course.

[DavidEM]

Originally Posted by sedcom

I think it would be easier and better to get an generator for your house that will run the essentials. They work great wired properly of course.

If I have to live in the RV because I have no heat, why not use its generator to keep the fridge cold?

Like I said earlier I could install a generator of about 5-8 KW that I could wire through a transfer switch so I could run everything, furnace included. But that means running the generator 24/7 plus several thousands of cost to buy and install.

I have the MH and the extension cord to run to the fridge, so no extra costs. Given the low probability of a 24+ hour power outage, I think I will stick with the MH plan.

But I do agree that global warming has thrown out most probabilities.

David

[Long & Winding road]

I dont think you could move your Axis very far in deep snow. Once it was above like 4 inches I would not ever try.

Being in the south (AR) our strorage facilty closed last year due to a few inches of snow (which melted and turned into ice for 3 + days). I guess they dont want to spend the money plowing and salting plus the risk of someone falling and sueing? So your storage place may close as well? Worth checking into.

So if you "think" you will need your Axis for a life boat I would suggest moving the day (or two) before you need it.

Plus I think I would try to run extention cord from your RV into the home to run a small heater / Frig and stay in the warmest room until you get power back?

I would never drive my RV in that kind of weather... It will end up biting you in the arse....wind up in a ditch with server damage and huge tow bill.

[DavidEM]

Bringing it to my house before the big snowfall is a good suggestion. The only problem with that is after a 12+" blizzard with no power outage, I have to move it back to the storage lot or the condo association will be screaming at me. And that 12+" of snow in my storage lot could hang around for weeks.

Next time we get that kind of snow, I will try a test. Back up the MH a few feet in its storage slot and see how it goes. I can always go forward if I get stuck.

My guess is that it can handle 4" of snow but not 12+".

Maybe i will just decamp to the storage lot if we get a big snow with a power outage. I can always drive there with my 4wd SUV after the roads are plowed.

David

[RunnerJim]

Originally Posted by DavidEM

Bringing it to my house before the big snowfall is a good suggestion. The only problem with that is after a 12+" blizzard with no power outage, I have to move it back to the storage lot or the condo association will be screaming at me. And that 12+" of snow in my storage lot could hang around for weeks.

Next time we get that kind of snow, I will try a test. Back up the MH a few feet in its storage slot and see how it goes. I can always go forward if I get stuck.

My guess is that it can handle 4" of snow but not 12+".

Maybe i will just decamp to the storage lot if we get a big snow with a power outage. I can always drive there with my 4wd SUV after the roads are plowed.



David

March of 2019 our area flooded with water up to the door knobs. Our home furnace was up on the main level. Natural gas and water were still on and the power was out. We were force evacuated for 5 days. (stayed with Daughter) Our Vegas lives in our driveway. We stayed in it for 5 days until the propane was gone. Then I ran a line from the Vegas generator to the house, Isolated the furnace from the panel and plugged it in along with another cord with a drop light for the upstairs bathroom. We lived that way for another week until the power was restored to the area. Bottom line: If you have basic electrical skills, you can run parts of your house off your MH. Make a plan that you will never have to use!

[Jimbo56]

Originally Posted by DavidEM

Bringing it to my house before the big snowfall is a good suggestion. The only problem with that is after a 12+" blizzard with no power outage, I have to move it back to the storage lot or the condo association will be screaming at me. And that 12+" of snow in my storage lot could hang around for weeks.

Next time we get that kind of snow, I will try a test. Back up the MH a few feet in its storage slot and see how it goes. I can always go forward if I get stuck.

My guess is that it can handle 4" of snow but not 12+".

Maybe i will just decamp to the storage lot if we get a big snow with a power outage. I can always drive there with my 4wd SUV after the roads are plowed.

David

Let em scream. This is America. A few days with a motorhome in the driveway won’t cause a rapid drop in home values.

[DavidEM]

Originally Posted by Jimbo56

Let em scream. This is America. A few days with a motorhome in the driveway won’t cause a rapid drop in home values.

More like three weeks until I can get back in my storage lot. I don't think I would have a problem if the power were really out. But here in NW Connecticut we typically get at least two 12"+ snowfalls each winter. So since we have lived here for seven years, I have seen fourteen times that I would bring the MH here in advance, but never need it. I think my neighbors might complain a bit about that.

David

[DavidEM]

Originally Posted by RunnerJim

March of 2019 our area flooded with water up to the door knobs. Our home furnace was up on the main level. Natural gas and water were still on and the power was out. We were force evacuated for 5 days. (stayed with Daughter) Our Vegas lives in our driveway. We stayed in it for 5 days until the propane was gone. Then I ran a line from the Vegas generator to the house, Isolated the furnace from the panel and plugged it in along with another cord with a drop light for the upstairs bathroom. We lived that way for another week until the power was restored to the area. Bottom line: If you have basic electrical skills, you can run parts of your house off your MH. Make a plan that you will never have to use!

