I think we’re ready for winter here in TN finally. Apparently there’s no global warming here as we’re told that the weather we’ve been having for a couple of weeks usually doesn’t happen until Jan/Feb! We’ve been below freezing most nights since before Thanksgiving and it’s a damp cold with windy conditions a lot as well! Things that are hard to combat no matter what we do living in a trailer! Certainly wasn’t what we were expecting and hoping for!
I mostly just had to set up heaters in the tool trailer because of the paints and chemicals and in the bunkhouse to keep it all from freezing. I also set up controls to remotely turn the heaters on/off and temperature sensors to monitor them.
The 5th wheel was much more complicated and Doug helped me work on it when he could! First thing I had to do was wash the entire trailer from roof to bottom and then condition all the rubber pieces that keep the weather out of the trailer from around the slideouts. I had to replace and add some jacks and bracing that I wanted to do for the past few years before I closed it up. While checking to ensure I wouldn’t damage any pipes or wires I discovered that some of the insulation in the underbelly was messed up, so that had to be redone! Once that was all in place, I covered it back up and installed the new jacks and bracing and releveled it for the third and final time. However, the ground still hasn’t finished settling in and we’re off level a little again, but not much I’ll be able to do at this point!
Once that was complete I needed to insulate and heat tape the water hose from the hose bib in the middle of the yard, to our filter system under the trailer, and then from there to the input of the trailer. This is the first time that our water supply and filter system have been out in the “open” so this posed some new issues to figure out, but I think we’re good. We also wrapped the filter system with heat tape and put an old piece of carpet over it. Praying it all stays thawed out!
Next I put a bunch of tarps on the ground to act as a moisture barrier to help keep moisture from getting in under the trailer. Since the bottoms of the slideouts aren’t insulated like the main trailer body, I put insulation in the cracks around the 4 of them and then foil taped foam insulation on the underneath of them.
Finally I could start skirting the sides, but of course none of the local places had the foam I needed to use so I had to drive an hour and a half round trip in a “snow storm” to get it!! Skirting begins by digging a trench around the outside of the trailer. Then we cut pieces of foil backed ¾” foam board to fit snug under the sides, around anything that is protruding, and into the trench. Then it is all foil taped into place and anywhere there’s a place for air to get in! For the hitch side we frame it out with walls for a small closet to store our propane tanks, ladder, and anything else that we need at the trailer but needs protected from the elements. That also gets foam boards for walls. I had to replace a couple of the propane lines that were cracking so did that when I was moving them into the storage area. We also either have plastic or foil/bubble wrap insulation on all the windows inside as one of the pics illustrates.
I set the generator on level ground and it’s ready to be connected to the 5th wheel in case we lose power! By the way, we get to do all of this every time we move and it’s always different!
If you missed my update on the fridge, it took 2 weeks, but we did get it installed and it’s been working great! Forgot what a real fridge acted like and nice to have some more normal living in our trailer lives! My laptop ended up needing to get replaced so we also took care of that with a great black Friday deal.
The V10 needed tires, so got that done last week and the tool trailer needs them next. I’ll probably wait until after the first of the year to get them replaced. I also still need to replace the 5th wheel tire that blew out when we moved here! I also ordered made to fit seat covers for the V10 as there are some pretty big tears that aren’t going away and thought this was our best option based on costs! They just came in so thinking it will be around 50 tomorrow so may get them done then! The mechanic still has the diesel in the shop and I have to go there this week to look at some things with him as he’s still trying to figure out a couple of things on that. Quite possibly could be an issue with the turbo, injectors, or something else fuel related. He came highly recommended by Doug so we’ll see what happens.
Maintenance is an ongoing thing for us. Typically we do what we have to when we have to and rarely get time to really get the long list of things done that we can get by without, but need done. It’s been a blessing to have the time and Doug’s help as we’re slowly working through our list. We’re not sure how much we’ll get done, especially with the cold and of course CHRISTmas, but our plan is to keep it as a focus during our time here.
Meanwhile we’re keeping tabs on the relief efforts here. A Mennonite group that we’ve served with before and have a lot of good friends who serve with them is here and serving at several homes. We’re helping them with logistics at this point wherever we can and as they need things, so that’s been good.
It's also been a huge blessing to plug in so quickly at Wellspring Church just south of here. They are a CC and have a heart to serve The LORD and have been very hospitable towards us. Great to have their fellowship!
We’ll be headed out to visit with some of our families and friends soon for CHRISTmas. A lot of driving and we’ll be visiting a couple of churches along the way. I’ll be sharing The Word at Calvary Chapel Silver Creek in Garretsville, OH on 12/20 so if you’re in the area we’d love to see you there!
I Attached some pics of the work we did winterizing stuff on the 5th wheel. Keep us in your prayers and remember that Jesus is the reason for the season and the reason we live every day!!
If you’re interested in helping with any of the expenses with Calvary Relief, please click here.
Love You All, Merry CHRISTmas and have a Jesus filled New Year,
Curt & Mary Jo
