There’s currently a winter storm pounding the Northeast with snow, freezing rain and record low temperatures. That’s too bad. That’s also why you’ll find us in some Southwest desert come this time of year.

Before we fled Colorado to fly south this winter though, we got hammered with a fair dumping of our own.

How to Protect RV Hookups in Winter Weather

Here’s a quick trick I tried to help protect exposed RV electrical utility hookups from damage caused by severe winter weather. It worked great during those Rocky Mountain floods of 2013!

You don’t need some costly gadget to keep your RV electrical cord connections from getting wet! Prevent sensitive electronics and costly surge guards in a few simple steps.

1. Cut an old auto tire inner tube in half.
2. Slide cord through tube.
3. Plug in.
4. Secure end of tube around outlet box.

This is a simple, cheap and effective way to create a weather-tight seal around the end of your cord. Doing so will help prevent potential damage to your RV electrical system caused by wet or frozen connections.

I cut the tube long enough to cover the 50-30 amp RV plug adapter we use at Jerry’s Acres. I then used Zip-ties to create a good seal around the utility box.

With a large enough tube, this should also work well with many inline RV surge protectors too!

What tips do you have for dealing with winter weather in your RV?

Life is good, and warm. Last week we went from this 30 degree weather in South Park Colorado.

To the refuge of Southern Utah.
80 degrees and loving it.

and in the process of picking up stakes
from this isolated boondocking spot

We traversed across the Utah / Arizona border and saw
the horrific reality of what’s happened to the Colorado River.

As we headed to Las Vegas to play zombie for Jim’s birthday
I couldn’t help but wonder what Edward Abbey would think.

And on we roll . . .

Over the past week as we got pummeled by a desperately needed snowstorm, we watched the fluff pile up on our rooftop.

It seemed like common sense to me that a heap of snow would add too much weight to our Northwood Arctic Fox.

On the other hand, I wondered: what happens to all those RV stored outside all winter long in places like Denver or De Moines? Or RVs belonging to crazy families like Jema’s, who spends winters in Breckenridge?

Obviously those people aren’t going and scraping off snow every few days. Or are they?

Jim thought I was wasting time being worried about it, but after all these years he knows that worry is my middle name. I’m trying to get over that, so this time instead of worrying I just went to the source to get an answer.

I called Northwood Manufacturing and asked one of their fabulous technical support reps:

“How much snow can pile on top of my 24′ Arctic Fox fifth wheel before it starts to present a hazard to my rig?”

“Two feet,” the helpful tech answered.

Whenever neurotic people like me think to ask this question, Northwood will tell them that 2′ is an acceptable load for the roof of any RV, including theirs. After that, you’re on your own and had better start checking for leaks when things thaw out.

Scraping snow off the RV roof is a headache, but not as much as an interior leak. I’m happy to report that so far, there are no signs of water damage inside the rig.

Now, if only we knew for sure that our frozen water pump and plumbing still works.

There I go, worrying again  . . .

Pummeled. That’s the only way to describe this very unexpected Rocky Mountain blizzard that’s bombarded us since returning to Jerry’s Acres for a few weeks.

This photo was taken yesterday. There’s even more snow now that’s covered up the trees you see here. Another 2′ is supposed to fall today.

I am so over this. I’ve never experienced snowfall like this in my life, and hope that I never do again. Yes, I’m a sissy. I want my flip flops and cold beer, waaaah! Life is too short to shovel snow. It’s a great workout but I’d rather go for a run in warm weather.

About the only thing that makes this weather disaster fun is our newest neighbor.

Say hello to Rocky!

Snowbirds are supposed to go south for winter, not head right into it. But this season I was fascinated by the number of full-timers who decided to RV in the coldest parts of the country, including Advanture Trek, artist Jema and her family and a few other Full-time Families who traded flip flops for ski boots.

These RVers are snowbirds in the truest sense of the word. I’m not as hearty and there’s no way you could pay me to head north for winter in my Arctic Fox fifth wheel, even though it’s one of the best 4-season models available.

Have you ever RV’d for an extended time in the snow? If so, what was it like?

Whistler Mountain is one sweet sounding destination that could possibly tempt us into a trip north to spend one winter season. But you’d be more likely to find us working at a resort from the comfort of a fireplace-warmed cabin! How about you?

Via: Expedia