I do have more than basic electrical skills. I am a retired, hands on engineer but chemical not electrical. Not that that matters, home electrical is more about experience than book learning.

I have planned for a partial electrical support for our home from either our Honda generator or the MH's generator. I can easily run the fridge, lights in the LR and even a propane fireplace insert in the LR. That will let us live for a day or so without power. Any longer and I would prefer to live in our MH, either at home or at our storage yard.

Living in the MH at our house makes it easy to just run an extension cord to the fridge and run the MH's generator for an hour in the morning until the sun is well up (that presumes it is sunny of course) and a few hours at night. That is enough to keep the batteries charged up and the fridge cold, particularly one in a 40 degree or colder house.

David

[knucklehead]

Originally Posted by DavidEM

Since winter is upon us, I have been thinking about if and how I could use my Axis as temporary living quarters if we get an extended power outage at our house. We live in NW Connecticut and without power the furnace won't work, the house will get unlivable cold, and the freezer will thaw and maybe the refrigerator will get above safe temps.

So, my idea is to bring my MH over from its storage lot about 10 miles away. The first problem will be getting it out if there is significant snow on the ground. I would have to drive 200' through accumulated snow to get to a plowed road. How do dual wheel MHs handle accumulated snow. Could I drive through 12" or so of snow? I could air down the tires if needed. I could shovel a path but that would take hours.

I keep the MH filled with gas and propane (about 15 gallons usable) but no water or waste. So, once I get it to the house, the first thing is to hook it up to the house water supply and fill the tank. Unless the house inside temps get below 32 that shouldn't be a problem. Later if the house looks like it will get that low, I will drain the plumbing.

With a full tank of propane and a full gas tank, I should be able to live for about 3-5 days with no refilling or dumping. I figure I will use 3-5 gallons of propane daily for the furnace and cooking. Will limit showers to every other day, so water shouldn't be a problem. I can refill the propane tank at a nearby Tractor Supply (assuming they have power but they are on a major road so I suspect they will) and dump the tanks at a nearby town sanitation plant.

So, I could go indefinitely but realistically a week is all I would expect.

My MH isn't a four-season unit by any means, but the tanks have heaters, the water and plumbing is all above floor level except for the grey and black water lines and valves. I would probably wrap heat tape and insulation around them to keep from freezing. Or maybe tape plastic tarps around the RV to skirt it.

I would run an extension cord from the MH in my driveway to the fridge inside the house. I would run the MHs generator 3-4 hours in the evening to charge up my batteries and run the fridge inside the house.

How does this plan sound? Anyone done it before?

David

We had a 2017 Axis 25.2 and they are a good coach. If you manage your resources well your propane should last a long while. Why can't you run a extension cord from your house to the RV? If you have a 20 amp breaker somewhere or can install one, you could run electric heaters and save your propane. A 15 amp feed will support two small heaters, just check the amps on the label. Keep cabinet doors open, wrap all exposed pipes inside and out, put barriers around the RV like a skirt to keep wind out, thinking hay bales. You could even put 150 watt light bulbs under after sealing the underside. You'd be surprised how much heat they put off!! You can do your business in Wal-Mart bags and throw them in the garbage. Pee in a cup and throw it in the yard. That will save water. Buy bottles and gallons of drinking water. If you run low you can pour it in the fresh tank. The options are endless on how you can manage using the coach. Think "OUTSIDE THE BOX" and you'll be fine!!!!!

[knucklehead]

Originally Posted by knucklehead

We had a 2017 Axis 25.2 and they are a good coach. If you manage your resources well your propane should last a long while. Why can't you run a extension cord from your house to the RV? If you have a 20 amp breaker somewhere or can install one, you could run electric heaters and save your propane. A 15 amp feed will support two small heaters, just check the amps on the label. Keep cabinet doors open, wrap all exposed pipes inside and out, put barriers around the RV like a skirt to keep wind out, thinking hay bales. You could even put 150 watt light bulbs under after sealing the underside. You'd be surprised how much heat they put off!! You can do your business in Wal-Mart bags and throw them in the garbage. Pee in a cup and throw it in the yard. That will save water. Buy bottles and gallons of drinking water. If you run low you can pour it in the fresh tank. The options are endless on how you can manage using the coach. Think "OUTSIDE THE BOX" and you'll be fine!!!!!

After reading other posts and remembering that it is at a lot and you live at a condo, bringing it to your home will cause issues I agree. You have some planning to do my friend! GOOD LUCK

[knucklehead]

Originally Posted by DavidEM

More like three weeks until I can get back in my storage lot. I don't think I would have a problem if the power were really out. But here in NW Connecticut we typically get at least two 12"+ snowfalls each winter. So since we have lived here for seven years, I have seen fourteen times that I would bring the MH here in advance, but never need it. I think my neighbors might complain a bit about that.

David

Invited the trouble makers over for Hot Chocolate and a movie. They may change their tune when they get warm!!!

