Need advice for intermediate camping in Upstate SC during the winter

[Hoosier]

I’m looking for a sanity check from other Oliver owners.

I’m attending evening classes in Clemson (Tue–Thu, 6–10 pm) and have a long-term spot at an RV park during the week. My home base is ~90 minutes away on winding, wildlife-heavy roads, so I head home Friday mornings and return Tuesday afternoons. That means the trailer will often sit unattended for ~4 days at a time during February.

My concern is avoiding repeated winterize/de-winterize cycles (likely 15–16 times) while still protecting plumbing during what’s shaping up to be a colder-than-usual stretch.

Here’s the approach I’m leaning toward:

Plan

• Leave the Oliver “wet” (water system active, not winterized)

• Use the propane furnace as the primary freeze protection

  • Thermostat set around 45–48°F

  • Furnace on continuously when unattended

• Use the Houghton heat pump only when occupied (not relying on it for freeze protection)

• When leaving for multiple days:

  • Disconnect the exterior water hose

  • Blow out the hose and city-water inlet (trailer plumbing remains live)

• Cabinet doors open under sinks

• Fresh propane tanks topped off

• Batteries in good condition (furnace blower dependency)

What I’m avoiding

• Space heaters while unattended

• Relying on heat tape (only partial coverage)

• Heat pump alone below freezing

• Full winterization every week (wear on fittings and check valves)

Added insurance

• Remote temperature sensors inside the cabin and near plumbing/underbelly

• Propane level monitoring

The thinking is that the Oliver’s furnace-heated plumbing spaces + a modest thermostat setting should keep everything above freezing, while disconnecting the exterior hose removes the most failure-prone component.

I’d appreciate feedback from anyone who has done something similar, especially during prolonged cold snaps. Anything I’m overlooking specific to the Oliver layout?

Thanks in advance — trying to balance realism, safety, and not crawling under the trailer 16 times this winter.

[jd1923]

1 hour ago, Hoosier said:

I’d appreciate feedback…

I believe you have a solid thoughtful plan. It’s about what I do all winter long since we travel on-n-off and get spells of overnight lows to 20F or below.

Instead of doors open, some of us have added vents to pull air through the basement when the furnace is running.

Given you can check temps remotely, you’re also covered for the unforeseeable! 😎

Edited 5 hours ago by jd1923

[Geronimo John]

You have a very good start.  The odds of another deep freeze this weekend is likely 100%.  From the forecast, it is already heading your way.  I would suggest:

·        Pulling the bed mattress and vertically stacking them in the hallway.  Then pull the fiberglass covers to expose the basement to the cabin interior.

·        Ditto for the dinette seating and covers.

·        In the bathroom if you have installed one of these you are golden.  Open it.

 

·        If not, then consider removing the towel bar cubby from under the sink.

·        Open the basement hatch in the rear center storage if you have one.  Open the wardrobe and bathroom doors.

·        Insulate the battery box and basement outside hatches. 

If you have shore power, acquire a small 120V desk fan to circulate air around the opened up cabin.

The items above can easily be done very quickly.  Of course the hatch takes a lot longer to do. But it opens up quite a bit of storage as a prime benefit.

GJ

Edited 3 hours ago by Geronimo John

[Hoosier]

1 hour ago, Geronimo John said:

You have a very good start.  The odds of another deep freeze this weekend is likely 100%.  From the forecast, it is already heading your way.  I would suggest:

·        Pulling the bed mattress and vertically stacking them in the hallway.  Then pull the fiberglass covers to expose the basement to the cabin interior.

·        Ditto for the dinette seating and covers.

·        In the bathroom if you have installed one of these you are golden.  Open it.

 

·        If not, then consider removing the towel bar cubby from under the sink.

·        Open the basement hatch in the rear center storage if you have one.  Open the wardrobe and bathroom doors.

·        Insulate the battery box and basement outside hatches. 

If you have shore power, acquire a small 120V desk fan to circulate air around the opened up cabin.

The items above can easily be done very quickly.  Of course the hatch takes a lot longer to do. But it opens up quite a bit of storage as a prime benefit.

GJ

I like the hatch mod. Is that sized to go where the towel bar goes? Do I have to remove any fiberglass to fit, if so I'd probably wait until spring. 

[dewdev]

The hatch that is mentioned to open is located at the rear of the trailer (if you have one- (it was a option)) that goes into the cellar storage area. The water feed piping from the campground water connection runs in this cellar storage area.

The towel bar rack is in the bathroom. There are 4 screws (covered by the white plast covers). Take out the screws and remove the bar rack. The bar rack is likely held in place by some caulking.