[dPad2]

I keep a 5-gal bucket with a toilet top made for those buckets available. I use it for liquid only, when necessary, adding a little bit of lemon pine-sol in it when it's empty. Put paper in a can, not the bucket. It's quick and easy to pour out and rinse that way (even if have to use store bought water.). So use your empty RV toilet just until about 1/4 full and then use for solids only (and put all but first-used poop paper in trash with a little holding tank deodorizer soaked paper towel in the bottom.) You'd be surprised how long you can go w/o dumping that way. I also have one of the hook ups for my 'permanent' propane tank that allows me to switch and use portable tanks as well (and portable gas grill) so I have a couple of those tanks - and can go in my 4-wheel drive vehicle to fill those if needed. And lastly, I keep 20-gal of gas on property at all times for the generator and/or car, and like someone else said, I rotate putting it into my car when it's sat a bit and re-fill cans one at a time when I go out. All this allows the RV to stay put when necessary. The fact you're concerned about 'getting in', it doesn't seem wise to also be in a position to possibly have to go in and out for these other needs. It may all sound complicated, yet very easy once you have all available and set up. Just my oddball input. haha

[Pabs4]

Originally Posted by Beau388

The low during the February "Big Freeze" on Sunday night was 20 degrees with freezing rain (1/3 inch) and snow (3 inches), Monday night was 9 above and the low Tuesday was 12 above with a high of 24. I live just west of San Antonio, TX in what is considered South Texas. The Feb average temperature here are High of 68 and a low of 49. To have temperatures below freezing even for an hour is not common. 24% of Texas' power comes from solar and wind turbines. Not much solar during the 15 hour darkness of night and the wind velocity and direction sensors of the wind turbines in the Rio Grande Valley froze in the freezing rain so the 900 + wind turbines shut down. The natural gas power plants are not winterized in the south so when their cooling water supply froze the plants were forced to shut down. Because of the power shortage, ERCOT shut down all electricity to the West Texas gas fields. This cause the well heads to quit supplying gas to the gas pipe lines. That caused the pressure in the gas transmission network to drop below the minimum pressure for the few remaining natural has plants to operate so they shut down. So much for your natural gas powered Generac home generator. No gasoline because all the filling stations have below ground tanks so no gas if there is not electricity to power the pumps. The Texas electric power grid is separate from all the other 47 CONUS states so no outside help. To say the least the new ERCOT (the Energy Reliability Council of Texas) is still trying to explain how to keep it from happening again without tripling our electric bills.

Beau, that was so horrible! I read many sad stories of people dying in their homes because of no heat. We are fortunate that our power grid wasn’t affected so badly in SE Texas, but I have many friends and family in the Houston area, and they were all struggling. Let’s hope nothing like that happens again!

David, regarding moving the RV in snow, I would be very hesitant given its low profile. We are so fortunate that we don’t live in a neighborhood with an HOA. Our little Vegas is parked in our backyard when it isn’t parked on the side of our house. We have used it before during an extended power outage after one of the hurricanes, but we now have a backup generator for our home. They are definitely expensive, but we believe it’s the best money we ever spent. When the power goes out, it takes about 15 seconds for the generator to kick on. Once the power is restored you don’t even realize the power has transferred back to “shore power” unless you go out to see if the generator is still running. We live in an older neighborhood in our city, and the grid we are on can go out even when there is no storm. Everything is above ground.

Good luck to everyone who deals with winter weather on a regular basis. We are battening down the hatches here because we will have a forecasted high in the 80s on Saturday, and a wind chill in the 20s on Sunday!

Pam

[16ACE27]

Originally Posted by Pabs4

Good luck to everyone who deals with winter weather on a regular basis. We are battening down the hatches here because we will have a forecasted high in the 80s on Saturday, and a wind chill in the 20s on Sunday!

Pam

As was beat to death in another thread - the RV doesn't care about the "wind chill"; just the ambient temperature.

[Chateau_Nomad]

Originally Posted by 16ACE27

As was beat to death in another thread - the RV doesn't care about the "wind chill"; just the ambient temperature.

A brother-in-law used to put a blanket over his engine at night to "keep it warm" in very cold weather. I think he stopped after I asked him where the heat source came from... basic laws of thermodynamics.

[chunker21]

Originally Posted by Chateau_Nomad

A brother-in-law used to put a blanket over his engine at night to "keep it warm" in very cold weather. I think he stopped after I asked him where the heat source came from... basic laws of thermodynamics.

he wasn't using an electric blanket was he?

[Muggs]

Like others, we use vegas 24.1 during power failures, house gets sticky with no a/c. In rural area and have slept in RV 3 overnight 3 times in 4 years.

Have been a week in 20 degree temps. Everything but tanks (heated) are in interior space. Had no issues with freezing though would fire engine for 15 minutes each evening. Also blocked wind from coming below RV. Always parked woth generator pointed down wide side. If shore power quit, would have run space heat off gen.

Most things doable with a little consideration.

Have gen plug at main panel to keep fridge/2 freezers alond with well pump running during power failures.